This was so great! I'd love to watch you explore the uncensored version of American Life, Vogue, Take a Bow, and some of the purely fun ones such as Material Girl. You should also take on a tour....Confessions would be an amazing place to start!
A lot of the images in the Bedtime Story video are of surrealist paintings come to life which is an incredible feat to do in video form especially at the time. This is the first ever music video to be displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is still there playing on loop to this day!
@@ericmason6540 The imagery of the video is mostly inspired by the works of female surrealists, such as Remedios Varo or Leonora Carrington, and also by the poetic-experimental movie "The Colour of Pomegranates" (1969) by Armenian-Soviet director Sergei Parajanov.
My immediate thought exactly on viewing his first TH-cam video. Not sure of your age but your "reactions" are actually off-the-cuff cultural critiques. You seem well versed enough to offer a real analysis of higher end pop culture. Can I just say how refreshing that is?! So many "Millenials" are doing these reaction videos to 80's-90's music that are puff pieces offering no insight at all and seem to exist just to make me feel old. Liked/subscribed and really looking forward to seeing more from you! Great work!
The arabic parr says “ try to forget everything that you learned” refering to the last part of the song where she says “all that u ever learned try to forget i’ll never explain again”
in the frozen video she was depicting the the irish goddess morrigan. she’s the goddess of war and fate and is usually depicted as 3 different women. she’s also said to shapeshift into crows.
React to Take a Bow and You'll See in that order. They go together. Other favorites include Oh Father, Ghosttown, American Life, Music, and of course Vogue!
React to Deeper And Deeper, Bad Girl, Take A Bow, American Life (unreleased version) and God Control! Express Yourself, Human Nature, Nothing Really Matters and Music would be interesting as well!
I really enjoy your commentaries on Madonna's videos. You did my favorite of hers, Bedtime Story, which has much symbolism and representation of surrealist art from female painters. My favorite song of hers is Drowned World/Substitute for Love, and it has a video, an introspective look at her life and fame. I recommend it.
It’s great that you are reacting to music videos too! Awesome reaction as always 😊 You should totally check out more Madonna music videos such as “Bad Girl”, “Express Yourself” and “Take a Bow”
I don't mean to be a party pooper, but she hadn't given birth yet when she released the Bedtime Story video. The video was released in early '95, and she became a mum in late '96. ;) You can hear the effect motherhood had on her on the Ray of Light album. And yes, Bedtime Story's video gives a lot to comment on. I've always liked that there's a reference to Remedios Varo's (one of my favourite artists) painting "The Lovers" in there. She's a fun of surrealism. And also, like you said, I always think of the Matrix when I watch it. That video was the most expensive of all time when it was released. I would recommend the original version of American Life, Erotica, and Vogue next. ;)
While Madonna’s lyrics are often personal in nature, she very often allows the medium of music video for other artists to interpret her music, or even for herself to reinterpret a songs meaning. In addition, much of Madonna’s visuals pay homage to painters, artists, photographers, and films that inspire her. Some in subtle ways, others more obviously. Material Girl (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), Power of Goodbye (Humoresque), Express Yourself (Metropolis), Oh Father (Citizen Cane), and I Want You (Repulsion) all pay homage visually to specific films. Great video. As always you manage to be entertaining while also offering fresh perspectives on music. Seriously, I look forward to your videos and for the first time ever I could justify being a Patreon to a TH-camr. 🙂
Eric Mason 🙂 Oh Father video would knock your socks off. Just visually arresting in a subtle way. Even if you don’t create a reaction video, I highly recommend it. It’s just a treat. Emotional imagery, stylized like early B&W films.
I keep laughing at your reaction to "Bedtime Story". It's hilarious! (in a good way). This is probably the most intelligent reaction to the video that i have seen. You get it. And from reading comments I'm learning informations that i never knew before. This is a great start for video reaction. Next i would recommend some drama: "Oh Father" "Bad Girl" "The Power of Good-bye" "Take a Bow" then the sequel "You'll See". For a bit of action/controversy: "American Life" (uncensored) "Die Another Day" "What It Feels Like For a Girl"
Love your analysis as usual. Thanks for bringing 'Bedtime story' video. You're so well spoken. Having a conversation with you about life should be so interesting..
Your reactions are exactly my reaction before the internet was invented....I just did this all in my head alone in my room. I love how insightful you are.
You are the first person that reacts to Madonna’s videos and gives and elocuent and intelligent opinion about them. I would love to talk about them with you. Keep up the great work.
Great analysis Eric. The saint depicted in "Like A Prayer" is Martin de Porres, the patron saint of mixed-races (hence the bi-racial kiss). You should analyze "Express Yourself" in one of your future uploads. As a cine-phile it's one of my favorites because it references Fritz Lang's "Metropolis"... again... excellent read!
Interestingly, the videos you chose all differ strongly. Like a Prayer is based upon narrative, Bedtime Story is based upon visuals/paintings, Frozen is based upon dance/movement. I agree the first (directed by Mary Lambert) is the best, and is probably one of the best music videos ever made. Not all Madonna's videos are that good though, but most are interesting (especially 80s/90s videos). I would recommend the videos for Vogue, Open Your Heart, Justify My Love.
The scene of Madonna dancing in a frenzy in front o the burning crosses is probably one of the BEST scenes ever........Man Erick Mason, have you ever seen her, I mean seen her dancing. It" s extraordinarily amazing. Besides, she looks soooooooooooooooooooooooooo freacking beautiful.
For someone who didn't live through or experience her through the peak of her career, you are very insightful for a first time watcher. During Like A Prayer and you were thinking she had committed a crime, I was like... wait for the middle of the video where you see more of the crime and sure enough, you got the rest of the video right after :) Bedtime Story is very much about using and recreating visuals from surrealist art. I think the Wiki page for the video does a pretty good job of pairing up scenes with specific paintings of surrealist art that the director and Madonna chose as inspiration. At the time of its making, it was the most expensive video ever made (though it's been topped since) and it's archived in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, it's so highly revered for its artistic merit. Frozen is, as you say, more simplistic in its visuals, but is breathtaking and in my opinion, it's the best ballad of her career. In it, she plays the role of Hecate, a Greek goddess of witchcraft, the moon and dogs. She is frequently depicted as being three goddesses in one. She also has traditional Indian Mehndi on her hands and the one on her palm, I believe, is 'om'. It was filmed in a desert, which we associate typically with heat, but it is arid and dry and devoid of life. By limiting the palette to a monochromatic icy blue and black, we get the feeling of cold in a paradoxically hot climate. For some of her better videos in terms of narrative, social/political commentary and/or visuals, I recommend Papa Don't Preach, Express Yourself, Oh Father, Vogue, Erotica (the uncut version if you don't blush easily), Deeper and Deeper, Secret, Human Nature, What it Feels Like for a Girl, Ghosttown, God Control and I Rise. These are not necessarily her biggest hits or the most 'fun' of her videos (though some of course are) but I think these are her most thought-provoking and the ones you'd most likely have fun interpreting. She's also got lots of amazing live performances that I think would be equally enjoyable for you to review. Have fun... her career is unrivaled in terms of her overall talent as a performance artist, singer, activist and dancer.
