Wednesday 15 April 2015

M is for Madonna



Madonna is beyond a reasonable doubt the undisputed Queen of Pop. This is especially true when you examine her career spanning more than three decades, and the fact that she has managed to stay relevant by not being afraid to reinvent herself in a constantly-evolving music industry. She holds the current record of most records sold by a female artist, with over 300 million till date.

Her rise to fame can be traced back to the early 80s, after leaving the band Breakfast Club to pursue a solo career. Her first major hit was the song Holiday, which was featured on her self-titled debut album. This was followed by the 1984 release of her second album, Like A Virgin, which was met with critical acclaim. Its title track would become her first #1 single in the US, topping the charts for six consecutive weeks.

Her third album, True Blue, was released in 1986. It contained the hits, Live to Tell, Open Your Heart and Papa Don't Preach, and one of my personal favorites, La Isla Bonita. Her fourth album, Like a Prayer, followed in 1989, and it sparked some level of controversy with its title track, whose video featured numerous Catholic symbolism that was condemned by the Vatican.

Having dominated the charts for most of the 80s, Madonna spent the 90s breaking new ground by exploring different musical styles. This was most apparent on her 1998 album, Ray of Light, which netted her four Grammy awards out of six nominations. It remains one of her most critically acclaimed albums, and is noted for helping make electronic music mainstream.

Madonna has such an impressive collection of hits that listening to any one of her greatest hits compilations is always a joyous occasion. So you should understand why singling out any single song of hers for praise is a daunting task. But of all her studio albums, my favorite remains her 2005 love letter to dance music, Confessions on the Dance Floor, which is why I have chosen to highlight the album's opener, Hung Up.


18 comments:

  1. One more female entertainer with a restraining order on me.

    Stephen Tremp
    A to Z Cohost
    M is for Movies

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    1. LOL. I can't even begin to imagine what you could've done to warrant a restraining order. :)

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  2. Just like a Prayer is one of my favorite, favorite songs. She's definitely the queen.

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    1. Mine too. I've been singing along to it longer than I can remember being a child of the 80s. :)

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  3. Her early albums are the soundtrack of my early life. I wanted to be her around her 'Who's that Girl?' period. I also think she did a good job in Evita, although most people seem to gloss over her role in that.

    Annalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep

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    1. Evita was definitely one of the high points of her career. :)

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  4. Madonna? :(
    I wanted Massari! :(
    Anyways, nice post (y)
    :)

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    1. Quick confession; I didn't even know who that was until you mentioned him the other day. A quick trip to Wikipedia showed me he was someone I definitely needed to check out. Good enough to upstage Madonna though...? I don't think so. Thanks for bringing him to my attention though; I always look forward to an opportunity to discover new music. :)

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  5. That's a lot of albums! She was pretty much a household name growing up in the 80s. :)

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    1. Indeed she was, which makes her relevance today all the more praiseworthy. :)

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  6. Her 80s output was a big part of my childhood, but I think Ray of Light Madonna is my favourite Madonna.

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    1. Yes. Ray of Light is definitely another high point of her career. :)

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    1. By my count, she's had 13 studio albums, 3 soundtrack albums, 6 compilation albums and 4 live albums, so yes, that is alot. :)

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  8. Madonna is the cautionary tale that Kanye West should be monitoring, someone whose self-absorption eventually eclipsed her music and made her irrelevant.

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    1. Emmm. I wouldn't go as far as calling her irrelevant, given her consistent album sales, not to mention sold-out concerts. But I get what you're trying to say. :)

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