The video: In the four years since Madonna released her last album, Hard Candy, the likes of Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, and Katy Perry have all made bids for her throne. But now, the original Queen of Pop is making (another) comeback, releasing "Give Me All Your Luvin," the first single off her upcoming album, MDNA (set for a March 26 release). Both Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. guest on the song and in the video (watch below), as cheerleaders dutifully chanting "L-U-V, Madonna! Y-O-U, you wanna?!" In a bit of canny cross-promotion for Madonna's upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, football players litter the video, flanking the 53-year-old singer as she struts about, bursts through walls, splits a taxi in half, and references at least three of her personas from the past. The clip concludes, modestly, with the scribbled word "Touchdown."
The reaction: "Give Me All Your Luvin" is a "fun, playful ego boost" for the Queen of Pop, says Idolator. To shore up her self-esteem, she subjugates two of music's hottest young stars to serve as "her own personal cheer squad." The mere presence of Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. in a Madonna song is enough to leave me "terrified and confused," says Nicole James at MTV, but "Give Me All Your Luvin" is so "peppy" that I'm instantly won over. This is just the kind of "solid bubble gum pop with a healthy dose of camp and fun" at which Madonna excels, and tying the video in with her upcoming Super Bowl appearance is characteristically savvy. The song and video are certainly bouncy, says Michael Cragg at the U.K.'s Guardian, but Madonna still gives a flat performance. "Given all the love she's demanding, you'd think she'd be more excited." Judge for yourself:
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