Hi. The Bedtime Stories video is from 1995 and the first Matrix movie is from 1999. The religious symbolism of the grapes corresponds to the blood of God and the doves to the Holy Spirit that begets the son of God in Mary. This video is also inspired by the Russian cinema Andrei Tarkovsky ("Stalker: The Zone", 1979) and the film The Color of Pomegranates - A Cor da Romã (1968, Sergei Parajanov) and the paintings by Remedios Varo and one by Leonora Carrington . In the "Frozen" video, Madonna seems to remember a black widow, a trapped witch whose burning desert has been frozen.
Definitely "Bad Girl"! In my opinion is one of her most complex and fascinating videos. I would also recommend "Nothing Really Matters", "Paradise (Not For Me)", "Deeper And Deeper", and "Oh Father".. all of them are full of story and metaphors and substance, and all of them could be fit for a rich and deep analysis.
the Bedtime Story video reminds me a lot of the movie The Cell (errr, or the reverse since Bedtime Story was first). Similar surreal imagery and premise about exploring dreamscapes
In “Like A Prayer,” that’s not Jesus she sees in the church: it’s St, Martin de Porres, who is the patron saint of, among other things, mixed-race people and those seeking racial harmony. You can tell by the statue’s iconography, especially the red robe on the white tunic. The story is about finding the strength and courage to go against what society tells you to do, and do the right thing. It also alludes to religious devotion being of the same nature as earthly passion; that you should love God with the intensity you do a lover or spouse, a common theme in some schools of Christianity (as well as other religions). Personally, while I agree that the burning crosses are a reference to racial injustice, they also represent the burning intensity of devotion, like when we love someone and say that “my heart is on fire (or burning).” ”Bedtime Stories” uses a ton of images from surrealist paintings and film. Lucid dreaming isn’t about clarity; a lucid dream is one in which you are aware you are dreaming and (usually) can control what happens. “Frozen” is chock full of pre-Christian images, primarily of Western/Middle Eastern origin. The Triple Goddess was really common throughout the Middle East and Europe; the Three Fates, Hecate (envisioned as a three-in-one woman), and so on. In many Celtic and Germanic belief systems crows/ravens were seen as Heaven’s messengers, running various errands for the Gods. The black dog was also common in pagan imagery, and was particularity associated with magic (as was the black cat) and specifically, the black dog was the familiar/servant/symbol of Hecate, the goddess of magic. All of the Triple Goddesses are connected with Earth Mother figures and are primordial in nature. Some academics theorize that all these ideas can be traced back to a long-gone Indo-European belief system followed by our very earliest ancestors.
The best Madonna video reactions... and I’ve seen them all! I prefer when you pause the videos to react, sometimes you don’t, but that’s ok too. You seem very cultured and intelligent, which translates into a very good analysis of each video. I’ve been a Madonna fan since 1984 and you mention things I have never thought about. Looking at your handsome face doesn’t hurt either... Interesting that you choose to do them 3 at a time, which explain the shortened of the videos, something I normally hate, but not so much in your case. Keep reacting to Madonna!! And also, react to live performances, which you will absolutely love!!
Hey, Eric! This is my first time seeing one of your reaction videos and I have to say that I have never seen such a meticulous analysis of music videos before such as what you did here. I'm amazed!! Believe me, with Madonna a lot of her videos are quite worthy of breaking them down with analysis. I wouldn't know where to begin in terms of recommending videos of hers for you to see and analyze them. You got a new subscriber here. Keep up the good work!
I dont understand you, but I LOVE your voice, your eyes and your smile. Greetings from Mexico. Someone here is in love with you. Thanks for reacting to Madonna
I love that you're reacting to madonna's videos now too. Check out Open Your Heart, Papa Don't Preach, Vogue, Express Yourself, Justify My Love and American Life (uncensored) for some of her most interesting videos. But honestly, that's just for starters.
can i just say you made me love her all over again, i have always loved her, but seeing it in new eyes and also going deeper, seeing layers i did not see before, i really appreciate your insight and will subscribe to your vids!
The scene of the foot pressing grapes comes from the film Sayat Nova by Serjey Parajanov 1963, a visual jewel. The band Juno Reactor also used original scenes from the film to do their God is God video. The scene of the two Madonnas come from Los amantes, a painting by Remedios Varo.
If you like the narratives in Madonna's videos may I suggest...Express Yourself, Oh Father, Take A Bow, Drowned World and Ghostown. All iconic top notch Madonna career mile marker moments.
This was I think her 2nd or 3rd album. Anyway the video was shot be Mary Lambert who directed another on of her videos back in the 90''s. If you look at the Wikipedia page for the song you will be amazed. Not only was it the first song released from the album Like a Prayer this song for Madonna was worked on very hard by herself an Patrick Leonard. The music in her eyes had to really reflect what her vision of the song. Then the Choir was actually the Andre Crouch Choir, and she had to share the lyrics with him before he would sign on to have the songs chorus to sing as the choir. It was noted on the Wikipedia site that she had done all that she could to make this song as good as it could get. I mean she collaborated with the best in the industry. It release as #2 the first week on the charts but the following week it hit #1 later the Bon Jovi's Song "I'll be there for you " to the number one spot. The lyrics have been analyzed, taught in colleges and so much speculation about the meaning of the lyrics have also been discussed. The in Week 2 on the charts other artist were already sampling the lyrics. Like a Pray has been named or placed in the category of songs that changed or affected the world. She got a Pepsi commercial out of it for 5 million dollars. However, when it was released the catholic church threat to boycott Pepsi so the pulled the deal but Madonna was keep her 5 Million dollars. There is a pretty good version of the song and Vogue on the TV show Glee. Madonna had no problems with Ryan Murphy using the songs he chose because she opened her catalog to him. Because the generation had never heard the song before it had a short resurgence. It renter the charts top 400 songs or album I can't remember. The black actor's name is Leon and he acted in the role of the black man falsely arrested. Also he acted as the saint for people of color. I think also the scene of them kissing was speculation the she was kissing the saint but anyone who watched the video fully and not narrow mindedly would've not come to that conclusion. The video turned out to be a play which I thought was cool. The imagery just had a lot of symbolism and the narrow minded just can't perceive due to the stiff rod of them trying to control the masses. Anyway, I don't want pontificate here, I just really like the song and video till this day. BTW, I think the reason it was made like a play is because she had done a play in NY called "Speed the Plow" with other stars in the cast. But , like I said she worked hard on this song with the industry's best and she wanted to be as best as it could be before it was released.
I recommend checking out Open Your Heart, Express Yourself, Vogue, Secret, and Ray of Light. Also, the black man was not portraying Jesus, but a saint in Like a Prayer. From what I remember, the henna in Frozen translates to "vibration in the universe." Also, Ray of Light was release after the birth of her 1st child, Lordes.
I clicked as fast as I could. Man, you're amazing, can't wait for you to explore her videography. I will suggest: -Papa don't preach -Justify my love -The power of goodbye. In the chronological order. 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
In 'Frozen' she is incarnating the Triple Goddess, common idea in some mystical traditions such as Witchcraft, Kabbalah and Hermetism. In this video the Goddess is in her Dark Aspect, so might be Hekate, Cerridwen, Morrigan o Shekinah. All of them asociated to shapeshifting, magic, moon and natural powers, and the Crows, Ravens, Snakes and Black Dog are the most commom animal totem asocciated to them. Because of the symbols she has in her hands, probably is Shekinah, the Goddess form in Kabbalah Tradition.
