Madonna deserves to take a bow for this one. After months of buildup, the Queen of Pop released the first music video, “Living for Love,” from her upcoming 13th studio album, Rebel Heart — and let’s just say it was worth the wait.
Directed by Julien Choquart and Camille Hirigoyen, aka “J.A.C.K.,” and styled by B. Akerlund, the video made headlines on Thursday, Feb. 5, because it debuted initially on Snapchat, but it should have made headlines because of how good it is. (See for yourself above!)
Like her video for 1994’s “Take a Bow,” the “Living for Love” cut features a bullfighting theme — but this time, Madge, 56, is in the role of the fiercely sexy matador. Various hunky men thrash and buck around her, channeling their inner beasts to play the minotaurs, complete with curved black horns and diamond-studded masks.
Alternating among several impeccably designed outfits — including a velvety red bolero jacket, a black lace corset (by The Blonds), an intricately beaded gold and white chaquetilla, and an embellished corseted leotard — the “Girl Gone Wild” superstar seductively vamps and dances atop a scarlet red platform, as the horned men close in around her. (The latin-themed clip also brings to mind 1986’s “La Isla Bonita,” not to mention Madonna’s starring role in the 1996 big screen adaptation of Evita.)
The result is an electrifying spectacle, with some of Madge’s best (and most acrobatic!) dancing.
“Man is the cruelest animal,” a Friedrich Nietzsche quote at the end of the video reads. “At tragedies, bullfights, and crucifixions he has felt best on earth; and when he invented hell for himself that was his very heaven.”
Tell Us: What do you think of Madonna’s new video?
