Madonna turns the beautiful age of 63 today and, in honor of the Italian-American icon herself, the synth-pop and Italo-disco label Italians Do It Better has released a compilation of twenty Madge covers. Bark Bark Disco closes Italians Do It Better (the album and label are named for the T-shirt Madonna wears in the "Papa Don't Preach" video) with "Borderline," one of Madonna's first singles. The original is a loud declaration, sweeping and passionate. Bark Bark Disco turns this emotion inward, slowing the track down and invoking the personal whisper of a moonlight tryst. The cover highlights the intimacy and innocence that Madonna's earliest songs encapsulate, ideals that continue to persevere even through the voice of another.
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