This song started life like most others.
As a Pepsi commercial.
No, seriously.
Madonna wanted to use the commercial to launch her song, before its release to MTV and radio as a single. She had somewhat stepped back from music for a couple of years, but in 1989, she was ready to make a splash.
The commercial was a hit.
The next day, she released this video to MTV.
Because of the controversial use of religous imagery, an immediate boycott of Pepsi, including their brands like KFC and Taco Bell, was called by Christian groups. Pepsi resonded by dropping Madonna.
MTV responded by playing the video even more.
The song is widely regarded as one of Madonna's best, and its chart performance supports that - it was a #1 song in the US for three weeks and a huge hit worldwide.
As huge a hit as it was, the song itself was also huge, and never is that more apparent than when performed live - like this performance in Miami. The song employs the use of a choir, and having that choir in the room, live, just adds to the depth and majesty of the song.
(Update: 13 September 2023) Pepsi has now reversed course and do recognize the genius of the commercial - with an updated commercial.
No comments:
Post a Comment