One could say that Madonna’s entire career was catapulted by the concept of a “Holiday.” After all, it was the name of her first successfully charting single (sorry “Everybody”) in 1983. Perhaps it was with the spirit of that festive, “one day out of life” track in mind that Madonna composed a certain song for Like A Prayer.
But even before “Keep It Together,” the Queen of Pop showed signs of being a total Bob Cratchit (try not to think: Crotchit). For in 1989, when Like A Prayer came out, it had only been two years since Ms. Ciccone provided what would be her first and only Christmas song, a cover of Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby” for 1987’s compilation, A Very Special Christmas. It was an already iconic ditty that M chose to sprinkle with the screwball comedy voice that had been infecting her performance as Nikki Finn in Who’s That Girl (released the same year as her cover), and remains one of the most unwarrantedly maligned Christmas singles of all-time.
Later, the “wacky,” “zany” tinge of her vocals would manifest in the likes of “Hanky Panky” and “I’m Going Bananas” from I’m Breathless. Yet long before so many musicians were capitalizing on the “holiday song”–and, worse still, the Christmas album–which became a genre unto itself in the music industry, Madonna seemed to intuit that, like Vegas residencies, this form of tickety-tack was simply not for her (nor is partnering with a brand like McDonald’s–yes, more Mariah shade. Besides, Pepsi was already pushing it for Madonna as it was, and look how that turned out). And so, perhaps the repression of any such latent desire to record a holiday song manifested in the form of “Keep It Together,” track nine from Like A Prayer.
Having just come off the roller coaster ride of her marriage to Sean Penn (a man whose behavior in the 80s almost retroactively makes Kanye West seem stable), Madonna was experiencing a newfound appreciation for the solidity of her nuclear family. Or so this song would like to have us believe… because we all know Madonna has had her ups and downs with la famiglia–Papa most especially included. Not to mention Christopher, who wrote a “tell-all” book called Life With My Sister Madonna, as well as the homeless Anthony, who has often dished to tabloids over the years presumably to buy the drugs he needs since Madonna won’t (ergo a headline like, “Madonna’s Homeless Brother Says She ‘Doesn’t Give A Shit If I’m Dead Or Alive’”). But that’s the point of “Keep It Together”: to emphasize that no matter how many fights, how many disagreements, how many resentments–a person can never truly stay angry when it comes to blood relations. Of course, don’t tell that to Cain.
Equal parts homage to Sly and the Family Stone’s “Family Affair” and Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family,” the song was an unexpected ode from Madonna, who few associated with “family values” at the time–what with everyone assuming you can’t writhe in front of a bevy of burning crosses and be a loving sister, daughter and even mother. Addressing Madonna’s “odd man out” sentiments during her youth (despite her family eventually having an even number of children in it), she recalls her intense urge to “leave this place” so she could “forget every single hungry face.” A testament to the intense feeling of competition in a large family. Wanting to prove to her father, more than anyone, that she was the “hungriest of them all,” Madonna fled to the “city” (albeit the wrong one) where she ended up still getting “the blues” despite hitting “the big time.” The song, in many ways, feels like just as much her romanticization of what family should be (and what she never truly felt like she got as a kid having to vie for her father’s attention) as what she’s stating it is in the lyrics.
Almost as though she’s reminding herself to do it more than the listener, Madonna urges, “Keep it together in the family/They’re a reminder of your history/Brothers and sisters, they hold the key/To your heart and your soul/Don’t forget that your family is gold.” Madonna may have forgotten such an adage in the period since the song was released as her final single from Like A Prayer, and perhaps that’s why she felt obliged to start her own large family. Patriarchal presence be damned.
Even so, it’s difficult to compare the kind of love shared between the brothers and sisters one grew up with, therefore allowing them to know you in a way that no one else can, to the love that stems from becoming a parent yourself (and yes, if you couldn’t tell, this is not a song tailored to only children). Which is why when Madonna says, “When I get lonely and I need to be/Loved for who I am, not what they want to see/Brothers and sisters, they’ve always been there for me…” she’s not wrong. It is this unique familial dynamic–that usually only gets to shine during holidays after one grows into adulthood–which prompts Madonna to add, “We have a connection, home is where the heart should be/Keep it together in the family.” Naturally, there’s always that one perv who could interpret this at the incest level.
At the same time, family is also a pain in the ass, and that’s part of why major holidays in America are so few and far between (apart from this country’s need to keep driving the capitalist machine). Nonetheless, Madonna’s workable-for-the-holidays song is sure to acknowledge these inevitable family spats in the bridge, via the lines, “When I look back on all the misery/And all the heartache that they brought to me/I wouldn’t change it for another chance/Because blood is thicker than any other circumstance.” Something Chris Cuomo had to learn the hard way.
Although what she repeats in the chorus is, “Keep, keep it together/Keep people together forever and ever,” we can all be thankful that actually keeping it together in the family is a phenomenon that really only happens once a year. Perhaps even less now, what with pandemic precautions.
