It started 20 years ago… and it was subtle. What went wrong?!!

[@blackbeardsghost6588]

This is the video I was waiting for. An artist who sang live, without pitch correction, and it still sounded great. I'm NOT a Madonna fan - not even close - but anyone has to admit that for an artist who is moving around on a stage, live, and dancing, doing a lot of physical motion - it takes a LOT of skill. And she did it. Why pitch correct? It sounded great to start with.

[@luminousbodies]

yeah and even when it was edited, it was clear why it was edited and it didn't distract from the overall sound

[@magneto7930]

Agree. I'm not a fan either, not by far. But her vocal performance was perfect as it was.

[@harperwelch5147]

@@blackbeardsghost6588 Look at the date of that performance.

[@1oscarbravo]

Very subtle pitch correction. The editor left Madonna's natural voice at the beginning of the song, but edited pitch more and more as the song went on, and Madonna became fatigued. Possibly increased adrenaline made it difficult for her to hear the band as well.

[@lyallg7925]

I understand what you’re saying but being a very young adult in the 80s, I have heard more Madonna than my brain can handle. My opinion is that she is a very clever self promoter and business woman. However, I don’t want to listen to her ever again. There are many artists so much more worthy of being analysed.

[@Kiwibloke2025]

Her best voice shows in ballads, full of raw emotion

[@Everythingwithonehand]

My favourite artists aren’t perfect vocalists and I’m glad because those “imperfections “ are what gives a voice its personality. I will always choose to listen to an artist with a unique voice that conveys emotion rather than a robot that hits notes on the line.

[@lulumoon6942]

Same, the grit & variation give breadth of emotion.

[@me-lq7go]

Madonna has always been held to a tough standard on her singing. I was a teen ager when she hit the scene. Critics tore her apart, said she couldn't sing, etc. But she has always been a good singer. The energy of her shows is amazing. Very few people can dance and sing with the energy she puts out when performing.

[@Darkobugs]

I'd love to agree believe me, but that's just not true, unfortunately - I went to see her Sticky and Sweet Tour show in Vienna and her singing was questionable at best, and disastrous occasionally - for example, she sang Ray of Light (the entire song) in the wrong key. As I recall, she herself acknowledged it and even apologized for it. Being pitchy when jumping around is one thing... not finding the right key through an entire song signals bigger issues. I like her and even love many of her songs but she's not a great singer by any measure. That's just not what she will be remembered for and that's OK - she's always been more than a singer.

[@elizabethmiller7291]

@@Darkobugs So, how should we define 'great' as we apply it to a singer?

[@jamesr2164]

@ Well I just went and searched for some clips in Vienna and even though I don't see a clip of Ray of Light, there are multiple songs from her Vienna shows and she sounds really good to me.

[@cantthinkofaname750]

@@Darkobugs Sticky and Sweet was her most demanding tour. She ended up getting the nickname “Crowdonna” because of how difficult it was for her to both sing and do all the choreographies at the same time. And her vocal training from Évita was pretty much gone at that point. They filmed footage of the Buenos Aires show for the DVD and almost every single song were re-recorded for it.

[@jamesr2164]

@ I've been watching fan clips from that tour in multiple cities tonight and she sounds fine to me. I call BS on both of y'all & smell "I hate Madonna" all over your comments.

[@zarajenkins6948]

No matter what you naysayers say about Madonna, she is one of the greatest artists to ever live, she admits shes not the best singer ir dancer but, she has a presence that none of todays younger stars have...not even close....she is incredible live and i suggest you go and watch both oscars performances that she sang on.....

[@velvetbees]

She sounds beautiful in acapella. I never knew her voice was so beautiful. Without the instruments it is so pure.

[@taintedlife2618]

I wouldn’t even say she’s not the best singer or dancer. She’s great at both and she’s the full package. I don’t need another Mariah or Whitney. Just like people could say the same about other artists. The fact is she can sing she can write she has had a brilliant career and has plotted a path that is followed by many musicians today. And they could never touch her.

[@blushslice]

Your hair is everything ❤

[@geminijinxies7258]

Well. It's definitely a part of the equation ;)

[@augustsnowfall5189]

OMG! 😂 Subtlety be damned! Love it!👏🏼😁

[@Eva_la_Diva]

Well, his knowledgeable mind, reaI man quiet confidence and sincerity are most appealing to me, but yes he do have pretty hair. 😊

[@Coquinagirl]

It was refreshing! Still a real voice!

[@glamgal7106]

I remember when Madonna made her debut. Critics referred to her voice as “Minnie Mouse on helium.” I love the way you looked at the artistry and uniqueness of Madonna’s voice. It’s unfortunate that the music industry judges voices by looking at a graph and not by actually listening to the voices themselves. Thanks for this superb analysis, Fil.

[@elizabethmiller7291]

Her voice has changed quite a bit over the years. I wasn't into her early stuff but I have one of her later CDs (Something to Remember) and I love it!

[@1oscarbravo]

Minnie Mouse on helium accurately describes her voice in the early days. She completely changed her speaking and singing voice partway through her career. She had vocal training when she was cast to star in the musical Evita. Before that, she used head voice exclusively, for Evita she learned to use chest voice.

[@tjroelsma]

@@1oscarbravo This, she put a lot of effort and money into training her voice and the results speak for themselves.

[@bobdavis4848]

@@1oscarbravo I guess you and early critics never listened to "Burning Up" from her debut album. Its verses sure don't remind me of falsetto.

