Reacting to Madonna's Music Videos 3 | Express Yourself, Bad Girl, & God Control | REACTION+ANALYSIS

In this video, I react to three more of Madonna's music videos that you requested-Express Yourself, Bad Girl, and God Control-and break down the videos' themes and motifs.
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God Control link: • Madonna - God Control ...
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[@ericmason6540]

Don't smoke, kids! 🚭 What Madonna music videos should I react to next? By the way, I had to chop up the Bad Girl MV a lot for copyright reasons. Hopefully everything important is still in the video. :)

[@peradetlic3789]

The power of goodbye, Human nature, Don't tell me

[@NocturneSoul]

Open Your Heart, Justify My Love, Human Nature

[@domeniconatella1457]

Nothing really matters- Hollywood -Drowned World /My substitute for love - Girl gone wild - Open your heart -The power of goodbye-Ghost town

[@hardiksolanki8093]

Nothing really matters, Hollywood, Justify my love

[@MarcusEdits]

What it feels like for a girl has a great hidden message! I’m interested if you’ll be able to understand it

[@joshuayeager3686]

Both “Express Yourself” and “Bad Girl” were actually directed by David Fincher. And Express Yourself was actually based on Metropolis, like you mentioned. Madonna is a big fan of classic film.

[@canigetanamen1106]

Your analysis to Express Yourself was so good I didn’t even realise most of the things you pointed out

[@moonstone1159]

The 'Express Yourself' video alludes to the classic Fritz Lang's 1927 film called 'Metropolis,' only Madonna turns it around thematically by advancing herself as the one in charge (when it comes to sex & relationships) because she "respects herself" first and foremost. This song became an anthem not only for female empowerment but empowerment for all. 'Bad Girl' is thematically based on the novel 'Looking for Mr. Goodbar' in which the female protagonist leads a hidden life of promiscuity that doesn't end well. It got people talking about the "love- the-one-you're-with" mentality of the late-60s through the 70s. 'God (Con)Control'/gun control.... Madonna keeps us talking about important subjects.

[@igoroslaj1082]

I loved your interpretations, specifically the things I might've missed out - like the Bad girl middle scene where I never really understood why the eyedrops were included, your explanation makes perfect sense. There is another sublayer in Express yourself video - if I interpret it correctly she is a wife of a boss of the factory, living her high life alone and neglected while he is busy entertaining himself with observing his subjects. Madonna herself made a point about one scene when she said she was chained to her desires, but she is not being objectified by men because she put the chains on, she is in control. Ultimately this video was praised as feminist manifesto. There are some Easter eggs in God control like a poster in blonde character's bedroom that reads "white men control everything around me" and the small gunpoint burglary (she was raped at a gunpoint in her early years in NY). Thanx again, it was a great watch! I'd recommend "Human nature", "What it feels like for a girl" and "Medellin" or "Dark ballet" next!

[@dalee72]

I've always thought that the bald headed man was the boss of everything when most fans thought it was M's character that was the boss. She was the boss subversively by using her cat to get her man. And the dance sequence where she's wearing a man's suit was the male worker's dream or fantasy. Although M chose to put the chain on herself, it was still representing the role that women are chained to their role as providers of pleasure & procreation in the bedroom.

[@HaydenYouTube]

I think that the use of the dance club is also personal to Madonna's experience of violence. It's a place she uses to let go. She writes in a lot of her songs about doing that, like Vogue. I think she uses the dancefloor in the video to say, "even this safe space that I used to have is not safe. Nowhere is safe for kids."

[@davidb9261]

Greatest music video artist ever.. The range of topics, visual styles, activism, influences is endlessly fascinating. As she gets older is easier to step back from all the media noise and just appreciate the work for itself.

[@AugustEverywhere]

Express Yourself was one of my favorites when it was out. Though I didn't go nearly as deeply into the meaning, just liked the eye candy, though the main worker not as much. She seemed kind of trapped in an unfulfilling life, which continues in Bad Girl. I love Bad Girl - overall in my top five of all her videos. . .I identified a lot with her character and the sense of dissatisfaction she felt. I've interpreted Walken's character more as the Angel of Death than a guardian. Like Death in the Sandman comics, waiting nearby as her time draws near, even giving her the "kiss of death". God Control has a great message - it also seems to parallel the denial of society of its problems until they intrude on our lives; while removed we don't acknowledge it and if we bring it up, many people tend to say you're being a downer or that you need to just let it go, etc.