This is my first look at your "reaction" videos. Not sure of your age but your "reactions" are actually impressive off-the-cuff cultural critiques. You seem well versed enough to offer a real analysis of higher end pop culture. Can I just say how refreshing that is?! So many "Millenials" are doing these reaction videos to 80's-90's music that are puff pieces offering no insight at all and seem to exist only to make me feel old. Liked/subscribed and really looking forward to seeing more from you! Great work!
Thanks again for an amazing reaction, loved your interpretations! Next videos should be express yourself, oh father, justify my love, take a bow, you’ll see, nothing really matters and god control
Handsome, intelligent and well-spoken - a triple threat. :D Glad you were recommended for your Tori reviews and you got a new subscriber. Keep it up - you're doing great!
Great reaction. I’d never thought of the matrix link with ‘bedtime stories’ but now that I think about it the ‘human nature’ video from the same album has a fashion aesthetic that is extremely Matrix like also 🤔 Anyways you really need to react to ‘Bad Girl’, ‘oh Father’ and ‘open your heart’ next. All three are visually stunning and thematically layered, so there’s a lot to unpack.
Because of the scope of her work, her videos do pivot from being quite literal to those that demand a deeper read (such as your choices here) , so for others you might be tempted to overthink something that really might be leaning more on mere visual expression
I am really mesmerized by your voice!! Now, if I have to recommend you another 3 Madonna videos, they would be "Dark Ballet", "The Power of Goodbye" and "Express Yourself"
Yeah, she grew up in Flint, Michigan part of an Italian family when at an early age, after her mother had died, wh,en families were moving out of their area in droves while black families were beginning to move in. Madonna's family was one of the few that refused to move for that reason. Her girlfriends at that age where little black girls. I understand that the statue wasn't a black Jesus, but one example of the Christ figure, which is one that is persecuted and suffering, but innocent. That refers to many, many groups, even any one of us. The word "Christian" means Little Christs. Finally, the gospel choir featured in the song on the album was the Andre Crouch Choir. Andre Crouch was an amazing Christian Gospel singer of the 1970's.
The music video for Bedtime Story is based on famous paintings and films by Sergei Parajanov, Andrei Tarkovsky and Stanley Kubrick. I ranked this in the Top 10 in my Top 100 Greatest Music Videos of all time. Also The Matrix (1999), The Cell (2000), Paprika (2006) and Inception (2010) are all heavily inspired by that video alone. I hope this helps. 😊😊👍👍
Interesting reaction. You should react to three Madonna performances live. "Express Yourself" 1989 MTV Awards, "Vogue" 1990 MTV Awards and "Hung Up" 2006 Grammy Awards with Gorillaz.
Absolutely fantastic video. I have been a Madonna fan since 1983 (Yes I’m old!!) Even though M does explain meanings behind a lot of her videos in old interviews, you break it down and make things a lot more clearer. So thank you for being so clever and becoming my new Madonna teacher. Please react to Express Yourself video.
Your explications are great: you should comment more videos from Madonna such as: God Control-Express your self -Die another day- Nothing really matters- 4minutes- Human nature -Open your heart- Bad girl -What it feels for a girl-Erotica-Vogue-Ghost town and Liviing for love
Love your videos! So insightful and entertaining. If I could recommend a great trilogy from Madonna videos I would recommend. 1.Take a bow, 2. you’ll see and 3. living for love in the order. Thank you! ❤️👆🏾🎥
Speaking of The Matrix, Madonna was offered the role of Trinity in the Matrix movie, but she declined. It's one of the few career decisions she regrets.
Thank you! It would be awesome to see you react to any of these Madonna music videos: "Justify My Love", "Fever", "I Want You", "You'll See", "Girl Gone Wild", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore", "Dress You Up" or "Hung Up"
You really have such a natural talent for musical and visual analysis, Eric! If you do choose to do three more videos from different Madonna eras I would highly suggest "Vogue", "Take a Bow", and "Die Another Day". All three are incredibly stunning artistic pieces of work, while also being completely unique from one another. As always, keep up the amazing work you do, and I will be looking forward to your future videos! :)
Excellent reaction as always! I love your videos so much. Your thoughts are always on point. These are my fun facts I can add for more info: LIKE A PRAYER: the song uses a literary genre called "mystical poetry" which depicts the relationship between a person and God as a romantic and even erotic relationship, where God is the beloved and the person is the lover. Mystical poetry was born within the Sufi writers (Sufism is the mystical side of Islam). One of the greatest mystical poets was Rumi. Then it was adopted by christian poets like Saint John of The Cross. His poems addressed his love for God as a burning desire of becoming one with his beloved. In this video Madonna illustrates 2 of Saint John's most famous poems: "The Dark Night of The Soul" and "Burning Flame of Love". In that poem he describes his love for his beloved as if he was surrounded by burning crosses. BEDTIME STORY: this video was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and it's permanently displayed there. It was the first music video ever (and the one of only 2) to be acquired by a museum as a piece of art. The video recreates paintings by surreal artists Remedios Varo and Dorothea Tanning. Also the spinning dancers are called dervishes. In Sufism they say that when the dervishes twirl they get unconscious and they become one with God. Their ritual dance is just fascinating. I love it. That's why the arabic writing. The video also contains elements from Jungian psychology such as the representation of the collective unconscious and archetypes. FROZEN: yes, what she has in her hands is henna. Very traditional in India for weddings, funerals and religious rituals. The sign in her hand is the sanscrit word "ohm" which according to Hinduism is the frequency in which the universe vibrates. That's why chanting "ohm" as a mantra before meditating or practicing yoga is supposed to tune you with the universe. The video was shot at the Mohave desert. We don't relate deserts with cold, but deserts are the most freezing places at night. You can actually die frozen. So your selection is great because Like a Prayer and Bedtime Story are connected by Sufism, and Bedtime Story and Frozen are connected by birds.
If you want to analyse storylines and imagery I'd personally suggest the following videos: Die Another Day, American Life (Director's Cut), God Control, Bad Girl, Express Yourself, What It Feels Like For a Girl, The Power of Goodbye, Drowned World (Substitute For Love), Oh Father...
