Madonna is calling her new album “Madame X.” Madame X, she says, is a “Spy in the house of love.” Madame X is many things including a teacher and a whore according to her Instagram post.
This is a very tired idea. Anais Nin’s popular 1954 novel, “A Spy in the House of Love,” was used by a lot of pop stars in the 1980s as a meme. Everyone discovered this idea at the same time. There was a great single in 1989 by Animal Logic by that name.
Some people who knew Madonna thought her last album, “Rebel Heart,” would be her last. “Rebel Heart” was a flop. Fans come to Madonna’s shows to hear her hits. No radio station will play the new songs because, frankly, they don’t play new songs by any legacy artists.
Madonna’s strength was that she always had her finger on the pulse of new ideas. But at 60, it’s hard to do that. Maybe– cross fingers– she’s had someone write her a really catchy pop song. If it’s there, we’ll all hear it right away.
When is “Madame X” being released? I guess, soon. Who knows?