Thirty Years Of Vogue
March 27, 2020 6:29 AM Subscribe
March 27, 1990, Madonna releases what is possibly her most influential single, Vogue. The song was nearly an instant global hit, at number 1 in 30 countries within a month. The video, directed by David Fincher, is considered one of the best videos ever made. But there's a lot more Vogue.
Let's get the famous performances out of the way first. The 1990 MTV Music Awards performance is perhaps the most well known. The 2012 Super Bowl Halftime Show opened with the song. And of course the song was included in the Blonde Ambition Tour documentary Truth Or Dare.
Remixes were on the cusp of moving out of the 80s style and into a more modern house style around this time. Vogue's remix and b-side library:
Vogue (Betty Davis Dub)
Vogue (12-Inch Version)
Vogue (Strike-A-Pose Dub)
Keep It Together (Single Remix)
Keep It Together (12-Inch Remix)
Hanky Panky (Bare Bottom 12-Inch Mix)
Hanky Panky (Bare Bones Single Mix)
More (Album Version)
It's possible that the release of Vogue introduced house music to a large audience for the first time. Also possible, it revived dance music (even maybe disco) as a viable form of commercial music. Other influences include that coming well-timed on the heels of Vogue's Spring 1990 release was the unexpectedly-successful documentary Paris Is Burning, about drag house ball competitions, which undoubtedly led through a chain of interest across decades to the television series Pose, which explores this era of ball culture.
Let's get the famous performances out of the way first. The 1990 MTV Music Awards performance is perhaps the most well known. The 2012 Super Bowl Halftime Show opened with the song. And of course the song was included in the Blonde Ambition Tour documentary Truth Or Dare.
Remixes were on the cusp of moving out of the 80s style and into a more modern house style around this time. Vogue's remix and b-side library:
Vogue (Betty Davis Dub)
Vogue (12-Inch Version)
Vogue (Strike-A-Pose Dub)
Keep It Together (Single Remix)
Keep It Together (12-Inch Remix)
Hanky Panky (Bare Bottom 12-Inch Mix)
Hanky Panky (Bare Bones Single Mix)
More (Album Version)
It's possible that the release of Vogue introduced house music to a large audience for the first time. Also possible, it revived dance music (even maybe disco) as a viable form of commercial music. Other influences include that coming well-timed on the heels of Vogue's Spring 1990 release was the unexpectedly-successful documentary Paris Is Burning, about drag house ball competitions, which undoubtedly led through a chain of interest across decades to the television series Pose, which explores this era of ball culture.
also following up on Malcolm Mclaren, let's also include the obligatory precursor music video that Madonna stole appropriated borrowed built upon. Malcolm Mclaren's Deep in Vogue, released a year earlier in 1989.
posted by bl1nk at 7:00 AM on March 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by bl1nk at 7:00 AM on March 27, 2020 [8 favorites]
also, apologies, after looking at Molesome's Grauniad link, I see that the "Deep In Vogue" video is linked there as well, though a bit further down the fold. I'll also add that I remember seeing that Mclaren video around the time that it came out (credit some forward thinking Canadian VJ on MuchMusic) and remember being fascinated with the choreography and the simple idea of chaining cover poses as a dance style. I love "Vogue" the song, but always felt a bit disappointed that the video seemed to be about 75% glam classic-era Hollywood cosplay and 25% pose ball choreography.
posted by bl1nk at 7:20 AM on March 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by bl1nk at 7:20 AM on March 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
See also, the 2016 film Strike A Pose which re-unites several of the backup dancers from the Vogue video and the Truth or Dare movie/tour. (It's available on Netflix.)
posted by dnash at 7:25 AM on March 27, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by dnash at 7:25 AM on March 27, 2020 [7 favorites]
There isn't a scene in that video that I don't want to watch (at least) 30 seconds more of.
posted by Mchelly at 7:43 AM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 7:43 AM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
popped in to mention the prescient malcolm mclaren song, and i see that i am in good company. :D
posted by rude.boy at 7:50 AM on March 27, 2020
posted by rude.boy at 7:50 AM on March 27, 2020
Yeah it's good but is it as good as this cover version ?
Brogues
posted by GallonOfAlan at 7:51 AM on March 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Brogues
posted by GallonOfAlan at 7:51 AM on March 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
And a famous fan remix that replaces all the visuals with some brilliant editing to the movie 300.
posted by ladyriffraff at 8:02 AM on March 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by ladyriffraff at 8:02 AM on March 27, 2020 [5 favorites]
"When Madonna came out with her hit Vogue I knew it was over. She had taken a very specifically queer, transgender, Latino and African-American phenomenon and totally erased that context with her lyrics, 'it makes no difference if you're black or white, if you're a boy or a girl.' Madonna was taking in tons of money, while the Queen who actually taught her how to vogue sat before me in the club, strung out, depressed and broke. So if anybody requested Vogue or any other Madonna track, I told them, no, this is a Madonna-free zone! And as long as I'm DJ-ing, you will not be allowed to vogue to the decontextualized, reified, corporatized, liberalized, neutralized, asexualized, re-genderized pop reflection of this dance floor's reality!"posted by azarbayejani at 8:13 AM on March 27, 2020 [34 favorites]
- Terre Thaemlitz - Ball’r (Madonna Free Zone)
Here's a take-off reflecting today's pandemic situation.
