Don’t ever let it be said that I don’t totally heart Madonna. Not only did I pay money to see Swept Away, but I can also recite her ”American Life” rap by heart. (”I’m drinkin’ a soy latte…”). Okay, okay, I digress. Anyhow, after catching the premiere of her video for ”Sorry” at AOL Music, it pains me to paraphrase the song’s chorus, but it’s the truth: I’ve seen it all before, I’ve seen it all before, I’ve seen it all before. Partying in a pimped-out vehicle? Madonna did that in ”Music.” Gettin’ jiggy in a discotheque? Very ”Deeper and Deeper.” Impersonating Valerie Cherish at yoga class? Oh Madge, you covered that territory in ”Hung Up.” And it’s a cryin’ shame, because ”Sorry” itself is a thumping, dance-floor delight, worthy of an unforgettable clip to match it.
I remember a time when a Madonna video was an event, a thrilling mix of storytelling and controversy and visual wonder. Remember ”Like a Prayer,” or ”Take a Bow,” or even ”Bad Girl”? Yeah, me too. And sorry, but ”Sorry” simply doesn’t measure up. What do you think, PopWatchers? Am I right, or do I need to down a third Diet Coke and re-watch this video with more caffeinated eyes?
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Please drink another soy latte!
The video is a continuation of Hung Up. Although not her best video, it works on so many levels. Disco, street and reminicest of Kylie Meinuo….very EURO!
Watch it again, again.
when i saw the title, i thought this was a post about madonna’s supposed sudden scary weight loss (i don’t recall seeing anything recently that would suggest she’s withering away in order to court and convert nicole richie to the practice and study of kabbalah).
i, too, miss the days when the “world premiere of madonna’s latest music video” was hyped up for weeks prior. it was a total accident that i saw the “hung up” video.
I’m in a class right now so I can’t actually watch the video with sound, so half the fun is lost, but when I get a chance to review I shall. I’m too busy being angry at the homophobes who seems to think my school’s newspaper is their own personal soapbox. I wish I lived in New York.
I totally agree with Ben. Not a shocking or fresh idea, but it is still Madonna and she looks fabulous in it. I like that this video ties in with Hung Up, afterall the album is meant to be a total dance experience. I have purchased the continuous track album from iTunes and I enjoy it, as I probably would a continuous DVD with all the songs linked together with video and music. It may not be an event, but it is still pleasing to the eye.
This was the worst Madonna video ever. What a disappointment.
Here’s my concept:
Madonna’s in a 1930s circus as a magician’s helper (in a leotard with feathers) who gets fed up with her boss. She turns the tables and puts him in a box and saws him in half (“you’re not half the man you’d like to be”) She has another guy tied to the wall (“you stayed because I made it so convenient”) and starts to throw knives at him. Etc, etc.
Near the end where the chorus comes back with “I’ve heard it all before” and “Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…” she pulls back a curtain of a bunch of guys disembodied heads singing back to her…
Better, no?
I’m a Madge fan, but I remember many years ago she filmed a tribute to MTV where she spoke to the channel as if it were a person and she thanked MTV for supporting her even when she thought rolling around on the floor was dancing. Um… I am not sure I got the whole cage match, leg behind her head segment.
Totally agree, with the comparisons to Music & Hung Up, actually after watching the end of the video I was praying that they break the boom-box so we don´t have to endure a Hung-Up/Music pt.III.
Is “Bad Girl” the video with Christopher Walken? Because that is her best video ever. Any video with him hits my top ten list.
Did anyone else notice that this video is basically Toni Braxton’s “You’re Makin’ Me High” (without the elevator or the scorecards)?!? I mean, seriously. The muscle guy with the pecs, the fat guy, the nerd…. It’s the hugest rip-off.
Also, by using the same casting and concept, she may be joining “Hung Up” and “Sorry” together, but… This video (and to a lesser extent “H.U.”) has NOTHING to do with the lyrical content.
It’s eye candy, but nothing about it suggests multiple listens. AND… As eye candy, it’s not as fun as “Hung Up”. Let’s have a better video for “Jump”, Madonna. I’ll direct.
Is it the best Madonna video? No. Will I watch that over Ashlee Simpson’s “L.O.V.E.”? Heck yeah, because it’s still Madonna doing what she does best: going through men and dancing (and skating) up a storm… Maybe Madonna doesn’t even want to have the whole build-up to her videos anymore because when there’s build-up, there’s bound to be disappointment.
I liked the rollerskating, but the rolling around on the floor/yoga posture segment was a huge “wtf” moment for me. But hey: at least there was krumping. Cuz I’ve never seen that in a video. Oh. Wait.
OH my GOD! Bad Girl! I thought I was the only person who remembered that bit of awesomeness!
Also lurve You’ll See, the little-seen sequel to the Take a Bow video!
Well, when you’ve done pretty much everything there is to do for a music video it’s hard not to repeat yourself every once in a while.
Give Madge a break … at least her videos are way better than say Pariah Scarey.