Occultism in Bedtime Story video by Madonna 1º At the beginning of clip, we can see 'The All Seeing Eye", the highest symbol of the Illuminattis. This eye welcomes Madonna, by displaying a 'welcome' notice as we see a Madonna going through a sort of trance and heading for a state of 'unconsciousness'. This video refers to a 'cosmic journey' or 'astral travel' which Madonna experiences, in which 'words are useless' and this journey can only be done by means of the mind. 2º Below this notice, we can see the legend "Ciconne, M.", which may mean Ciconne is masonic or "Ciconne, Madonna". 3º The blue liquid running down a crystal tube represents the 'blue blood' or 'cold blood' from the Masons, which finally makes her wake or become 'lucid'. This situation reveals that Madonna is mentally controlled by her Mason Masters, who decide when she must be lucid and when she must not. 4º Madonna is seen singing with a sunflower behind her. This represents the symbol of the Sun, which is usually cult object in Secret Societies and old pagan religions. It is well known that The Sun has been worshiped for thousand years as a pagan god by numerous old civilizations e.g. The Celts, The Egyptians etc. 5º The levitating cube, in another scene, with black and white faces of Madonna is related to the cult to Saturn and Adoration to Satan, then. 6º The animals' skulls floating on a water tank beside a naked Madonna are the highest symbols of the dark elites. This scene may describe the destruction of animals and the ecosystem, since the images suggest that the animales are dead. 7º The doves which come out from a pregnant Madonna are related to 'peace' so this scene may suggest that Madonna will give birth to a Messiah who will bring 'peace' to humanity. Besides, this situation may make fun of 'The Holy Spirit'. 8º The two mirror-headed Madonnas , seated one in front of the other, try to unveil Madonna's multiple personalities, after being exposed to an MK-ultra mental control. 9º Madonna, levitating along a corridor, displays the fact that she has been lifted to a higher level of a Dark Priestess, where she lies above the rest of the Illuminati puppets, represented by the 3 boys who look at her in admiration as she passes flying by. 10º In the minute 3:22, we can see Baphomet represented by a sort of brown glasses with the form of goat which a woman uses to cover her face. This odd glasses seems to represent Baphomet's head. 11º The woman looking up to the sky represents a 'fallen angel' since she is showed with scars on her back where evidently there were wings as well as 'goat legs' instead of human legs. 12º The foot treading on a bunch of grapes on an Arabic scripture may suggest the way wine is made but it may also mean "stepping on 'Jesus Christ's Blood'". 13º In the minute 3:33, which constitutes the masonic number by excellence, Madonna sticks out her tongue at the time when a flashing light comes out from her forehead, showing the opening of her third eye. This means that she receives secrets and gifts from 'the dark magic' as a result of her worshiping her reptilians entities. She opens her mind to the 'Dark Magic'. 14º Madonna falling to an empty space full of stars gives us the idea that 'once she signs the pact with the dark elite, there is no turning back': She has given away her soul to the Devil. 15º Madonna sleeping on a human skeleton, which is watching over her very attentively, means that now Madonna is embraced by The Death itself and that Madonna becomes a living dead: she has no longer a soul so as to become a puppet, losing her consciousness and becoming 'unconscious'. 16º In the minute 4:03, Madonna's face displays lips where normally the eyes should be and an eye where normally a mouth should be. This scene unveils the fact that The Illuminatis will control what she might sing and say as an artist. That is why she sings 'Today is the last day that I'm using words...They are gone now....Lost their meaning....Don't function anymore...." 17º At the end of this video, the 'thank you' notice gives thanks to Madonna for having signed the pact and given away her soul to the Devil. This means that Madonna will give service to 'it' until the end of her living days. 18º 'Bedtime Story' seems to be the last song that Madonna has sung before giving her soul and agreeing to be lifted to the grade of Dark Priestess.
If you watch the video for Bedtime Stories closely, in two scenes there are images of poppy plants (where opium comes from), which entrains the theme of dreams and the surreal.
Bedtime Story's video is actually permanently displayed at the MoMa in New York City... really cool. Next music videos for you to react: Nothing Really Matters, Justify My Love, What it feels like for a girl...
Bed time stories is more Based in Art of remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington, they're paintings are Pretty much that.... Living logic And reason, The video Had a lot of symbolism but I can't remember .
love you kid. truly. but i would suggest this: just as you listen to a full song before commenting during album reviews, you should do the same if you continue to experience videos. you're given a visual element to each song that usually has a story. when you pause continually it can really damage continuity or even your takeaway after viewing the whole thing. they should be experienced and commented on as a whole. they are after all little films...some great, some not so great. bedtime story is one of my top madonna videos just for it's surreality and visuals. it holds up really well to this day. oh father is also right up there. heartbreaking and visually very beautiful.
Hi you look really cute with the background. Great review of Like a Prayer video. What I also like about it is that the video is also "like a dream," as the song says, "you are not what you seem," and it's amorphous and it's shape-shifting like dreaming in the actual sleep cycle is a lot like. A lot of vivid imagery and free associations. Do you see that too?
I agree that bedtime story music video looks dated. So does the music video for Rain, mostly because of the way the computer images were. It would be like putting a certain cell phone in a music video, not a good idea because cell phones are always evolving and improving. You should react to Oh Father, and perhaps Bad girl music videos, both directed by David Fincher. Thanks for the analysis, very well spoken, and thoughtful
...I like how Bedtime Story challenged your thoughts and concepts, it didn't make sense right? that's the point. Video images are inspired in Madonna's favourite painters, particularly Frida Kahlo's. For future references, Madonna has always been way ahead of time with ideas and concepts. Please react to: Express Yourself, Open Your Heart and.... Deeper and Deeper.
Excellent! So interesting to view these videos through your eyes. Since you ended with Frozen, would love your reaction to all five Ray of Light videos as they visually and thematically represent the ‘5 elements’ in Hindu/Buddhist literature - earth, air, space/ether, water and fire.
This was so fun! What Madonna music videos should I react to next? :)
Oh Father, Bad Girl, God Control, and Justify My Love
Like a virgin, from the blonde ambition tour the HD version.
This was so great! I'd love to watch you explore the uncensored version of American Life, Vogue, Take a Bow, and some of the purely fun ones such as Material Girl. You should also take on a tour....Confessions would be an amazing place to start!
nothing really matters, take a bow and drowned world/substitute for love pls
Open Your Heart, Express Yourself, Justify My Love, Rain, I Want You, American Life (unedited version), God Control.. Just to name a few :)
A lot of the images in the Bedtime Story video are of surrealist paintings come to life which is an incredible feat to do in video form especially at the time. This is the first ever music video to be displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is still there playing on loop to this day!
That’s so cool!
@@ericmason6540 The imagery of the video is mostly inspired by the works of female surrealists, such as Remedios Varo or Leonora Carrington, and also by the poetic-experimental movie "The Colour of Pomegranates" (1969) by Armenian-Soviet director Sergei Parajanov.
Also, it was played in movie theaters when it was released. One of the few ever music videos to do so in full!
Also at the time. This was the most expensive video over made. $5M at the time.
I will reiterate, nobody does analysis like you. You must have smoked everyone in your English or literature classes. It’s crazy.
Thank you so much! :)
Agreed. He is excellent!
My immediate thought exactly on viewing his first TH-cam video. Not sure of your age but your "reactions" are actually off-the-cuff cultural critiques. You seem well versed enough to offer a real analysis of higher end pop culture. Can I just say how refreshing that is?! So many "Millenials" are doing these reaction videos to 80's-90's music that are puff pieces offering no insight at all and seem to exist just to make me feel old. Liked/subscribed and really looking forward to seeing more from you! Great work!
“ Burning Up” because it’s the most ridiculously 80s of her 80s videos. Also check out “Papa Don’t Preach”, “Express Yourself” and “Bad Girl”.
I love Bad Girl with Christopher Walken !! Yes!
Burning up is so good. One of my favorite Madonna songs too
I really enjoy your Madonna content. As for future vids: Take a Bow followed by You'll See which is its sequel.
Thank you! :)
The arabic parr says “ try to forget everything that you learned” refering to the last part of the song where she says “all that u ever learned try to forget i’ll never explain again”
Interesting, thank you! :)
in the frozen video she was depicting the the irish goddess morrigan. she’s the goddess of war and fate and is usually depicted as 3 different women. she’s also said to shapeshift into crows.
Very cool, thank you! :)
React to Take a Bow and You'll See in that order. They go together. Other favorites include Oh Father, Ghosttown, American Life, Music, and of course Vogue!
God, you’re adorable and those lips 😍 (sorry for the thirsty comments).
At the very least Madonna should be appreciated for her visuals.
