Which are YOUR Madonna’s Most Impressive Instants?

When it comes to Madonna, there are always iconic moments or, as I’ve called them, Impressive Instants that stick in your mind. In this post, to celebrate Madonna’s 60th birthday, I’m collecting some of those impressive instants. But please, I need your collaboration. Share your most memorable Madonna impressive instants in the comments to make this a long, long list.

Madonna’s impressive instants

#1. Madonna’s Lament

Remember when Madonna spits on a dancer as a part of her performance of Lament in the Re-Invention Tour? Actually, remember the whole performance of Lament? A beautifully performed blend of Die Another Day (aesthetically) and the track from Evita.

#2. MTV Madonna legendary performances

Of course, you remember Madonna rolling on the floor during the legendary MTV performance of Like a Virgin, when she kisses Britney and Christina Aguilera and also that time when she lifts up her Marie Antoinette style dress to let dancer Oliver Crumes take a pick of her crotch during the flamboyant performance of Vogue (actually this whole MTV performance is just magnificent).

Those are the impressive instants I’m referring to.

Can you think of impressive instants that aren’t on this list?

I’m sure you do have lots of them. Why don’t you leave them in the comments?

Madonna’s memorable moments

#3. Madonna in the verge of tears

Other impressive instant in Madonna’s career is when she reveals her most vulnerable side in front of Forrest Sawyer after he asks: “Why do you feel hurt by life?”. Wow. Magical. Minute 08:55.

#4. In Bed With Madonna

There are too many I could mention from In Bed with Madonna. The documentary is full of impressive instants, like:

• Madonna simulating a fellatio with a bottle of Vichy Catalán;
• admitting the love of her life (at least until then) had been, of course, Sean;
• Madonna all pissed off with Freddy DeMann because the front row of her show is full of business men. Plus: “Do something else. Do my eyebrows”.
• When she cries saying a prayer for Keith Haring
• Etc. As I say, many more.

My most memorable impressive instant from In Bed with Madonna, however, has to be when, after Chris (@CicconeOfficial) tells her the Toronto police are there to stop her from “masturbating” in front of the audience, she says that she’s not going to compromise her artistic integrity.

NOTE: I don’t want to consider any of her performances in actual movies, by the way. There would be too many MORE impressive instants, whether they are in Who’s That Girl, Evita or even Swept Away (remember the scene where she’s part of Giuseppe’s mirage??). Anyway.

#5. Madonna talks ageism with Jonathan Ross, 1992

Madonna gives us another impressive instant in an interview with Jonathan Ross for British TV in 1992. Madonna talking about ageism when she was only 34 demonstrates what she has had to endure from the beginning of her career and how she has made things easier for female artists today. If you just want to see this impressive instant, skip to minute 06:00 of this video.

#6. Madonna’s Carpool Karake

Remember Madonna twerking in James Corden’s car for Carpool karaoke? And when she’s saying that she pretty much leads a quite predictable life at home, she goes: “Yeah, give me a nun’s habit. […] I kind of wanted to be a nun really. Yeah, I liked their uniform. It’s kind of perverse. I imagined all sorts of things were going on underneath that big long robe”. I find this bit hilarious. Look it up.

#7. Madonna lifts herself up

An outstanding impressive moment is when Madonna gets on her feet after the fall at the British Awards 2015. You surely remember her cape was so heavy that it had been tied too tight, Madonna didn’t have time to untie it and was dragged by her two dancers, bless them, when they pulled. She landed on her back, could have hurt herself very badly. However, she pulled herself up immediately and continued with the show as if nothing had happened. THAT is an outstanding impressive instant. Love lifted her up.

#8. Madonna kisses Chris Finch – Who’s That Girl World tour

And how about that kiss during performance! It was Like a Virgin and the scene is just brilliant. I just love this kid. And the generous, stupendous man he’s become (@thechrisfinch). This is my second all-time favourite tour and, partly, it’s because of Chris and the freshness and sparkle he adds to the whole show. The whole concert is so much fun, and this piece particularly (Dress You Up – Material Girl – Like a Virgin – Billi Jean) I adore.

