Customer Reviews

Die Another Day [Vinyl]

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

Die Another Day was the first new song from Madonna for more than two years. The success of the album "Music" was fuelled by huge hits such as the No.1 title track, and Don't Tell Me. 2000 was the huge year for Madonna, so she decided to take a break for the best part of 2002 after a mammoth world tour in 2001. Finally, in November 2002, Madonna did return to the music scene with the theme to the new James Bond motion picture, Die Another Day. The song was unlike any other Bond theme before it, and received mixed reviews. I personally love the song and think it's one of Madonna's best dance songs of her career. The song was a huge US Top 10 hit, and peaked at No.3 in the UK charts - her 50th Top 10 hit in Britain.

Die Another Day begins off dramatically and instantly with the slamming of a door and a deep violin hovering over the arrangement. The beat then kicks in and Madonna begins to sing the first verse, "I'm gonna wake up, yes and no. I'm gonna kiss some part of. I'm gonna keep this secret. I'm gonna close my body now." The chorus then kicks in with a funky and trippy beat, where Madonna sings "I guess I'll die another day" in a distorted voice. The violins then pack more punches, and her vocals become more fluent and constructive as she sings the chorus once more. She then whispers "Analyze this" three times, before singing the second verse, "I'm gonna break the cycle. I'm gonna shake up the system. I'm gonna destroy my ego. I'm gonna close my body now. Uh - uh!" The chorus then starts up again, but this time it's longer and more computer effects are added, and it just sounds so wonderfully hi-tech and modern. The song then dies down again, and we are left with just the trademark Bond violins and Madonna sings, "I'm gonna avoid the cliché. I'm gonna suspend my senses. I'm gonna de-ate my pleasure. I'm gonna close my body now," before singing the chorus low-key, before the stomping of feet make an interesting beat and Madonna laughs before saying, "I need to lie down!" The chorus is then repeated a few more times until the song ends with the wonderful violins that play the song out for more than 30 seconds.

The video to Die Another Day is awesome. It has the Bond theme, where Madonna is taken prisoner in an all-male underground place. She is subjected to dirty and degrading acts such as having her head plunged in water and tied down on tables. She's wearing a pair of army pants and a cropped top. Her hair is messy and she is covered in cuts and bruises. Oddly, I think she looks rather attractive in this video! My mum thinks the video is vile, but what does she know? Madonna eventually survives an electric chair after fighting an evil double of herself in a museum, and dancing around in a bathroom with a chain and cutting herself! If you haven't seen the video, it'll sound a bit confusing - but it's really not. It's a wonderful work of video art that I love watching time and time again. I have so far reviewed more than 50 Madonna singles, all in order of UK release and I haven't mentioned the remixes of the songs - not because I don't actually have the CD single to comment on it (I do), but I'd end up twittering on for reams and reams about it. So I therefore prefer to focus on the actual song, but you just can't review Die Another Day without mentioning the remixes! The "Thunderpuss Club Mix" and "Thee RetroLectro Mix" are absolutely fantastic! I think I listen to them more than the actual version! All in all, a fantastic dance song from Madonna that shows she is keeping ahead of the times with a superb video to accompany it.

Madonna continually renews herself in every piece of work she does, as most artists should, she captures the essence of what going out on limbs can do for careers and talent.

DAD is just another stepping stone for Madge. The maxi-single packs nearly an hour of remixed music. Fans will ultimately recognize the remix act of Barry Harris and Chris Cox otherwise known as Thunderpuss. Their contribution melts the beats of the original with a much faster uptake, resulting in a dance club smash. It will be no surprise when this version takes the #1 spot on Billboards dance charts. Do be aware that this version is not a typical Thunderpuss remix. The remix doesn't evoke that much of a dance floor smash, but it will become one because it is Madonna.

The recent electronica band, Dirty Vegas, submits a remix, it is interesting to note that Madonna chose an established band to do a remix. A wise choice it was indeed!

The remixers are almost all entrirely new, so if you are a collector of Madonna remixers, this is a good deal for those to see different remix styles.

All in all, another typical Madonna remix, however, one that you can listen to and not get bored with.

Who better than Madonna, an artist constantly "reinventing" herself, to be the one to herald in a new sound to the venerable spy saga?

The new single, "Die Another Day", beginning with the series' trademark ominous and menacing intro, launches into a bass-heavy rhythm reminiscent of the singer's hit "Music". The respective remixes of the original track add to Madonna's ever growing and most appreciative, at least by this listener, string of dance favorites.

Madonna has been a consistent chart topper for close to two decades and this latest offering assures that she will be with us for many more to come.

There's a reason Madonna has been at the top of the charts for twenty years, it's called TALENT. That voice just gets better with age. If you are a Madonna fan, or if you just like great dance tracks, get the cd.

Although some people have a different opinion, I think this song works great as a James Bond theme. Also, Madonna looks fantastic in the cd cover photograph. She's got a sexy 60's British look as if she walked right out of an Avengers episode. In fact, I would have bought the cd just for the photograph.

OMG, I adore this song! The lyrics are actually excellent, in my opinion. I love the "analyze this" part. The movie itself is horrible but this theme song rox! Also, check out her "American Life" album. Contrary to popular opinion, it's a brilliant album. Love ya, Madonna!

I've gotta' hand it to Madonna. She's been around for almost 20 years, and charts in the Top 40 with almost every single she releases. Her newest offering, the title song for the 20th James Bond film, is no exception.

"Die Another Day" is a trippy, thumping, techno-beat song that is reminiscent of her previous "Music" release (the 2000 album, and, more precisely, it's title track). There is a thin, but powerful beat which carries the song throughout, some stutter effects for good measure, and a lot of twirly-synth effects, typical of a Madonna/Mirwais production. It is a good, solid, techno song, and, of course, includes a good amount of strings, so that one won't totally forget that it is a Bond song that they are listening to.