[@joshuayeager3686]

The early recordings of Madonnas were actually speed up a bit to make her “sound younger” by the label. The first album she had real control on was “True Blue” so the comment makes a lot of sense

[@johnf1121]

Madonna was a "godsend" back in the '80's and '90's, with Aids, she was played at all the dance clubs, also she took voice lessons for Evita ('97)

[@gordonmershe1351]

Also, as per Patrick Leonard, the co-producer, Madonna only ever did ONE TAKE of Like A Prayer, they tried to overdub it later but the original demo take was so good they just left it as is. She only sang through the song once in a studio, no patching, no editing, no nothing, that's quite extraordinary and very VERY few people give her any credit for her insane talent as a vocalist. Actually Pat says that's how she did most of the songs with him including Live To Tell (raw demo vocal from his home studio), Papa Don't Preach, La Isla Bonita and many other... Apparently even the Love Don't Live Here Anymore from Like A Virgin was the same with Nile Rodgers. Shep Pettibone however said they were experimenting like crazy on the Erotica album so there were many, many vocal takes. She did multiple takes on the Vogue track for instance over several days, countless ad-libs until she honed in on exactly the tone & colour perfect for that track, so it depends on the kind of vocal she's trying to lay but yeah, most of the producers she ever worked with all say the same thing - she's a genius songwriter and probably the most versatile studio singer ever justified by the 400 million records sold by now or whatever is the current number. She's not in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling female singer of all time for nothing 🤷 It's just that she did so much on so many fronts, people have a rough time giving her any credit where it's due. Also, she sounds like crap the last ten years or so 🤣 Should have called it a day when she was on top but oh well...

[@elizabethmiller7291]

Very interesting comment! I haven't really followed her career much and not at all during the last 10 years but, I became a fan fairly late in the game after listening to her Something To Remember compilation. I assume that CD, which I own, has NOT been edited by digital pitch-"correction" but even if it has, I still love the emotional sound of it. And, reading your comment just reminded me of how much I love 'La Isla Bonita' and many others!

[@lutalice]

Same with Live To Tell, Cherish, Oh Father and several others... incredible!!!

[@Elbuenjardinero]

Vogue was recorded in one or two takes. Pettibone has written about it. Madonna was incredibly busy, went to some hired studio he found where the recording booth was in fact a closet and sung one ot two takes .

[@bakerman6585]

That last sentence killed everything else, should have edited it out bro.

[@lutalice]

@ agreed (about that stupid comment saying she should have quit 10 years ago)... Rebel Heart has some of her best material, songwriting, vocals, etc... And Madame X is M at her most experimental, with incredible results, however divisive...but when was Madonna ever NOT divisive? It generally means you're doing something right, and prioritising your artistic integrity.

[@bdpaquin1689]

👋I love Madonna’s voice… she’s an amazing vocalist!❣️

[@lukebrown1115]

She’s not a vocalist.

[@andrealighthouse6218]

Madonna’s pitch is always very accurate when she sings live. Been to a lot of her concerts and I find she has a very expressive tone and unique voice. What an amazing artist!

[@thespadestable]

@andrealighthouse6218 - Because the songs were written for her voice. As Stevie Vai admitted; there is a lot he can't play. He's only focuses on what he can play. Whenever he played "Jump" when with David Lee Roth, you can hear he's no Dweezil Zappa, but Stevie Vai can play the hell out of doing Stevie Vai.

[@Vita_Terra]

Older male singers that look like scarecrows never get age-shamed, only female singers do. Typical really. Madonna has a beautiful voice unique to her, kudos to Wings of Pegasus for reminding us what brought her fame was and is her voice, not gimmicks (in retrospect, what was thought of as gimmicky was her own growing and changing stylings of her shows.)

[@taintedlife2618]

Amen. Cher looks stone faced and her wigs are hard front and yet she has always had a lot to say about Madonna. Consider this: she didn’t need a Sonny Bono and Cher hasn’t written lick of her music.

[@cindi1313]

Great investigation Fil, nothing gets past you! Great work finding the other version as well. Like you say, it was subtle and they didn't try to "correct" every little thing, so they didn't take all of the personality out of it. This was interesting!

[@jamesr2164]

Great video. When people say that she isn't a good singer I know that they are saying that just because they don't like her, and is truly not based on her vocal ability, because that is so far from the truth. Does she have the octave range of a Whitney, Mariah, or a Celine? No, but not many do, but she has proven so many times in the last 4 decades that she can sing, and can sing very well. She has a unique sound to her voice, amazing breath control, and sings with such emotion that in my opinion a lot of singers seem to lack.

[@elizabethmiller7291]

I have her Something To Remember CD and play it whenever I need to just relax. Which means I play it a lot! I think it's actually a compilation with no recordings later than 1995 and going back to 1984, if I understand the CD sleeve. In any case, it sounds so sensual and I love singing along with it. I would bet the farm, even if it's in Iowa, that most people who don't like her singing would quickly change their minds upon listening to this album!

[@Changmin200]

There's exceptions to her vocal performances, that's something completely different from being a good vocalist! not being a good vocalist doesn't mean she's the worst singer ever, she had to work very hard to sing in key, which is something she needed at her time, but good vocalists don't stress over pitch with simple melodies, they already can sing on key.

[@jamesr2164]

@Changmin200 I disagree.

[@taintedlife2618]

Celine has also made a career off of covers. Most of her best songs are others that were better done by the original artists.

[@firouz256]

People LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE to forget that Madonna stared by by doing 3 outstanding, athletic, best-selling, groundbreaking, revolutionary tours -------------- singing live! The Virgin Tour Who's that Girl tour Blond Ambition Tour She started doing more complicated routines, aged, changed her artistic vision and concepts to more theatrical shows and incoorporated Lipsyncing! The reason why people love to hate on her is simple: She outsold EVERYONE ! Including ALL MALE ARTSISTS and the best singers of her generation! She couldn't care less what all of us say or think. She has sold 400 000 000 million records (not included are her streams), she has one of THE most extensive art collections in the world, she literally has saved lives during the AIDS crisis, she has adopted, built hospitals an raised children, has had 6 consecutively best selling tours of all time, has 2 Oscars, one Golden Globes and still a drug free bangin' body! No one has ever managed to cover a Madonna song and ad something new or better to it! She is the sun. Everyone else shines because of her!

[@elizabethmiller7291]

Oh, man, did this comments section need THAT! Hey all you Madonna haters, put all that in your pipe and smoke it! 😁🤘

[@sarahluvsdoodles]

i would've included The Girlie Show in that list for sure. its rare for her to lip sync and if she does there's good reason whether it be because there's a lot of dancing or because the song is spoken. in my opinion this is true for every single one of her tours.

