“Vulgar is dirty and beautiful” – there’s no lyric from Madonna and Sam Smith’s duet that better encapsulates the gist of their track together. The two want to provoke and celebrate at the same time. In early June, they announced their duet for the first time.
The cover shows a close-up in black and white of the artists seen from behind. Both wear a corset. Above them are the initials of their names: “S
The announcement was followed by some teasers and audio snippets, including a Tiktok video of Madonna in a skimpy black dress and fishnet tights. She sings, “Be careful what you say or I’ll split your banana.”
In addition to the dynamic, almost wild beats, it is above all the lyrics that make the song special. A song “full of sexually aggressive and blatant lyrics”, writes the “Daily Mail”, for example. Universal Music, on the other hand, marketed the song as “a two-and-a-half-minute slap in the face of discrimination” and a “demand for respect and acceptance.” The lyrics go both ways. Madonna demands: “Boy, get on your knees, because I’m Madonna.” Sam Smith, on the other hand, sings, “You know you’re beautiful when they call you vulgar”. For the 31-year-old singer, the song is “something very special,” he says on Instagram. It was a big dream to work with the “Queen of Pop”, the “Daily Mail” quoted him as saying.
Madonna and Sam Smith’s collaboration began a day after the Grammys. At the awards ceremony in February, the performances of the two made headlines in equal measure. The 64-year-old pop icon was about her operated and hardly recognizable face. Sam Smith was accused of Satanism after his stage performance with Kim Petras. Fittingly, it was Madonna who announced the 31-year-old’s performance – with the words: “Are you ready for some controversy?”
At the end of the year, Madonna will also come to Germany as part of her “Four Decades The Celebration” tour. The rehearsals are already underway. She recently shared a video on Instagram in which she danced happily and lasciviously with her entire crew. To “Vulgar” of course.
Sources: “Daily Mail”, Eventim, Universal Music, “Rolling Stone”
