From Fosse to Ari: The Origin of Ariana Grande’s “yes, and?” Video
As long as there have been artists, it’s pretty safe to say there have been critics. The relationship between the two is a complicated one, for it’s the artist who, in an act of vulnerability, steps into the arena (often literally) to present the creation, and with that, comes the (welcome or unwelcome, hopefully at least constructive) critique from the sideline.
An artist who recently commented about this relationship is Ariana Grande, via her latest music video for “yes, and?” from her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, which saw the light of day on March 8. The track’s sound evokes classic piano and hi-hat ‘90s dance music, while the video treatment harkens back to a stylish ‘80s music video and even further back to an iconic ‘70s movie musical, so therefore, Ari’s video is an homage to an homage. Let’s put on our dancing shoes and retrace our steps:
One of the best depictions of this artist-critic exchange was featured in Bob Fosse’s 1979 semi-autobiographical musical-drama, All That Jazz. Broadway director and choreographer, Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider essentially portraying Bob Fosse) is burning the candle (and many cigarettes) at both ends, trying to cast and create a new show, plus complete the editing of a film, all while barely co-raising his young daughter, and popping a lot of pills.
The new show that Gideon is working on entitled, NY/LA, a loose reference to Fosse’s very own, Chicago, features a musical number about airline travel called “Take Off With Us” (a cheeky title already filled with foreshadowing). Gideon invites a few suit-wearing financial backers to preview the song and dance, which starts out with the character of a purser (Sandahl Bergman), along with her crew of dancing flight attendants, touting the exceptional service they will bestow up their passengers (“They only live to service you...”). The first half of the performance is bubbly, which garners smiles, even a round of applause midway through from the straight-laced observers, but unbeknownst to them, there’s a second half that suddenly turns steamy (literally), with one of the dancers welcoming all aboard “Airotica,” Gideon’s ode to the “Mile-High Club.”
The studio goes dim, now lit only via a few flashlights, with the dancers peeling off their clothes (the “take off with us” double entendre now realized), and pairing up to perform a sensual, then overtly sexual, albeit artistic, number, much to the confusion and disappointment of the backers, the realization sinking in about the limited monetary and sponsorship potential that the addition of “Airotica” will bring. “There goes the family audience,” the head backer whispers to his colleague. At the end, Gideon asks what they think, only for the head backer to feign acceptance and approval with a nervous smile.
Ten years later, the dancer and choreographer, Paula Abdul used Fosse’s “Take Off With Us” as the basis for her “Cold Hearted” music video, directed by a then relatively unknown, David Fincher. The video starts out with a group of record-company executives arriving at a rehearsal space, seemingly uninterested in what they’re there to preview. One says it’s a “Bob Fosse kind of thing; it’s gonna be really, really hot,” to which another executive nervously replies, “Yeah, but tastefully, it’s tastefully hot.”
The first two verses and choruses find Abdul and her crew dancing much to the toe-tapping approval of the executives, but by the bridge, a couple of the dancers begin lowering the window shades, thus beginning Abdul’s (understandably much tamer) version of “Airotica.”
A couple of the executives are turned off, a couple of them turned on. Similar to Gideon asking his backers, Abdul asks her audience, “Well, what do you think?,” to which a conservative executive reluctantly replies, “It’s very nice.”
In January 2024, Grande released “yes, and?” as a self-empowerment reminder amid a social-media culture of click-and-critique. The video came at a time when Grande, once again, became the subject of chatter surrounding her personal life, specifically her short-lived marriage, and quick subsequent kindling of a new relationship with a co-star from the film adaptation of Wicked. For the Christian Breslauer-directed video for “yes, and?,” which starts similarly to Abdul’s, a group of jaded critics reluctantly arrive at an industrial space, yet ironically can’t seem to talk about anything but Grande and her signature ponytail, with some of the critics even rehashing, and reacting to, internet-sourced gossip.