[@Mysicalgreenunicorn03]

Re your analysis of God Control. Very telling in how we have accepted Corona and the selfishness of people

[@jameshanley6886]

No other artist will match Madonna Ciccone creative visual side

[@CM-pi8et]

Something to Remember is my favorite Madonna album. yes its a collection, but its nearly a perfect one. I love that softer/hip hop side of Madonna, & i wish we'd get a taste of it again :-)

[@crichards3533]

Great album

[@NathanHautain]

Great reaction ! For the next MVs I suggest : 1. Hollywood 2. What It Feels Like For A Girl 3. Music

[@alrimawi]

Epic reaction and analysis as always Eric! I think God control is such an incredible music video. I love how it’s told in reverse. It feels like she is almost saying that this isn’t the end, we can still fix and “reverse” this. It leaves you with hope rather than ending it with the scenes of shooting. In terms of the choice of dance music, I feel like what she saying here is that nowhere feels safe anymore, gun violence can happen even at the happiest of places. Which is also mirrored by how her character sees gun violence on the news before leaving and while being held up at gun point on her way to the club. It’s obviously very sad and hard to watch, but the message is extremely important. Also, you’re spot on about the metropolis reference on Express your self. Impressive catch for sure! I really recommend you react to Vogue and Justify my love music videos next as they appear on the Immaculate collection (which is a compilation album for some of her early work). Unless you plan to react to that too?

[@ericmason6540]

Thank you so much! I'm not sure yet if I'll react to the Immaculate Collection, but I'll keep that in mind. :)

[@NocturneSoul]

Excellent reaction of course. Your thoughts always on point. Always a pleasure. My interpretation of Christopher Walken's character in Bad Girl is that he is the angel of death, watching over her, waiting for the right moment to take her. And this is something that she craves. She wants to die to put an end to her miserable life. And you can see that when he gives her the "kiss of death" at the end, she understands this is her last time and so you can see the relief in her face when the man is about to kill her. It's almost like if she has made a pact with Death. And you can see Chritopher Walken crying on his way to take her, because he knows it's time. Portraying death as a sympathetic entity who's just doing his job. In Express Yourself I could add a few fun facts: the whole video was inspired by the movie Metropolis. Actually the quote at the end about the heart and the mind is a quote from the movie. Also the movie uses German expressionism as the main aesthetic and specifically some scenes are direct representations of Tamara Lempika's art deco paintings (Madonna's favorite painter). The scene where she's chained to the bed is a painting by Lempika. And about that scene she explained that she was chained to her desire. You see, Madonna was heavily criticized for this video. Feminist groups said she was presenting women as sexual objects, crawling under the table to please a man, and being chained to the bed as a sex slave. She explained that the was crawling under the table to please her own wishes, and that she was chained to her desires and a sex slave to her own desires. We want what we want and there's nothing we can do about it. We can break free from social impositions and understand that embracing our desires is the only way to experience true love, or we can submit to social rules and become another cogwheel in the social machinery, in which case our actions will be dissociated from our heart and out mind, from who we really are, and the experiences that we'll have will not be personal. Then the part where she's dancing in a suit, she explained it by saying that's the part where the woman enters the man's world, as you perfectly understood, and to do so she had to find the masculine side of her. Also yes, the cat is an obvious symbol of her femininity. As Madonna said in an interview about this video "pussy rules the world". So yes, this was very controversial. She's still being slammed today by some feminists for this video. But what can be more empowering that owning your sexuality?

[@ImJustinPineda]

Sofia Boutella actually used to dance for Madonna on her confessions tour in 2006💓

[@jorgearias3940]

Hi Eric Mason.. I'm sooooo happy to c u reacting to Madonna videos. Express yourself has a powerful message. You might need to see it more than once to fully understand the whole message. Express yourself is so far the number 4 as the most expensive video. Amazing viiiiiiiideo.