Nah, you’re absolutely right, Madonna’s lost it. The Grammy’s last night were a prime example of how tired she’s become.
it’s all jamie king’s fault
amateur director = amateur video
she wants another video to retire on TRL… what can you do?
I agree with most of the posters here. I am a huge M fan but am not blinded either.
Pros are: She looks fantastic,has great dance moves (I happened to like the part were she is twisting around on the floor as the chorus builds up again),and keeps you dizzied by continuous movement in the video.(Although some things are cheesy)
Cons: Yes, most of it we’ve seen it all before : Some of the dance moves, the “music, hung up” references.etc.
HOWEVER, overall, it is a continutation of hung up and reflects the theme of the album. Which is plain, dancy, disco-inspired music without alot of messages. The whole point is keeping it simple and having fun. Give her some credit, she practically paved the music video area. After 20 years, she’s bound to rehash some of her old videos. You try being completely innovative and creative after 20 years of keeping the public eye interested.
You could argue that Bjork’s new videos don’t match her older ones. But they’re still good. Who cares if Sorry isnt the best video ever made in the history of all that is good and pure? it’s still entertaining and it looks good. isnt that the point?
Come on, people, at least give Madge props for those flawless legs! Having said that, I too heart Madonna, but “Sorry” isn’t her best. As Santino on “Project Runway” would say, “You can’t polish a turd!”
any Madonna fan knows she’s using this album to recapture what was cool about dance in the 70’s and 80’s and most of the time she nails it. But her vidoes for the album(oops! CD…I mean MP3!GOD I’M OLD)are no better or worse than the rest of the music video industry. People on this blog have said Madonna’s video’s were events, well , so were just about every video from major recording artists…back in the day. But, Madge is at least trying and with a healing collar bone to boot. not bad for 40-something.
It is a fun video, good music, and Madonna doing what she does best. It is easy to sit at your computer and criticize someone elses work, and If I could bend and dance like her at 47, I would want to show the whole world.
Thank you.
I like the video, it fun to watch, it’s so much eye candy, just like the album is ear candy, I am just glad we have a new video to watch her in! “Hung Up” was everywhere. Plus at 47, she looks fantastic! The video is just meant to have a good time! So just dance!
PS To Michael Slezak I love the “American Life” album too, so underrated!
I heart Madonna’s music too.
Despite Madge’s toned body, I’m still not digging the 80s leotard on her (or on anyone else for that matter). Yuck.
What an awesome song! The video is okay, although I HATE the leotard. But I love this song!
Ummmmmm…..she made an album that she herself has said is supposed to be fun. The video……rave-tastic, disco, roller rink party. Mission accomplished.
I agree with Ben, the first poster. Watch it again… again. This video is just incredibly fun, and even better than “Hung Up” because now you can tell that all the “Confessions” videos are going to continue the chain of sequences in the same night. Since she’s Madonna and can do whatever the F she wants, I wonder if she’ll make videos for all 13 tracks in her spare time — just for the hell of it — and release them as a collector’s DVD. Then instead of hearing the songs in the original album order, you could see them in a completely different order based on the dates the videos were released. Sure it’s a long shot, but if she did it, I think people would eat it up. Or maybe I’m just obsessed.
so far, the videos match the album, as far as i’m concerned. both eh…
It’s quite easy to sit in a comfy office chair and gawk at a video on AOL and then make comments about this that and the other but I suspect you would never cut it in that business otherwise, well.. you wouldn’t be sitting in an office chair commenting on other people’s work, now would you?
It never ceases to amaze me how judgemental and ageist americans are; even the women in my office kept talking about how “sleazy, slutty, etc, etc,” she supposedly is but as soon as I ask if they wouldn’t like to have the same body at 47, then they get all quiet. It’s nothing more than just hate towards someone that has been successful and knows how to succeed at her chosen career path.
Having said that, the video for “Sorry” isn’t anything like she’s done before yet it is dated in the sense that there are references to previous times. You want to find references? I could say that it also looks like the limo/disco scene from Britney Spears “Overprotected” or like someone else said Toni Braxton but ultimately, this is Madonna looking her best, singing her little butt off and as usual, stirring up controversy to be talked about (this thread is a perfect example of that!).
YOU GO MADGE!
First off, it’s hard to top Bad Girl, absolutely one of the all-time best by anyone. As far as Sorry is concerned, as previosly mentioned by others, it is in touch with the album- having fun and bringing the 70’s and 80’s into the future. It may not be her best video, but still better than the mojority of what is out there. Would you rather watch this or something like Jessica Simpson’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’”? Maybe it really is that she set the standard so high that any kind of “throw back” (like every rap/r&b “artist”) does is deemed as laziness and lack of talent. If that’s the case, then what a compliment.
boring boring boring. she’s repeating herself. after so many years, she needs to hang it up!
I love the video and thought it was even better than Hung Up which was hard to top…i continues the whole 70’s disco vibe that the album and previous video have and I love how it continues where Hung Up ended…Cant wait to see it on the t.v….the whole cage dance/fight sequence totally blew my mind….!!