As these critics enter the space, an elated group exits. The new batch take their seats in front of a series of stone statues, one of which is in the form of Grande with her hands covering her eyes in a see-no-evil posture. As the song’s beat drops in, the statues crumble into piles of rubble. Grande is released to tell her story, with the bridge reserved for commentary to those who deliver just that about her (“Don’t comment on my body/do not reply/your business is yours/and mine is mine”).
Through confident lyrics and cohesive choreography, Grande and her dancers persuade the critics to drop their metaphorical stone exteriors as well. Yet just as this is achieved, she and her dancers within a flash assume their statuesque personas once again, perhaps symbolic of the thick shell needed to navigate the current, all-too-easy, drop-a-comment culture. As the newly elated converts leave, yet another cluster of critics enter, they too soon to be shook.
In summary, the common threads between the three depictions are as follows:
The critics arrive.
Principal female character with a group of dancers.
Principal character dressed in black, and wearing a black hat with brim.
Stripped-down, industrial-looking rehearsal space featuring scaffolding structures.
Principal character on top of the scaffolding structure.
The controlled critics sitting on chairs as the audience, as opposed to the creative artists “in the arena.”
There’s always a moment when the critics are enjoying what is presented to them.
The rehearsal space goes from light to dark for a version of “Airotica.”
When it comes to Ariana Grande’s “yes, and?” video, there’s no place like homage.
Photos 1, 8, 9, 10: Ariana Grande in the music video for “yes, and?,” directed by Christian Breslauer; Photos 2, 3, 4: All That Jazz, directed by Bob Fosse, cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno; Photos 5, 6, 7: Paula Abdul in the music video for “Cold Hearted,” directed by David Fincher.
Tour de Force: Five Madonna-Concert Faves
To commemorate her 40 years in the music industry, Madonna recently embarked upon her Celebration Tour, essentially a greatest-hits tour that also affords the Queen of Pop the opportunity to perform fan-favorite singles she hasn’t performed in a live-concert setting. One such track is “Nothing Really Matters,” her epiphanic Ray of Light reflection on love, and the cyclical nature of karma. The latter is smartly conveyed through stage design (rotating platforms; circular lighting rig) and costume (halo headdress; spherical cutouts in her “Frozen”-inspired gothic gown). This particular performance captures some of the signature elements that go hand in hand with a Madonna tour: music, fashion and (performance) art.
Throughout her peerless career, she has set out on a number of world tours. Granted I haven’t seen every one of them, but I am grateful to have attended five Madonna concerts (Drowned World; Reinvention; Confessions; Sticky & Sweet; MDNA), two of which make the list of my five favorite Madonna tours, while the other three on the list have been watched a number of times on VHS, Blu-Ray, and cable TV, and still serve as ones I wish I could’ve attended. “And it goes something like this”:
You Always Remember Your First: Madonna set out on her debut tour with 1985’s The Virgin Tour, with a setlist composed of tracks from her self-titled album, and her second album, Like a Virgin. Her Detroit, Michigan stop was the setting for the concert film, Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour. Throughout the 55-minute film, she exuded raw talent, and within minutes, it was evident she was doing exactly what she was meant to do: dance and sing (“get up and do your thing”). Although, at times, there’s evidence of a backing track, Madonna takes full ownership of her voice, and performed the vigorous choreography without gasping for air, tangling a rosary, or dropping a tambourine.
Towards the end of the opening number, “Dress You Up,” Madonna struts, then partially removes her multi-colored jacket to reveal her purple lace blouse. A confident star in born. Yet in keeping with the virgin theme, that confidence is offset by a moment of authentic innocence, revealed during an interlude in the second number, “Holiday,” when she becomes visibly moved by the realization that this hometown girl did good. “You know, I was never elected the homecoming queen or anything, but I sure feel like one now!” Another performance I tend to watch often: the Like a Virgin rarity, “Over and Over,” which featured her sporting teased hair and thrift-store-style fringe, with ‘60s go-go choreography at every step. The track includes the prophetic lyric for the ever-determined Madonna: “You try to criticize my drive/If I lose, I don’t feel paralyzed.”