posted by sardonyx at 8:19 AM on March 27, 2020
posted by sardonyx at 8:19 AM on March 27, 2020
With Eminem and Madonna I think artists take Malcolm Mclaren's sonically grating material (seriously - there are parts of Deep in Vogue that are unlistenable to me) and turn it into pop hits.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:21 AM on March 27, 2020
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:21 AM on March 27, 2020
I can't recommend "Strike a Pose" documentary enough since it talks in depth about what vogue dancers on tour have to put up with and lose when they're on tour.
Any article or film on dance highlights how sad it is that it is not easy for originators to make money and get credit while they're young. You can't "copyright" dance, but that is also what makes it so easy to share with others.
I think that if TikTok and social media were around in the new jack swing/early 90s dance music era, we'd see a completely different set of celebrities that reflect where these things came from. It is easier to track and credit who created dances now compared to even 20 years ago. A lot of dance history has a lot "We think this guy or that guy popularized but it was also spotted in Harlem or Cuba 20 years earlier...." A variation of that sentence is pretty standard in Wikipedia dance articles!
Even now there is conflicting info on choreography protection, unlike a lot of other arts like photography.
posted by Freecola at 8:43 AM on March 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
Any article or film on dance highlights how sad it is that it is not easy for originators to make money and get credit while they're young. You can't "copyright" dance, but that is also what makes it so easy to share with others.
I think that if TikTok and social media were around in the new jack swing/early 90s dance music era, we'd see a completely different set of celebrities that reflect where these things came from. It is easier to track and credit who created dances now compared to even 20 years ago. A lot of dance history has a lot "We think this guy or that guy popularized but it was also spotted in Harlem or Cuba 20 years earlier...." A variation of that sentence is pretty standard in Wikipedia dance articles!
Even now there is conflicting info on choreography protection, unlike a lot of other arts like photography.
posted by Freecola at 8:43 AM on March 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
Let us not forget that the song was a last minute inclusion on I'm Breathless, the 1990 Dick Tracy soundtrack album (which includes three original Sondheim numbers).
Interview with Vogue producer Shep Pettibone:
Billboard: It's funny how such an iconic song came from a one-off. Something that wasn't part of a larger project, but just sort of a "Let's try this and see what happens." And then it turns into one of the most memorable dance songs ever.
Shep Pettibone: It was Craig that came to me, and he's like, "You have a budget of $5,000." Which, you know, really isn't a lot because you have to pay the studios, you have to pay engineers, musicians, et cetera, et cetera. So, the whole thing was really done on a shoestring budget. Where we recorded it, and where she actually sang the vocals was in somebody's basement on West 56th Street, I think. [Laughs.]
...She had the choruses together, and the verses together. And she sang those in place, one by one. And I gotta also add: first take. Especially the verses. She was always a first-take artist. You didn't have to go back in and punch a word. No tonal problems. She was pretty amazing that way… For the middle part, I was like, "How about if we do like a rap or something in here?" Because we didn't have anything for that, really. And she's like, "What do you mean?" I'm like, "Oh, how about like you know bringing in movie stars and stuff?" So, we just wrote down a whole bunch of names of movie stars and that's how the rap came up.
posted by roger ackroyd at 9:20 AM on March 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Interview with Vogue producer Shep Pettibone:
Billboard: It's funny how such an iconic song came from a one-off. Something that wasn't part of a larger project, but just sort of a "Let's try this and see what happens." And then it turns into one of the most memorable dance songs ever.
Shep Pettibone: It was Craig that came to me, and he's like, "You have a budget of $5,000." Which, you know, really isn't a lot because you have to pay the studios, you have to pay engineers, musicians, et cetera, et cetera. So, the whole thing was really done on a shoestring budget. Where we recorded it, and where she actually sang the vocals was in somebody's basement on West 56th Street, I think. [Laughs.]
...She had the choruses together, and the verses together. And she sang those in place, one by one. And I gotta also add: first take. Especially the verses. She was always a first-take artist. You didn't have to go back in and punch a word. No tonal problems. She was pretty amazing that way… For the middle part, I was like, "How about if we do like a rap or something in here?" Because we didn't have anything for that, really. And she's like, "What do you mean?" I'm like, "Oh, how about like you know bringing in movie stars and stuff?" So, we just wrote down a whole bunch of names of movie stars and that's how the rap came up.
posted by roger ackroyd at 9:20 AM on March 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
I will never not hear this song and think “Strike a toad”.
For reasons. Old, old reasons.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 9:45 AM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
For reasons. Old, old reasons.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 9:45 AM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
"...They had style, they had grace
Rita Hayworth gave good face..."
