As the spirit moves

One of my favorite songs from the 80s is Mr. Mister's Kyrie.  The chorus features the phrase "Kyrie eliason," which is from the Roman Catholic mass and means, in Greek, "Lord have mercy."  The entire song, which speaks of longing and "the road that I must travel," is nothing less than a prayer.  It is heartfelt, and meaningful, and somewhat surpisingly in a decade not known for deep reflection, went to #1 on the BIllboard charts.

I was thinking of this song today in contrast to the empty posturing of Madonna.  Madonna's music is shallow, and void of true emotional content.  Where she uses spirituality or religion ("Like a Prayer" comes to mind), she does so manipulatively.  Her faith, whatever it may be, has no more significance than the rosaries she wore as jewelry at the beginning of her career.

I have no problem whatsoever with the explicitly sexual nature of Madonna's music.  So what.  Sex happens.  It is an important part of the human experience, one which is as deserving of being celebrated in song as any other.  Except, once again, she often uses it shallowly and for shock value.  Sex can be many things, from an deeply emotional undertaking, to funny, to empty pleasure-seeking.  The issue I have with Madonna's treatment of sex is that she manages to make it seem tawdry even as she seems to be attempting to represent it as something else.