Illuminati (Madonna song)
It was written by Madonna Ciccone, Toby Gad, Maureen McDonald, Larry Griffin Jr., Mike Dean, Kanye West, Ernest Brown and Jacques Webster.
The song received favorable reviews from music critics, who commended West involvement with the track, and its ambitious sound and lyrics, while some chose it as one of the album's highlights.
On the singer's Rebel Heart Tour (2015–16), the track was used as an interlude featuring dancers strapped to tall, flexible poles; it was considered one of the show's main highlights.
[7][8] To avoid further leaks, Madonna released six completed tracks, including the final version of "Illuminati" with the addition of West's writing and production, with the pre-order for the album on the iTunes Store on December 20, 2014, as an "early Christmas gift".
[9] "Illuminati" was written by Madonna Ciccone, Toby Gad, Maureen McDonald, Larry Griffin Jr., Mike Dean, Kanye West, Ernest Brown and Travis Scott.
[10] The song was produced by Madonna, West, Dean and Symbolyc One, with co-production by Charlie Heat and additional production by Travis Scott.
[16][18][19] The song's lyrics are about Illuminati conspiracy theories; Madonna sings and raps about supposed illuminati luminaries including Jay Z, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Barack Obama, LeBron James, Lil Wayne, Pope Francis, Queen Elizabeth II, Bill Clinton, Rihanna, and Oprah Winfrey.
The song also mentions fashion organizations Gucci and Prada and other Illuminati symbolisms like the Golden Calf of Exodus, triangles, the Pyramids of Giza, phoenixes, pentagrams and the "Google of the United States".
[18][20] According to Amy Pettifer, Madonna " ... reckons it's the beautiful freaks of the club that hold the power, not these celebrity cyphers; she's interested in the sweat-slicked celestial bodies, 'shining like illuminati' ".
[24] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times called it "one of the record's highlights", saying, "[s]he raps during [the song] and doesn’t sound totally ridiculous".
[25] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said, "West gives 'Illuminati' the Yeezus treatment ... her rapped verses about the titular secret society are clean and tight enough to make you forget about 'American Life' ".
"[29] For Kitty Empire of The Guardian said "Rebel Heart's key collaboration with Kanye West finds two of pop's biggest egomaniacs starring in a wiggly club banger that doubles as a take-down of the internet's most nutzoid meme".
"[32] Jim Farber of The New York Daily News said West "gave her a dark needling rhythm that sounds like something left over from his last album.
"[33] Andrew Unterberger of Spin said the song "wastes a potentially explosive, blacklit Kanye beat on a muddled, hashtagging lyric that isn’t even as conspiracy-baiting as it thinks it is".
[38] Jordan Zivitz of the Montreal Gazette praised the performance, writing that the dancers "nearly stole the show in their employer's absence during another costume change, set to Illuminati's woozy thump".
[39] In the New York magazine review of the tour, Lindsay Zolatz commended the dancers, especially during "Illuminati", writing that it was the "most impressive" part of the show, with "some guys in top hats flying through the air on wobbly stilts that had the whole audience gasping".
[40] Kitty Empire of The Guardian said, "Madonna's interludes are as good as the main event", and that the performance of "Illuminati" "finds seven dancers strapped to the top of tall, flexible poles, swaying precipitously".
[41] The Hollywood Reporter's Ashley Lee said, "Madonna's dancers served impressive spectacles that left the crowd gasping in awe, as they leaned wildly into the audience from atop ten-foot stilts.
"[42] The performance 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.