Act of Ambition: Her most theatrical, and controversial, show to date, Madonna’s 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour was a rallying cry against ‘80s conservatism that could easily be summed up in two simple words: express yourself. And she, and her corps of dancers, did just that during a show that pushed buttons and purposely pushed the envelope. When “Causing a Commotion” turned 30, I wrote a post about this third song in the tour setlist. It’s one of the best in the show, for it captures some of the elements that make the Blond Ambition Tour so iconic. For starters, the show is style with sociological substance. To read more, click here.
I Dream of Androgyny: If one thought Madonna couldn’t get any more controversial with the Blond Ambition World Tour, in 1992 she released her Erotica album, and the art-core coffee-table book, Sex. A year later, she launched The Girlie Show. Madonna’s platinum-blond pixie cut was the antithesis of the robo-ponytail that she sported on her previous tour, allowing her to blur the lines between conventional female and male. The four female dancers, who also embraced an androgynous aesthetic, each with short, boyish haircuts, served as doppelgängers of their male-dancer counterparts.
The show, set amid a cabaret-carnival theme, featured some of Madonna’s best live vocals, particularly during the fourth track in the setlist, “Rain.” The performance put heavenly three-part harmony centerstage, thanks in part to backing vocalists, Donna De Lory and Niki Haris. It gets even more soothing with the inclusion of The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination” in the already beautiful bridge. The lyric in “Rain,” along with a corresponding golden-yellow lighting cue: “Here’s comes the sun/And I say never go away” also signified the transition from the dark “Dominatrix” section to the forthcoming Studio 54-inspired section, commencing with a disco/funk version of “Express Yourself.” It’s one of those goosebump moments brought about by Victor Bailey’s bass-synthesizer, Paul Pesco’s guitar scratch, Omar Hakim at the kit, the red curtain rising, the organ keys, those percolating electro-disco blips, and Madonna sliding off a gigantic mirror ball to begin the chorus.
While parts of the show move a bit slow (“Like A Virgin” as an homage to Marlene Dietrich; a long “Holiday” that overstays its welcome; an Alice In Wonderland fever dream that is “Justify My Love”), Madonna ends on an upbeat note for the last song, “Everybody,” as the way to introduce her band members. (Her introduction of the aforementioned bass player, Victor Bailey is one of my favorite moments in any Madonna concert.) She also mashes up the second verse from Sly & The Family Stone’s “Everybody is a Star” into the beginning of this funky finale.
Pop as Punk: By 2001, Madonna hadn’t toured in 8 years. During that time, she starred in the Alan Parker movie-musical, Evita, gave birth to her daughter, Lourdes, and recorded and released her masterpiece that is Ray of Light. One year into the new millennium, Madonna set out on her Drowned World Tour to further support the already successful Ray of Light album. The opening section donned an English punk-rock sound and vision, with the audience seeing and hearing Madonna play electric guitar live on “Candy Perfume Girl,” followed by a cheeky ‘60s-pop performance of “Beautiful Stranger,” the song she contributed to the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack.
The fiery red “Geisha Girl” section saw Madonna reversing the conventional submissive role to one of a dominant warrior, complete with aerial acrobatics. The “Country Girl” chapter allowed the audience once again to see her strum her guitar on “I Deserve It” and “Secret,” and later on “La Isla Bonita” during the “Spanish Girl” section. But it’s the finale that featured “ghetto-fabulous” performances of “Holiday” and “Music” that showcased Madonna’s mind-blowing ability to dig deep and deliver strength at the end of an already physically demanding show. (The first time seeing Madonna was during this tour, on a stop in Oakland, CA.)