[@jenniferbliss2548]

And the Confessions tour! Fantastic.

[@taintedlife2618]

Amen! People who have nothing good to say about her usually are uninitiated.

[@thebodybeatdownDiTi]

Madonna is LEGEND ICONIC and a true leader in the music industry. I dont care what anyone says about her. She's always been a great performer. Does she lipsync? Sometimes yep..They all do. Love me some Madonna..

[@sherylcorbello2102]

I did until I worked 4 of her concerts and found out she's SATANIC BEFORE AND AFTER CONCERTS

[@RobbieJayOne]

Listened to original. Got the chills. That confirmed to me that they are ALL really Singing. the choir with madonna was gorgeous

[@PinkAndOrangeAndGold]

That was an amazing performance

[@LOL-Can]

Who ever thought that we would come to a point of listening to music that someone else was looking at. This is an analysis of someone who can really sing without a producer messing it up completely. I'm not sure that the areas that were corrected in this video even needed to be done slight as they were. Thank you Fil for another excellent analysis.

[@danoconnell1833]

I was never a Madonna fan but she always seemed like a genuine performer and I respect that in anyone. Thanks for a great video which helps explain her 'genuineness'.

[@davidmcconnell8005]

Sensational breakdown; love getting the reasons why something sounds the way it does. Total respect to Madonna for doing a LIVE live performance. She is unique and amazing. I can't even listen to most stuff after 2000 due to pitch correct, etc. I would NEVER today go to a live performance from a major star. Too much to lose, I guess, if they mess up........but they've lost me.

[@PHlophe]

Dave, Tina turner and Beyonce are true athletes for singing live and dancing the way they do .

[@survivorbest4589]

Pop live shows nowadays aren't just singing. It's a full on dancing, theatre and light show experience. It's a trade off but I have went to these big shows and the spectacles are pretty amazing

[@davidmcconnell8005]

@@survivorbest4589 Glorified Karaoke. These days, got better ways to spend my time and money, but "to each his own".

[@taintedlife2618]

@@PHlophe neithers catalogue is as superb as Madonnas. Beyonce can be truly repetitive in her dance styles / hair flips. I did love that Tina worked with older dancers. Which is sort of unique. We don’t see that these days.

[@michaelcornwell7894]

Analysis that is always clever and captivating. Thanks.

[@Matuteilcapo]

All Hail the Queen, the one and only Queen. Her Madgesty ❤

[@salonglosswoodstock5773]

She NEVER recieves credit for being able to actually sing. All you ever hear about her is that she can't sing and has no talent. I think this and many other live performances prove she can indeed sing. People just don't like her so they try to just dismiss her.

[@Spo-Dee-O-Dee]

She's not a GREAT singer, but that does not get in the way of her being one of the most important people in pop history.

[@DAVID-io9nj]

Context is key. Those of us who grew up in the 60's/70's seem to have a much higher standard regarding what a good or great singer can do. Madonna is average by my standards, and I formed my standards in the 60's/70's. But Madonna is certainly above average as a song writer.

[@deantailor357]

@@Spo-Dee-O-Dee Depends what you mean by "great". She's a success of her time, a time when music was consumed on the radio. You needed a voice that was instantly recognisable. Anything "perfect" or "processed" wouldn't work because you can't tell one artist from the next. All these 80s heavy metal bands sound exactly the same. Lover her or hate her, you always know a Madonna vocal when you hear it.

[@yussepig6629]

She is a great singer actually. Difference between a powerful singer and one who has a whole range of character in her voice . Her voice is chameleonic and special like her career

[@seanp7dc]

@@DAVID-io9nj Agreed. But for every criticism that Madonna is "average" and not as technically sound as some of the 60's/70's greats, you could argue her artistry/visuals and live performances are miles ahead of said artists. "Context is key" - as you stated. She really paved the way for theatrical concerts and stirring live performances. Madonna isn't one to stand still in front of a microphone stand for 4 mins and belt out a technically sound ballad - though she got close and did those well too (Bad Girl (SNL 1993), Sooner Or Later (Oscars 1991)).

[@Dr_Madonna]

The Queen of Pop

[@martynasmatutis8284]

I think this is the best application of pitch correction - just a couple of subtle changes for the notes that stand out and letting the natural voice shine.

[@seanp7dc]

For every criticism that Madonna is an "average" singer, and/or is not as technically sound as some of the 60's/70's/80's greats, you could argue her artistry/visuals and the entire package of her live performances are miles ahead of said artists. She really paved the way for theatrical concerts and stirring live performances. This Live8 performance is well-delivered (and Like A Prayer was one of three songs she sang). Madonna isn't one to stand still in front of a microphone stand for 4 mins and belt out a technically sound ballad - though she got close and did those well too (Sooner Or Later [Oscars 1991], Bad Girl [SNL 1993]). A true performer - and pioneer of modern pop/rock concerts.

[@elizabethmiller7291]

Indeed!

[@taintedlife2618]

Don’t get me started on the SNL performances.🖤🖤🖤

[@artgirlparis]

There was a period when live concerts recordings were a richer and more interesting listen than studio recordings because we can hear all the extras-the breathing, the distance from the mic, the inconsistencies, the emotions in the moment, the rapport with fans that comes thru in the intensity and dynamism of the singing.

[@ilangayouthdanceco.3621]

I have Deep.Purple, Fire on the Water, both live and studio. The live version is amazing with the audience and the interaction back and forth.

[@wtorules4743]

Great video. I’m pretty impressed with Madonna for her live vocal even with the subtle edits. Still sounds good.

[@adala1007]

[@lydiabentley3413]

I always liked Madonna & she continued to bring something different to the music industry with great imagination. A superb analysis & you always explain things so well Fil, thanks

[@markkinnish1196]

Great update as always Fil. I see Paul McCartney was on news saying how concerned he is with AI on the music industry.

[@elizabethmiller7291]

He needs to be told about Fil's side project if he hasn't already been made aware. We need his support!

