Madonna's Material World

Lyrics

[Intro]
So, like... what's the play?
Satire? Anthem?
Or the greatest grift of all time?

[Verse 1]
The year is nineteen eighty-five.
MTV is, like, actually alive.
And there she is.
On every single screen.
A pop-art Marilyn, a post-modern queen.
Pink satin dress, gloves up to there.
Throwing fake money in the air.
The critics are scribbling, so very concerned.
Is this a lesson, or a bridge being burned?
They all wanted to know if she meant it.

[Chorus]
Oh, the beautiful question! The perfect con!
Was she selling the dream, or just leading them on?
A material world, a material girl.
The best kind of lie is a diamond-dusted swirl.
She never, ever told.
And that refusal? Pure gold.

[Verse 2]
Decades later, they're still writing the takes.
For goodness sakes.
Gender studies theses, economic critiques.
All for a banger that lasted three weeks at its peak.
Compare it to now.
The hashtag-ad life, the wellness guru.
So obvious, so totally see-through.
She did it with a wink and a sneer-grin.
The only way to win is to let nobody in.

[Chorus]
Oh, the beautiful question! The perfect con!
Was she selling the dream, or just leading them on?
A material world, a material girl.
The best kind of lie is a diamond-dusted swirl.
She never, ever told.
And that refusal? Pure gold.

[Bridge]
She told one magazine it was tongue-in-cheek.
Then told another her soul was not weak, she was "very material."
Thank you, Madonna, for the masterclass in bad faith.
For making a fortune on keeping it straight-faced.
You built the whole palace on maybe.
You drove them all crazy.
You taught us how value is made.
It's a dare, it's a look, it's a pop-star crusade.

[Chorus]
Oh, the beautiful question! The perfect con!
Was she selling the dream, or just leading them on?
A material world, a material girl!
The best kind of lie is a diamond-dusted swirl!
She never, ever told!
And that refusal? Pure! Gold!

[Outro]
Material.
Ironic.
Iconic.
Capital.