Tag Archives: Take a Bow

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Song of the Day #4,791: ‘Take a Bow’ – Madonna

Madonna suffered a fair amount of backlash after her Sex book and Erotica album were deemed offensive by the pearl-clutchers. A controversial appearance on Late Show with David Letterman, heavily censored due to profanity and subject matter, didn’t help.

As a result, 1994’s Bedtime Stories was positioned as a mea culpa. In a promotional video, she promised “no sexual references” on the new album, and a return to the “innocent” Madonna of the past. Holding her co-writer’s daughter on her lap, she promised to be a “good girl.”

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Song of the Day #433: ‘Take a Bow’ – Rihanna

rihanna4Rihanna’s presence on this list might seem obvious. She’s an artist who makes her living selling her appearance and sexuality as much as her music. But she’s pretty much the only singer of that sort I like who works for me in both areas. I listed Shakira and Christina Aguilera as two performers who shouldn’t have to sell sex to sell CDs, but that’s probably because I don’t find either of them all that sexy. Rihanna, on the other hand…

But it is still very much about the music. On the flip side you have Beyonce, somebody to whom Rihanna is often compared. I find Beyonce sexy as hell but her music doesn’t do much for me. I’ll never change the channel if I come across her on TV but I have no interest in listening to any of her albums. I discovered Rihanna through her music before knowing much about her appearance.

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