Hot on the heels of her historic ninth number-one Billboard album and days away from performing at New York Pride, Madonna just dropped the latest video from Madame X.
“God Control” reunites the Queen of Pop with longtime collaborator Jonas Åkerlund. A little bit of a history refresher: Wind way back to the late 1990s. Madonna so loved Åkerlund’s controversial “Smack My Bitch Up” clip that she pursued him to direct the video for “Ray of Light.” That video is one of Madonna’s undisputed masterpieces, and won countless awards. Åkerlund became one of the most sought-after directors for short-form music clips, working with Lady Gaga, P!nk and others.
In case you haven’t listened to Madame X (and I highly recommend that you do because mostly it’s very good), “God Control” is six-minute disco track with huge strings, a cathedral choir, and a hook where Madonna raps about how she doesn’t use drugs. It’s as weird as it sounds, and it works. The video is a vibrant disco affair–with graphic and disturbing violent images. It’s obviously impossible not to tie this to the Pulse massacre in Orlando. Do you think this is all in good taste and for a good cause, or do you think Madonna has gone too far (sometimes it feels like Madonna has made a living off of “going to far” for some tastes)?
Personally, I think this is Madonna firing on all cylinders, a glorious return-to-form for arguably the music video medium’s greatest creator.
What do you think of “God Control?” Watch below, and let us know in the comments.
More people need to stand up to violence and gun control, all hail Madonna!