Holy Water (Madonna song)
Lyrically, the song talks about cunnilingus, where Madonna compares her vaginal fluids to holy water, juxtaposing Christian imagery with sexuality.
"Holy Water" divided music critics; some deemed it a standout and one of the most scandalous tracks of Madonna's career, while others felt it was embarrassing and over the top.
[8] "Holy Water" was written by Madonna, Martin Kierszenbaum, Natalia Keery-Fisher, Mike Dean, Kanye West and Tommy Brown.
[13] Lyrically, the song talks about worshiping cunnilingus,[11] with Madonna comparing oral sex to holy water,[14] and as noted by Billboard's Vanessa Grigoriadis, it was named after her lifelong obsessions,[15] since it features "church-baiting innuendos,"[16] "juxtaposing Christian imagery with frank sexuality".
[19] Adam R. Holz of Plugged In (publication) noted that the song "finds Madonna returning to her longstanding habit of sexing up spiritual imagery".
"[22] While reviewing Rebel Heart in Time Out, Nick Levine called it "a brilliantly ridiculous hymn to cunnilingus", where Madonna manages to "alternate between showing off, getting off and taking stock.
"[12] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Madonna sells the song, due to "the bass gurgles that remind[ed him] of classic Massive Attack or the reference to 'Vogue.
The reviewer believed that Madonna deliberately included provocative lyrics in the song, either to bring back her persona Dita Parlo from her 1992 studio album Erotica, or just to make a statement "about women of a certain age unapologetically flexing their libidos".
"[26] In her review of the album, The Guardian's Kitty Empire labelled it a silly track that "maintain[s] the long-term narrative of Catholic-poking that runs through Madonna's libidinous oeuvre.
"[27] Lewis Corner of Digital Spy opined that the track is "frustrating because the production is sharp and offers some of the most interesting moments on the album, but the overtly sexual lyrics feel like forced shock value.
"[28] In August 2018, Billboard picked it as the singer's 83rd greatest song, calling it "a revved up version of her seductive Erotica-era bedroom romps [...] Only Madonna could make blasphemy taste this good".
[36][40] The performance of the song at the March 19–20, 2016 shows in Sydney's Allphones Arena was recorded and released in the singer's fifth live album, Rebel Heart Tour.
"[40] Jon Pareles of The New York Times named it "the show's blasphemy quota",[42] while Michael Hamersly of Miami Herald called it an "over-the-top" performance.
[34] Jordan Zivitz of The Montreal Gazette opined: "Twenty-six years after 'Like a Prayer''s video scandalized the Vatican and parents who relied on MTV as a cheap babysitter, the sight of dancers twisting down steel crucifixes while Madonna snapped 'bitch, get off my pole' in 'Holy Water' was hopefully intended to be comical".
[43] During the Asian-leg of the tour in Singapore, Madonna was banned from performing "Holy Water" by the Media Development Authority (MDA) due to the "sexually explicit" and "religiously sensitive" nature of the act.
