CULTURAL REVOLUTION AS POP POSSIBILITY
An essay inspired by Madonna's "Holiday"
Travis Egedy
If we took a holiday, took some time to celebrate. Just one day out of life, it would be, it would be so nice
So say the opening lyrics to Madonna’s 1983 mega hit "Holiday." Simple enough, right? Who doesn’t like a holiday? Indeed, it would be nice. You are sitting on a tropical island, sipping a pina colada under a parasol, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing in the distance, think of those Corona commercials…yes quite nice. But what if this was not the kind of "holiday" being sung about over the catchiest three note bassline ever? What if "holiday" was describing a possibility? A possibility of a future with a highly radical and extremely revolutionary cultural ideology? It is interesting to project this idea onto a seemingly simplistic sugar soaked pop song, but with this outlook, "Holiday" becomes one of the most culturally progressive and idealistic anarcho-utopianist visions of our time, all while being broadcast to millions via pop radio and television. (I highly suggest watching the music video on Youtube.) Woah ,woah, what? Yes, a pop song with lyrics that define and outline quite possibly the next phase in human evolution, and one that describes an opening into an alternative reality.
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