• Portuguese Translation

Madonna commented on her new look for the music video:

After a while I got sick of wearing tons of jewelry—I wanted to clean myself off. I see my new look as very innocent and feminine and unadorned. It makes me feel good. Growing up, I admired the kind of beautiful glamorous woman—from Brigitte Bardot to Grace Kelly—who doesn’t seem to be around much anymore. I think it’s time for that kind of glamor to come back. In pop music generally, people have one image. You get pigeonholed. I’m lucky enough to be able to change and still be accepted. If you think about it, that’s what they do in the movies; play a part, change characters, looks and attitudes. I guess I do it to entertain myself.

Yes. During her 2006 Confessions Tour, Madonna performed “Live to Tell” wearing a crown of thorns while hanging from a mirrored cross. This provoked the wrath of the Vatican.

Madonna then released a statement about it:

I am very grateful that my show was so well received all over the world. But there seems to be many misinterpretations about my appearance on the cross and I wanted to explain it myself once and for all.

There is a segment in my show where three of my dancers ‘confess’ or share harrowing experiences from their childhood that they ultimately overcame. My ‘confession’ follows and takes place on a Crucifix that I ultimately come down from. This is not a mocking of the church. It is no different than a person wearing a Cross or ‘Taking Up the Cross’ as it says in the Bible. My performance is neither anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole. I believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive today he would be doing the same thing.

My specific intent is to bring attention to the millions of children in Africa who are dying every day, and are living without care, without medicine and without hope. I am asking people to open their hearts and minds to get involved in whatever way they can. The song ends with a quote from the Bible’s Book of Matthew: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you took care of me and God replied, “Whatever you did for the least of my brothers… you did it to me.’

Please do not pass judgement without seeing my show.