[@joshuahoward6845]

Express Yourself was the most expensive video ever made when it debuted. Inspired by the movie Metropolis and her look is inspired by one of her favorite artists...Tamara De Lempicka...who’s artwork appears in both Open Your Heart and Vogue videos

[@dalee72]

David Fincher directed Express Yourself, Oh Father, Vogue & Bad Girl. Express Yourself was inspired by Metropolis, Oh Father's visual aesthetic was inspired by Citizen Kane, Vogue was inspired by the photography of Horst & Bad Girl was inspired & influenced by the movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar starring Diane Keaten. Her message in the Express Yourself music video was if you don't express yourself, if you don't say what you want then you're not going to get it. But she also said in her BBC interview in 1990 that the video is about "pussies rule the world". But I like & appreciate your interpretation. I think that the fight broke out because the male worker that was lead to Madonna's bedroom by her cat was missing in action at his work post & it caused all the chaos & drama. The Bad Girl music video & song were interpreted by one of her biographers that it was her way of making peace or reconciling her mother's death. She sings "Bad girl, drunk by six." The number six is in reference to her age when her mother died. Her mother died of breast cancer when she was 5 yrs old & 6 was close to that age & the word almost rhymes with lips. I believe her character's name in this music video was Louise Oriole. Louise is her middle name & Oriole is one of the streets she grew up on when she was a child.

[@NJtravels]

love ur smart and informative reactions Eric:) always on point! great videos by the one and only Madonna:)

[@flyjet787]

Again, such an astute analysis from cultural sociopolitical vantage points. I agree with most of your breakdown of Bad Girl - love that you recognize that her taking a CEO role might have been "subversive" 30 years ago. Indeed it was, which I can confirm for you as I happened to live in NYC as a young adult at the time. I believe the video for God Control is pretty directly depicting the Pulse tragedy as its main example for the need for gun control. Well done - you are a candle in the dark for these music "reaction" videos. You actually have something interesting and worthwhile to say. 🤩

[@mrmagassi]

this was great Eric! My personal favorite is "Express Yourself" and its nod to Lang's Metropolis; while I appreciate "Bad Girl" for it's cinematic style, I do feel as you pointed out that it does seem to have a moralizing theme about what happens to women who have a sexually promiscuous life (the video is actually based on a 70s film called "Looking for Mr. Good-Bar" which was about a school teacher who was going to bars and picking up random men for sex until one kills her. And that film was based on the true story of Judith Rossner who was leading that kind of life and was murdered (fascinating tale of self-hatred). Looking forward to the next upload!

[@kevinp2722]

Superb analysis of Express Yourself. You absolutely must check out Metropolis. It’s an amazingly influential film and provides a slightly different take on your equally valid interpretation of the masculine/feminine worlds. In the movie, it’s more about class struggle between the blue collar proletariat on the factory floor and the rich elite living in their utopia high above. It also has a fascinating history. Much of the film was considered lost for decades and only recently a near complete work print was discovered and released

[@peterkovacs8657]

Please keep reacting to Madonna, I enjoy your reactions not only as a Madonna fan. Nothing really matters, I want you or The power of goodbye, Bitch I'm Madonna - they could go well together, as they are very different, but very Madonna.

[@hb5723]

Something to remember is a best of compilation of ballads. If you react to the video for you'll see, you must react first to the video for Take a Bow, which is the prequel to You'll See. The quote at the end of Express yourself is from the film Metropolis, and indeed the whole video is an hommage to that film. As well, "Madonnas world" esthetic in the video was inspired by the art of Tamara De Lempika. Madonna herself has said the metaphor of the cat represents her belief that Pussy rules the world lol. In Bad Girl, Christopher Walken is the angel of Death. Madonnas character is constantly flirting with death so death is always near her watching, that's the idea. As for another reaction, you must react to Dark Ballet from Madame X. The song truly needs to be heard with the visual companion, truly great piece of art.

[@drcarlosgenetica]

I’ll just it again, it’s nice how you get the whole picture and also make connections between the videos that are 10-20-30 years apart from each other. I suggest: The power of Goodbye, Give me all your luvin, Dark Ballet

[@45ami45]

I was waiting for this for a long time. Thank you for expert comments and opinions.

