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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.


Another dance remix smash   October 23, 2002
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

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.


Avoiding The Cliché Yet Again!   September 12, 2003
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

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.


What A Waste Of A Good Idea   October 31, 2002
 9 out of 19 found this review helpful

With the 40th anniversary of the Bond movie franchise, and Die Another Day paying homage to the last films (from the bikinis of Dr, No to 007's Aston Martin...) this song is a total shame. Don't get me wrong, I do like Madonna, and as a Madonna song it is fine. In fact, it follows the style of her last two albums and Madonna fans will embrace it.

The theme song is almost as important as the film when you look at the history of the Bond series. What gets me is that David Arnold (the John Barry of the last 10 years or so) has written amazing scores and title tracks for the last few Bond movies. He knows how to combine the vintage John Barry style with today's modern electronic sounds, never losing sight of tradition. The sounds have been fresh, yet classic (pick up his album "Shaken & Stirred" and you can hear his genius).

For this song however, I don't hear any of the David Arnold I have enjoyed during the last few films. This sounds like nothing more than a Madonna single, and a boring one at that. When I listen to Arnold's collaborations with the likes of Garbage (The World Is Not Enough,) Bjork (Play Dead,) or Nina Persson (Randall & Hopkirk) I can hear that modern spy-tinged sound that is missing in Die Another Day.

I can only hope that the movie is better than the title song. With so many vintage Bond-isms promised in the film, I can't understand why the theme song came out as it did. Don't waste your money. The special edition DVD for the film will be out in a year, and the video for the song will be a bonus feature (which I will not use).

Final word: Bond fans will most likely reject the song, while Madonna fans will embrace it.


Madonna's back in a big way!   October 26, 2002
 7 out of 10 found this review helpful

Madonna is one of the handful of pop artists today that has remained relevant to me, and we all know how stale the pop market is nowadays. Madonna is a chameleon. She is constantly evolving, her image as well as her music. On her last album of original material "Music", Madonna's music continued to delve into techno music but with a more edgier sound that was more in tune with Daft Punk and Rinocerose than what listeners heard on "Ray of Light". Picking up where she left off with producer Mirwais, Madonna's latest single is for the new James Bond film "Die Another Day". The song itself reminds me a lot of "Music" with its Rinocerose-like beats and the vocoder used for the vocals. The only difference is "Die Another Day" is a lot better than "Music". The remixes of "Die Another Day" is great, including the Thunderpuss remix. I have never been a fan of Thunderpuss to begin with but I thought they did a fairly decent job of remixing "Die Another Day". I think I prefer their remix over the Thee RetroLectro Mix which I thought was rather bland since electroclash seems to be the latest rage in dance music at the moment. My favorite remixes were the Dirty Vegas Main Mix and the Deepsky Remix. "Die Another Day" is a mere tidbit before the public can expect another full-length album from the queen of pop herself early next year.