MADONNA FRIDAY: THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND

I'm having allergies like a mad person today, so we're going to take it down a notch for this post and be calm. In 1992 Madonna was in one of my fave girl-power movies of all time, A League of Their Own. It was about the early years of the women's baseball league and it also starred Geena Davis, Tom Hanks and Rosie O'Donnell. Give it a looky-loo if you haven't already(FOR SHAME!). Anyhoo....to put a cherry on top of that sundae, Madge recorded one of her most beautiful songs, This Used to be My Playground. It's a haunting ballad about loss and memories and things that make your eyes tear up like a little girl. The song went to No. 1 on the Hot 100, becoming Madonna's TENTH #1 song. The video, directed by Alek Keshishian (the director of Truth or Dare), is exceptional. It is set up as photos in an album and as the pages turn Madonna is seen in different locations and different outfits inspired by various stars and looks of the past. It's really gorgeous and if you don't think so, you're clearly out of your mind. Enjoy Madonna's This Used to be My Playground.

THE NUMBER ONE SONG 25 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS....

....Bad by Michael Jackson! Released as the second single from MJ's album of the same name, Bad was an attempt to toughen up Michael's image from the sugary sweetness or soft R&B that had dominated most of his singles before. Whether it worked or not is highly debatable (no it isn't), but the song was a giant hit and proved that Michael could rock it out with the best of them. It stayed at #1 for two weeks and became MJ's seventh song to hit the top spot. The infamous 18-minute subway video was directed by Martin Scorcese and featured Michael acting like a tough guy (let's face it, MJ was about as intimidating as a blind poodle with no legs) opposite Wesley Snipes. It was apparently inspired by the Cool scene from West Side Story. The choreography was amazing!!! It was a Jackson video after all. The song took on a life of its own and became a classic 80s hit, topping both the R&B/Hip Hop Chart and the Hot Dance Club Play Chart. It even inspired the truly hilaroius Weird Al Yankovic spoof Fat (click it! you're welcome). So being that this year is the 25th anniversary of the album Bad, here is short-form video for the #1 song from 25 years ago today, Bad.

BILLY EICHNER FINALLY MEETS MADONNA

After chasing her all over the globe for Conan O'Brien, funny man Billy Eichner finally caught up with her backstage at Yankee Stadium. While I'm MORE than positive that Madonna (of course) knew he was showing up, it's still good of her Madgesty to take time out of her rehearsal to play along. Watch and worship.

HUMPDAY SEXY SONG: FATHER FIGURE - GEORGE MICHAEL

I LOVE THIS SONG!!! George Michael was at the height of his success in 1988 and Father Figure was the third single from his massive solo debut, Faith, and it's third #1 song. A slow, sexy burner, Father Figure was the first ballad released off the album and it showed a much more mature, sensual side to Michael's singing and writing. The video is so hot I can't stand it. George is a sexy cab driver (like THAT exists) and he picks up a supermodel on the job (because THAT happens to cab drivers) and things get complicated. This song puts the hump in humpday, so enjoy and try not to hump the screen.