React to Deeper And Deeper, Bad Girl, Take A Bow, American Life (unreleased version) and God Control!
Express Yourself, Human Nature, Nothing Really Matters and Music would be interesting as well!
I really enjoy your commentaries on Madonna's videos. You did my favorite of hers, Bedtime Story, which has much symbolism and representation of surrealist art from female painters. My favorite song of hers is Drowned World/Substitute for Love, and it has a video, an introspective look at her life and fame. I recommend it.
Thank you! :)
Wow!! From all of the people who reacted to this video, you're the one on point!! Hope you're having a nice day bro.
Thank you so much! I am-I hope you are, too. :)
It’s great that you are reacting to music videos too! Awesome reaction as always 😊 You should totally check out more Madonna music videos such as “Bad Girl”, “Express Yourself” and “Take a Bow”
Thank you so much! :)
I don't mean to be a party pooper, but she hadn't given birth yet when she released the Bedtime Story video. The video was released in early '95, and she became a mum in late '96. ;) You can hear the effect motherhood had on her on the Ray of Light album. And yes, Bedtime Story's video gives a lot to comment on. I've always liked that there's a reference to Remedios Varo's (one of my favourite artists) painting "The Lovers" in there. She's a fun of surrealism. And also, like you said, I always think of the Matrix when I watch it. That video was the most expensive of all time when it was released. I would recommend the original version of American Life, Erotica, and Vogue next. ;)
While Madonna’s lyrics are often personal in nature, she very often allows the medium of music video for other artists to interpret her music, or even for herself to reinterpret a songs meaning.
In addition, much of Madonna’s visuals pay homage to painters, artists, photographers, and films that inspire her. Some in subtle ways, others more obviously.
Material Girl (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), Power of Goodbye (Humoresque), Express Yourself (Metropolis), Oh Father (Citizen Cane), and I Want You (Repulsion) all pay homage visually to specific films.
Great video. As always you manage to be entertaining while also offering fresh perspectives on music. Seriously, I look forward to your videos and for the first time ever I could justify being a Patreon to a TH-camr. 🙂
Thank you so much! :)
Eric Mason 🙂
Oh Father video would knock your socks off. Just visually arresting in a subtle way. Even if you don’t create a reaction video, I highly recommend it. It’s just a treat. Emotional imagery, stylized like early B&W films.
FYI Madonna gave birth before Ray Of Light album. So Bedtime Stories she wasn’t close to having her daughter Lourdes yet. 😉
I keep laughing at your reaction to "Bedtime Story". It's hilarious! (in a good way). This is probably the most intelligent reaction to the video that i have seen. You get it. And from reading comments I'm learning informations that i never knew before.
This is a great start for video reaction.
Next i would recommend some drama:
"Oh Father"
"Bad Girl"
"The Power of Good-bye"
"Take a Bow" then the sequel "You'll See".
For a bit of action/controversy:
"American Life" (uncensored)
"Die Another Day"
"What It Feels Like For a Girl"
Thank you so much! :)
I saw the masterpiece EMOTION behind the adorable guy with beautiful smile
Love your analysis as usual. Thanks for bringing 'Bedtime story' video. You're so well spoken. Having a conversation with you about life should be so interesting..
Your reactions are exactly my reaction before the internet was invented....I just did this all in my head alone in my room. I love how insightful you are.
Thank you so much! :)
smart, cute and very articulate! Love your Madonna reviews/reactions! Very insightful!
Thank you so much! 😇
You are the first person that reacts to Madonna’s videos and gives and elocuent and intelligent opinion about them. I would love to talk about them with you. Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much! :)
Thank you for doing this! These are some of my favorite videos by Madonna. I love your insight.
Watching your videos is like an escape from the world, you’re analysis is so on point I could watch your videos all day good job
Great analysis Eric. The saint depicted in "Like A Prayer" is Martin de Porres, the patron saint of mixed-races (hence the bi-racial kiss). You should analyze "Express Yourself" in one of your future uploads. As a cine-phile it's one of my favorites because it references Fritz Lang's "Metropolis"... again... excellent read!
Thank you so much! Ah, that makes sense-thank you for the insight. :)
Interestingly, the videos you chose all differ strongly. Like a Prayer is based upon narrative, Bedtime Story is based upon visuals/paintings, Frozen is based upon dance/movement. I agree the first (directed by Mary Lambert) is the best, and is probably one of the best music videos ever made. Not all Madonna's videos are that good though, but most are interesting (especially 80s/90s videos). I would recommend the videos for Vogue, Open Your Heart, Justify My Love.
The scene of Madonna dancing in a frenzy in front o the burning crosses is probably one of the BEST scenes ever........Man Erick Mason, have you ever seen her, I mean seen her dancing. It" s extraordinarily amazing. Besides, she looks soooooooooooooooooooooooooo freacking beautiful.
For someone who didn't live through or experience her through the peak of her career, you are very insightful for a first time watcher. During Like A Prayer and you were thinking she had committed a crime, I was like... wait for the middle of the video where you see more of the crime and sure enough, you got the rest of the video right after :)
Bedtime Story is very much about using and recreating visuals from surrealist art. I think the Wiki page for the video does a pretty good job of pairing up scenes with specific paintings of surrealist art that the director and Madonna chose as inspiration. At the time of its making, it was the most expensive video ever made (though it's been topped since) and it's archived in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, it's so highly revered for its artistic merit.
Frozen is, as you say, more simplistic in its visuals, but is breathtaking and in my opinion, it's the best ballad of her career. In it, she plays the role of Hecate, a Greek goddess of witchcraft, the moon and dogs. She is frequently depicted as being three goddesses in one. She also has traditional Indian Mehndi on her hands and the one on her palm, I believe, is 'om'. It was filmed in a desert, which we associate typically with heat, but it is arid and dry and devoid of life. By limiting the palette to a monochromatic icy blue and black, we get the feeling of cold in a paradoxically hot climate.
For some of her better videos in terms of narrative, social/political commentary and/or visuals, I recommend Papa Don't Preach, Express Yourself, Oh Father, Vogue, Erotica (the uncut version if you don't blush easily), Deeper and Deeper, Secret, Human Nature, What it Feels Like for a Girl, Ghosttown, God Control and I Rise. These are not necessarily her biggest hits or the most 'fun' of her videos (though some of course are) but I think these are her most thought-provoking and the ones you'd most likely have fun interpreting. She's also got lots of amazing live performances that I think would be equally enjoyable for you to review. Have fun... her career is unrivaled in terms of her overall talent as a performance artist, singer, activist and dancer.
Thank you so much! :)
Hi. The Bedtime Stories video is from 1995 and the first Matrix movie is from 1999. The religious symbolism of the grapes corresponds to the blood of God and the doves to the Holy Spirit that begets the son of God in Mary. This video is also inspired by the Russian cinema Andrei Tarkovsky ("Stalker: The Zone", 1979) and the film The Color of Pomegranates - A Cor da Romã (1968, Sergei Parajanov) and the paintings by Remedios Varo and one by Leonora Carrington .
In the "Frozen" video, Madonna seems to remember a black widow, a trapped witch whose burning desert has been frozen.
Definitely "Bad Girl"! In my opinion is one of her most complex and fascinating videos. I would also recommend "Nothing Really Matters", "Paradise (Not For Me)", "Deeper And Deeper", and "Oh Father".. all of them are full of story and metaphors and substance, and all of them could be fit for a rich and deep analysis.