[@garyw1971]

He was ok using it for Now And Then though..

[@elizabethmiller7291]

@ Hmmm ... not good.

[@jonl7692]

she sounds absolutely fine, music is about how you make an audience feel not technique

[@pietro.novak_]

Music is about pitch first and above anything else.

[@andys0391]

I will never understand people who don't think Madonna is a talented musician. She seems to be held to an impossible standard applied to no one else.

[@moonstone1159]

Very interesting! Madonna does move or dance a lot when performing. If you haven't, check out Madonna's 'Live To Tell,' a track which is the actual demo done in one take.

[@deantailor357]

That's the same for a lot of her track vocals from back in the day. Most of the "Like A Prayer" album was the same ("Love Song", which went back and forth between her and Prince, being a notable exception). The reason they went back to the original "Live To Tell" demo was because she couldn't capture that rawness and emotion from the day she wrote and recorded it. Probably because it was supposed to be a "guide" vocal for a male singer-she wasn't even trying to "sing" it, sing it. But what they got that day couldn't be replicated so they ended up just using that.

[@SuziQ.]

I love that song, but don’t tell anyone.

[@Heightsomethinghuman]

Yeah that’s my fav song of her’s because she’s using the lower register’s of her voice- very compelling vocals and melody.

[@Katerina9256]

Freddie has an amazing vibrato as well....there's a live version of You Take My Breath Away (Hyde Park '76) , just him and the piano, that really showcases it. Ooh, I'd love to see an analysis of that! I'm mostly a rock fan but i have a huge appreciation for Madonna. I may even have a couple of her albums. Shhhhh! 😅

[@Lilah1754]

@Katerina9256 Great example. Love Freddie playing piano! 👍

[@Katerina9256]

@Lilah1754 Me too...that Hyde Park version is one of my all time favorite performances of his. I like it way better than the studio version even.

[@tigergreg8]

No comparing Freddie to Madonna. She isn't anywhere even close to his league. I highly doubt Madonna could sing Opera. maybe so, but not well. Haha

[@Lilah1754]

@Katerina9256 I like Queens live versions of many of their songs, better than the studio versions. Great live band. 👍

[@lolalile302]

@@tigergreg8 Freddie couldn't sing opera, not really. Anybody who understands anything about opera knows that.

[@KristinaBenoit]

I love Madonna ❤ She's worked very hard, and she's got a unique sound.

[@donnatregaro7375]

Superb video, as always!!!

[@bretth1069]

I hate that Madonna has always been discredited as a vocalist just because she doesn't belt like a Beyonce or Whitney. She is completely unique and no-one can replicate what she does with her voice, which is outstanding.

[@David-qi1ys]

Beyoncé as a vocalist is highly overrated. Don’t get me wrong, she more than makes up for it in flair, charisma, attitude and marketing, but she’s probably the least of Destiny’s Child. Not hating, there’s just qualitatively better voices to be had, Chaka Khan, Diane Ross, Kelly Clarkson, etc., etc.

[@lyb244]

@@David-qi1ysVocal experts across the board would disagree. She’s a technically perfect singer and it’s an objective fact… it’s the reason many don’t like her singing, it is too technical to them, even when she tries to be more versatile. She’s a brilliant vocalist and greats like Diana Ross, Prince, and MJ have/had great respect for her which speaks for itself!! For PRINCE to appreciate someone outwardly about their musicality? Unheard of.

[@David-qi1ys]

@@lyb244 No one in their right mind would list Beyonce in the top 100 (or 1000) "Belters". Aside from that, listen to "Ego" where she "don't need no beat, I can do it with piano". It's laughably bad. I even like the song, but it's at that point that I'm chuckling, saying to myself "Girl, you better bring the beat back, you NEED it."

[@David-qi1ys]

Addendum: From a review of "Ego" from Billboard magezine: "Credit to the singer for not polishing up her vocal during the interlude, choosing instead to show her real voice, limitations and all, just like the old days." Doesn't sound like a review from someone who knows she's technically perfect as an objective fact, does it? But what do they know? They're just a paid professional within the industry. Meh.😂😂

[@lyb244]

@@David-qi1ys Please go listen to Ego live because you’re talking nonsense. Like I said, ACTUAL unbiased vocal experts agree she’s a star rated vocalist. Her technique is polished and she can do anything she wants with her voice. The lady can imitate electric guitar FFS!

[@loveagainstgods5116]

She is a ICON

[@MR-fx9gg]

Madonna is a great singer. I saw her last tour and she is still so entertaining. She receives so much online hate solely based on the fact that she is still here being Madonna!

[@elizabethmiller7291]

She really is! I wasn't into much of her early stuff but then I got her Something To Remember CD and I play the whole thing a lot. It's so sensual sexy because every time I listen, I can't help thinking about how much she must still love Sean Penn ... that was a real love story!

[@sjb2471]

That’s a very black and white statement. She’s doesn’t solely get online hate because she’s still around, she gets a lot of it these days because she’s become a bit of a pastiche of herself and frankly, become a bit odd. Don’t get me wrong, in the 80s-early 2000s I yielded to few in how much of a superfan I was, but lately, she’s become harder to love. I also notice that while in her heyday, she sang live much more, and often very well despite the limitations in her abilities Phil points out here, but now she almost never sings live and when she does, it’s heavily corrected in real time - she’s been caught out famously quite a few times with this. I don’t know what’s happened with her.

[@MR-fx9gg]

@@sjb2471 I saw her last tour and she was still so amazing. People change. We all get older. I am still so entertained by her.

[@taintedlife2618]

@@elizabethmiller7291have you heard Bedtime Stories?

[@taintedlife2618]

@@sjb2471 Jees the woman is 66. You think she’s put her voice and body through a lot over her career? It’s amazing she’s even here.

[@Guy-lo3ld]

Thank you. Great analysis. 💙

[@drewdolce]

Madonna❤

[@yussepig6629]

I don’t know any pop/rock singer who has her vocal range as a story teller. Sure there are some who belt louder or larger vocal range but they dont have her range artistically. It’s like she has 200 different characters in her voice. Someone like Mariah has maybe 2-3 different voices in terms of character.

