I usually reserve the Deep Dive treatment for artists I enjoy but don’t know completely (or for artists I know very well and want to celebrate). The Madonna Deep Dive was different. This one was an attempt to challenge my own biases against an artist I never bothered to take seriously.
I was dismissive of pop music for much of my life, disdainful of a genre I viewed as frivolous. That changed over the past couple of decades — just as it did for country music — and now I treasure many pop artists and songs.
But I knew I owed it to myself — and to Madonna — to circle back and examine one of the most successful and creative pop careers in history. And that examination proved incredibly rewarding. Madonna’s music is not only as addictive and fun as I never gave it credit for, it’s also thoughtful and groundbreaking in ways I never considered possible.
The Queen of Pop is an icon more than worthy of the adoration she’s received for more than four decades. I’m glad I finally got around to figuring that out.
Confessions II (coming soon)
My recap of the Deep Dive and ranking of every Madonna studio album
Meet Me In Montauk 