I Must Confess: The 2005 Confessions on a Dance Floor era was Madonna’s return to (‘70s disco) dance-pop. In 2006, she launched her taut Confessions Tour, which incorporated a gigantic mirror ball that descended from the rafters to open the show. This iconic symbol cracked open like a crystal-encrusted egg, and hatched the icon herself, dressed in an English-equestrian outfit, complete with a riding crop used as a “dominant” double entendre. “Future Lovers” mashed up with Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” set the modern-day disco tone, followed by “Get Together,” then a remarkable remix of “Like a Virgin,” performed with physical prowess on a merry-go-round-inspired cowboy saddle, with a powerhouse parkour-heavy performance of “Jump” to conclude the opening section.
Later, religion, rock n’ roll, and roller skates also play roles in this brilliant show, which concluded with her ABBA (“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”)-sampled hit at the time, “Hung Up.” (I had the pleasure of attending a tour stop in San Jose, CA.)
These five concerts alone easily cement Madonna as the greatest female entertainer, who for three decades was certainly a (tour de) force to be reckoned with.
Photo 1: Live Nation; 2: Warner Music, Sire Records; 3: Blond Ambition World Tour - Yokohama; 4: Warner Reprise Video, Maverick, Sire; 5: Warner Music Vision, Warner Reprise Video, Maverick; 6: Warner Bros., Warner Music Vision.
Gotta Have Fate
The Netflix documentary, Wham! is as much about destiny, as it is about one of the biggest pop acts of the 1980s and its global impact over a mere five years. The story of how Georgios “George Michael” Panayiotou and Andrew Ridgeley became the legendary pop group is told mostly through archival footage and audio soundbites.
Meeting at school as pre-teens, Andrew and Yog, Andrew’s nickname for Georgios, became friends with a mutual interest in music. By their late-teens, the pair began writing catchy tunes laced with social commentary, plus ones that embraced the frivolity of youth culture (“Club Tropicana”), as well as others that appeared on their 1983 debut album, Fantastic. “Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do),” “Bad Boys” and “Young Guns (Go For It),” positioned Yog, professionally known as George Michael, as the rebellious protagonist, hell- (or heck-) bent on avoiding the 9 to 5 and “death by matrimony,” and set on saving Andrew Ridgeley’s character from a “straight-laced” life (one without George). Besides the (not-so) underlying homoerotic subtext, gay subculture iconography played heavily: leather jackets; tight jeans; aviator glasses—a look that solo George would don again for the Faith era. The musical and visual appeal of Wham! was far-reaching.
Co-crafting the sax-drenched power ballad, “Careless Whisper,” continuing into the Make It Big album (“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”; “Everything She Wants”; “Freedom”) and their final, Music from the Edge of Heaven (“Last Christmas”; “I’m Your Man”; “Where Did Your Heart Go?”), both traveled down the same creative pop-music path, only for them to hit the proverbial fork in the road, with personal goals and professional roles shifting as they achieved international success. Watching the documentary through the lens of loss, and letting go in life, adds further emotional resonance to what is essentially a story of unconditional love between friends, with one who must selflessly accept what is, so the other can become who he was destined to be.
Go-go watch it if you haven’t.
This is How You Debut: Revisiting Three Iconic ‘80s Albums
In music, for example, it’s rare that right out of the gate, one gets the top spot or the trophies, but with the right singer, songwriters, production staff and promotional team, for starters, the stars can sometimes align, allowing the debut album to become one of the biggest moments in a career. Just ask these three dance/pop artists: Madonna; Jody Watley; Paula Abdul.
Madonna’s self-titled debut album will celebrate its 38th anniversary in July. (Take a moment to let that sink in.) In looking at the track list, every single single (“Everybody”; “Burning Up”; “Holiday”; “Lucky Star”; “Borderline”) contributed to the solid foundation for what would be a legendary career… who knew? (Madonna, that’s who knew.) The production team on the 8-song 1983 release consisted of Reggie Lucas, Butch Jones, Mark Kamins—the DJ who initially played “Everybody” at New York’s Danceteria—and her then-boyfriend, DJ John “Jellybean” Benitez. Madonna now had the sound, and MTV helped shaped the vision, allowing audiences to meet (eventually) one of the most culturally relevant figures of the 20th century.
