now cud u all shut up cos im gona sing my new singel now it shuld put an end 2 ur crap…
[Video]
[4.50]
Rebecca A. Gowns: Satan bequeathed Madonna and Diplo their damnable powers of catchy music. No matter how tempting, I must resist giving this a high score, much like Homer Simpson must resist eating the last bite of his soul donut which will send him to Hell.
[2]
Patrick St. Michel: Feels like a waste to get worked up about Madonna or Diplo when the song itself is mediocre DisclosurEDM.
[5]
Thomas Inskeep: There are an awful lot of cooks in this kitchen: everyone from Alicia Keys (supporting with some piano) to Diplo to Ariel Rechtshaid to Madge herself plus three other folks get songwriting credit on this. Diplo and Madonna co-produced, though frankly I can’t hear a single thumbprint of Diplo’s on this. I like that this transmits actual emotion, as opposed to the robot-autopilot of her last couple of albums. There’s a lot of the “Like A Prayer” DNA here, not just because of the gospel-ness but also in its lyrics, full of uplift and hope. The retro-’90s-house-ness makes perfect sense too: I mean, c’mon, Madonna was there the first time. That said, I can’t help but wonder what this would sound like a bit tighter and more focused, and with an actual sound to it, rather than this quasi-melange of styles. Disclosure likely could’ve done great things here. Ultimately, “Living For Love” is too scattered to be successful.
[5]
Alfred Soto: Well, it’s bright, and the chorus wants you to love her, except I heard that same call 29 years ago when she and I sounded fresher. The six co-writers offer a piece for listeners of all ages, assuming anyone under thirty is listening: gospel bits for “Like a Prayer” aficionados, Diplo-matic sequences suitable for gay club remixes, a bridge that Ariana Grande would’ve been proud of. It exists to demonstrate she still has a pulse. It exists because she has to exist.
[5]
Megan Harrington: It’s hard to even conceive of what might motivate the art of a 56-year-old woman beginning the fourth decade of her career. My mom’s at a similar phase in her life; her work week is the shortest it’s ever been and her title is the sumptuous “Corporate Treasurer.” The daily process of getting up, getting ready, accomplishing something, and coming home is one that she thrives on but her career is on a very steady cruise control. Madonna is in a similar coast. “Living For Love” is competent, even workmanlike, with all the components of a late career Madonna song. While she must enjoy the process of creating and promoting an album (however poorly) the hunger for growth is absolutely missing. She may very well live for love, but there’s no real impetus for that to mean something anymore.
[4]
Katherine St Asaph: The problem with Madonna’s 2015 output is not her age, the reasons for which should be self-evident. Nor is it her chasing dance-pop trends — what precisely do you expect a dance-pop artist to make? Nor is it her voice, which was always thin and processable; she’s still at least as good as Kiesza, and the low digital growl that makes up most of “Living for Love” is at least interesting. It’s how each single is more and more a Madonna Studies 101 version of her former self: Madonna singing “you empowered me,” Madonna singing “down on my knees,” over nu-house that was better as “Vogue,” controversy-baiting that was better as the entire early ’90s, and a meme campaign that either rehashes her old stuff, other pop stars’ old stuff (“unapologetic bitch” is a Rihanna/Britney mashup, “rebel heart” is Rihanna and a Miley Cyrus tour) with the implacable flippancy of a stan war and the corporate stuffiness of brands saying “bae.” It doesn’t seem like Madonna (and/or team) should be so bad at this; but then again, it’s probably telling that her best single in years got its oomph not from controversy but from a perfect ABBA hook.
[4]
Edward Okulicz: Despite repping for at least her 1998 to 2005 output, I’ve always suspected the critics that said her voice lost something in the ’90s post-Evita might be right, and here’s the evidence. “Living For Love” is completely torpedoed by how stiff and lifeless Madonna sounds. Living, my foot, she sounds completely unanimated. Not old, but bored. You can get away with being a zombie if your songs are as brilliant as “Hung Up” or “Sorry,” which were can’t-miss, but this one’s clear feelgood potential is wasted on someone whose ability to connect with and inform others’ pleasure has well and truly ebbed.
[4]
Will Adams: What does it mean that the trendy, squelchy electro is way more compelling than the ’90s house that’s obviously there to harken back to the glory days? Perhaps it’s not coincidental that those are the instrumental bits.
[5]
Micha Cavaseno: This could’ve been a pretty hard banger, but there’s just one problem. MADGE. The voice was never great, but now it’s so worn and tired, all spent rubber getting caught in the gears. The queen isn’t dead just yet, but the kingdom has long since been eroded like her vocal cords, and I think it’d be more than fair to say one should bow out with more grace.
[2]
Ramzi Awn: Madonna’s voice on the intro is more than a little cringe-worthy, but whether it’s her or the Auto-Tune, the chorus makes up for it comprehensively. Perfectly canned ’90s piano chords complement Madonna’s strident use of a dance beat to revive old-school R&B, bringing to mind dance-pop hits like Mariah Carey’s “Make it Happen” or CeCe Peniston’s “Finally.” It’s too bad the verses don’t complete the package.
[6]
Madeleine Lee: There’s nothing wrong with wanting to continue your career into a fourth decade, nor with wanting to hold on to a reputation of being provocative, but the pressure is on you to prove that you are still necessary among people who are building on your influence and taking it even further. “Living For Love” is functional as an intended tribute to/recreation of ’90s house, but it’s not even new territory for Madonna, and frankly the sound of her voice is not enough to take this song beyond “it exists.”
[4]
Alex Ostroff: “Living For Love” is a perfectly competent pop house single, but Madonna never seems to connect with me or the material. It’s telling that I perked up around 1:40, when my ears first detected ghosts of background harmonies that sounded suspiciously like MNEK. You can hear him clearly in the final four seconds, and his cry of “Love” hits me harder than any of Madonna’s delivery. Apparently there’s a forthcoming mix of “Living For Love’ with MNEK on featured vocals, and when it emerges I will utterly lose my shit. Until then, I’ll be listening to “The Rhythm” on loop.
[5]
Crystal Leww: Doing a bit of quick Googling, I’m a little surprised that 2012’s “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” with M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj, went all the way to #10. It’s a little mean, but it’s felt like a long time since Madonna was relevant. “Living for Love” is smart, letting Madonna, who was so influential in making this happen in the first place, do the pop-house thing that’s been in fashion for a little over a year now. This is so slick, like something that could have been produced by Duke Dumont or Secondcity or heck, even Kate Boy, but Madonna’s the artist name tagged to it. I wonder if this will get as big as those other tracks, though, and I’m fearful that if even fucking Madonna can’t make vocalist tracks popular, we’re never going to see Kelli-Leigh get her UK #1. #freekellileigh
[6]
Brad Shoup: I gotta say, I have grown fond of the DJ Earworm series.
[6]