60 Reasons to Celebrate Madonna

You can’t mess with this Lucky Star


Madonna turns 60 this year (ageist jokes and calls for her to retire are predictable and sexist and will not be tolerated) and, as Stars Insider says, “the occasion also reminds us that the superstar has spent decade after decade cultivating incredible—and often controversial—moments in the music and film industries”.  She holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling female recording artist of all time and has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.  She is also an astute business woman, devoted mother, fashion icon, actress and director and, after four decades in the entertainment industry, still looks fucking good at 60 years old.  To commemorate this milestone, I have come up with 60 reasons to celebrate Her Madgesty, the Material Girl, the Queen of Pop…

  1. The first, self-titled Madonna album 
  2. The Like a Virgin album – which really launched her into superstar status
  3. The Marilyn Monroe look in the Material Girl video
  4. Her response to Dick Clark’s question, “What do you hope will happen, not only in 1984 but for the rest of your professional life?”: “To rule the world.”
  5. Writhing around the stage in a wedding dress (complete with Boy Toy belt buckle) while performing Like a Virgin at the 1984 Video Music Awards
  6. Her role as Susan in the comedy of errors, Desperately Seeking Susan
  7. The True Blue album – the album cover with Madonna sporting the iconic cropped, bleached-blonde look
  8. The Like a Prayer album – the first of many albums to explore the interconnected themes of religion, sexuality and feminism
  9. The Blonde Ambition Tour
  10. The iconic cone brassiere designed by Jean Paul Gaultier (which sold for $52000 at the Christie’s Pop Culture auction in 2012)
  11. Her role as the sultry femme fatale Breathless Mahoney in Dick Tracy
  12. Vogue – a career-defining song about finding escape on the dancefloor that was inspired by the Harlem House Ball trend of “vogueing”
  13. The Marie-Antoinette-themed performance of Vogue at the 1990 MTV Awards
  14. Truth or Dare (aka In Bed With Madonna) – a behind-the-scenes look at her Blonde Ambition Tour
  15. When she showed up to the 1991 Academy Awards with Michael Jackson and served Old Hollywood glam with her Marilyn Monroe-inspired look and performance
  16. The Erotica album – a record that was ahead of its time but faced harsh criticism for its explicit sexual themes
  17.  The SEX book, with its aluminium cover and spiral binding, which sold over 150 000 copies on its first day of release
  18. Her role as Mae Mordabito in A League of Their Own
  19. The Girlie Show
  20. The Bedtime Stories album – the cover sees Madonna exhibiting a look inspired by Jean Harlow with blonde curly hair and heavy make-up
  21. Her role as Eva Peron in Evita, hands down the highlight of her acting career
  22. The bold Christian Dior ensemble she wore to the premiere of Evita
  23. Winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress for Evita
  24. The Ray of Light album – featuring spiritual guru Madonna and the magical touch of William Orbit
  25. Gothic Madonna in the Frozen video
  26. Geisha Madonna in the video for Nothing Really Matters
  27. Winning four Grammy awards for Ray of Light (the album won Best Pop Album and Best Recording Package while the title track won Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video)
  28. Beautiful Stranger - the catchy theme song from the second Austin Powers movie
  29. American Princess Madonna in the American Pie video, featuring Rupert Everett on backing vocals
  30. The Music album – urban cowgirl electronica Madonna
  31. The Drowned World Tour
  32. Good vs Evil Madonna in the action-packed Die Another Day video, the theme song for the 20th Bond film
  33. Her cameo as a fierce fencing instructor in Die Another Day
  34. The American Life album – political Madonna, and a highly underrated album
  35. Dressed in a top hat and tails and kissing Britney and Christina at the 2003 MTV Music Awards
  36. Teaming up with Britney Spears on Me Against The Music
  37. Her guest appearance on Will and Grace, as Karen’s crazy roommate Liz
  38. The Reinvention Tour
  39. The launch of her first children’s book, The English Roses
  40. The Confessions on a Dancefloor album – featuring disco queen Madonna in a pink leotard superimposed on a disco ball print
  41. The Confessions Tour
  42. The Hard Candy album –  the cover with tough boxer Madonna, complete with professional wrestling championship belt, juxtaposed with a sweet candy swirl background
  43.  The Sticky and Sweet Tour – the highest grossing concert tour of all time by a female artist
  44.  The release of the hit single Celebration to coincide with the release of her third greatest hits compilation with the same title
  45. The Vionnet gown with the red butterflies (and matching sparkly sunglasses) that she wore to the 2011 Venice Film Festival
  46. Directing W.E., which explores the controversial love affair between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII, who abdicated in order to be with the woman he loved
  47. Her epic Super Bowl XLVI halftime show performance, wearing a Givenchy outfit that was part Roman gladiator and part Cleopatra
  48. The MDNA album – dance queen Madonna with bright red lipstick through a “broken mirror” filter on the cover
  49. The MDNA Tour
  50.  A reimagined cone bra and bodice juxtaposed with her masculine look for the MDNA Tour
  51. Her Givenchy outfit at the 2013 “Punk: Chaos to Couture” Met Gala
  52. The launch of MDNA skin, a luxury line of skincare products
  53. The Rebel Heart album - featuring three different covers for the three versions of the album
  54. Her Givenchy matador-themed look (continued from the Living for Love video) she wore on the red carpet at the 2015 Grammys
  55. The live performance of Bitch, I’m Madonna on the Jimmy Fallon Show
  56. The Rebel Heart Tour
  57. Tears of a Clown – an intimate show comprising acoustic versions of her hits while dressed as a clown
  58. A moving performance of Nothing Compares 2 U and Purple Rain (with Stevie Wonder) - her tribute to Prince at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards
  59. Her Jean Paul Gaultier costume and ethereal performance at the 2018 “Heavenly Bodies” Met Gala
  60. The highly anticipated release of her 14th studio album later this year, which will no doubt remind the world why (to quote Nicki Minaj) “there’s only one queen – and that’s Madonna…Bitch!”

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