Madonna ♪ Like It or Not

By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .

This song's got spunk!

Madonna - Like It or Not. 
You can call me a sinner
and you can call me a saint
Celebrate me for who I am
Dislike me for what I ain't
Put me up on a pedestal
Or drag me down in the dirt
Sticks and stones will break my bones
But your names will never hurt

I'll be the garden, you'll be the snake
All of my fruit is yours to take
Better the devil that you know
Your love for me will grow
Because

This is who I am
You can like it or not
You can love me or leave me
Cause I'm never gonna stop, no no

Cleopatra had her way
Mata Hari too
Whether they were good or bad
Is strictly up to you

Life is a paradox
And it doesn't make much sense
You can't have the femme without the fatale
Please don't take offense

Don't let the fruit rot under the vine
Fill up your cup and let's drink the wine
Better the devil that you know
Your love for me will grow
Because

This is who I am
You can like it or not
You can love me or leave me
Cause I'm never gonna stop,

no no, you know

…
sinner Sin is a concept occurring in organized mind control. It functions much like law, but without the rationalization and goal of prosperity for the general public. It is a set of prohibitions, that one must not do. Those who transgress, are sinners, and is said to have sinned. The goal of these rule's design, is to make the members bound to the organization. So, sinners are those who are likely to break off. Sins are often given degrees of severity, and are sometimes punished by death.
As part of the mind control system, “confession” is a ritualized act of disclosing transgression by the transgressor himself. In many mind control organizations, confession is integrated into daily lives.
drag me down The woman mathematician Hypathia (~370 to 415), was dragged to death by Christians.
Cleopatra (69 BC to 30 BC), is a powerful and colorful queen of Egypt. She had liaisons with many men, including her brothers, and the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. She suicided. By legend, she had venomous snake bite her breast.
Mata Hari (1876 to 1917) is a courtesan who was accused as a spy and executed.
back view of a woman in pink half-sitting on dance floor
Album cover for Confessions On A Dance Floor. Excellent cover design. Buy at amazon

Madonna is old, nearly 50, long past for a chick fitting for this kinda ditty. It's a bit awkward to see her squirm on stage trying to be hot, and the live singing also lacking vitality. Nevertheless, her singing and the song as recorded in her album is fantastic.

Although this is a great song, but the lyrics is shallow from a literary perspective. It has a lot allusions, but unfocused and incoherent. Cleopatra and Mata Hari are selected for sensationalism. The “Life is a paradox” paragraph is pulp.

Another song with spunk is Björk ♪ Unison

Madonna