[@kimbaedie]

I agree Bad Girl is my favorite too. I enjoy the other two videos,but I'm drawn into the storyline of angel of death waiting . Like u know your actions r going to have consequences. Plus her look is stunning.👍👍

[@Matuteilcapo]

You're amazing, as usual. Thank U

[@bonditoddy]

Great reaction again

[@shannonh9726]

Love your Madonna reactions! Keep it up please! 🤗

[@LuisGonzalez-fz6ti]

Your analysis as good as always. #onpoint 👍 Thanks for whatch Madonna's videos ❤️. She always has a message to share to the world.

[@matiasdv8848]

I love your videos!!!💖

[@peradetlic3789]

Another great reaction!

[@ericmason6540]

Thank you! :)

[@zanderz.3966]

You read my Mind 😍

[@michaeljasper760]

This video was released almost exactly 3 years after the Pulse Nightclub Massacre in Orlando. No one has spent more time in gay clubs that Madonna. I think the similarities are obviously deliberate.

[@dalee72]

And in the Bad Girl's lyrics "Something's happened & I can't go back. I feel the need to hide my feelings from you." she's referencing her mother's death. Her character is using addictions: drinking, smoking & having random sex to numb or avoid feeling her pain from her mother's death.

[@Joelsellers29]

I feel the same way about God Control. Great message, just not a have to watch it again type of video. Everything else that could be said has been said. You should check out Batuka. I think you'll enjoy it.

[@jonclingan193]

Your amazing Eric x

[@SerhatTekin]

Nice Express Yourself details 👌🏻 Another good reaction from you 🚀

[@StephanAlfisz]

Amazing analysis as always, Eric! :3 My personal recommendations for your next video on Madonna are: 1. What It Feels Like For A Girl 2. Justify My Love 3. Human Nature

[@brent5728]

Great as always. Would love to hear your review of Madonna - What it feels like for a girl video. It’s an interesting one.

[@CherryPork]

Thank you. I’d love to see your reaction to Open Your Heart, my favorite.

[@sushitunaegg]

Love your reactions to Madonna,I immediately subscribe,hope you react to more Madonna videos

[@robertovidal6058]

Eric I love your reacts! More madonna please! Videos and Lives!

[@leandroferraz3776]

Another great review!! The 2 first videos are great; the 3rd one i hate it, but great message.

[@coolhive2941]

One of the main themes and influences of Bad Girl came from the film Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders which was highly acclaimed at the time. Great analysis on all three. Also, if I may, suggest you do all the Madame X videos together. They really work so well with the album cycle. I was really impressed how this era unfolded and the bold risks she took. The typewriter is a recurring theme in the whole era. (As it’s being narrated by her alter ego Madame X.) There was even a short film that I think you should check out where it introduces the whole project and how it would unfold. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2Wxo4qif5yHfrM If you take the full album cycle as a whole, it’s a massive work of art from someone 40 years into a career. Nobody puts in that much effort that deep into a career.

[@Mysicalgreenunicorn03]

This is why this album is a masterpiece

[@hamzayldz6737]

Express Yourself video, which is created with an influence of one of the most important movies of science fiction, is very important for pop culture and feminism because it used bdsm, fetish, and strong, sexy female figure, because she used both herself and men as sex objects (both white and black), because she did all this in a satirical way against the criticism of the period before the 80s ended. Just this video is enough for Madonna to be the most influential female artist of all time. Maybe there are those who have done it before or not but none of them was as famous as Madonna. She's known for making mainstream what is underground and odd for the most. That's why she is so important for marginalized communities.

[@Phippa64]

Loved your analysis of all three videos! I always thought Christopher Walkens character was a boyfriend who died suddenly and Madonnas character never stopped grieving. All three videos were cinematic storytelling with a message.

[@christopherscorner]

Great golly, you are good!

[@Metube99able]

You're such an intriguing, insightful, and erudite young man.

[@karamsingh982]

You must react to ballad album "something to remember " then watch you'll see Video Ray of light Hollywood Human nature

[@teralmiles]

Your face at the “We need to wake up” sign!