You finally got the message on Like a Prayer 😉
“Deeper and Deeper” and “Bad Girl” videos are among her best and great for interpreting! Thanks as always for the review and analysis 🙂
My pleasure! :)
Your Madonna reactions are my favourite thing on the Internet right now!
Thank you so much! :)
the Bedtime Story video reminds me a lot of the movie The Cell (errr, or the reverse since Bedtime Story was first). Similar surreal imagery and premise about exploring dreamscapes
Yup! I agree with you!
Bedtime Stories video has inspired two movies
In “Like A Prayer,” that’s not Jesus she sees in the church: it’s St, Martin de Porres, who is the patron saint of, among other things, mixed-race people and those seeking racial harmony. You can tell by the statue’s iconography, especially the red robe on the white tunic. The story is about finding the strength and courage to go against what society tells you to do, and do the right thing. It also alludes to religious devotion being of the same nature as earthly passion; that you should love God with the intensity you do a lover or spouse, a common theme in some schools of Christianity (as well as other religions). Personally, while I agree that the burning crosses are a reference to racial injustice, they also represent the burning intensity of devotion, like when we love someone and say that “my heart is on fire (or burning).”
”Bedtime Stories” uses a ton of images from surrealist paintings and film. Lucid dreaming isn’t about clarity; a lucid dream is one in which you are aware you are dreaming and (usually) can control what happens.
“Frozen” is chock full of pre-Christian images, primarily of Western/Middle Eastern origin. The Triple Goddess was really common throughout the Middle East and Europe; the Three Fates, Hecate (envisioned as a three-in-one woman), and so on. In many Celtic and Germanic belief systems crows/ravens were seen as Heaven’s messengers, running various errands for the Gods. The black dog was also common in pagan imagery, and was particularity associated with magic (as was the black cat) and specifically, the black dog was the familiar/servant/symbol of Hecate, the goddess of magic. All of the Triple Goddesses are connected with Earth Mother figures and are primordial in nature. Some academics theorize that all these ideas can be traced back to a long-gone Indo-European belief system followed by our very earliest ancestors.
The best Madonna video reactions... and I’ve seen them all! I prefer when you pause the videos to react, sometimes you don’t, but that’s ok too. You seem very cultured and intelligent, which translates into a very good analysis of each video. I’ve been a Madonna fan since 1984 and you mention things I have never thought about. Looking at your handsome face doesn’t hurt either... Interesting that you choose to do them 3 at a time, which explain the shortened of the videos, something I normally hate, but not so much in your case. Keep reacting to Madonna!! And also, react to live performances, which you will absolutely love!!
The Frozen video is phenomenal. So visually stunning. Beautiful transitions. This video is my favorite.
Hey, Eric! This is my first time seeing one of your reaction videos and I have to say that I have never seen such a meticulous analysis of music videos before such as what you did here. I'm amazed!! Believe me, with Madonna a lot of her videos are quite worthy of breaking them down with analysis. I wouldn't know where to begin in terms of recommending videos of hers for you to see and analyze them. You got a new subscriber here. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much! :)
Love your video reactions they are so well thought out! Just discovered your channel and I am here to stay!
Thank you so much! :)
You’re welcome!
Well done Eric! Awesome
Such a nice reaction video. Thoughtful and eloquent. Great commentary!
Thank you! :)
I dont understand you, but I LOVE your voice, your eyes and your smile. Greetings from Mexico. Someone here is in love with you. Thanks for reacting to Madonna
You chose some of the best videos in this👍
I love that you're reacting to madonna's videos now too. Check out Open Your Heart, Papa Don't Preach, Vogue, Express Yourself, Justify My Love and American Life (uncensored) for some of her most interesting videos. But honestly, that's just for starters.
Enjoyed your "Bedtime Story" reaction. I love the music video, a work of art. Your insight brought about ideas that I hadn't thought before.
Thank you! :)
10:00 the text is indeed in Arabic, it's basically the English lyrics: " Try to forget everything that you have learnt'
can i just say you made me love her all over again, i have always loved her, but seeing it in new eyes and also going deeper, seeing layers i did not see before, i really appreciate your insight and will subscribe to your vids!
Thank you so much! :)
@@ericmason6540 thank you, keep doing what you're doing!
The scene of the foot pressing grapes comes from the film Sayat Nova by Serjey Parajanov 1963, a visual jewel. The band Juno Reactor also used original scenes from the film to do their God is God video. The scene of the two Madonnas come from Los amantes, a painting by Remedios Varo.
If you like the narratives in Madonna's videos may I suggest...Express Yourself, Oh Father, Take A Bow, Drowned World and Ghostown. All iconic top notch Madonna career mile marker moments.
This was I think her 2nd or 3rd album. Anyway the video was shot be Mary Lambert who directed another on of her videos back in the 90''s. If you look at the Wikipedia page for the song you will be amazed. Not only was it the first song released from the album Like a Prayer this song for Madonna was worked on very hard by herself an Patrick Leonard. The music in her eyes had to really reflect what her vision of the song. Then the Choir was actually the Andre Crouch Choir, and she had to share the lyrics with him before he would sign on to have the songs chorus to sing as the choir. It was noted on the Wikipedia site that she had done all that she could to make this song as good as it could get. I mean she collaborated with the best in the industry. It release as #2 the first week on the charts but the following week it hit #1 later the Bon Jovi's Song "I'll be there for you " to the number one spot. The lyrics have been analyzed, taught in colleges and so much speculation about the meaning of the lyrics have also been discussed. The in Week 2 on the charts other artist were already sampling the lyrics. Like a Pray has been named or placed in the category of songs that changed or affected the world. She got a Pepsi commercial out of it for 5 million dollars. However, when it was released the catholic church threat to boycott Pepsi so the pulled the deal but Madonna was keep her 5 Million dollars. There is a pretty good version of the song and Vogue on the TV show Glee. Madonna had no problems with Ryan Murphy using the songs he chose because she opened her catalog to him. Because the generation had never heard the song before it had a short resurgence. It renter the charts top 400 songs or album I can't remember. The black actor's name is Leon and he acted in the role of the black man falsely arrested. Also he acted as the saint for people of color. I think also the scene of them kissing was speculation the she was kissing the saint but anyone who watched the video fully and not narrow mindedly would've not come to that conclusion. The video turned out to be a play which I thought was cool. The imagery just had a lot of symbolism and the narrow minded just can't perceive due to the stiff rod of them trying to control the masses. Anyway, I don't want pontificate here, I just really like the song and video till this day. BTW, I think the reason it was made like a play is because she had done a play in NY called "Speed the Plow" with other stars in the cast. But , like I said she worked hard on this song with the industry's best and she wanted to be as best as it could be before it was released.
I recommend checking out Open Your Heart, Express Yourself, Vogue, Secret, and Ray of Light. Also, the black man was not portraying Jesus, but a saint in Like a Prayer. From what I remember, the henna in Frozen translates to "vibration in the universe." Also, Ray of Light was release after the birth of her 1st child, Lordes.
I think Bad Girl / Unedited American Life / Oh Father will be a good triptych to analyze.
you'd have to review Bad Girl, Human Nature and Nothing Really Matters.. these are visual bombs!
I clicked as fast as I could. Man, you're amazing, can't wait for you to explore her videography. I will suggest:
-Papa don't preach
-Justify my love
-The power of goodbye.
