Madonna inaugurates the era by releasing ‘La Bambola’, a version of Patty Pravo’s 1968 classic that, according to rumors, will not be part of her next album. Ciccone’s version of ‘La Bambola’ is so faithful to the original that it would not fit in a second part of ‘Confessions on a Dancefloor’, although Stuart Price is still the producer of the song, probably arising from the sessions for that future album.
It goes without saying – perhaps because you’ve already read the rumors – that Madonna sings the song in Italian.
‘La Bambola’ is, in reality, a release that accompanies Madonna’s new campaign for Dolce & Gabbana, and that is how it appears titled in streaming. Strangely, Warner has forgotten to change the release date of ‘La Bambola’ on Spotify, so that right now it appears dated “October 1”, as if it had been a release prior to the reissue of ‘Bedtime Stories’.
The rumored release date was this Friday, January 9, so it appears to have been brought forward.
‘La Bambola’ respects the retro style of Patty Pravo’s version, although it opts for a sound closer to exotic than traditional pop, even including moans, and does not highlight guitars and strings as much as the original recording. It is worth highlighting, on the other hand, Madonna’s vocal performance – and who knows, also her accent -, more serious and hoarse than usual in certain phrases, although still capable – especially in the high notes – of giving a very personal emotion to this classic melody by Patty Pravo.
Charging …