[@briangevert3942]

Express Yourself, Oh Father, Vogue, and Bad Girl were all Fincher videos. It would’ve been interesting to watch them together. They were all filmed within a 4 year period, with bad girl being the last video. He was brought in last minute for BG, although by that point their alleged personal relationship had been long over. He got a great video and performance out of Madonna. While she’s had a very uneven acting career, it’s undeniable that her acting and performance in music videos is superior to many of her peers - then and now.

[@dal9631]

Ah, Yay.

[@dal9631]

Keep 'em coming

[@MarcosVieiraShowreel]

My God...what a pleasure to watch you comment on some of my favorites videos,i fell smarter every time i watch you!!!.-) If you going to watch You`ll see video watch first Take a Bow.xx

[@tkpt2803]

Dear Santa.. I have been very good this year, haven´t been out much, have cleaned my apartment religiously, eaten well and only had an occasional beer (or two or three to be honest).. so I have only one wish - can you please please please bring me someone like Eric to have, to hold and call my own? I would be SO happy :) If you grant me my wish, I will never ever ask for anything, ever - I promise

[@charlycomments]

After watching the Express Yourself video, you need to see the live performance on her Blond Ambition Tour.

[@Vertigotheatre1]

The typewriter is the thing that MadameX types her thoughts down on, she used it all through the tour as well. The video was one of my favourite videos of her, its no hold bared and I feel that's what people need to see because talk is doing nothing. The poster in the back of her room also said straight white men rule everything.

[@charfras4767]

especially the cat at Oxbridge benefit walking on the grass

[@smsoum]

Sofia danced with Madonna on several projects and tours before doing movies

[@adonisrivera354]

Someone's I think madonna uses being tactless as the catalyst for conversation. It sometimes backfires by people focusing on her delivery versus the needed conversation.

[@colinmackillop]

I wondered if their sharing a cigarette after her death in the Bad Girl video relates to the cinematic trope of smoking after sex that you mention. Almost that with the kiss of death he’s given her is the greatest release she has ever experienced - a welcomed escape from her sadness. Also, the cat in the Express Yourself video apparently signifies that ‘pussy rules the world’ according to Madonna.

[@crichards3533]

Bad girl is such a great song

[@Mysicalgreenunicorn03]

The empty church and the coffins of the children. Kills me every dam time.

[@dal9631]

The Bad Girl video theme/character is derived from the movie Body of Evidence, coinciding with the album Erotica and the following Sex book. I strongly recommend you view Body of Evidence. You'll savor it.

[@witchestomotheryou234]

Patiently and anxiously waiting for Tori’s Boys for Pele. Also, surprised you’ve never reacted to Sinead O’Connor or Ani DiFranco. 🙂

[@Bensalt432]

No one wants to talk about the seriousness about the message behind god control, a lot of people said it was a bad song but it’s meant to wake us up onto the tragic losses of the lack of gun control.

[@redwillow79schippers94]

You should watch Ghosttown, Oh Father and Burning Up.

[@enzocsn7163]

Was a good video! I suggest you: Vogue, Justify My Love, Erotica

[@mariahwhitneycelinejanetmadona]

Interesting Bad Girl analysis....it's also based off of the film "Looking for Mr. Goodbar"

[@charfras4767]

read a "Room with a view" by Virginia Wolff and rewatch the video. Aldo Bad Girl is a remake of "Looking for Mr Goodbar"

[@mariahwhitneycelinejanetmadona]

What makes you think Wolfe's story is an influence?

[@mariahwhitneycelinejanetmadona]

Bad Girl is her best work. React to "I Want You"...it's a great visual story

[@MikeCheck1814]

More Madonna?

[@edhowell3431]

Love your reviews and you should be a Psychiatrist. 😄

[@amiltonchale4269]

I love your kevin

[@dal9631]

Any you don't have to do another reaction unless you want to already. I just like you and want to be an encouragement in your life.

[@dal9631]

Btw, I saw a clip from the movie that will always hold a nostalgic place of appreciation in my heart. a clip from Madonna's third movie outing Who's That Girl: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGfRi6OZrMqMjtk

[@daniellaplume2006]

Where you been??

