Madonna’s visit to the Philippines made news for many reasons, the most obvious of which is that it is her first visit to the country, even if she’s been performing for 37 years. The two-day concert drew out the Queen of Pop’s fans, many of whom have waited decades to see her.
But true to form, Madonna has attracted controversy in Manila. The first was a statement by Lipa archbishop Ramon Arguelles, who asked why the Philippines is a favorite venue for blasphemy against God and the Holy Mother, referring to Madonna’s concert and Lady Gaga’s concert back in 2012. He also mentioned that Madonna is not even her real name, and that she is only using it to taunt Mother Mary (it’s her real name). The next is by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), which condemned Madonna’s use of the Philippine flag during the encore performance of “Holiday.” According to them, the flag shouldn’t be used as part of a costume.
For a Madonna fan who has followed her career for 11 years, this is the least of her worries. She has dealt with more dubious issues. Below are 10 of Madonna’s most scandalous controversies:
10. She’s had a string of (much) younger boyfriends
Through the years, the Material Girl has had a series of high-profile relationships, like with Jean-Michel Basquiat, Warren Beatty, Tony Ward, Vanilla Ice, and Dennis Rodman. She’s also been married twice, to Sean Penn in 1985 and to Guy Ritchie in 1999. After her divorce with Ritchie, Madonna shocked the world by dating much, much younger men, like model Jesus Luz (he was 22, she was 50), dancer Timor Steffens (he was 26, she was 55), and dancer Brahim Zaibat (he was 26, she was 56).
9. The “Like a Prayer” music video shocks with images of burning crosses, racism, and a black saint
When you first hear the song “Like a Prayer,” it sounds like a gospel song mixed with a little bit of rock. And it is a gospel song, as it compares a lover to a prayer with an accompanying choir. But when you watch its video, released in 1989, it shows so much more. The video tackles religion and racism through burning crosses, stigmata, and a black saint. The video became so controversial that the Vatican condemned the video and the pope banned Madonna from entering Italy. Pepsi also pulled out a commercial after the video came out, but she kept the $5 million she was paid. Despite the backlash, “Like a Prayer” signalled Madonna’s artistry, and was lauded as one of her best songs. Rolling Stone included it as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, while the album Like a Prayer has been included and TIME‘s all-TIME 100 albums and Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of all Time.
8. She tackled politics and criticized the American government in “American Life”
In 2003, “American Life,” the lead single from the album of the same name, criticized the American Dream under then-president George W. Bush. The disturbing video featured her anti-war stand against a military-themed fashion show that glamorized war. However, she was forced to pull it out after the US’s invasion of Iraq started. The second video featured a tamer Madonna singing in front of flags around the world. Sadly, the song was generally panned by critics. Similarly, in 2012, Madonna made news for her heavy use of firearms in the MDNA World Tour.
7. She entered the Confessions Tour stage crucified to a cross
In 2005, Madonna sang the song “Live to Tell,” a haunting song about deceit and mistrust, which critics have called her best ballad yet. It was part of her Confessions Tour, and it wouldn’t have made news, except she was hanging from a giant mirrored cross wearing a crown of thorns when she performed it. Madonna said that she did that to call attention to the millions of African children dying from poverty and AIDS (with the number 12,000,000 flashing on the screen behind her to signify the number of children who have have been orphaned because of AIDS, along with images of African children), but religious groups have called the performance an act of hostility, and an Italian cardinal called it blasphemy.
6. She sang about virginity and teen pregnancy… in the ’80s
The ’80s was a time of freedom and experimentation, but no one did it better than Madonna. In this decade, she released “Like a Virgin” and “Papa Don’t Preach.” “Like a Virgin,” released in 1984, became Madonna ‘s first number-one single in the Billboard Hot 100, and helped establish her as a pop culture icon. But because of the sexual innuendo, it was met with complaints by family organizations, who said that it promoted sex without marriage. It didn’t help that she sang this at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, where she gyrated in a sexy wedding dress. In 1986, she released “Papa Don’t Preach,” a song about keeping her baby. The song divided people, who either saw it as promoting teen pregnancy or a pro-life message. Madonna dedicated the song to Pope John Paul II, who urged Italian fans to boycott the Who’s That Girl World Tour in 1987.
Read more of Madonna’s most scandalous controversies on the next page!
