VIDEO by Mary
Lambert
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Madonna The
Immaculate
1983 Collection
1990
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“Borderline”,
the fourth single from Madonna’s debut album, was the first of her hits to go
top 10.
It was also another huge dance success,
peaking at #4 on the Club Play chart. In
addition, the song
showed obvious signs
of artistic grow, achieving a greater level of musical sophistication than her
previous releases and
also featuring a more complex lyrical structure. Until “Borderline” was released,
the album itself had
been grasping to life on the lower reaches of the charts, but soon forged its
way
into the top 10 due
to increasingly successful hits such as “Holiday”, “Borderline”, and later “Lucky
Star”.
Madonna herself was quickly becoming a
household name. With the “Borderline”
video receiving
heavy rotation on MTV, fans were finally getting a glimpse into
the life of the girl behind the songs.
Madonna, aware of the increasingly influential
video genre, was quick to understand the power and
potential of her
music videos. She sought attention, and
by exhibiting outrageous behavior before
the video camera, she
knew how to get it. The video for
“Borderline”, although tame by today’s
standards and even
more tame by the future standards of Madonna herself, was enough to create a
buzz and is
remembered today for its infamous bellybutton shot and the scene in which
Madonna
spray-paints an X on the crotch of a male statue. It was the first in a handful of Madonna's
videos to
be helmed by Mary
Lambert, whose work with Madonna would peak in 1989 with the video master-
piece, "Like A
Prayer". Nonetheless, early video
images such as those found in the "Borderline"
video act as some of
the earliest hints of the scandalous rebel about to emerge chest-first before
legions of adoring fans.
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