"So, we just wrote down a whole bunch of names of movie stars and that's how the rap came up."
Yeah... I can see that.
posted by SoberHighland at 10:21 AM on March 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
Rita Hayworth gave good face..."
"So, we just wrote down a whole bunch of names of movie stars and that's how the rap came up."
Yeah... I can see that.
posted by SoberHighland at 10:21 AM on March 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
Madonna posted a clip of herself to social media very recently, rambling somewhat incoherently at the camera while sitting in a bathtub. It was unsettling to watch. I say this without sarcasm; I hope she's OK.
posted by SoberHighland at 10:30 AM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by SoberHighland at 10:30 AM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
My current favorite Vogue remix is Alesis - Vogue Era.
posted by jordantwodelta at 10:45 AM on March 27, 2020
posted by jordantwodelta at 10:45 AM on March 27, 2020
In early 1990 New Zealand had just two nationally-owned television channels, joined by a third privately owned station the previous year, and was in a dispute over broadcast rights for foreign music videos. As a result, no American music videos were shown on television for about 10 months. The web was still a dream to Tim Berners-Lee: the first servers outside of CERN wouldn't be available until the next year. A market for bootleg VHS music videos didn't really exist.
But music stores could show videos. I remember crowds four deep crammed close around a window display in Auckland's high street at night watching Vogue on repeat. It was that captivating.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 2:05 PM on March 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
But music stores could show videos. I remember crowds four deep crammed close around a window display in Auckland's high street at night watching Vogue on repeat. It was that captivating.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 2:05 PM on March 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
what, no love for La Isla Bonita?
posted by bitteroldman at 2:12 PM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by bitteroldman at 2:12 PM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
I was going to say that I remembered seeing more naked bubble baths than Madonna in the video, but then I watched the video... apparently I've spent the past thirty years thinking that the video for the Pet Shop Boys "Being Boring" is the video for "Vogue". This is what happens when you grow up without a television.
posted by betweenthebars at 2:13 PM on March 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by betweenthebars at 2:13 PM on March 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Dear God; where did 30 years go? .
posted by Afghan Stan at 3:06 PM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Afghan Stan at 3:06 PM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
As a youngster, when I first saw "Vogue" I thought: WOW! Madonna is a genius! Amazing dance style! Amazing dancers! And the MTV Music Awards bit was amazing too.
A few years later, I came across "Paris is Burning." I'd heard good things about it, so I watched it. And the slow realization dawned on me: She. Didn't. Invent. Vogueing?
posted by Quaversalis at 4:25 PM on March 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
A few years later, I came across "Paris is Burning." I'd heard good things about it, so I watched it. And the slow realization dawned on me: She. Didn't. Invent. Vogueing?
posted by Quaversalis at 4:25 PM on March 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
This is just to let everyone know that "Paris Is Burning" is streaming on US Netflix and you could watch it right now! (I watched it yesterday and don't really have any intelligent commentary to add, just wanted to share for your viewing delight.)
posted by Snarl Furillo at 6:29 PM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Snarl Furillo at 6:29 PM on March 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
I will never not hear this song and think “Strike a toad”.
Or Milk & Cheese going "Strike a poser!".
posted by gtrwolf at 7:30 PM on March 27, 2020
Or Milk & Cheese going "Strike a poser!".
posted by gtrwolf at 7:30 PM on March 27, 2020
I've done more than a couple Madonna posts, actually. Don't look at how much I've posted about NIN over the years. The topics are different every time, though.
posted by hippybear at 6:40 AM on March 28, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 6:40 AM on March 28, 2020 [5 favorites]
here's a quick article about how Pose's season 2 is framed around the song and the moment around it. (being younger than the song, i only know it from ryan murphy properties lol - this and the glee cover)
posted by gaybobbie at 8:03 AM on March 28, 2020
posted by gaybobbie at 8:03 AM on March 28, 2020
There's also the unofficial Bette Davis Pose 12" Version, which is like the dub but includes vocals and is notably longer (10:24).
posted by softlord at 1:20 PM on March 29, 2020
posted by softlord at 1:20 PM on March 29, 2020
So, I didn't know about the Strike A Pose documentary before this thread, but I want to attest that it is worth a watch. It's one of the most human documentaries I have ever seen, complicated and emotional and it struck me (and resonated in me) in ways I wasn't expecting it to when I started out on it. If you saw Truth Or Dare or The Blonde Ambition Tour (the official Nice filming is apparently on YouTube), these are dancers you know. Following up with them.. was amazing for me.
posted by hippybear at 10:54 PM on April 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 10:54 PM on April 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
(Also it's possible that the Blonde Ambition Tour is the best pop tour that will ever happen. I wish I'd seen it in person.)
posted by hippybear at 10:56 PM on April 1, 2020
posted by hippybear at 10:56 PM on April 1, 2020
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posted by Molesome at 6:40 AM on March 27, 2020 [2 favorites]