Iconic (song)
It was written by Madonna, Toby Gad, Maureen McDonald, Larry Griffin Jr., Chancelor Bennett, Dacoury Natche and Michael Tucker.
A trap-influenced EDM, hip hop and dance-pop song, "Iconic" features in its instrumentation "ice-cold" synths, marching drums and "booming" bass, as well as machinic stabs and electronic gears.
Chance and Madonna had met before through American recording artist Frank Ocean in a concert and became friends, prompting the singer to accept Jay Z's suggestion.
According to the singer, "I was thinking: who is in my eyes super iconic, who do I look up to, who is alive today that's been through what I feel like I've been through, that's been through a lot, survived, has stories to tell, has evolved as human being [...] is a survivor, his name came to mind right away."
[12] To avoid further leaks, Madonna released six completed tracks with the pre-order for the album on the iTunes Store on December 20, 2014, as an "early Christmas gift".
[14][15] "Iconic" was written by Madonna, Toby Gad, Maureen McDonald, Larry Griffin Jr., Chancelor Bennett, Dacoury Natche and Michael Tucker.
[1] It is an EDM,[16][17][18] hip hop[18] and dance-pop[19] with trap influences,[20][21][22] that starts with a "crowd cheering"[17] and "rapturous applause"[23] as Tyson opens the song with "a boastful spoken word segment".
[24] Later, the verses build up, with the hook having "a stomping rhythm to be sung 'en masse', with a high euphoric melody like a precocious, pre-recession club classic", as The Quietus' Amy Pettifer described.
"[26] Lyrically, "Iconic" talks about taking control of your life and letting your inner fire burn[27] and encourages listeners to pursue their dreams.
"[23] In another part, during the motivational encouragement, she informs that "there's only two letters difference between 'I Can't' and 'Icon',"[29] while also inspiring the listeners to find their own greatness, singing: "Just shine your light like a beautiful star / Show the world who you are.
Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times noted that the song is driving by "focus", which puts it "into that sweet spot between club frenzy and revelatory lyricism, the kind that can lift spirits to emotional heights.
"[32] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph described it as a song that "reflect[s] a contemporary trend for fast, furious and funny mash ups of conflicting ideas, constantly teetering on the edge of collapse but pulling out another beat or hook to keep things moving.
"[33] In a similar mode, Kyler Anderson of Entertainment Weekly confessed that he thought the song would be his "most-skipped track", but admitted that he "kind of admire its barely-conscious chaos.
"[34] James Grebey of Spin dismissed Tyson's inclusion, however he praised the song for having a statement that is the album's lynchpin and that "[w]ith its robotic, authoritarian droning, 'Iconic' conveys the point that — love her or hate her — Madonna is an icon, and you’re not getting rid of her anytime soon.
"[35] John Marrs of Gay Times gave the track four out of five stars, claiming that "the finished product is wholly different from the demo and much more gutsy, getting better with every play.
"[20] Sam C. Mac of Slant Magazine noted that the song has the album's "toughest, weirdest beat, not to mention a show-stopping Chance the Rapper verse and a pretty disarming message from the singer herself."
He was unsure if Madonna meant to "embrace her iconic status or fight her way out from under its oppressive expectations" during the track, but praised the discontent and uncommon message for making the album her "most committed work since 2003's underrated 'American Life'.
He continued: "The ominous beat drops are certainly more ‘on-trend’ than, say, 'Hold Tight,' but the song still feels (mostly) fresh and strange, as opposed to the late-to-the-party dubstep/EDM excursion on 'MDNA'.
It begins with a video featuring Madonna in a glamorous dress cavorting with bare-bodied males juxtaposed with Mike Tyson talking inside of a cage.
"[51] Melissa Maerz wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "As visually spectacular as it was narratively [sic] heavy-handed, it felt like a callback to her last tour, 'MDNA', which featured a dark charade that found Madonna wielding a gun on stage.
"[52] The performance of the song at the March 19–20, 2016 shows in Sydney's Allphones Arena was recorded and released in Madonna's fifth live album, Rebel Heart Tour.