MADONNA'S EROTICA ALBUM TURNS 20

Released on October 20, 1992, Madonna's Erotica album set off a firestorm and completely changed the career of THE musical icon of our generation. Up to that point, and as current as that summer's single This Used To Be My Playground, Madonna had been churning out thought provoking, but mostly non-explicit music to the general enjoyment of the masses. Her track record on the charts was stellar and her reputation as having her finger on the pulse of the music-buying public was unsurpassed. Her deal with Warner music had recently changed and she was given her own label, Maverick, and more control over her output. Her first album released under her new label was Erotica. This was not your older sister's 80s Madonna. Full of double entendre, and some straight up dirty talk, Erotica was raw, dark, cold and aloof in the sexiest possible way. Critics were pretty much on board, most praising the album's honest lyrics and some even saying it was Madonna's best work. Most remarked on the fact that Madonna seemed to be reacting to what the public was talking about: Her sex life and her image. The public? Not as much. Erotica was met with some pretty strong resistance. This lead to the very first era of "Madonna backlash". While I was sitting in my living room in Lubbock, Tx in absolute HEAVEN listening to every track on the album, turns out some people thought Madge had gone too far. Songs like Where All Life Begins (an ode to cunnilingus) and Secret Garden (about her vagina) weren't the Like a Prayer and Into the Groove people were hoping for. Madonna wasn't flirting anymore, she was demanding sexual satisfaction. She was woman, hear her roar. The album debuted and peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart and went on to sale over 2 million copies in the US and 5 million worldwide, but compared to her previous albums, many considered Erotica a flop. HUH? 5 million is hardly a flop, but I guess at the time it was expected that Madonna would sell tons of albums straight out of the gate every time. The first single, Erotica, was a hip hop inspired tune that resembled her remarkable Justify My Love from a couple of years prior. A little more nasty and gritty, the song peaked at #3 on the Hot 100. More radio friendly singles like Deeper and Deeper(#7) and Rain(#14) would go on to make their mark on the charts, but for the first time in her career in the US one of her singles, the gorgeous and moody Bad Girl, would miss the top 20, peaking at #36. All the singles from Erotica would make the top 10 in the UK, including the European release of Fever. As time went on, and Madonna released her next, softer album Bedtime Stories, she backed off slightly from the oversexualized image she put forth with Erotica and its accompanying book, Sex, but she never apologized for her art. As a matter of fact, the single from Bedtime Stories, Human Nature, is about the backlash (And I'm not sorry. It's human nature) Madonna endured from her Erotica era. (Did I say something wrong? Oops, I didn't know I couldn't talk about sex. I must have been crazy) Most fans and critics agree, looking back, that Erotica is quite possibly one of Madonna's finest albums to date and its videos (which you can watch by clicking on the songs above) are all oustanding. It was ahead of its time with its sampling and frankness, its electro-lounge feel, but like most great works, sometimes things are not appreciated in their time. As for myself, I ALWAYS knew and appreciated the sheer genius of the cooly sexy album. The songs that people tend to forget to mention -- the sadness of In This Life, about all the friends Madonna lost to AIDS, and Why's It So Hard, her ode to acceptance and solidarity -- are the heart of the album really. It's where we get to hear the longing in her voice and the realness behind the sexual sheen. There are also moments of pure pop joy like Deeper and Deeper and Theif of Hearts, and of course the exquisite Rain, arguably Madonna best ballad. Erotica has stood the test of time and even improved with repeated listening over the years. Not many albums can do that. So happy 20th birthday to Erotica. You still got it, baby.

KELLY CLARKSON IS VOTING FOR OBAMA, RELEASES LYRIC VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE

If it's good enough for Kelly, isn't it good enough for you? Clarkson recently addressed a crowd at a concert in London about the upcoming presidential election, and she is standing with President Obama this time. She explains:
"I’ve been reading online about the debates and I’m probably going to vote for Obama again, even though I’m a Republican at heart. I can’t support Romney’s policies as I have a lot of gay friends and I don’t think it’s fair they can’t get married. I’m not a hardcore feminist but we can’t be going back to the 50s. Obama is a great guy. I’ve met him and I’m a fan of Michelle too. She has been busy promoting better education and healthy diets, which is something we could all use a dose of reality on."
That's nice to hear. You see, some people DO care about ALL the issues and want to help out their fellow Americans with equality. Good for you, Kelly, and thanks! Here is the lyric video for Kelly's catchy, fresh new single, Catch My Breath.

JUST BECAUSE: JOANNA NEWSOM & HER MAGICAL MUSIC

Here are a couple of absolutely stupendous songs and live performances by an artist that is truly one of a kind and beautiful in her artistry. If you get a chance, look up the lyrics to these songs and just marvel in Joanna Newsom's greatness, then go on iTunes an buy everything she's ever done(Especially THIS, THIS AND THIS). You're heart and soul will thank you. Here are Easy and '81. Enjoy on this amazy Saturday.

NEW GIRLS ALOUD: SOMETHING NEW

Sexy!! The British girl band that set the UK on fire for the past 10 years is coming back with a greatest hits album featuring 3 new tracks called, fittingly, Ten. The first single is called Something New and it's H-O-T, y'all! Here is the video for the smokin' new track with all the ladies looking delish. Without further adieu, here's Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Cole, Sarah Harding and Kimberly Walsh, A.K.A. Girls Aloud. Enjoy. Ten is due to drop in the UK on November 26th.