In the chronological order.
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Thank you so much! :)
In 'Frozen' she is incarnating the Triple Goddess, common idea in some mystical traditions such as Witchcraft, Kabbalah and Hermetism. In this video the Goddess is in her Dark Aspect, so might be Hekate, Cerridwen, Morrigan o Shekinah. All of them asociated to shapeshifting, magic, moon and natural powers, and the Crows, Ravens, Snakes and Black Dog are the most commom animal totem asocciated to them. Because of the symbols she has in her hands, probably is Shekinah, the Goddess form in Kabbalah Tradition.
This is my first look at your "reaction" videos. Not sure of your age but your "reactions" are actually impressive off-the-cuff cultural critiques. You seem well versed enough to offer a real analysis of higher end pop culture. Can I just say how refreshing that is?! So many "Millenials" are doing these reaction videos to 80's-90's music that are puff pieces offering no insight at all and seem to exist only to make me feel old. Liked/subscribed and really looking forward to seeing more from you! Great work!
Thank you so much! :)
Thanks again for an amazing reaction, loved your interpretations! Next videos should be express yourself, oh father, justify my love, take a bow, you’ll see, nothing really matters and god control
My pleasure! :)
Handsome, intelligent and well-spoken - a triple threat. :D Glad you were recommended for your Tori reviews and you got a new subscriber. Keep it up - you're doing great!
Thank you so much! 😇
Actually, at the time of Bedtime Story she was not a mother yet and when Frozen came out she had just given birth to her daughter!
You're even cuter with a bit of scruff !!!!!!!
Hell fucking yeah!
You r great...i have been a fan for 30 years and u r just great with ur Interpretation
Thank you so much! :)
Great reaction. I’d never thought of the matrix link with ‘bedtime stories’ but now that I think about it the ‘human nature’ video from the same album has a fashion aesthetic that is extremely Matrix like also 🤔 Anyways you really need to react to ‘Bad Girl’, ‘oh Father’ and ‘open your heart’ next. All three are visually stunning and thematically layered, so there’s a lot to unpack.
Thank you! :)
Because of the scope of her work, her videos do pivot from being quite literal to those that demand a deeper read (such as your choices here) , so for others you might be tempted to overthink something that really might be leaning more on mere visual expression
it is the singer Björk (with her very ... particular universe) who gave her the song Bedtime Story
Oh father video is simply stunning.
I am really mesmerized by your voice!! Now, if I have to recommend you another 3 Madonna videos, they would be "Dark Ballet", "The Power of Goodbye" and "Express Yourself"
oh, and "Rain"
Yeah, she grew up in Flint, Michigan part of an Italian family when at an early age, after her mother had died, wh,en families were moving out of their area in droves while black families were beginning to move in. Madonna's family was one of the few that refused to move for that reason. Her girlfriends at that age where little black girls. I understand that the statue wasn't a black Jesus, but one example of the Christ figure, which is one that is persecuted and suffering, but innocent. That refers to many, many groups, even any one of us. The word "Christian" means Little Christs.
Finally, the gospel choir featured in the song on the album was the Andre Crouch Choir. Andre Crouch was an amazing Christian Gospel singer of the 1970's.
The music video for Bedtime Story is based on famous paintings and films by Sergei Parajanov, Andrei Tarkovsky and Stanley Kubrick. I ranked this in the Top 10 in my Top 100 Greatest Music Videos of all time. Also The Matrix (1999), The Cell (2000), Paprika (2006) and Inception (2010) are all heavily inspired by that video alone. I hope this helps. 😊😊👍👍
Love this. I think you need to react to her performance of Vogue at the VMA’s. It’s her best performance and I think you owe it to yourself. Lol
Thank you! :)
Interesting reaction. You should react to three Madonna performances live. "Express Yourself" 1989 MTV Awards, "Vogue" 1990 MTV Awards and "Hung Up" 2006 Grammy Awards with Gorillaz.
Absolutely fantastic video. I have been a Madonna fan since 1983 (Yes I’m old!!) Even though M does explain meanings behind a lot of her videos in old interviews, you break it down and make things a lot more clearer. So thank you for being so clever and becoming my new Madonna teacher. Please react to Express Yourself video.
Thank you so much! :)
You are amazing, react to madonna most recent era madame x, those music videos are modern masterpieces
Thank you so much! :)
They really are. It’s amazing how she still brings the video greatness 37 years into a career.
Your explications are great: you should comment more videos from Madonna such as: God Control-Express your self -Die another day- Nothing really matters- 4minutes- Human nature -Open your heart- Bad girl -What it feels for a girl-Erotica-Vogue-Ghost town and Liviing for love
This came out wayyyy before the Matrix the Bedtime Story music video is so ahead of its time and our time rn
You're so adorable and reacting to Madonna.. I'm subscribing
Thank you so much! 😇
Love your videos! So insightful and entertaining. If I could recommend a great trilogy from Madonna videos I would recommend. 1.Take a bow, 2. you’ll see and 3. living for love in the order. Thank you! ❤️👆🏾🎥
Thank you so much! :)
I love that Bjork co-wrote Bedtime Story for Madonna, it totally sounds similar to Violently Happy!
Speaking of The Matrix, Madonna was offered the role of Trinity in the Matrix movie, but she declined. It's one of the few career decisions she regrets.
Thank you! It would be awesome to see you react to any of these Madonna music videos: "Justify My Love", "Fever", "I Want You", "You'll See", "Girl Gone Wild", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore", "Dress You Up" or "Hung Up"
You really have such a natural talent for musical and visual analysis, Eric! If you do choose to do three more videos from different Madonna eras I would highly suggest "Vogue", "Take a Bow", and "Die Another Day". All three are incredibly stunning artistic pieces of work, while also being completely unique from one another. As always, keep up the amazing work you do, and I will be looking forward to your future videos! :)
Thank you so much! :)
Cute ideas about Like A Prayer lol
MADONNA can never sin 😜😜😜
Bjork worked with Madonna on bedtimes story’s that explains the video a lot!
Start from her first video and work your way through. Her video discography is untouched.
Excellent reaction as always! I love your videos so much. Your thoughts are always on point. These are my fun facts I can add for more info:
LIKE A PRAYER: the song uses a literary genre called "mystical poetry" which depicts the relationship between a person and God as a romantic and even erotic relationship, where God is the beloved and the person is the lover. Mystical poetry was born within the Sufi writers (Sufism is the mystical side of Islam). One of the greatest mystical poets was Rumi. Then it was adopted by christian poets like Saint John of The Cross. His poems addressed his love for God as a burning desire of becoming one with his beloved. In this video Madonna illustrates 2 of Saint John's most famous poems: "The Dark Night of The Soul" and "Burning Flame of Love". In that poem he describes his love for his beloved as if he was surrounded by burning crosses.
BEDTIME STORY: this video was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and it's permanently displayed there. It was the first music video ever (and the one of only 2) to be acquired by a museum as a piece of art. The video recreates paintings by surreal artists Remedios Varo and Dorothea Tanning. Also the spinning dancers are called dervishes. In Sufism they say that when the dervishes twirl they get unconscious and they become one with God. Their ritual dance is just fascinating. I love it. That's why the arabic writing. The video also contains elements from Jungian psychology such as the representation of the collective unconscious and archetypes.
