'Vogue' for the 'Music:' Madonna's Top 10 Best Songs
With a catalogue as rich and provocative as Madonnas, it is difficult to rank her top 10 greatest hits. However, TheCelebrityCafe.com was up for the challenge! From swing/jazz to thumping nightclub dance music, the Queen of Reinvention has managed to keep us guessing with every new song. While at least one track from 8 out of Madonnas 12 albums makes this list, there are so many gems that almost made the cut. Without further adieu, here are our top 10 favorite Madonna songs of all time.
10. Erotica
Ahhh, the title song to Madonnas raciest era to date. It is easy to forget about Madonnas Erotica album, since it came out a time the media fixated on her explicit Sex coffee table book. However, Madonnas fifth album is still one of her best to date. On "Erotica," a titillating pop track that incorporates elements of new swing and jazz, Madonna croons to put your hands all over my body. It is an icy, cool, and raucous romp. Most recently, Madonna did a mash-up of Erotica and Hard Candys Candy Shop during her 2012 MDNA Tour.
9. 4 Minutes
This song is one of few good parts on 2008s incredibly trite and peer-pressured Hard Candy album. Madonna put on her hip-hop hat and collaborated with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland on this street-sleek disco thumper. Urgent kettle drums and the incessant ticking of a clock play in the background as Madonna and Timberlake sing they only have 4 minutes to save the world. The song was Madonnas last commercial radio success.
8. Secret
From Madonnas smooth and silky adult contemporary R&B album Bedtime Stories, Secret is a mid-tempo jam that allows Madonna to show off her vocal range. Madge has never wowed audiences at her singing abiliti! es; however, Secret (and Bedtime Stories ) proved why Madonna received a record deal in the first place. The mesmerizing bridge Mmmm/Somethings coming over me locks listeners in a euphoric trance. The radio-friendly upbeat remix version is also a fun listen.
7. Like A Virgin
Casual Madonna fans may be shocked this song is only #7 on our list; however, diehard fans know the Material Girls quintessential song is not one of her best. In fact, the songs iconic status and accompanying video are what make it memorable, not the track itself.
6. Hung Up
After 2003s disastrous American Life album, Madonna reclaimed her position on the pop throne with 2005s Confessions on a Dancefloor . She led this era with the retro-hectic head-banger Hung Up. The track reinvents classic 70s disco with modern dance sounds and a killer bridge that samples ABBAs Gimme Gimme. The nerve-wracking ticking of a clock remains in the background of this entire song, giving fans the urgency to dance their hearts out until time is up.
5. Ray of Light
As the title track from what many music scholars consider Madonnas best album of all time, Ray of Light rounds out our top 5. The song comes from the revolutionary 1998 album Ray of Light , the first Top 40 album to strongly embrace electronic dance music. The song is lighter-than-air with whooshing sounds, eccentric beeps, and Madonnas voice sounding stronger than ever.
4. Like A Prayer
Perhaps Madonnas most-celebrated classic hit, Like A Prayer stands alone as the most influential pop song by a female artist of all time. The gospel-inspired dance track set the world on fire with its suggestive lyrics and even more provocative video (Remember the Black Jesus)? However, controversy aside, the song is truly an artistic masterpiece.
3. Open Your Heart
As Madonna's most boisterous classic song, we decided Open Your Heart deserved the #3 spot. Open Your Heart set the standard for Madonnas stylish dance ! genre. Ly! rics like Open your heart, Ill make you love me/Its not that hard, if you just turn the key make the song refreshingly uncomplicated and fun.
2. Music
Music makes the people come together. It was a simple lyric, but the powerful message that ushered Madonna into the new millennium. Yes, Madonnas second best song of all time comes from an album released in 200018 years after her debut. With stiff competition from then-pop tarts Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, Madonna had a point to prove: she was the undisputed Queen of Pop. With Musics inventive electronic sound, electrifying bridge, and cascading chorus, she certainly proved her point.
1.Vogue
Before Lady Gaga was telling fans she was born this way, Madonna was promoting a similar message with Vogue. Perhaps Madonnas most universally well-liked song, Vogue introduced the art of voguing to the mainstream radio audience. Although literally a form of fashion posing, Madonna turned it into a self-love revolution. By urging listeners to vogue, Madonna was really telling them to embrace who they were. And of course, you cannot beat the iconic black and white video.