1981

Autour de moi - Je ne vois pas
Qui sont les anges - Surement pas moi - Encore une fois
Je suis cassée - Encore une fois - Je n'y crois pas

[All around me - I could not see
Who are the angels - Surely not me - Once more again
I am broken - Once more again - I don't believe it]


I've been so high, I've been so down
Up to the skies, Down to the ground

There is a light, Above my head
Into your eyes, My face remains


yesterday my friend showed me the new madonna video for "hung up". the video wasn't what i'd expected for this dance song. i probably need to view it a few more times to catch the details.

one thing that struck me is the time period madonna framed the video in. although i'm not as old as her, i'm not young either. i've lived thru a few decades--experiencing their fashions, cultures, and moods. so when i saw the composition of the hung up video, i noticed the retro-period details were reproduced flawlessly.



i'm guessing madonna's video portrays the year 1981. although some elements may hint at the late 70's, the boombox, breakdancing, and video arcade scene make me say 1981. there where no video arcades before 1981. 81-88 was the height of the video arcade era. pacman, defender, centipede, digdug, frogger, space invaders, asteriods--all the classic games arrived during that time. nintendo and atari home systems were really expensive, personal PCs capable of videogaming didn't exist, so videogame playing took place in arcades that also became places to socialize, and many included loud music piped in overhead. the music ranged from arena rock to disco and dance. except for sugarhill's song there was no rap or hip hop. in 1981 the town i grew up in had 3 arcades, with other videogames available at local diners and laundrymats. videogames were like the ipods of the early 1980s.



madonna's hairstyle is purely "70s leftover". straight and flat with a 'swooshy' curling iron flip on the long front bangs. although that style began in the late 70s, plenty of curling irons broke thru 1982 trying to get the swoosh-flip just right. then came the "big hair" of 1983+, made popular by trashy Jersey girls everywhere. that period also signified the rise of the popular mens style, the "mullet", usually worn with acid washed jeans or parachute pants. during this time the Gap sold Levis jeans, not classically styled oxfords and khakis. the "Gap" name was slang for "generation gap" which was a hot topic of conversation in the early 1970s when the "Gap" stores were founded by hippie-leftoveratures. no, i'm not old enough to have shopped in that version of the Gap. i just remember their tv commercials.



the boombox or "ghetto blaster" in the video is also pure early 1980s. Radios started getting big in the late 70s, but the height of oversized things like that in the video was early 80s--during the genesis of rap and hip hop. Ghettomeisters everywhere would congregate on streetcorners, pumping out dance music for breakdancing competitions. 1981 was right before the onset of the CD-ROM, which made boomboxes and cassette tapes obsolete.

madonna's dance outfit is the typical Jane Fonda workoutwear, as well as Saturday Night Fever [1977], Flashdance [1982], and Fame [1984] wannabees. 1980s was the polishing of the 70's disco dance era into movies and TV shows. the colorful tights and button-shirt overlay is right out of a Danskin dance apparell catalog circa 1981. The dance hall madonna dances in throughout the video is a reminder of Saturday Night Fever and Stayin' Alive movie scenes that took place in dance studios. other dancers of that era included Barishnokov and Gregory Heinz, who i think starred in some aweful 80s films together.



some of the dancing in the video is extaordinary--the flexibility and acrobatics some of the dancers display is incredible. i can't even come close to the pretzel twists that go on during the video. i can't even stand up straight most days.

i would love to know why madonna chose to imitate the early 1980s for this video. the song doesn't sound like its from that era, nor do the lyrics imply anything "1980ish". i do know madonna came to NYC in the very late 70s and studied dance with Alvin Aily, a famous dance instructor of that time. maybe she wanted to incorporate that mood into her new CD somehow. by the way, i think madonna's in better shape now than during the early 80s. she seems centered and more sure of herself.



i was able to catch her MTV special this weekend too. unlike other performers from the 1980s, madonna has grown with the times. she lives her spirituality and uses it to do positive things that not only benefit her, but also those who tour with her, and her fans. during the special she keeps mentioning God as "the light"--moving towards the light, etc. as a metaphor for spiritual journey. trying to share that the world--to spread positive, not negative energy. sure, she had her moments in the 90s when the spirituality was nowhere to be found, but it seems that by exploring darker things she found the "light". she's also put up with lots of idiotic criticism, even from Elton John, of all people, and people seem to think its ok to bash her, which i don't think is fair. maybe its because she's a successful woman. but you've got to give her credit for her constant innovative reinvention of herself, which has gotten her pretty far and led her to the more mature, centered, and spiritual space she's at now. i give her alot of credit and admire her tenacity and ability to ignore idiots.

she's also got my respect for telling Courtney Love to fuck off. madonna could smell bullshit like that miles away. not afraid to be herself, try new things, and make mistakes as well as successful endeavors. it takes alot to succeed, but more to fail, recover, and try again.