Madonna and Sam Smith have just released their brand-new track, aptly named ‘Vulgar’.
The duo only announced their song earlier this week, but it’s already been met with bad reviews from outlets like The Guardian, who have described it as “a tame attempt at manufacturing outrage”.
In fact, the British newspaper gave singers a scathing review and only two out of five stars.
“The most shocking thing about Madonna and Sam Smith’s much-trailed collaborative single may be that it apparently took seven people to write,” reviewer Alexis Petridis writes.
Though, the crux of the issues with the single is really the fact that the pair – who have both been in and out of controversy in recent months – have made a real effort to be as ‘vulgar’ as possible. I mean, they gotta stay on-brand, right?
Madonna, 64, and Smith, 30, first teased their upcoming collaboration on May 31, when they posted a short snippet of both of them verbalizing their names with the tag S X M (obviously in reference to S&M).
The questionable reviews are just a small drop in the ocean for both singers, who have received a ton of backlash for different things of late.
Smith has come under fire thanks to their live performances of their number one single ‘Unholy’ – which tells the story of a man in an adulterous relationship. The Brit has often played upon the scandalous subject matter of the song, repeatedly taking to the stage in flamboyant outfits that have a demonic flare.
Back in February, Smith performed the track live at the 65th annual Grammy Awards alongside collaborator Kim Petras. That particular performance received an outpouring of backlash from viewers after Smith opted to perform in a red outfit complete with a horned top hat.
Multiple public figures came out with complaints about their recent outfits – including Andrew Tate, 36, who misgendered the non-binary star as he tweeted: “This is Sam Smith. Why does he need to literally worship the devil as openly and abhorrently as possible to sing his songs?”
This is Sam Smith.
Why does he need to literally worship the devil as openly and abhorrently as possible to sing his songs? https://t.co/Q7VqXcRNA6
— Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) April 14, 2023
Madonna, on the other hand, has been criticized for simply doing what any other person does: Age. (Though, her often bizarre behavior on social media apps like TikTok surely hasn’t helped.)
In response to the ageism, she has experienced, the ‘Like A Virgin’ singer took to Twitter to write a cryptic post that read: “The world is threatened by my power and my stamina. My intelligence and my will to survive, but they will never break me. This is all the test.”
The world is threatened by my power and my stamina. My intelligence and my will to survive.
But they will never break me
this is all the test. pic.twitter.com/XvcaaG0Rrs— Madonna (@Madonna) February 7, 2023
It’s no wonder, therefore, that both Madonna and Smith have chosen to harness the controversy they’ve faced by penning a song that they hoped would be equally as attention-grabbing, containing lyrics like: “Boy, get down on your knees ’cause I am Madonna / If you f**k with Sam tonight, you’re f**king with me / So watch what you say or I’ll split your banana.” Yikes.
The new music has received some mixed opinions online, with one person tweeting: “They should’ve left it in the studio. the song sounds unfinished.”
Another user added: “It’s… horrible? so cringe.”
Someone else commented on the fact the song actually doesn’t even have a chorus, writing: “I know they reference it in the song but the lack of chorus is a shame.”
A day after the Grammys, as trolls mocked Madonna's face and conservatives feigned Satanic panic over Sam Smith's performance, the two blew off steam in the recording studio, resulting in a fierce duet: #Vulgar. https://t.co/9SCbGHbuJa
— Bradley Stern (@MuuMuse) June 10, 2023
A day after the Grammys, as trolls mocked Madonna's face and conservatives feigned Satanic panic over Sam Smith's performance, the two blew off steam in the recording studio, resulting in a fierce duet: #Vulgar. https://t.co/9SCbGHbuJa
— Bradley Stern (@MuuMuse) June 10, 2023
A day after the Grammys, as trolls mocked Madonna's face and conservatives feigned Satanic panic over Sam Smith's performance, the two blew off steam in the recording studio, resulting in a fierce duet: #Vulgar. https://t.co/9SCbGHbuJa
— Bradley Stern (@MuuMuse) June 10, 2023
Others disagreed, arguing that the song was perfect for some summer listening, chiming in with: “This song is so good and the timing of the release is perfect. Just in time for summer.”
A further netizen simply wrote: “I love this song!!”
A day after the Grammys, as trolls mocked Madonna's face and conservatives feigned Satanic panic over Sam Smith's performance, the two blew off steam in the recording studio, resulting in a fierce duet: #Vulgar. https://t.co/9SCbGHbuJa
— Bradley Stern (@MuuMuse) June 10, 2023
A day after the Grammys, as trolls mocked Madonna's face and conservatives feigned Satanic panic over Sam Smith's performance, the two blew off steam in the recording studio, resulting in a fierce duet: #Vulgar. https://t.co/9SCbGHbuJa
— Bradley Stern (@MuuMuse) June 10, 2023
A day after the Grammys, as trolls mocked Madonna's face and conservatives feigned Satanic panic over Sam Smith's performance, the two blew off steam in the recording studio, resulting in a fierce duet: #Vulgar. https://t.co/9SCbGHbuJa
— Bradley Stern (@MuuMuse) June 10, 2023
Controversy or not, at least Madonna and Smith are cashing in on the trolling!
