FEATURE:
“I Know a Place Where You Can Get Away…”
Madonna’s Vogue at Thirty
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ALTHOUGH it’s thirtieth…
does not happen until tomorrow (20th March), it is not far off! I have written about Madonna’s Vogue before because it is a track that marked a real moment in time. It is from the I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy soundtrack, and that film (Dick Tracy) was one of Madonna’s more successful film outings. It is strange that Vogue was on that soundtrack, as it does not really fit with the rest of the songs. Vogue is like this wonderful addition that could have appeared on a Madonna studio album. It is almost a shame it was not on Like a Prayer (1989), as it would have made a genius album even stronger. As it was, this 1990-released song ranks as one of her best moments. There is no denying Madonna was on top of the world by 1990. Sher released Like a Prayer the year before – her most acclaimed album to that point – and appeared in Dick Tracy; a film that received some muted response, but it/Madonna won plenty of acclaim – it hit the screens in June 1990 (the soundtrack was released in March 1990). Madonna would embark on her iconic Blond Ambition World Tour in June 1990, and she transcended from the rank of Pop queen to a global superstar. Although her career would take a turn when the remarkable Erotica arrived in 1992, Vogue shows what an accomplished and varied songwriter Madonna is. Vogue famously name-checked some real icons, and its black-and-white video (directed by David Fincher) is almost as revered and famous as the song itself.
It is said Madonna was inspired by vogue dancers and choreographers, Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza, from the Harlem ‘House Ball’ community, the origin of the dance form, and they introduced ‘Vogueing’ to her at the Sound Factory club in New York City. I will look more at the social and lyrical importance of Vogue; but listen to the song now and it still sound remarkable fresh and strange. It never ages, as it is addictive and stunning, but it is a shame that the brilliant House and Dance tones are not more prevalent in today’s scene. There is an argument that says Madonna helped bring House to the mainstream; she definitely caused a sensation back in 1990! Vogue topped the charts in thirty countries, and it is an anthem that can be appreciated by anyone, anywhere. Vogue was 1990’s best-selling singles, shifting more than six-million copies! When we think of a song like Vogue, one does not really look at the writing and recording side. Madonna is someone who could nail a vocal and write a song very quickly. I feel she is very underrated as a songwriter, and Vogue proves her muscle! Produced and written with Shep Pettibone, Madonna flew to New York after finishing work on the Dick Tracy film and soundtrack, and she laid her vocals down in a twenty-four-track basement studio located on West 56th St., in a booth that, as it is said, was converted from a closet. Madonna was ruthlessly efficient; getting her takes done rapidly and showing huge discipline, that energy and urgency can be felt in Vogue.
Most of what we hear on the final version was recording in those first moments. Pettibone suggested the rapped section where Madonna name-checks icons like Rita Hayworth and Marlon Brando. Madonna went away and wrote that coda quickly, laying it down instantly. It was a really smooth collaboration between Madonna and Pettibone – the latter added piano and altered the bassline to fit her vocal. There are some who ask how authentic Vogue is, and whether it whether Madonna brought ballroom and vogueing to the mainstream. I am keen to bring in an article from last year, where the cast and creators of the groundbreaking FX drama, Pose, discussed Vogue, and how it was a starting point for the second season. The show’s co-creator creator Steven Canals begins:
"We introduce Madonna's 'Vogue' in the premiere and I think the presence of the song is really woven throughout season two. If we're looking at the history of ballroom and specifically that moment in time, what Madonna did was bring ballroom to the mainstream," Canals tells The Hollywood Reporter. "She introduced the world to this community who, up until that point in time, had been a subculture."
"Vogue" — inspired by the pioneering dance moves of ballroom leaders and their underground celebrations of self-expression — was a massive hit. Reaching No. 1 in more than 30 countries not long after its March 1990 release, the song soon became inescapable. Madonna's decision to include real-life ballroom luminaries in its accompanying music video — and, later, a world tour — seemed to signal greater opportunities for trans and queer people of color.
Writer, producer and director Janet Mock says that she was interested in exploring the commentary surrounding ballroom's sudden exposure. "What do these people think about the mainstreaming of something that had just been incubating for years in secret? A lot of the ballroom community felt they were stars," she says, adding that the Pose team conferred with in-house consultant and ballroom king Jose Xtravaganza, one of the lucky few chosen to be part of Madonna's "Vogue" era. "They felt like they had been preparing for years for their close-ups. This finally felt like their time."