[@lutalice]

Madonna's intonation (pitch) is actually incredible, and nobody acknowledges that! Sometimes nerves, and moving around onstage, affects her execution, but her ear is as good as it gets. ON her first tour in '85, there's a moment in Holiday where the music stops, and Madonna & dancers remain still for a short time while the crowd goes crazy... she would then belt out the lyric "Holiday" acapella, which was the band's cue to pick up where they left off so they could finish the song. Pat Leonard was musical director on this tour (his first gig with her, actually, before they had ever written a song together). He tells the story of how, in Detroit (her hometown), when they got to that part in Holiday where the music stops, she took the opportunity to address the crowd. Fans know this speech well ("There's no place like home!!!" etc, etc), however, the official VHS release only showed a small part of it...the actual speech went on several minutes longer. So long, in fact, that Pat just assumed Madonna would lose the key. Of course, when it came time for her to sing her cue, she was *pitch perfect* ... he was astounded, as very few artists could have pulled that off so naturally. This performance is on youtube for anybody who wants to see (Holiday/Live/Virgin Tour).

[@nagagab9224]

she sings with tension... but has a good voice, controlled voice and a pretty vibrato and good legato, and you recognize her from second 1 on.. also a great composer and dancer, a real artist

[@francisnguyen5700]

Madonna is a unique singer. Although she has never been a powerhouse like Whitney Houston and others, but many times she is singing notes that no one would have thought of but her.

[@alisonfraser8231]

Madonna started her career as a dancer who sings but continued to improve herself vocally throughout her lengthy career. I admire her for that. She has always been about making the best art she possibly can.

[@sergioampv1640]

I totally agree. Actually, Evita is one of my favorite of her eras.

[@mathiasivanbarrancopedrozo6798]

Evita-Ray of light-Drowned World Tour-Re-Invention tour.. there is the best Madonna Vocals ever!!

[@billhunt7862]

There is no person like you, or place like yours, on the Internet. Many subscribers know this also. Sure, there are other sites such as unboxing recordings and posting reviews, or some of the analog camp defending against all things digital. You, sir, are a unique individual and your artistry helps instruct the continuing learners on your channel. I look forward to the next notification and habitually do a quick eye scan to read the time you made the post available.

[@SpeakOrBeSpoken]

When you listen to quite a bit of her music - she has a unique beautiful tone. It can sound very pure and reminds me a little of Karen Carpenter somewhat at times.

[@frankchambers3042]

When she was a kid, she looked up to sly in the family stone Motown carpenters

[@marcopolo-xj4yw]

Oh my. Madonna compared to the best female vocalist of all time!

[@maryt9091]

Sorry Bud, not even close to KC

[@Charlie-us5ix]

Just started watching your content recently and love this video! hopefully you will get to analyse more madonna vocals in future videos

[@marcorossi3304]

She's the best. Period.

[@tnmoppylaura5476]

Those were the days. Thanks Fil.

[@collectmybrains]

I would gladly take those imperfection during a performance than autotune and prerecorded performances any day.

[@Jon-x4t]

Great content as always!! 👍🏼 Pray for America 🇺🇸

[@brookdenning8606]

Phil I liked her early days but not so much now. I am no muso but I always loved this performance and said to my wife hear is Madonna at the peak of her powers. My ear must be half reasonable after all, cheers buddy , love your work!!

[@capntripps9]

To me, this signifies just about the limit of acceptable pitch correction for released material, and one that does not take credit away from the singer or performance. But to perform live without autotune or backing tracks like this, is what a concert ticket should be paying for!

[@elizabethmiller7291]

Very well said!

[@MickSupper]

I will not except it on any level. Subtle is worse because it is to deceive while when autotune is in your face there is no trying to hide it.

[@SuziQ.]

@@MickSupper, I won’t accept it, either.

[@boymickeyboy]

I Just adore Madonna's live vocals. Crazy for you from Virgin tour, The look of love from Who's that girl tour, Bad girl from SNL 1993, Joan of Arc from Ellen DeGeneres show.... So many great live acts from Madonna

[@bjoon]

I went to her last tour, and I was shocked that she sounded so outstanding, I've seen her live many times and I know she's not the best live vocalist, so I was really impressed by how good her voice was on this tour. When I got home, I watched the videos I had recorded on my phone. OH DEAR......somehow the mic of my phone managed to untangle whatever FX that I was hearing live, and instead it was revealing a Madonna singing live, but definitely not sounding as fantastic as what I heard with my ears, and singing along with her what it sounded like an army of 1000 digital Madonnas singing at slightly different pitches, notes and tempos all at the same time and you can hear the electronic voices automatically kicking in whenever she struggled with the song. I'm still shocked at the technology

[@kekwayblaze3176]

Madonna's vocals were incredible during that era. Her Live8 performance was one of her best.

[@hrizonsdebbie]

Nice catch!

[@graphiquejack]

One of the important things to realize about Madonna is, in many cases, if not most, she laid down her vocals in the studio with one take, no correction, no multiple takes spliced together. One. Take. Only. Did she always have ‘perfect’ vocals? No. Sometimes you can hear her breath, sometimes you can hear her wander off key slightly, BUT, the vocal sounds real, and it retains its urgency and emotional intensity. You believe she is feeling the emotions she’s describing as she sings… it moves you. It’s relatable, and because she chooses honesty and emotional connection rather than a ‘perfect’ vocal… say like Celine, Whitney or Mariah, you connect more with it. It doesn’t sound overproduced, tinkered with or fake. And that’s the key to her success, that and that she has brilliant musical instincts and a far better songwriter than people give her credit for. So in tours, when she sings live, it still sounds like the recording, at least when she hasn’t remixes the song which she does frequently to not get bored singing her old hits. The last few albums, she has experimented more with using digital distortions and effects which for me has limited success. It takes away the immediacy and intimacy that you usually feel with a Madonna song. I get that this is an artistic choice and not an attempt to pitch correct her vocals in a conventional way, but I do miss, at times, hearing her unaltered voice in her newer material, esp. on an album like Madame X where several of the songs are political and earnest. I do hope the album she’s currently working on uses less of these deliberate distortions

[@kandykaye9981]

I started out being snobby about Madonna’s voice because I was used to the Streisands, Ronstadts and Carpenters. Then I evolved to just liking her catchy songs, after Evita, I became a fan. I didn’t like her politics then or now, especially in 2016, but I do really appreciate her talent.