#9. Madonna’s speech at the Women’s March

Another impressive instant I remember now is that at the Women’s March against Trump and in favour of women and minorities. Of course, the infamous “I’d like to blow up the White House” sentence has ever since been unmercifully blown out of proportion and cited out of context by the haters (if you read the comments below the video you’ll see what I mean) but nothing new there.

#10. I’m the fucking boss around here, ok?

Of course, this instant wouldn’t be the same without Niki and Donna, who play their part spot on. I guess you know which impressive moment I’m referring to. I’m talking about the bridge between Causing a Commotion and Where’s the Party during the Blond Ambition Tour.

I saw the one in Madrid live (AND walked the backstage!), watched a hundred times the one in Barcelona (was live on TV after Madrid and I recorded it VHS), seen In Bed with Madonna a couple of times (ha!) too, and have watched also the concert in Yokohama (amongst other horrendous recordings that one might as well forget). In Yokohama, this part of the concert is quite funny. You can see Donna really laughing because Madonna is picking on her (Donna’s got the second part of M’s name and on top of that, lives in the Valley). Sorry for the bad quality of the image, guys.

I find most amusing too that Madonna doesn’t seem to realise that nobody in the audience gets what she’s talking about!

Other impressive moments during videos, concerts and live performances include:

• Madonna’s appearance at Live Aid 1985,
• the classic Like a Virgin performance in the Blond Ambition Tour,
• Madonna’s monologue before Holiday in the Girlie Show,
• Live To Tell at the Confessions Tour,
• the opening of the MDNA Tour,
• Rain The Girlie Show, with Niki and Donna
• behind the scenes of most of the tours…

The epic moments list at concerts, with and without Donna and Niki, is endless, so YOU tell us some more.

#11. Madonna sheds a tear – Udine, Italy (Sticky and Sweet Tour)

There are many, spontaneous or not, speeches that Madonna has delivered during her tours and are also impressive. In Russia, Detroit, Paris… The one that follows, I find very touching. Just before singing You Must Love Me, Madonna asks the audience to take a moment to remember the two workers who were killed in Marseille building her stage. Sound is not very good, but I encourage you to watch it. Madonna gets emotional and starts singing whilst still weeping.

#12. Religion has nothing to do with love

There’s also one of my favourite Madonna performances: Cantine Du Faubourg, Paris. Madonna is promoting her album American Life. Someone in the audience shouts that religion is love. She replies that no, “religion has nothing to do with love. Religion is an idea that someone pushes on you. Religion is judgement; religion is suffering; religion is establishment; love has nothing to do with religion. Love does not divide”. WOW, for me, Impressive Instant.

#13. Re-Invention Tour Opening and beyond

And what about that intro for the Re-Invention Tour, first The Beast Within, then with the iconic yoga poses striking at the opening of Vogue?

#14. Madonna’s speech at the Billboard’s Woman of the Year Award 2016

But I think that my all-time favourite impressive instant from Madonna is the whole speech at the Billboard’s Woman of the Year Award and particularly the moment she stops herself from crying when she is acknowledging and thanking all the women and men that have supported her through all these years.

Then she continues, in tears, her lips and voice trembling:

“But to the doubters, the naysayers, to everyone who gave me hell, and said I could not. That I would not. That I must not [pause]. Your resistance made me stronger. Made me push harder. Made me the fighter that I am today. Made me the woman that I am today. So thank you”.

Here’s the almost full speech (most of the videos in YouTube don’t include that famous opening “I stand before you as a doormat. Oh. I mean, a female entertainer”).

That’s NOT IT for Madonna’s impressive moments: show me yours

Earlier this year I compiled some other moments, more funny than impressive, in a video I later posted on Twitter. Check it out.

Of course, there are hundreds or even thousands of more impressive instants that Madonna has given us throughout these 35 years. But this post is not for me to show you mine, as much as it is for you to show me yours. 🙂 So:

Don’t forget to leave your favourite Madonna’s impressive instants in the comments!