[@timothytaylor9153]

Walken is the Grim Reaper.

[@michaeljasper760]

Eric, Christopher Walken is the Angel of Death. He shows that if you don’t treat your life as valuable, he is inescapable.

[@boujee784]

Carly in The background... Is this an Easter egg? I mean she does have a new Christmas song out

[@rumunek7729]

Madonna 2013 " Guns don't kill people, people kill people" , Madonna God Control, gun is bad take it off, started to unlike her as person she's so ... Undecided sayin' softly.

[@chrisv.h.2307]

I credit the "Express Yourself" video with making me realize I was gay as a kid.

[@ownyourcrazy8734]

I spot a copy of Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion in the background. "Is there an Ad in the middle of this video?" - There always are these days Eric.

[@dal9631]

Hey dude, where are you? Happy new year to you

[@ericmason6540]

Happy New Year! I've got a new video coming this week. :)

[@dal9631]

@@ericmason6540 where the duck you been. DM me , man.

[@Hugo-fs9sf]

Christopher Walken is the angel of death in Bad Girl.

[@enzocsn7163]

Hope you'll react to Caroline Polachek album Pang

[@syrjaaho]

Great analysis as always! Christopher Walken’s character in Bad Girl has always been death himself in my mind, waiting to collect a soul, as he does such a bad job protecting her (not really guardian angel material?). Some of her best work is with wither David Fincher (Vogue included) and Jonas Åkerlund (Ray of Light and A M A Z I N G documentary I’m going to tell you a secret and Confessions Tour film, which you should analyse some parts of!), I think! Such visionaries together!

[@garycambridge5513]

Hate god control video especially her daft blonde wig but bad girl is probably her best video - a fincher masterpiece as is express yourself 🥰

[@andreassn5050]

Did you deliberately do two Fincher directed Madonna videos (the first two), the day before the Netflix release of Mank, or was that just pure coincidence? lol

[@ericmason6540]

Coincidence! But now I think I need to watch Mank! :)

[@joanpvalencia1585]

Reaction Carly Rae Jepsen - It's not christmas till somebody cries por favor 👏

[@bravosplatinumhitfan4life577]

Yo can you react to “Come for me” by Nick Nittoli

[@scottbwright]

If you decide to do a tour react. You will never watch a tour better than Madonna - Confessions Tour.

[@jareds2273]

I continue to like and appreciate your cogent reactions to videos and music. This time I have just one little critique. In your Bad Girl reaction, you didn’t seem to tie the lyrics into the video. Am I over looking it? Given that Bad Girl is from Erotica, and she’s singing about spiralling out of control.... “smoked too many cigarettes today, I’m not happy this way”. I guess I think you gave a lot to the video, but not as much to the song. Keep up the great reactions. Aloha

[@ericmason6540]

Thank you! I try to save my lyrical analysis for my album reactions, but I think I didn't talk much about the Bad Girl lyrics because the video was pretty literal about her smoking and other self-destructive behaviors. I'll try to be more explicit about how the lyrics and visuals relate to each other in future videos. :)

[@jareds2273]

Nice! Since you correctly pointed out smoking in all 3 videos, I wanted to be sure you knew that at least one of the songs mentioned it.

[@abrahamyisaac]

React Girl Gone wild😍

[@jjorden1976]

Express Yourself was a remix video, not the original. The original meshes better with the video. Madonna was a bit more tongue and cheek and playful in 89, hence dramatic shots the crotch grab. I love you btw. Keep posting.

[@Corri800]

Do you have Instagram? ☺️

[@ericmason6540]

I don't, but if I make one I'll announce it. :)

[@Corri800]

@@ericmason6540 well appreciated 😊

[@mariahwhitneycelinejanetmadona]

Don't ever cut up Bad Girl again lol...cut up the other 2

[@dal9631]

Are you in a relationship? Do you have any siblings. I'm curious as to your astrological sign.inr us a water sign, and I was an only child. Cheers.

[@ericmason6540]

I'm a Virgo! ♍️ And I'm hoping to do a more in-depth Q&A sometime in the future. :)

[@dal9631]

@@ericmason6540 nice. That would be great too at some point