[@poorthing]

Yes....her 'politics'..???? ...give me a break! You mention Striesand & Ronstadt, now those 2 ARE very vocal about their politics yet you single out ..Madonna?! Ha... Leaving your other artists, Carpenters, out of it because that was 50 years ago & Karen died young. I found v little info.

[@kandykaye9981]

@ You are 100% right. I don’t like their politics either. I was referring to their superior voices compared to when I first heard Madonna. Politics aside, they ALL were great artists and I still sing along to all of their songs.

[@PaulAndrew-fp2qg]

Not the greatest singer of all time but probably the greatest female pop star of all time. So many classics. I tried to get tickets to her last tour but prices were extortionate

[@divatalk9011]

She’s such a master

[@madonnko]

Prices were totally fine in Europe. I saw her twice on Celebration tour in Barcelona and Koln. She was was singing over pre recorded track most of the time but the show was fantastic. But! When she was singing Express Yourself just standing and playing guitar there was no pre recorded voice track and her voice was fantastic. And she is 66 now. I was so proud of her.

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thank you.

[@BlazinRiver1]

The Eventide Harmonizer H910, introduced in 1975, was one of the earliest digital pitch correction devices.

[@rygilly32]

I came here to mention this as well. DigiTech also came out with more affordable harmonizers and pitch correction in the 90s, which I have experience with.These combined with digital samplers, there was a whole host of options for correction and repetition. I like how everyone thinks there was no "digital" in the dark ages of recording, when there was a lot of correction happening. Try analyzing Def Leppard's Hysteria album.

[@inmyleftmindinmyleftmind6337]

No, the H910 changed pitch by a ratio, it was not calibrated to A440 and certainly was not capable of automatically altering pitch to a predefined scale. It was I suppose theoretically possible to playback a note through it calculating or by trial and error determining the exact ratio to use for this note to be corrected and then recording that note and dropping it into the recorded performance but this would be so tedious as to be unusable except MAYBE if you had an incredible take with one bum note.

[@rygilly32]

The Eventide H3000 which was released in 1986 had pitch quantization. This is taken directly from the manual. "Quantize: This parameter tunes the output to the nearest even-tempered interval it corrects pitch. If the H3000 is tuned to A-440 with the Right Voice set to unison an out of tune A at the input (447 for example) will produce a pitch-corrected A-440 at the right output. It corrects both channels at once." The DigiTech processors from the early 90s had a similar feature that would snap to the nearest semitone. So you had to at least be accurate enough to sing close to the correct note or it would quantize to the wrong note.

[@TonyBlackNYC]

@@rygilly32 correct...and the H3000. we would use our ears and punch in the fixed pitch. Around 97 there was a technique using midi and an Eventide DSP4000...some guys made serious cash with that method

[@RustyRobinson-g5n]

HIT THE LIKE BUTTON FIL DEFINITELY DESERVES IT 👍🇺🇸

[@lilme7052]

I was there and she absolutely rocked the whole crowd whether it sounded that great or not.

[@jeffreyflint6286]

No one needs pitch correction or autotune. Let us see and hear you as you are in reality!👍👍

[@petersavieri]

Thank you for this video, very thorough. Much appreciated. I do think it would be good to do a bit more research just to contextualise broader statements about her career for future analysis of her work. Most of the perception of Madonna as someone who lip syncs comes from people who have only seen clips of her lip syncing on shows like Top of the Pops or European TV in the 90s, whose format was that everyone lip synced their hits. I know you’re aiming to be fair, but there’s a tone here and there of underhanded compliments because you know you’re talking to music bros who dismiss pop vocalists out of hand, and certainly often dismiss powerful women in general too. Let’s not get into that! Madonna has always sung live in her concert tours for 90% of the tracks, long before live pitch correction. She has live backing vocalists (naturally, whom she even pushed front and centre out of respect for their own talent) and there are usually a couple of tracks where she either sings to a backing track of her own voice on the chorus, or RARELY lip syncs an entire song. These are artistic choices, and obviously there to rest her voice between live vocals or during particularly grueling dance. But even during some of her most vigorous choreography, she more often sings live. Look back at Michael Jackson’s concerts, for example, and he lip syncs much much more than she does. She was always willing to risk a bad note for an immediate and authentic performance long before live, real time pitch correction was a thing. Her voice live isn’t perfect, but it’s warm and expressive and frequently very strong and beautiful. Watch the original 80s release of The Virgin Tour. Even before vocal training she could carry an entire concert without all the grand staging that came later. Most women aren’t brutalised by the press like she is, and certainly there are many MANY men who have flawed but interesting voices who are not only not criticised for it, but praised for having such character. I’m glad you mention that the goal of an artist is different from the goal of someone who is there primarily for the virtuosity of their voice. Women don’t often get that contextualisation, especially in the wide genre of pop. Madonna doesn’t get that credit because she’s always been held to this vicious standard by people who simply don’t like HER, as an artist or as a person or both. I’ve seen her in concert 4 times. 3 this century and one in the early 90s (The Girlie Show). She is amazing live. And she sings live. Btw Madonna is well known for being a one take singer, particularly in the first decade of her career. Like A Prayer - one take. Live To Tell - One take. There are other examples. She recorded Papa Don’t Preach with a head cold, and they kept it because despite the “flaws” because the rasp in her voice helped the drama of the song. Watch interviews with Patrick Leonard. He’s always been very direct about both her songwriting talent and vocals. And please react to the video complication of her best live vocals! There are a couple on there that are lip syncs (maybe only 2 from memory) because the people compiling it I guess didn’t notice. But the vast majority are live, powerful vocals. As you say, in her own style. I’d love to see your analysis to spot any possible post-correction of pitch in them too. I’ve always loved her voice. There is an all too common attitude that men can have character but women must be pretty. That attitude extends to the way people snipe about women’s singing voices too. Madonna wrote Like A Prayer (lyrics by her, music by Patrick Leonard, though he is also candid about her contributions and tweaks to the melody), it is an expression of her soul. More people need to give credit for the depth in her work. I mean if the great and exceptionally rigorous Stephen Sondheim rated her vocals for his compositions, I don’t think I’ll be listening to any of the many closet misogynists who won’t acknowledge a single victory for her.

