Madonna Battles Minotaurs in New Living for Love Video

Posted on February 7, 2015



Madonna debuted her video for "Living for Love" on Snapchat Friday and it is just fantastic. The single is the first song from her 13th studio album Rebel Heart which will be released in March. Madonna is a matador who takes on the big Minotaur and his minotaur buddies as she battles her way through a maze of relationships to find love.

This is Madonna's best video in years. The tune is catchy, the dancing is superb and she's even in an anti-bullfighting message to boot. Madonna is dressed as a matador in a series of gorgeous costumes who takes on each minotaur. She sings of surviving after being betrayed and clearly the whole thing is a metaphor for love is a battlefield. Does anyone want to guess who is victorious at the end?

Madonna is in control and shows the wannabes how it's done. She has lots of little Easter eggs to remind fans of her amazing backlist. The Spanish feel from "La Isla Bonita," the homage to "Material Girl," the step lock/pop dance move from "Papa Don't Preach," the hint of her triumph of her role as Eva Peron in Evita: these are just a few of the carefully choreographed elements that serve as a reminder of where Madonna has gone before and what made her a superstar.

Of course the most obvious allusion is to her 1994 video for "Take a Bow." In the video Madonna is the woman whose heart has been broken by a famous matador. The black and white video cut between Madonna getting dressed, going to the bullfights, and meeting her love after he gets his accolades in the arena. The Matador postures, he preens and he conquers all. He is the one that walks through glass, but she is the one that has been gored by love. Not this time. This time, Madonna is the Matador and those Minotaurs are in big trouble.

The cinematography is lush and rich, with the red hues of roses and blood permeating the screen. The red pops against the minotaurs' jeweled masks and giant black horns. The video was directed by J.A.C.K. - Julien Choquart and Camille Hirigoyen. The video was choreographed by Megan Lawson, who did a fantastic job. Madonna shows off her precision and strength in some very acrobatic moves and her lines are flawless. B. Akerlund styled the shoot.

At the end of the video she puts up a quote by nihilist German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche which says, "Man is the cruelest animal. At tragedies, bullfights and crucifixions, he has felt best on earth and when he invented hell for himself that was his very heaven." Message received.

Madonna will perform the single tomorrow night live at the Grammys. Rumor has it that she will open the show. We will not be missing that.


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