Extreme Occident
Lyrics
I went to the far right
Then I went to the far left
I tried to recover my center of gravity
I guess I'm lost
I had to pay the cost
The thing that hurt me most
Was that I wasn't lost
I came from the Midwest
Then I went to the Far East
I tried to discover my own identity
I guess I’m lost
I paid the handsome cost
The thing that hurt the most
Was that I wasn't lost
I wasn't lost
No, I wasn't lost
It was a different feeling
A mix of lucidity, and craziness
But I wasn't lost, you believed me
I was right, and I've got the right
To choose my own life
Like a full circle
Life is a circle, life is a circle, life is a circle
Life is a circle, life is a circle, life is a circle
Life is a circle, life is a circle, life is a circle
Aquilo que mais magoa
É que eu não estava perdida
Aquilo que mais magoa
É que eu não estava perdida
I guess I'm lost
I had to pay the cost
The thing that hurt me most
Was that I wasn't lost
I wasn't lost
Credits
Written by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzai
Produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzai
Album
Madame X (Deluxe Edition)
Song
When Madonna announced her new album Madame X, she used a line from Extreme Occident in the video. Another teaser video also contained lines from this autobiographical track.
The song is influenced by morna, a music and dance genre from Cape Verde. In an interview on iHeartRadio Icons, Madonna calls Extreme Occident "indicative and reflective" of her time in Lisbon.
While she admitted the lyric "I guess I'm lost / I paid the handsome cost / The thing that hurt the most / Was that I wasn't lost." sounds like a nonsense "riddle," she explained it was in reference to having the right intuition but letting naysayers throw you off your course. Looking back on the times she beat herself up over others' critiques, she says it "hurts" her to think "I wasted all that time caring what people think."
Tour
Extreme Occident closed off the Fado Club segment of the Madame X Tour. The choreography by Damien Jalet sees Madonna alone on stage, searching her way in what seems like a labyrinth of black and blue, perfectly symbolizing the lyrics. Life is a circle, she sings, as the lays down on one of the staircase elements, which start to dance on stage.