REVIEW: ELLIE GOULDING - HALCYON

Yes, I know. I'm a little behind posting this review. I've been busy. Get out of me!! Ellie Goulding took her sweet time hitting the top 10 in the US with her song Lights. The song, from Gouldings first album of the same name, took a year and three months to hit it's peak of #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ellie wasting no time releasing her follow up album to the masses her in the US. Halcyon is a glitteringly dark and beautiful effort that draws instant comparisons to Annie Lennox and, surprisingly, Dolly Parton. There are spots on the album, namely the exquisite Only You, where you would swear Ellie's higher register was Dolly singing. That is a beyond-unbelievable-GREAT thing, by the way. From the dark opening of Don't Say A Word the album kicks our ass with sonic goodies. First single Anything Could Happen is a bouncy, catchy number with a killer hiccup riff that will stick in your head all day. The record simply drips from song to song with sumptuous beats and an ethereal voice that recalls Annie Lennox' debut solo Diva......and that's saying A LOT. Ellie's voice is so smooth and unusual that it is mesmerizing. Other standouts are the gentle title track, the urgent Figure 8, and the haunting Atlantis. But really there's not a throwaway track on the whole set. If you yearn for that time in the 90s when women artists were killing it with emotional music, Ellie fills that void and then some. Pick it up, y'all. Here is the gorgeous video for the first single Anything Could Happen. Enjoy.

MADONNA FRIDAY: EVERYBODY

This month marks Madonna's 30th year in the music business, bitches!! On October 6, 1982 the career to top all careers in the music biz was born when Madonna released her first single, Everybody. The song, a simple call to the dancefloor, was not a hit on the Hot 100, but it gave Madonna her very first hit on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart (#3), which of course, she would go on to OWN over the next 30 years. To date she has place 43 songs at the top of that chart. Anyhoo, Madonna wrote Everybody with her friend and collaborator Steven Bray and used to carry a rough demo of it, along with Ain't No Big Deal and Burning Up, with her to all the clubs she would go to. One infamous night at Danceteria she finally talked DJ Mark Kamins into giving it a spin, the crowd went wild, and the rest is history. Kamins ultimately got her  introduced to Seymour Stein, the president of Sire Records, and Madonna was signed to an initial deal. And that, my friends, is called working it. Madonna hasn't slowed down since. Special note: The cover for the single of Everybody did not show a picture of Madonna because they didn't want anyone to know she was NOT a black artist. The record company thought it would go over better that way. Pretty funny considering how much her image ended up shaping not only her career but the entire decade to follow. So, here is her very first single, the song that started it all, Everybody.

LADY GAGA & DIE ANTWOORD BATTLE OVER CONTROVERSIAL VIDEO

WARNING!! STRONG LANGUAGE IN POST AND VIDEO IS NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK....OR KIDS....OR THE FAINT OF HEART!!!!! Lady Gaga mostly tries to stay out of dissing other artists, but she recently responded to the South African band Die Antwoord's harsh words and even harsher video for their single Fatty Boom Boom. Gaga had expressed before that she was a fan of the band and her record company Interscope, which used to be Die Antwoord's label as well, even suggested the band open for Gaga is South Africa. Well, group members Yo-Landi Vi$$er and Ninja (I know, me either), didn't take to kindly to that suggestion, telling MTV, "No, don't worry about it.' Our stuff is like fucking hardcore like solid heavyweight! We want it to be like a secret mind-fuck! People are like what the fuck is this the first time they hear it. We like making pop music, but we like making hardcore music at the same time, mixing them, but they've got, like, soul. It's not like weak, superficial shit. You know?" Okay. So they don't see eye to eye artistically. BUT the group have taken the feud a little further with their new video for Fatty Boom Boom, having Gaga played by a big ol' drag queen who is touring a town in South Africa filled with stereotypes, having a rather graphic medical problem in the process, and eventually coming to a gruesome end. YIKES!! Lady Gaga responded to the video via twitter and facebook, referencing Die Antwoord's song I Fink U Freaky:
"i fink u freaky but you don't have a hit. hundred thousand tIckets sold in SA. #thatmyshit
......i guess its not a good idea to tell someone you're a fan. never mind! we get it, you're not a little monster. WE GOT IT."
Well, she seems to have a sense of humor about it without backing down to their insults. While I think Die Antwoord is using this and all their videos to stir up controversy (and what pop star doesn't do that) it DOES go a little far in the end. That being said, I think Die Antwoord makes some pretty awesome music and maybe they are just posing to look tough. Check out the VERY NSFW video below and see what you think. Again...WARNING!

HUMPDAY SEXY SONG: KYLIE MINOGUE - CHOCOLATE

Oh, sexy, sexy Kylie, I love you. Kylie Minogue has been one of the longest lasting pop diva sex symbols in the history of music, and this song is one of the most sensual treats she's ever laid on her adoring fans. Chocolate was the third single released from Kylie's 2003 album Body Language and it became her 27th top ten single in the UK when it debuted at #6. Featuring lyrics comparing the love she is getting from her loverboy to melting chocolate, the tune is a mid-tempo aural-gasm and the accompanying video, inspired by old MGM musicals from the 1940s, finds Kylie wearing several different costumes, doing a sexy dance with a hot-ass man, and looking glam in general. Hot damn, this is a good package! While not one of Kylie's biggest hits, I personally believe that Chocolate is a standout in the cannon of KM's output over the past 25 years. Give sexy credit where sexy credit it due! Enjoy Chocolate and try not to hump anything in public.

