Madonna is back with a new album and a new reinvention! This time, her alter ego is the multi-faceted Madame X. Many fans welcomed the Latin-flavored first single “Medellín” as a pleasant change of direction. Yet some were quick to judge her for jumping on the Latin pop bandwagon. They couldn’t be more wrong! Madonna flirted with música latina years before anyone heard of Shakira or Enrique Iglesias, and ages before “Despacito”. On top of that, she claimed to have been Hispanic in another life. And always had a soft spot for Latin American men (for whom she would hunt in the streets of NYC’s Lower East Side, only to pull them into her limo for some casual sex!).

There’s always been a special place for South American culture in Madonna’s heart. These are the top moments from her career which couldn’t express it better – either musically or visually.

 

1986: “La Isla Bonita”

Madonna described this song as a homage to the “beauty and mystery of Latin American people”. Spanish phrases sprinkle its melancholic lyrics, which tell about longing for a magical island spot of San Pedro. Spanish motifs continue into the song’s iconic video in which Madonna, dressed in a red flamenco dress, joins her Hispanic friends partying in the street of their barrio. First introduced on the True Blue album, “La Isla Bonita” blew up in early 1987 when released as the LP’s final single. It is now a classic in Madonna’s repertoire, a staple of her live performances, and hopefully will be revisited again on the Madame X Tour!

 

1987: “Who’s That Girl”

Perhaps encouraged by the enormous success of “La Isla Bonita”, Madonna opted for a similar formula on her next lead single. Simple Spanish lyrics in the chorus, contagious melody, and an even dancier beat than its predecessor’s did the trick. “Who’s That Girl” deservedly was a number 1 hit in the summer of 1987.

 

1987: You Can Dance album cover

These photos were originally taken with the “La Isla Bonita” single cover in mind. But because they eventually accompanied Madonna’s next album release, I count them as a separate “moment”. “Bonita” and “Who’s That Girl” are absent from this retrospective remix album, but the Hispanic theme continues visually. Photographed by Herb Ritts, señorita Madonna is gazing seductively from the cover. She’s wearing a torero-inspired outfit, complete with a lacy bustier, a bolero jacket, and a big hat. The video footage from this shoot ended up in a series of Mitsubishi adverts in Japan, in which our bullfighter dances to her tunes, including “Spotlight”.

 

1989: “Pray for Spanish Eyes”

Never released as a single or even performed live, this track remains somewhat of a hidden gem on Madonna’s much-hyped Like a Prayer album. It has a beautiful melody, emotional vocals, and moving lyrics about the murder of a Hispanic man. One of Madonna’s finest ballads, ever.

 

1990: “I’m Going Bananas”

At that point, including one Latin-flavored song on every new album seemed to have become a rule for Madonna! Arguably the least known track in this list, “I’m Going Bananas” opens with a playful line “hola, ese vato loco” (“hi, that dude’s crazy”). It continues with what is supposed to be an imitation of Carmen Miranda’s accent, set to a fast-paced salsa rhythm. When performed on the 1993 Girlie Show Tour, this short track was reduced to the intro to “La Isla Bonita”.

 

1994: “Take a Bow” music video

Not a single word in Spanish in this one – but the video is another story. Filmed in actual bullrings of Andalusian towns Ronda and Antequera, this marvellous video pictures Madonna as a neglected lover of a matador. Typically for her, the clip generated both controversy and praise, but eventually won an MTV Award and secured Madonna the lead role in Evita. So it counts as success.

 

1995: “Verás (You’ll See)”

The first of only two entirely Spanish-language songs in Madonna’s repertoire. “Verás” is naturally “You’ll See” en español. The track promoted the ballads collection Something to Remember in Latin America and was even treated to a separate video.

 

1996: Evita

This is where her love for Latin culture culminates (and her acting career peaks). Evita was a dream come true for Madonna. Her long fight for the part of Eva Perón in Alan Parker’s musical surely deserves a separate post. Madonna looks stylish in the 1940s costumes (which she changes over 80 times!), earns respect with her vocal capabilities, and proves that there is more to her as an actress than you may think. “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” performed at the balcony of Casa Rosada is arguably the most iconic scene from the film. Other highlights include the Spanglish uptempo track “Buenos Aires”, and the tear-jerking segment “Eva’s Final Broadcast”/“Lament” at the end of the soundtrack.

 

1999: “Be Careful (Cuidado con Mi Corazón)” with Ricky Martin

If released as a single, this ballad could have been a massive hit in 1999 on the back of Madonna’s fresh success with Ray of Light and Ricky’s worldwide domination at its peak. Very surprisingly, it was overlooked in the promo campaign for his self-titled album. Twenty years later, it seems almost non-existent…

 

2001: “Lo Que Siente la Mujer”

The second and the last time – so far! – Madonna sang something entirely in Spanish (excluding the spoken intro). This version of “What It Feels Like for a Girl” was only released on select editions of the Music album, but it was a standard part of the Drowned World Tour setlist. Apparently it’s her least successful try at pronouncing Spanish, but who cares? This mid-tempo ballad with feminist undertones is adorable and would surely work in any language!

 

2008: “Spanish Lesson”

Please feel free to skip this lesson. Play truant and don’t feel guilty. This filler song from the (very average) album Hard Candy offers shallow lyrics with wrong Spanish to English translations, set to uninspiring beat. Catchy, but pretty forgettable.

 

2015: “Living for Love” video

The lady matador returns 28 years later to launch the Rebel Heart album promo. This time the fight is real, but instead of a bull, she confronts the online leak of the album and ageist radio stations blatantly ignoring the new single. And then there was THAT stage fall at the BRITs… Although Madonna was praised for her rapid reaction to the album leak and professional handling of the stage accident, this empowering pop song remains regrettably overlooked!

 

2019: “Medellín” with Maluma

This breezy, summery track seems quite tame for a lead single. I admit that I didn’t embrace it the way I do new Madonna singles. The Billboard Awards performance impressed me more than the original music video. I’m also having more fun listening to the remixes than the original song. Maybe it will grow on me? “Medellín” didn’t take the charts by storm, and if anyone is going to benefit from this collab, it will be Maluma.

 

See also: Who Inspires Madonna?