Background

The Queen of Pop ruled the world with “Hung Up“. Expectations were sky high and she was bound to disappoint. Yet, she lived up the hype, amped up the energy even more, and released a disco classic with “Sorry”.

“Sorry” is a dance-pop track released by Madonna in February 2006 as the second single from her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. It was written and produced by Madonna and Stuart Price.

Remix in Mind

Madonna remixes are famous in the fandom and have long been a staple in dance clubs. She has stated herself that she often prefers remixed versions of her own work than the original ones. And she decided to to conceptualise the track as a remix from the onset. And I thought the idea was genuis.

Generally, I have mixed feelings about remixes. On one hand, I’m often attached to the originals, and that’s largely because I get exposed to them first, hence, creating a sense of familiarity. But I do understand the purpose of a remix – context makes a difference in what kinds of genres work, and remixes make the original material palatable for the dancefloor. With the approach that Price and Madonna took, that distinction disappeared. What is heard by the general public and what is consumed in night clubs are one and the same. And there is no debate on which version is superior.

The Pet Shop Boys famously remixed this single. And I will make my confession – I haven’t heard their take. But I guess that’s the advantage (and disadvantage) of Madonna’s approach. Remixes are great but they aren’t necessary.

Ik ben Droevig

Foreign phrases in English music is a common trope that popstars use. And most of the time, the trick works. Fans enjoy the novelty. Others prefer the bite sized learning. Some feel seen when their native language is represented, no matter how trivial, in mainstream music.

Now that I’ve started learning foreign languages, I have more appreciation for Madonna’s efforts. I now live in the Netherlands and I’m getting myself up to speed with Dutch. At first, I thought the phrase “Ik ben droevig” wasn’t from this country because the common phrase used here is “Het spijt me”. But I guess, during the course of their songwriting, things got lost in translation, and we had “I am sad” instead.

The error doesn’t matter. Most people can’t tell. And the language lesson probably constitutes less than 0.0001% of why people consume and enjoy Madonna’s “Sorry”.

I’ve Heard It All Before

Don’t you just need an anthem for people in your life who never run out of excuses? They take many forms – a lover who neglects you and treats you for less than what you deserve, a colleague who you can never rely on to meet a deadline or hold their end of the bargain, or a friend who always begs off and never has time. Nowadays, when I come across them in my life, I just lose interest and move on. But 20 years ago, I was angstier and “Sorry” was me being sassy when dealing with the toxicity. And “I’ve heard it all before” being on repeat is the icing on the cake.

Conclusion

Madonna has nothing to apologise for, and the only confession she must make is that she is churning out hit after hit on Confessions on a Dance Floor. I’ve heard all of “Sorry” before, and I still want to hear more.