The radio edit is just the right length. The other versions are each quite distinct, though not all to my tastes. My favorite remixes are by Dirty Vegas and Brother Brown. Dirty Vegas creates a fresh, clean sound for their club version, and Brother Brown adds a thumpier base line, and, in my opinion, a slightly more Bond-esque vibe.

That the Bond producers chose Madonna as their film's songstress was an inspired choice. She hasn't let them down here. It has been said that her "Die Another Day" doesn't sound enough like a Bond song. That, to me, is a good thing. After 40 years, the venerable super spy series needed a bit of reinvention in this department. And if there's one person out there in the world of music who can successfully pull off reinvention - it is Madonna.

Though not the best song she has ever recorded, it is still catchy as hell and hard to forget. It is a jumpy slice of modern techno, multi-tracked vocals but in true madonna fashion, she injects some great pop hooks to attract people who don't go to discos that often.

Madonna's latest, DIE ANOTHER DAY, is perhaps the most experimental dance song she's ever released as a single. It sounds great on the radio and definitely grows on you over time, even though it's a simple song lyrically. The remixes included here are pretty cool and varied, although they become repetitive when the entire CD is played. Yet another winner from the great Madonna. This single also made history when it entered the US Top 10...it became her 35th Top 10 single, putting her ahead of the Beatles (34 top 10 songs) and into second place for most Top 10 songs ever (only Elvis is ahead of her with 38). She's supposed to release a new full-length CD next year, and if DIE ANOTHER DAY is any indicator, it should be great.

The title track theme to the latest James Bond movie due out this month is an improbable but ultimately satisfying pairing of The Material Girl with Agent 007. Bond's music can now resemble his gadgetry: sophisticated, cutting edge technology. James has been found on the dance floor previously, starting way back with Duran Duran in the 80's, and in the 90's with the Club Mix of Tina Turner's "Goldeneye" as well as no fewer than two electro covers of the "James Bond Theme," including a rather famous one by Moby. But now with Madonna, a Bond track will truly reach a massive and far more diverse club audience. The CD5 includes remixes which should satisfy nearly every taste. My tastes are torn between the Dirty Vegas Main Mix and the Thunderpuss Club Mix. If you are a fan of electronica, then the Radio Edit is definitely for you. Upon first listen, I thought it must be a young girl like Britney Spears singing, for Madonna has set aside her maturing vocals for a much younger, popish sound. Once I realized it was Madonna, I almost expected her to break out in "Music... makes the people... come together... yeah!," as the radio mix is so very similar to "Music." In fact, both were produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzai. As for the remixes, my first tendancy was toward the Dirty Vegas mix due to my extreme weakness for lush orchestration and supreme production value (being the discodoc that I am), however I found myself being pulled toward the very creative and ear-popping Thunderpuss mix. This mix along with their remixes of Janet's "All For You" and Mary J Blige's "No More Drama" seem to be clear evidence that Harris and Cox have found a different, more unique cookie-cutter than the one they had been using over the past several years. They've managed to incorporate nearly every element of the original, including (to my delight) the tango break. It lacks the majority of the amazing string arrangement that make the Dirty Vegas mix so appealing, but what it lacks, it makes up for and then some with it's ingenuity. At 9:25 and with it's constant suprises, it almost seems to "fly by" when compared to the slightly drawn out 10:08 of the Dirty Vegas mix. As for the remainder of the lot, Felix Da Housecat's "Thee RetroLectro Mix" is somewhat interesting due to it's eerie, somewhat gothic sound, but should mainly appeal to those ultra-trendy "underground" New York clubs as opposed to a more mainstream audience. I expect that I will have little use for it until next Halloween. "Deepsky Remix" starts out rather nobley, in an attempt to create a similar albeit less enticing sound as the Dirty Vegas Mix. However, the final 3 minutes of this mix meander into dub-land, making the mix as a whole quite forgettable. The final mix is by far the worst of all: "Brother Brown's Bond-Age Club" has nothing more than a creative title going for it. The poor thing is filled with annoying and utterly useless sound effects (in contrast with the rather interesting bells and whistles of the original mix) and a droning quality similar to a visit to the dentist which seems to take forever to end. However, while an occasional trip to the dentist is necessary, this remix was not. For the Dirty Vegas and Thunderpuss remixes, I give this release 5 stars.

While Madonna herself was not necessarily a surprising choice as the singer of the most recent James Bond theme, this song certainly is. Another collaboration of Madonna and French techno artist Mirwais, "Die Another Day" is a minimalist techno-pop creation reminiscent of Madonna's 2000 hit "Music" (which also featured Mirwais as co-writer and co-producer). Eschewing the traditional diva vocals and heavy orchestration that characterizes many Bond themes, Madonna has given us a bleep-heavy theme with lyrics that are either cryptic or nonsensical (I haven't decided yet).

The remixes on the single actually overshadow the main mix in terms of their production quality and drama. My favorite so far is by techno act Dirty Vegas: a 10-minute, kinetic, not-gonna-stop club epic. Felix Da Housecat provides an intriguing electro-heavy remix perfect for casual listening or slow grooves. Deepsky gives us a trance-infected dance mix that relies heavily on dramatic string swells. Brother Brown's mix is a dub-like remix good for transitions in-between other, stronger mixes.

I fault the single only for the Thunderpuss mix. Thunderpuss has done fantastic mixes in the past, most notably for Amber's club smash "Sexual." However, this remix is a train wreck of epic proportions, lacking any strength or cohesion or sense of transition between motifs. How quickly the mighty have fallen.

All in all, a good single, and worth buying for any Madonna fan.