REVIEW: BARBRA STREISAND, BACK IN BROOKLYN

OH MY BABS!!!!! Last night I was lucky enough to attend Barbra Streisand's Back to Brooklyn Concert at the Barclays Center with my husband and two of my very besties and witnessed what can only be described as perfection on the concert stage. Sigh... I was, of course, expecting Babs to sound lovely and be her candid self, but I didn't expect THE VOICE!! THE VOICE is still there! Barbra hit every single note you wanted her to hit and then some. She tore through classics like Don't Rain On My Parade and Enough Is Enough, wooed the audience with People, Evergreen and did a Jule Styne medley of songs from Gypsy and Funny Girl that had the crowd on its feet. Hitting the stage in a stunning black sequined Donna Karan (of course) dress and latter changing in the first act to similar pant suit, Barbra looked A-MAH-ZING! This woman is 70 years old and she is still like buttah! The first act had her opening with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard stunner As If We Never Said Goodbye, but, in true Babs fashion, the lyrics were re-written for the diva to be about coming back to her home, Brooklyn. The second act started similarly with You're the Top, again about BK, and a cut-down-to-there red dress that proved Barbra's VOICE isn't the only thing still in good shape. The audience ate it up. Her son, Jason Gould, also joined his mother on stage and they sang How Deep Is The Ocean together then he sang a solo, This Masquerade. Turns out the guy can really sing, y'all. It was very touching. Special guests Chris Botti and Il Volo, who sang Smile with Striesand before their solo set, were lovely additions to the night as well, but the spotlight was firmly on Barbra and THE VOICE!! I truly can't get over THE VOICE! When Streisand sang the ending of Somewhere from West Side Story it was like she threw her throat in a time machine and out popped these familiar sounds from yesteryear. I was a little boy in my room listening to Barbra again. Well, THAT'S the gayest thing I've said in a while, and that's saying something. The girl's still got it! Sitting in a seat and seeing Barbra Streisand sing live in concert was surreal and amazing and a night I will never, ever forget. She is a one-of-a-kind legend and there will never be another. I'm still a little verklemmt. Talk amongst yourselves.

NEW VIDEO: LANA DEL REY - RIDE

Normally, long intros to videos bore the crap out of me, but the three-plus minute monologue that is underscored by video of Lana del Rey wandering the streets, picking up tricks and swinging on a tire that is all laid over some truly beautiful orchestration is mesmerizing. (And I'm not the only one who thinks Lana looks like the older sister Ginny in Sixteen Candles?) Is Lana going to dip into acting soon? Hmmmm... The music video itself is another stunning creation by Lana and her record company (who knows who is responsible for what these days) and the song is amazing. The ending is pretty awesome too. It's very interesting that Ms. del Rey has managed to produce some of the most consistent, enjoyable music this year. Her videos continue to be controversial without being too gimmicky. Watch this and see what you think. I believe it's another winner. Born to Die: The Paradise Edition is out in November.

MADONNA FRIDAY: FEVER

Madonna rarely does covers. She doesn't have to. She's Madonna. For her 1992 album Erotica, she was not intending on doing a cover, but while working on a song called Goodbye to Innocence (which later surfaced on the charity record Just Say Roe) Madonna started singing the lyrics to Fever, the classic song by Peggy Lee, over the track. She liked it, and the rest is history. Though never released as a single in the US, appearing only as a B-side for Bad Girl, the song was a massive club hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song was the highest debuting song from Erotica in the UK, charting it's first week at #6. The video for the song shows Madonna is various costumes and features a remixed version, not the album version. The most famous performance of the song is from Madonna's Girly Show Tour and I will show it today!!! Along with the amazy video. Yay me!! Enjoy the hot track from Erotica, Fever.

CAN ADELE BECOME THE SECOND #1 BOND THEME?

Adele's title theme for the upcoming James Bond film Skyfall debuts at #8 this week on the Billboard Hot 100 selling 261,000 copies is just under three days. This marks Adele's highest debut for any single and certainly ranks higher than most Bond themes of the past. While we may all be familiar with many, many Bond themes -- For You Eyes Only(#8, 1981), Nobody Does it Better(#2, 1977), Goldfinger(#8, 1964), Diamonds are Forever(#38, 1971), Die Another Day(#8, 2002) -- only one song has ever hit #1 on the Hot 100 in the history of the franchise. What was it? A View To A Kill by Duran Duran hit #1 in 1985. Will Adele be able to hit the top spot? Stay tuned.....Here is the Bond trailer featuring Adele's Skyfall and below that the full track.