Though Madonna, now 60, has been a visible ally and vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community since the very start of her career — and became one of the first notable names in entertainment to speak openly about the HIV/AIDS epidemic — critics have accused her of cultural appropriation and even argue that she erased voguing's original context as a creation of queer people of color. (Only white folks are mentioned in "Vogue's" spoken tally of fashionable Hollywood figures.)
"With 'Vogue,' Madonna showed us appreciation but I don’t think she understood how we could take the next step for the community," says Angelica Ross, who plays ballroom spitfire Candy Ferocity. "She included people from the community like the Xtravaganzas, and she did change lives. But I feel like there were maybe missed opportunities and that Madonna could have done more. It was a fleeting moment in pop culture and I wish she had worked with the ballroom community to make it last longer."
IN THIS PHOTO: Steven Canals
Steven Canals, co-creator
My experience in New York in 1990 was very specific to my upbringing. I was only 10 years old in 1990, but at that point we were still in the midst of the crack epidemic and it was a bleak period in the city's history. I certainly carry around the weight of a lot of that. However, there were also really bright moments and I think "Vogue," for example, was one of those moments. I still vividly remember my father coming home with the vinyl of the single, because he loves Madonna. And he was like, "Hey, I just got this new record. Let's listen to it." And we all just loved it. And then finally seeing the video, I think on MTV, I was so struck by what was happening. I didn't even fully understand and appreciate ballroom at that time, of course, and specifically what they were doing. But I think that's part of the reason why now, all these years later, this story and this show is so critically important for me.
Madonna, along with Paris Is Burning, really gave the ballroom community a spotlight. She added a vibrancy to the community because, all of a sudden, all eyes are on them and folks are watching. I would argue that that's what Madonna represents to ballroom — possibility. Because what ultimately happened in real-life on the heels of Madonna's "Vogue" is that she brought Jose Xtravaganza — who plays one of our judges and is one of our consultants on Pose — along on the Blond Ambition Tour with her, along with Luis Xtravaganza. For many people in the community, they felt like, "Wow, this huge pop star is aware of our community and is embracing us. What then are the possibilities — not only for our future, but for everyone else involved? Who else is paying attention to what we're doing and what else does that mean in terms of our aspirations and our goals?"
Dominique Jackson (Elektra Abundance)
When I first came into ballroom, it was all about "Vogue." It was like Madonna just took our culture and put it out there for the world to see. Now I'm an icon in the ballroom community and "Vogue" helped me with the confidence to get there. Watching the video allowed me to see that, yes, there was something different about me, but I could still make it. It showed the world that LGBTQ people were not only worthy but very talented.
Hector Xtravaganza was my house father. And Hector, who I consider my dad, would tell you that Madonna appreciated and loved us. She saw something, she took it and made it global. Hector worked with Madonna, taught with her, experienced a new life because of her. Many people in my community were able to be a part of it. It opened doors for so many people. You just have to understand that when doors are opened, it's up to you whether you want to go in and sit down — or go in and cause a ruckus”.
There are other fascinating articles that explore Madonna’s Vogue and its impact and influence. In this feature, there is a question as to whether Madonna was more concerned with commercial success, rather than providing voguing, the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community and the ballroom scene a platform:
“Although a global smash and voguing’s biggest breakthrough moment, Madonna was criticised by certain sections of the community for appropriating their culture for her own gain – something Jose dismisses. “She didn’t go to some Ivy League dance department and try to recreate voguing, she came to the club herself and sought us out,” he says.
“What people seem to forget is the good that came from this great pop/gay icon taking voguing and putting it onto the world stage – giving it the platform it needed. She didn’t steal it, she came to the club and found two of the community’s own – myself and Luis – and took us with her. That was her way of honouring it, and giving it credit, and keeping it what voguing traditionally is”.
For those who grew up listening to the song, and those who could not directly relate to the lyrics of Vogue, it is a stunning song from a Pop megastar! That idea of self-expression and feeling free can be applied to pretty much anyone. That is why Vogue resonates and connects with so many people: that concept of coming together and being liberated. Nearly thirty years after its release, Vogue is this song that hits all the senses; one cannot help but be moved (emotionally and physically). Madonna was not using Vogue as a way to make money and use it to suit herself. She was bringing underground cultures intro the spotlight, as she was an artist who always gave back. She had this platform, and she wanted to shine a light. Vogue has been featured on the soundtrack of The Devil Wears Prada, as well as in The Power of Madonna episode of the Fox show Glee. Writers and critics have noted the video and the song's influence in bringing an underground subculture into mainstream popular culture through the postmodern nature of her power and influence, as well as the way in which it followed a new trend in which Dance music enjoyed widespread popularity. Ahead of its thirtieth birthday, I had to salute…
A hugely important and massive anthem.