FROZEN: yes, what she has in her hands is henna. Very traditional in India for weddings, funerals and religious rituals. The sign in her hand is the sanscrit word "ohm" which according to Hinduism is the frequency in which the universe vibrates. That's why chanting "ohm" as a mantra before meditating or practicing yoga is supposed to tune you with the universe. The video was shot at the Mohave desert. We don't relate deserts with cold, but deserts are the most freezing places at night. You can actually die frozen.
So your selection is great because Like a Prayer and Bedtime Story are connected by Sufism, and Bedtime Story and Frozen are connected by birds.
Thank you so much! :)
If you want to analyse storylines and imagery I'd personally suggest the following videos: Die Another Day, American Life (Director's Cut), God Control, Bad Girl, Express Yourself, What It Feels Like For a Girl, The Power of Goodbye, Drowned World (Substitute For Love), Oh Father...
Occultism in Bedtime Story video by Madonna
1º At the beginning of clip, we can see 'The All Seeing Eye", the highest symbol of the Illuminattis. This eye welcomes Madonna, by displaying a 'welcome' notice as we see a Madonna going through a sort of trance and heading for a state of 'unconsciousness'. This video refers to a 'cosmic journey' or 'astral travel' which Madonna experiences, in which 'words are useless' and this journey can only be done by means of the mind.
2º Below this notice, we can see the legend "Ciconne, M.", which may mean Ciconne is masonic or "Ciconne, Madonna".
3º The blue liquid running down a crystal tube represents the 'blue blood' or 'cold blood' from the Masons, which finally makes her wake or become 'lucid'. This situation reveals that Madonna is mentally controlled by her Mason Masters, who decide when she must be lucid and when she must not.
4º Madonna is seen singing with a sunflower behind her. This represents the symbol of the Sun, which is usually cult object in Secret Societies and old pagan religions. It is well known that The Sun has been worshiped for thousand years as a pagan god by numerous old civilizations e.g. The Celts, The Egyptians etc.
5º The levitating cube, in another scene, with black and white faces of Madonna is related to the cult to Saturn and Adoration to Satan, then.
6º The animals' skulls floating on a water tank beside a naked Madonna are the highest symbols of the dark elites. This scene may describe the destruction of animals and the ecosystem, since the images suggest that the animales are dead.
7º The doves which come out from a pregnant Madonna are related to 'peace' so this scene may suggest that Madonna will give birth to a Messiah who will bring 'peace' to humanity. Besides, this situation may make fun of 'The Holy Spirit'.
8º The two mirror-headed Madonnas , seated one in front of the other, try to unveil Madonna's multiple personalities, after being exposed to an MK-ultra mental control.
9º Madonna, levitating along a corridor, displays the fact that she has been lifted to a higher level of a Dark Priestess, where she lies above the rest of the Illuminati puppets, represented by the 3 boys who look at her in admiration as she passes flying by.
10º In the minute 3:22, we can see Baphomet represented by a sort of brown glasses with the form of goat which a woman uses to cover her face. This odd glasses seems to represent Baphomet's head.
11º The woman looking up to the sky represents a 'fallen angel' since she is showed with scars on her back where evidently there were wings as well as 'goat legs' instead of human legs.
12º The foot treading on a bunch of grapes on an Arabic scripture may suggest the way wine is made but it may also mean "stepping on 'Jesus Christ's Blood'".
13º In the minute 3:33, which constitutes the masonic number by excellence, Madonna sticks out her tongue at the time when a flashing light comes out from her forehead, showing the opening of her third eye. This means that she receives secrets and gifts from 'the dark magic' as a result of her worshiping her reptilians entities. She opens her mind to the 'Dark Magic'.
14º Madonna falling to an empty space full of stars gives us the idea that 'once she signs the pact with the dark elite, there is no turning back': She has given away her soul to the Devil.
15º Madonna sleeping on a human skeleton, which is watching over her very attentively, means that now Madonna is embraced by The Death itself and that Madonna becomes a living dead: she has no longer a soul so as to become a puppet, losing her consciousness and becoming 'unconscious'.
16º In the minute 4:03, Madonna's face displays lips where normally the eyes should be and an eye where normally a mouth should be. This scene unveils the fact that The Illuminatis will control what she might sing and say as an artist. That is why she sings 'Today is the last day that I'm using words...They are gone now....Lost their meaning....Don't function anymore...."
17º At the end of this video, the 'thank you' notice gives thanks to Madonna for having signed the pact and given away her soul to the Devil. This means that Madonna will give service to 'it' until the end of her living days.
18º 'Bedtime Story' seems to be the last song that Madonna has sung before giving her soul and agreeing to be lifted to the grade of Dark Priestess.
no one. NO ONE does music video interpretations like this... you amaze me!
also you HAVE to react to Bad Girl, Rain, Nothing Really Matters and What it Feels like for a Girl! all masterpieces!
Thank you so much! 🤗
If you watch the video for Bedtime Stories closely, in two scenes there are images of poppy plants (where opium comes from), which entrains the theme of dreams and the surreal.
Bedtime Story's video is actually permanently displayed at the MoMa in New York City... really cool. Next music videos for you to react: Nothing Really Matters, Justify My Love, What it feels like for a girl...
Bed time stories is more Based in Art of remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington, they're paintings are Pretty much that.... Living logic And reason, The video Had a lot of symbolism but I can't remember .
love you kid. truly. but i would suggest this: just as you listen to a full song before commenting during album reviews, you should do the same if you continue to experience videos. you're given a visual element to each song that usually has a story. when you pause continually it can really damage continuity or even your takeaway after viewing the whole thing. they should be experienced and commented on as a whole. they are after all little films...some great, some not so great.
bedtime story is one of my top madonna videos just for it's surreality and visuals. it holds up really well to this day.
oh father is also right up there. heartbreaking and visually very beautiful.
The scenes in Bedtime Stories were based on paintings
Hi you look really cute with the background. Great review of Like a Prayer video. What I also like about it is that the video is also "like a dream," as the song says, "you are not what you seem," and it's amorphous and it's shape-shifting like dreaming in the actual sleep cycle is a lot like. A lot of vivid imagery and free associations. Do you see that too?
Thank you so much! Yes, I definitely see that, too. :)
If you’re doing Madonna vids in 3s, a great triple feature would be Vogue, Justify My Love & Erotica. All early 90s B&W masterpieces. Enjoy!
Wow that was so cool. Please please do ‘Bad Girl’ and ‘Oh Father’ would like to see how you interpret these videos.
Thank you! :)
I agree that bedtime story music video looks dated. So does the music video for Rain, mostly because of the way the computer images were. It would be like putting a certain cell phone in a music video, not a good idea because cell phones are always evolving and improving. You should react to Oh Father, and perhaps Bad girl music videos, both directed by David Fincher. Thanks for the analysis, very well spoken, and thoughtful
...I like how Bedtime Story challenged your thoughts and concepts, it didn't make sense right? that's the point. Video images are inspired in Madonna's favourite painters, particularly Frida Kahlo's. For future references, Madonna has always been way ahead of time with ideas and concepts. Please react to: Express Yourself, Open Your Heart and.... Deeper and Deeper.
Excellent! So interesting to view these videos through your eyes. Since you ended with Frozen, would love your reaction to all five Ray of Light videos as they visually and thematically represent the ‘5 elements’ in Hindu/Buddhist literature - earth, air, space/ether, water and fire.
Thank you so much! :)
She's stunning in frozen video