MADONNA “The Material Girl” By: Natalie Brandy Peterson

MADONNA“The Material Girl”By: Natalie Brandy Peterson

EARLY LIFE

• Born August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan

• Her mother died when she was just 5 years old.

• Her dad remarried but she did not bond with her step mother.

• She rejected her religious upbringing and rebelled.

HIGH SCHOOL YEARS

• Perfectionist• Acted in school plays• Loved to dance, learned

ballet and became good at it.

• Great student, received straight A’s.

• Graduated a semester early.

COLLEGE DAYS• Received a scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1976. • 1977 was awarded a six-week scholarship to study at Alvin

Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York City• Performed with choreographer Pearl Lang in 1978.• Dropped out of college after two years to pursue her dance

career.

EXPERIENCING LIFE• Moved to a poor part of New

York City where crime rate and drugs were a problem.

• Made money doing modeling, nude art and low budget movies.

• She went to Paris, France as a singer and dancer.

• She was a backup singer and drummer for some small bands.

MADONNA GOES SOLO• 1981 started singing by herself.• Her fist hit was “Everybody”• Mark Kamins helped her get her first record deal with Sire

Records.• This song hit #1 on the dance charts in 1982• She talked Sire Records into doing a full album.• Some of her popular songs on this album were, “Lucky Star”,

“Borderline”, “Holliday”.

TOURS & FILMS

• 1985 she went on her first tour.

• Many tickets were sold, bigger venues were necessary for concerts.

• Also she starred in her first film “Desperately Seeking Susan”.

FIRST HUSBAND SEAN PENN

• She married Sean Penn in August 1985.

• They were a lot a like and had the same temperament.

• She got tired of his aggressive behavior and drinking.

• Marriage ended in September 1989

SECOND HUSBAND GUY RITCHIE• In 1998 she was

introduced to Guy by Sting and his wife.

• They married in Scotland in December 2000.

• They welcomed a baby boy that same year and named him Rocco.

• Marriage ended in 2009.

MADONNA’S CHILDREN

• Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon born on October 14, 1996.

• Rocco Ritchie born on August 11, 2000.

• In 2006 Madonna and her husband Guy adopted a son David from Malawi.

HER SCANDALOUS WAYS

• She made videos that featured interracial relationship themes.

• Making soft-core pornographic coffee-table book.

• She burned crosses.• Dressing provocative

and pushing people’s buttons.

ACHIEVEMENTS• In January 2008 she was named the world’s wealthiest female

musician in Forbes magazine with estimated earnings of $72 million.

• That same year she was introduced into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

• She is a two-time Golden Globe Award winner.• She was voted VH1’s 100 sexiest artist list.• She has played in several movies and known for her excellent

acting in “Evita”. • In 2009 she released her 11th number one album, which tied

Elvis Pressley.

TRADEMARKS

• She has a gap between her two front teeth.

• She has a mole on her upper lip.

• Bleach blonde hair• She was well known for

wearing cone shape bras during her performances.

“TRUE BLUE”• Third studio album.• It was co-written and co-produced by Stephen Bray.• It was released in October 1986 and debut inside the top 40

of the Billboard Hot 100 at 40. • This song spent 16 weeks on the charts.• In October of 1998, the single was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of American for shipment of 500,000 copies.

• She tributes the song and album to Sean Penn.• She performed the song first in 1987 “Who’s that girl world

tour” wearing a blue dress.

LISTENING GUIDE TO TRUE BLUE• Introduction: 0:00 It opens with a very fast tempo of

the drums and then the tempo changes to moderate with the keyboard and a rhythm guitar.

• First verse: 0:18 Starts with the vocals of Madonna. The tempo stays the same and she tells a story of love for this one man.

• Chorus: 0:48 The chorus uses the same instruments but adds bells ringing in the background. You can hear backup singers in the chorus and they have perfect harmony with Madonna.

• Second verse: 1:06 This verse continues with the same rhythm as the first verse. Her voice goes up in volume which really shows her passion for her true love.

LISTENING GUIDE TO TRUE BLUECONTINUED…..

• Chorus: 1:39 The chorus is the same as the first with a slight variation. She repeats what she says and the backup singers confirming what she is saying. The backup singers sing very soft but still in harmony.

• Third verse: 2:10 This verse if very different then the rest. It uses the same musical instruments but the dynamics change. The vocals and instruments are louder and the drums beat more.

• Fourth verse: 2:43 This verse has the same tempo and dynamics and the second and third verse but in the middle of the verse the vocals and instruments get louder.

• Chorus: 3:16 This course has a few variation then the other choruses. She sings with the same tempo but raises her pitch and the dynamics get louder. Her backup singers sing on the offbeat. She also adds some new lyrics.

“VOGUE”• This song was released on March 29, 1990 by Sire Records.• She was inspired by Vogue Dancers and choreographers Jose and

Luis Xtravaganza from Harlem “House Ball” community.• This song appears on the 1990 greatest hits compilation “The

immaculate collection”.• The song is about enjoying oneself on the dance floor no matter

who you are. • This song is one of Madonna’s biggest International hits topping the

charts in over 30 countries. • Best selling single of 1990, selling over six million copies.• She has performed this song several times including the half-time

show of Super Bowl XLVI.

