‘Beautiful Killer’: The song Madonna made with a “tyrant” producer
“I was just a lot more goal-oriented and commercial-minded than they were,” said Madonna when speaking about the band she played in when she initially moved to New York. The singer, Dan Gilroy, and his brother, Ed, were in a punk band called The Breakfast Club, and while playing experimental music was fun, it wasn’t what Madonna had in mind for her career. “I took advantage of the situation,” she said. “I wanted to know everything they knew because I knew I could make it work to my benefit.”
From early on in her career, Madonna had a clear goal in mind: to sell records and move people. She is the epitome of a pop artist, not only someone who can be the vessel for fantastic music that appeals to wide audiences but also someone recognisable and likeable who can keep people interested even after the intensity of the hit song has worn off.
Prior to Madonna, pop artists would turn up, release a song, be the talk of the town for a few months, and then make way for somebody else. Madonna broke that cycle, planting her feet firmly into the ground, adamant about her ability as a musician and clued up on the fact that she could give the public something no other artist could.
Of course, as can be seen in her talking about The Breakfast Club, she wasn’t just driven by numbers. Yes, she wanted commercial success, but she also wanted to learn as much about music as possible. Whether this was from a punk band or from people who worked in more mainstream genres of music, Madonna knew there was stuff to learn, so she made it her priority to work with the best people in the industry.
As soon as Madonna had some hits out, it was clear to people that she was on to something special. As such, different music producers and engineers worldwide were keen on working with her. She formed a good relationship with some of them, like Nile Rodgers, who helped with her big song ‘Like a Virgin’. However, other producers pushed her incredibly hard, and she had some choice words for them.
Madonna and Martin Solveig collaborated on several songs, but one of the most notable is the 2012 track ‘Beautiful Killer’. Despite being released later in Madonna’s career, it’s still a great track that showcases her talent. The inspiration for the song came from their shared love of movies.
“We talked a lot about movies; she has a very impressive knowledge of French film from the ‘60s,” he said, “It’s the story of a killer, a very solitary person; the cinematic of the whole movie is really special.” Solveig helped put the song together, but he was adamant on getting it right, which meant making Madonna do over 25 takes. As a result, she began referring to Solveig as a “Tyrant”.
“She didn’t enjoy it and nicknamed me ‘The Tyrant’,” he recalled. It has to be said that there is undoubtedly some grit in Madonna’s voice on this track, and it’s hard to tell whether or not that might have been there after the first few takes. This track is the result of an obsession with film and an exhaustion with a producer, but its quality is undeniable.