FULL VERSION OF SKY FALL, NEW JAMES BOND THEME BY ADEL.

HERE IS THE FULL VERSION OF SKY FALL BY ADELE.

MADONNA FRIDAY: EXPRESS YOURSELF

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with the most empowering, energetic, balls-to-the-wall Madonna song of all time, Express Yourself. Has there ever been a better workout song? I think not. Express Yourself was a very pivotal song in my life. I was a young boy in  a small town trying to fit in AND still be myself. I was gay, but not ready to tell friends yet (it would be about a year-and-a-half before I was ready), but this song was one that kept me going. The sheer power of the music and the lyrics were a revelation and Madonna was arguably at the height of her fame around this time. Of course, she is STILL the most famous woman in the world, but this was right when she was about to peak, pop culture-wise. AND THE VIDEO!!! GEEZ!!!! Express Yourself opened the MTV VMAs this year and it would open her Blond Ambition Tour in 1990. So, for my birthday, which falls on Madonna Friday this year, I would like you to listen carefully to the lyrics of this song and make it your own today. If you don't, you'll probably get a sassy side-eye from me next time we cross paths. Here it is, girl. I am including the original, stunning  video AND the LIVE MTV VMA performance for your viewing pleasure. TA-DAH!

HUMPDAY SEXY SONG: SHANIA TWAIN - MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN

Shania Twain has been away too long. In March 1999 though she was EVERYWHERE! Her album, Come On Over, was selling about a billion copies a second and her videos were all over MTV. Man! I Feel Like A Woman was the 7th, yes SEVENTH single from the album and it was accompanied by one of Shania's sexiest videos....and that's saying something! Shania dipped back to the 80s and found inspiration from the old Robert Palmer Addicted to Love video that showed women as mindless, beautiful robots, but Shania put the men in the submissive position. Yay! The result is a visual orgasm of hotness. The song, by the way, went on to win a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Not too bad for the 7th single. The song is country crossover perfection. This is an example of when everything comes together just right. Here is this week's Humpday Sexy Song, Man! I Feel Like A Woman.

FLASHBACK: TEARS FOR FEARS

Tears for Fears is one of the ultimate 80s bands. The two boys from the UK,  Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, formed the band in 1981 and by 1982 they were starting their rise to fame. The name Tears for Fears comes from a form of therapy called Primal therapy that the band was interested in at the time. Their first two singles didn't connect with record buyers, but the their third did. Mad World hit #3 on the UK charts in late 1982, and subsequently their first album, The Hurting, became a huge success in the UK. Their interest in Primal therapy was a central theme of the first album. The Hurting stayed on the charts in the UK for 65 weeks and #1, garnering platinum status. The release of their second album, 1984's Songs from the Big Chair (#1 US, #2 UK), is when Tears for Fears REALLY blew up. The singles from that album, namely Everybody Wants to Rule the World (#1 US, #2 UK), Shout (#1 US, #4 UK) and Head Over Heels (US #3, UK #12), made the band international superstars. Then there was a rather lengthy period of time in between albums. It wasn't until 1989 that their third album, The Seeds of Love (#8 US, #1 UK), was released. The first single, Sowing the Seeds of Love, was a massive success hitting #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #5 in the UK. The Beatles inspired tune was an anthem about society and politics written in a sort of protest after Margaret Thatcher won her third term in office and featured lyrics like, "Politician grannie with your high ideals. Have you no idea how the majority feels?".  Two more singles made it into the US Top 40 from The Seeds of Love, Woman in Chains (#26) and Advise for the Young at Heart (#36). Following The Seeds of Love, Orzabal and Smith had a falling out and Smith left the group, leaving the name Tears for Fears with Roland Orzabal. Orzabal went on to record under the name on his own and managed to produce several US Top 40 singles during the early 90s. The band reunited in 2004 and recorded the album Everybody Loves a Happy Ending. They have continued to tour and record together since. While their legacy on the charts was only a few years, the songs they produced are some of the most lush and memorable of the era. Here are some songs to take you back today. Enjoy Tears for Fears.

Tears For Fears-Sowing The Seeds Of Love by Stuka


Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels by manon42

LISTEN TO A SNIPPET OF ADELE'S JAMES BOND THEME

It's pretty awesome. It's pretty much what you would expect from an Adele/James Bond sandwich.

UPDATE: CLIP HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN. YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE RELEASE....