[@siriosstar4789]

Fil for president of the galaxy . this guys verbal sentences are so carefully selected as to think it was pre written . really an amazing musician , speaker and personality .

[@deantait8326]

So today if everyone is perfect, then aren’t they’re all just average….?

[@BigBri550]

Today it's not just the singers: it is the whole recording process. The entirety of hit tracks today are more synthetic than polyester. The music is all sampled, looped, quantized, pitched corrected, and compressed-limited beyond all reality. No spontaneity, no dynamics, and no soul. It is interesting to me just how much producers have become the entirety of a recording's outcome, but it doesn't excite me. Not at all.

[@nagagab9224]

Vinrato is such a technique in itself.. I am a singer and cellist--- for violoncello, vibrato takes years of learning- bc, there are so many ways, to do a vibrato, wider and smaller, finger placement while vibrate, a way of expression .. today, you often hear a kind of electric cold cello vibrato, but the art of vibrate should be way more complex... if it is bad placed, it has bad intonation, bc you wobble around the straight note and tone...Mozart even did not like Vibrato bc of that.... to me vibrato is emotion and like a heart beart.... Sarah Vaughn is a masterclass of singing vibrato- superversatile, expressive and on point.. the contrast to vibrate is a straight tone- she also masters this way of singing perfect... in contrast, many operatic singers are not able to sing WITHOUT a vibrato anymore... in jazz and pop, you have a more manipilated larynx vibrato, that often does not come from diaphragm support

[@gregoryagogo]

I find her vibrato a little stressed here, for that moment on stage... maybe she was a little nervous, or out of breath a little.... something unique to this performance only.

[@PamHorton-e3z]

Thanks Fil, always enjoyed the original performance, would have been so disappointed to hear that it was synced.

[@calvinlocklear4852]

Madonna Queen ❤

[@donthompson2188]

AutoTune has been around a long time. What we did was run two vocal tracks. We would copy the vocal bit that is out of tune to the track running AutoTune plus some preroll so the pitch would not flip in. Then use automation to switch to the pitch corrected channel momentarily.

[@stevenjwiles]

Absolutely my favorite singer/songwriter/performer. She's constantly trying to out do herself while most sit on their laurels.

[@suelucey9621]

I never cared for her stuff... but thanks Fil. You are interesting no matter who you analyze.

[@siriosstar4789]

@sue- listen to the original video version of the song . the bass line is accentuated much more than in other versions . i've seen it on YT . the back up choir is also very good

[@tomchapman5515]

It’s on record (I can find it) where Nile Rogers said tracks including the title of ‘Like A Virgin’ were recorded more slowly and mastered at a sped up rate to give her a higher vocal pitch as her live voice is surprisingly deep. He said it was her idea and he was impressed she wanted to know about the details of recording.

[@playaknights]

It is not on record - and you will not be able to find him saying that - this is a myth perpetuated in the industry, so there is a lot of discussion about it but no confirmation of any such thing from Rodgers himself. In fact in regards to the title track in particular Nile suggested she sing in her more natural lower register but Madonna insisted on singing it in the key it is in, there was zero pitching - he also called her one of the best natural singers he has worked with. The whole myth of speeding up her vocal started from her first album - you can find equally as bs about this in regards to her first album as her second, Like A Virgin. Her early live performances were all in the same register and pitch of her first two albums.

[@richardbishop6658]

As a classic rock lover I used to think the biggest problem introduced was disco! Today the biggest is hands down pitch correction and auto tune. I love hearing a live honest rendition and they sure are hard to find these days. Thanks Fil for educating us.

[@JulioGomezNYC]

Keep in mind and go back to the original broadcast, she started crying moments before she started singing over that woman's story. She did pretty good.

[@cindi1313]

The linked official upload is for "Music" rather than "Like a Prayer", the unofficial (non-pitch corrected) version is correct.

[@cindi1313]

Fixed now, thanks!

[@teevee5369]

The Live 8 concert took a while to come out on DVD. At the time Geldolf heavily hinted that the hold up was because Bono from U2 didn't want it released unless his vocal had been autotuned for the DVD

[@elizabethmiller7291]

I hope that is not a true story.

[@teevee5369]

@@elizabethmiller7291 Unfortunately I saw the interview with Geldolf. I was dissapointed too as I am a fan of U2. I actually have the original live stream on a HDD somewhere. One day I will compare them both to see if they really did autotune it.

[@elizabethmiller7291]

@ Keep us posted!

[@chillnophone2024]

...I'm your number one fan ?! On that sign....seriously? Creepy. Maybe they've never seen that one.😅 Great vlog, Fil❣️💯

[@Silber7]

So to summarize - she WAS corrected on this performance. But subtly, except on obvious mistakes. Madonna isn't a perfectly precise singer, especially live while moving. And most, I'd guess including her, know that. So as perfectionistic artist, she will have that taken care of for a release; and sure she more and more includes playback in her shows. But I think we can agree this isn't that case of a bad singer dragged up by recording technology, or the now usual engeniers mutulating a perfectly well performance by editing everything artificially smooth either. Edit Would be interesting to know what was the source for that old youtube upload - the live broadcast (as there is no tv logo maybe a stream?), or the official DVD from after the event? Because the Live8 KZbin channel is from 2018 - maybe the edit was only done then?!?