Madonna: Sire Records; Warner Bros.
Besides Madonna, another dancer/singer with an incredible debut was Jody Watley. Her 1987 self-titled album featured: “Looking for a New Love”; “Still a Thrill”; “Don’t You Want Me”; “Some Kind of Lover”; “Most of All.” This former member of the group, Shalamar (“The Second Time Around”) hit the MTV rotation as hard as the beats that filled her synth-funk jams. An attitude-rich sound, “Soul Train” dance background and a downtown-fashion street style of thrift-store-inspired petticoats and voluminous skirts, along with equally voluminous hair and signature large-hoop earrings, only added to her vocal and visual appeal. Watley went on to win the Best New Artist GRAMMY in 1988.
Jody Watley: MCA Records
Another dynamic debut: Paula Abdul’s 1988 Forever Your Girl album, which included: “Knocked Out”; “The Way that You Love Me”; “Straight Up”; “Forever Your Girl”; “Cold Hearted”; “Opposites Attract.” (The latter four landed at #1.) Abdul skyrocketed during the music-video ‘80s, when dancers could also shine as singers, as was the case with Madonna and Watley. Abdul first worked behind the scenes, most notably on choreography for Janet Jackson, tour choreography for George Michael, and with many others artists of the era. But when Abdul stepped in front of the camera, she used music video to put tap dance back on trend, even referencing ‘40s Gene Kelly and ‘70s Bob Fosse, in turn, becoming a postmodern Ginger Rogers of the MTV generation.
Paula Abdul: Forever Your Girl: Virgin Records
Three impressive initial offerings, all now-iconic debut albums of the ‘80s.
The Pop Zeal Project (Track 79): Madonna: “Material Girl”
Reference Material
Madonna’s “Material Girl,” from 1984’s Like a Virgin album, is one of the first instances of the singer’s love of playful irony. Vocals that evoke innocence tell the story of a seemingly passive individual who is savvier and more decisive than one would believe. While it appears she is the pursuer of material goods held by “some boys,” by song’s end, she becomes the pursued; there’s a reversal of roles, as heard in the following not-so-veiled verse, full of layered meaning: “Boys may come and boys may go/And that’s all right you see/Experience has made me rich/And now they’re after me.”
Mary Lambert’s video for the song also established just how ironic Madonna felt the song was. Its homage to Howard Hawks’ 1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes features Madonna as an actress on a film set, playing the role Marilyn Monroe made famous, a role that had Monroe singing, “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Yet in this interpretation, both Madonna as the actress and—judging by the “Like a Virgin” lace outfit at the end of the video—Madonna herself believe that daisies can also be a girl’s best friend. Madonna dances a fine line: she pays respect to the film reference, while simultaneously offering critical opposition to “Diamonds” antiquated philosophy.
Where the Wild Roses Glow: Kylie Minogue at Hyde Park Festival
As the headliner at the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park, pop royalty Kylie Minogue seemed to have a certain glow, as evidenced in the four-minute video below, which features compiled footage from the huge outdoor event, with a remix of “On a Night Like This” as the soundtrack. Donning a crown, accessorized by a base of red roses (maybe that was the reason for the luminous sparkle), she looked excited and energized. Perhaps the obvious joy was due to a revised, refreshed set list, instead of the one she recently used on her Kiss Me Once tour.
Back were the signature hits, as well as some ‘80s covers (Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes,” complete with ‘80s photo-shoot-inspired video backdrop; Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration,” as she donned a Xanadu-tastic shiny gold jumpsuit to set the tone). She did keep one Kiss Me Once song, “Into the Blue,” which closes the show and finds Kylie sporting a black, beautifully tailored coat. If Kiss Me Once was winter, Kylie looked like she was ready for summer.