LISTENING GUIDE TO VOGUE• Introduction: 0:00 The introduction starts right off with Madonna

singing. It starts with a slow tempo with the violins and keyboard. This part is very soothing and beautiful. It then moves up in speed adding different instruments. There is finger snapping and clapping. They also use a electric keyboard and a synthesizer. The introduction is very long.

• Continued Introduction: 0:53 She grabs her audience with the lyrics, “strike a pose”. It has a steady tempo. The dynamics of the violins get quite a bit louder and faster as she sets the pace.

• First verse: 1:25 The lyrics start and you can hear backup singers. You can still hear the drums, electric guitars, violins and

snapping of fingers. During this verse the drums beat soft and then louder and then the tempo goes back up.

LISTENING GUIDE TO VOGUECONTINUED…..

• Chorus: 1:57 Madonna sings with backup singers repeating what she says. This chorus is short but very catchy and infectious. The rhythm is very similar to the verse but the dynamics with the chorus are a little louder then the verse.

• Second verse: 2:15 The instruments are the same dynamics as the first verse. This verse focuses more on the vocals and the story. Her lyrics are uplifting and she sings about loving

everyone.• Chorus: 2:47 This chorus is the same but the lyrics change a little.

The instruments carry the same dynamics and the rhythm stays the same.

• Third verse: 3:06 This verse is the same in rhythm and tempo although it is shorter and her message is straight to the point.

LISTENING GUIDE TO VOGUECONTINUED…..

• Chorus: 3:28 There is a variation in the lyrics of this chorus. There is a pause and you just hear the instruments playing. It has

the same tempo. This chorus repeats the variation part again.• Bridge: 4:00 This part is very different from the rest of the song.

She is not singing she is speaking. The instruments are more faded in the background and the dynamics of her voice changes. She raps this part. She uses several nicknames of various Golden Era Hollywood Celebrities. There are parts in this bridge where the violins tempo and volume are changed to higher speed and louder. This song has heavy synthesizers throughout it. It has a lot of the computerized techniques which modify the tones through the whole song.

“LIKE A VIRGIN”• Second album and was released on November 6, 1984 by Sire

Records.• It was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and produced by Nile

Rodgers. • This song became her first number one song on the Billboard Hot

100. • Madonna has performed this song in six of her concert tours, the

most recent one being in the 2012 MDNA tour. • She got strong reaction and up roar from the media after she

performed “Like a Virgin”. • Scholars have credited this song as the song which cemented her

position as a pop culture icon.

LISTENING GUIDE TO LIKE A VIRGIN

• Introduction/First verse: 0:00 This song starts out with the keyboard synthesized, different arrangements of drums and bass. It is a pop song with good beat and a medium tempo. Her voice range is high and she sings in soprano.

• Chorus: 0:43 The chorus stays very close to the same sound, beat and tempo and the first verse. The chorus is very short. The chorus is where you hear the title of the song.

• Second verse: 0:59 A bass guitar is added in this verse. You can hear a lot of computerized sounds which make for a very different sound then just the normal instruments. She holds out her notes longer and does some runs which makes the melody more soft and lovely. It then has three distinct beat of drums to lead into the chorus.

LISTENING GUIDE TO LIKE A VIRGINCONTINUED…..

• Chorus: 1:35 This chorus is the same with a few variations. She changes her pitch and yells out “Hey”. She holds her notes longer and the beats are not as distinct. She has a variety of range in her notes going up and down more so in the second voice. She also sighs at the end before the three beats.

• Third verse: 2:08 This verse is shorter. There are more drum beats at the end of this verse. While the other verses there are three, this verse has eight which sets the stage for the climax.

• Chorus: 2:27 This chorus has a few variations from the other choruses. She repeats lyrics several times. She then sings 13 counts of “oh” with different textures. She starts higher and then her vocals go very low. The song ends with just instruments, some drum variations and more beats. Then the music fades out.

REFERENCES

• People.com Retrieved 7:43, February 18, 2014.December 14, 1987. Vol. 28 No. 24 Article “Everyone said it wouldn’t last”(Written by JoAnne Kaufman)

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20097827,00.html

• About.com Retrieved 8:30, February 5, 2014.http://marriage.about.com/cs/celebritymarriages/p/madonnaguy.htm

• Liberty Voice Retrieved 3:15, February 16, 2014.Feb 13, 2014. Article “Madonna and her 10 Greatest Achievements”(Written by Christopher White)http://guardianlv.com/2014/02/madonna-and-her-10-greatest-achievements/

• Bio True Story Retrieved 9:00, February 19, 2014.http://www.biography.com/print/profile/madonna-9394994

• IMDb Retrieved 5:28, February 13, 2014.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000187/bio

REFERENCESCONTINUED…..

• Encyclopedia of World Biography Retrieved 6:00 February 19, 2014.http://www.notablebiographies.com/Lo-Ma/Madonna.html

• Ukmix Retrieved 8:00 February 10, 2014.August 5, 2012. (Written by Mikerocha)http://www.ukmix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=92288

• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/madona/vogue.html • http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/madonna/likeavirgin.html • http://last.fm/music.madonna/_/vogue

• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/madonna/trueblue.html