[@universalassociates6857]

Nowadays, it doesn’t really matter how many questions you get wrong on a test you can just have it corrected before you hand in the test! Substitute notes for questions and there you have modern music production

[@zakwojnar4714]

I wouldn’t even call “missed” notes wrong. I mean, that’s where the soul comes through! Imagine if Jimmy Page never missed a guitar note. He wouldn’t be Jimmy Page anymore!

[@okiwatashi2349]

For those interested, search for totos roseanna, with the vocals isolated, no auto tune no nonsense, just great performances

[@michaelnancyamsden7410]

I totally agree with you. I view pitch correction is a cheat. There were very good artists in the 1960s thru 1980s there were amazing artists....Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee , Cher, Tina, Otis Redding, Burl Ives, Barbara Streisand, Rick Nelson, Dion, Franky Vallee...etc were singers. Pitch correction allows a pretty face with some talent make money. Pitch correction sterilyzes the song. No emotion, no expression, etc. Thank you for your analysis.

[@davefink2326]

I would like to see a similar study of Kate Bush and her vibrato during her physically-demanding early tours

[@xaverager]

I was under the impression she always processed her voice in post for the albums (using synths in the 80s, and then in the 90s Pro Tools happened, which I believe can be used for such ends, but I'm certainly no expert). I believe it's also widely agreed on that she "learned" how to sing for Evita (mid-90s), and you can hear a drastic difference in her vocals in the pre and post Evita albums (although it could also be due to the evolution of Pro Tools and such software?). I do believe she improved her craft as time went on (I guess the live recordings of her 80s tours, when I believe she didn't mimic any of the songs in a show, can be pretty awful, and will always be there for anyone who wants to criticize her, but to be fair she was trying to do impossible things, very physically demanding shows without the proper training). I say this as someone who was a fan and have no ill will towards her.

[@TheHideout69]

He's cute talking on Madonna singing.

[@rp8832]

Madonna is an amazing performer and she can sing...She is an amazing singer. People just hate her.

[@waltmyers6361]

Obviously not everyone. She just finished up a world tour last year that packed arenas around the world.

[@PatrickSullivan-e6x]

Hi Fil can you look at the Beatles filming of Hey Jude and Revolution, I've seen video that says the recording of the vocals was live to a backing track, I always thought the Revolution film clip was not live and just a film clip, by the way you are 100% correct about the fact about how you learn guitar because I'm right handed and learned to play left handed because I love Paul McCartney and love being different also I'm also sight impeded in my right eye so it was easier to play left handed as I looked at the guitar, thanks Pat

[@scottwheeler2494]

Worked her show in Tampa on the Like A Virgin tour. It was mostly tape and i totally understand - she was on full dance mode. I have zero issue if it is disclosed. My problem is that young folks think she is doing it. That its possible to dance your ass off and sing perfectly. That was in the mid 80s.

[@tjroelsma]

Artists like Tina Turner have proven over and again that dancing and singing at the same time isn't impossible. Arguably it's hard to do, but it CAN be done, especially by singers who have decades of experience and are blessed with a strong voice.

[@scottwheeler2494]

@tjroelsma I know, but that take commitment and it's rare. Much like Pau the drummer for "The Warning" sings while rock drumming. She has been doing it since she started playing at 6. She trains by singing while running on the treadmill. So yes it can be done. It is just really hard work and dedication. (Saw Tina once. Amazing is the only word.)

[@RockVeteran]

What do you mean by that? "The Virgin Tour" was fully sung live, and that's non-debatable. Any backing track used were very subtle and only used for extra sounds.

[@scottwheeler2494]

@@RockVeteran non-debatable? How do you say with such certainty? Granted it was 40 years ago and memories are certainly failable, it is not what I remember of the show.

[@RockVeteran]

​@ I'm a long time Madonna fan, and *any* Madonna fan that wants to be honest w/ you will tell you that Madonna's first tours, _The Virgin Tour_ (1985) and _Who's That Girl Tour_ (1987) were fully sung live. If you compare audio recordings from different dates, you'll hear clear differences in her lead vocals, and that's one of the main points Fil has been making on his channel. (If it's live, it won't sound the exact same as the other nights.) If tracks were used, it was a very subtle use, mainly for extra vocals. It's only starting from _Blond Ambition_ (1990) that Madonna truly started using tracks-not for the whole show but several numbers only.

[@TracyN67]

This is really interesting! The sad thing is that most popular vocalists these days have become so lazy, or weren’t accurate pitch-wise to begin with, that producers feel they have to use pitch correction to an extreme. In order to influence producers to go back to this level of subtlety, we’d have to wipe the slate of the majority of pop stars!

[@Sonia-xyz]

I heard her live performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel!

[@matthewjohn5674]

So what. Stop madonna bashing.

[@katim8932]

Hey will you please do Amy Lee/evanescence? During their first album cycle, they did a couple acoustic versions of a couple songs, ‘going under’ and ‘bring me to life’ they’re really amazing vocals. Also, there’s multiple live performances they do around that time that her voice just sounds so angelic. I would love to see if they used any pitch correction at all. I doubt it, but I’d love to see!

[@larmstrong2302]

I'm not really a Madonna fan, but I did really like "Take a Bow". Babyface did a great job writing it for her, singing in the background and she performed it well. 👏 The negative was the poor bull! 🐮 Such a barbaric sport!

[@elizabethmiller7291]

Yeah, I heard that song and a few others and couldn't resist the urge to buy the album, Something To Remember. One of my Columbia House 'purchases'. Play it quite often - just to relax and bask in the calming nature of the entire track list! Thankfully, all the recordings on this compilation are from 1995 or earlier.

[@deantailor357]

He didn't write it FOR her, she wrote it WITH him. They were in his home studio and he started playing essentially what were scales and she starts signing very basic nursery rhyme style lyrics and that's how that song happened. From there they worked on it and the result is what you hear.

[@vondalynn2906]

If you have ever attended one of her shows, you do hear the pitchy moments and the mistakes. Sometimes she is blended with a backing track. Some songs she mimes to. But on the whole she is singing live.