Today, August 16, is Madonna's birthday! 66 years of groundbreaking music, dancing, inspiration, fashion, disturbing the peace, challenging norms and shaping pop culture. To celebrate her enduring legacy, I have compiled an A to Z list of my favorite Madonna songs (well, technically A - Y since she does not have any songs starting with a Z in her extensive discography).
A | American Life
The title track from her ninth studio album, released in 2003. The song, together with the album, was ahead of its time (like so many of Madonna's projects). Some find its rap breakdown cringeworthy; it was panned by fans and critics alike. Personally, I love it. My favorite part is: "I do yoga and pilates and the room is full of hotties / So I'm checking out the bodies and you know I'm satisfied".
B | Beautiful Stranger
Taken from the
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack, released in 1999. Produced by the super talented William Orbit, the song earned Madonna her fifth Grammy. I also love the video which sees Madonna dancing and singing in a club, ending with her seducing Austin Powers. She also looks incredible!
C | Crazy For You
A song recorded for the
Vision Quest soundtrack and released in 1985. It's one of Madonna's most beautiful ballads, praised by many for its sophistication and showcasing Madonna's stronger vocals, and earned Madonna her first Grammy nomination for Best Female Vocal Pop Performance.
D | Deeper And Deeper
The second single from Erotica, released in 1992, is a delightful deep house meets disco-pop track that has become a timeless Madonna classic.
E | Express Yourself
E was a tough choice between Erotica and this 1989 hit, the second single from Like A Prayer. But in the end anthemic Express Yourself won out; I love the empowering lyrics ("Don't go for second best, baby!") and catchy upbeat rhythm, not to mention the iconic music video which was inspired by the film Metropolis and the most expensive music video made up to then (with a budget of $5 million).
F | Frozen
This is definitely one of my favorite Madonna songs of all time! It was the lead single from the seminal Ray Of Light album, released in 1998. It's a stunning electronic ballad with soaring synths and ambient strings. So grateful that I got to experience her perform it live in such an intimate setting on the Madame X Tour.
G | Ghosttown
So many great G songs (see:
Get Together,
Give It 2 Me,
Girl Gone Wild,
God Control,
Gang Bang) but...
Justice For Ghosttown! This song should have been bigger than it was. Released in 2015, it was the second single from the hit-and-miss
Rebel Heart album. I also love the post-apocalyptic video featuring Terrence Howard.
H | Hung Up
Madonna meets ABBA? Yes please! It was the lead single from the flawless
Confessions On A Dancefloor and released in 2005. The song was a hit, both with critics and on the charts, while the video (featuring a pink leotard-clad Madonna busting out some incredible dance moves) is up there among her best.
I | Into The Groove
An 80s classic that still gets people up on their feet to step to the beat. It was featured in the film Desperately Seeking Susan and released as a single in 1985. It's widely regarded as Madonna's best single. It was also used in a mashup with Hollywood (Into The Hollywood Groove) for a Gap commercial featuring Madonna and Missy Elliot.
J | Jump
Jump was the fourth and final single from Confessions, released in 2006. It's a catchy pop song about self-empowerment and stepping out of your comfort zone (and somewhat of an anthem for me as I took a bold step into the unknown when I moved to the US). I love the video with Madonna in a sharp blonde wig with several dancers performing parkour.
K | Killers Who Are Partying
Not her best lyrically by any means but there is something hypnotic about this track from 2019's Madame X, especially when the beat drops. Madonna is quoted as saying that it's a song about unifying the soul of all humans.
L | Like A Prayer
This was Madonna's seventh number 1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, released in 1989. It was considered a turning point in her career and remains one of her biggest hits. As Chuck Arnold from
Entertainment Weekly wrote: "The song achieves "a spiritual transcendence that makes this her supreme single...balancing the sacred and the secular to ecstatic effect, the whole thing takes you there again and again". The song has reentered the charts following its use in
Deadpool and Wolverine.
M | Music
Released in 2000, the title track of her eighth studio album was a game changer. It was written and produced with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and flawlessly combines several genres including electro pop, funk and disco to create the perfect ode to...well, music.
N | Nothing Really Matters
I was pleasantly surprised when Madonna chose this song to open her Celebration Tour - it was mesmerizing! It was released as the sixth single from
Ray Of Light in 1999. The
Memoirs of a Geisha-inspired music video is also one of my favorites.
O | Open Your Heart
The fourth single from True Blue, released in 1986. The dance pop hit explores themes of sexuality and desire and after it reached number one, she became the second female artist to score three number ones from one album.
P | Power Of Goodbye, The
This was the fourth single from Ray Of Light, released in 1998. It's a beautiful electronica ballad that explores the healing power of goodbye. My favorite lines: "Freedom comes when you learn to let go / Creation comes when you learn to say no".
Q | Queen's English
There is no Madonna single starting with Q so I chose this song by Junior Vasquez and Blond Ambition dancers José and Luis. Madonna sings backing vocals on the track, which was released in 1993.
R | Ray Of Light
I still love this song as much as I did when I first heard it, back in 1998. It won two Grammy Awards, Best Dance Recording, and Best Short Form Music Video. Sal Cinquemani of
Slant Magazine wrote that the song sees Madonna in "a celebratory tech-frenzy" while "Orbit's cycles of analog synths and electric guitar licks perfectly supplemented the elasticity of Madonna's newly-trained vocal chords".
S | Secret
This has always been my favorite track from
Bedtime Stories, released in 1994. I love the instrumentation, especially the acoustic guitar and strings, and the layering of her sultry vocals. There are several brilliant remixes of the song, my favorite being the Junior's Luscious single mix by Junior Vasquez.
T | Time Stood Still
This song was never released as a single but appears on the
Next Best Thing soundtrack and was released in 2000. While the movie was slated by critics, this gem of a ballad is one of Madonna's best.
U | Unapologetic Bitch
A cheeky song about discovering your inner strength (and being a bitch if necessary - "sometimes you know I gotta call I like it is") that appears on
Rebel Heart which was released in 2015. It's a fun reggae pop song.
V |Vogue
Vogue appears on Madonna's soundtrack album
I'm Breathless and was released as the lead single from the album in 1990. The song was influenced by voguing and ballroom culture in NYC and is regarded as one of the highlights of her career.
Billboard magazine listed it at number four on its list of "60 Top LGBTQ Anthems of All Time". Most recently, Beyoncé sampled the track on
Break My Soul (The Queens Remix) - she changes the lyrics to pay tribute to trailblazing female musicians, including Madonna.
W | Who's That Girl
Taken from the soundtrack of the film with the same name, this laidback yet sassy single was released in 1987. It's an extension of her foray into Latin pop with
La Isla Bonita with Madonna singing alternating lines in Spanish in the refrain.
X | X-Static Process
This song appears on
American Life, which was released in 2003. It's a poignant ballad with acoustic guitars and layered vocals and one of my favorite tracks on the album.
Y | You Must Love Me
Madonna recorded this song for the film adaptation of
Evita and was released in 1996 as the lead single from the soundtrack. Larry Flick from
Billboard referred to the song as "a momentous musical event" and "a bittersweet and quietly theatrical ballad". Besides becoming a top 10 hit around the world, it won a Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
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