Madonna Singles

Madonna's best singles: "Human Nature", "Bedtime Story", "Take A Bow", "Into The Groove", "Live To Tell". These five are BARELY (like, microscopically) above "Burning Up", "Borderline", "Lucky Star", "Holiday", "Open Your Heart", "Papa Don't Preach", "La Isla Bonita", "Keep It Together", "Like A Prayer", "Vogue", "Frozen", "Ray Of Light", "Secret", "Drowned World/Substitute For Love", "Don't Tell Me", "What It Feels Like For A Girl", "Die Another Day", "I'll Remember" and "I Want You", to the point where any of the above could be in the top five (especially "Burning Up"; in fact, replace "Bedtime Story" with "Burning Up" right now!).

I've always thought the early trilogy (troika?) of Holiday/Borderline/Lucky Star were her best work, and the reason she became huge in the first place.

The video for Borderline is a great example of her early style - she wasn't the first to cross underground disco with bubblegum pop, but she did it the best. This seems like a memento from a more innocent time, like the best Motown and old school girl group songs. I like how it's the work of a fun loving hipster gal who loves fashion and breakdancing, not the grandiose artistic statements she made later on in her career. Also - Madonna used to be hot. She looks like a cute college girl here, wearing the cutting edge fashions that all the high school girls tried to emulate in the 80s.

i knew this revive would be about Borderline, it just gets better with time.

your whole post is kind of OTM, but i have to say i think Like A Virgin sustained a similar feeling in an awesome way.

This reminds me that i never really understood the plot for this video.

also, correction: Madonna used to be VERY hot.

She becomes a model and cheats on him with the photog, he sulks, she dumps the photog when he acts like an ass, then goes back to her old boyfriend.

Yeah I was going to say Like a Virgin was when she does her first 'morph' from this hipster street creature to a more glamorous and slutty version of said hipster street creature. It's of course classic, but it's the Big Star move and not so underground.

but it's so damn kooky too, the whole LAV album

i don't know what gets me more: the synths on Borderline or Like A Virgin

'Borderline' is about the only Madonna single I can honestly say I love, as opposed to quite liking. 'Into the Groove' almost pushes out of that other category, but not quite.

Borderline is my favourite too!

I like how none of the Rihannas and Britneys and Pinks have yet to match the understated timelessness of her early stuff. It's like every new song and video that comes out has to be louder and glitzier and more over the top.

"Crazy for You" has that remarkable moment where Madonna, never much of a singer, lowers her voice down from its chirpy default to a more seductive rumble. That's the point where she shifts from kids' stuff to something richer.

"Live to Tell," though, is an amazing song, not least for its ambiguity. I love its haunting use in "At Close Range." I also love the Bill Frisell cover.

Also thoroughly love "Into the Groove," "Open Your Heart," "Borderline," "Burning Up" and that Bjork song. "Bedtime Story?" Some of those lost years ballads are pretty good, too, like "Rain."

And Patrick Leonard=best writing partner? Oh, he also did "Who's That Girl!" Loved that one as a kid myself.

Shep Pettibone was her best writing partner.

Yes, I've always liked 'Live to Tell'.

I like how none of the Rihannas and Britneys and Pinks have yet to match the understated timelessness of her early stuff. It's like every new song and video that comes out has to be louder and glitzier and more over the top.

― redmond, Tuesday, December 9, 2008 9:53 AM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

was just thinking if only someone (if not madonna herself) would go back to this early sound.

"Crazy for You" has that remarkable moment where Madonna, never much of a singer, lowers her voice down from its chirpy default to a more seductive rumble. That's the point where she shifts from kids' stuff to something richer.

"Live to Tell," though, is an amazing song, not least for its ambiguity. I love its haunting use in "At Close Range." I also love the Bill Frisell cover.

OTM. I published an essay on these very qualities.

*discussing these very qualities.

Stating the obvious here, but what a fantastic run of singles. No duds at all until 'Express Yourself'

um, Express Yourself is so gooood

And even that's not bad, just kind of charmless

geez no way! charmless my foot

let's talk about Dress You Up for a second

the crispness of that vocal line, the way it cuts

ouch

"Angel"!

just listened to it!! so great

ALL OVER ALL OVER

i ~love~ 'dress you up'

the crispness of that vocal line, the way it cuts

yeah it just SLICES into the chorus

still love that B-more break mix of 'Angel' i got from palm out ages ago

my top 5 (in no order):
1)borderline
2)live to tell
3)lucky star
4)crazy for you
5)into the groove.

all of those are among the best pop songs of all time.

swap 'like a prayer' for 'crazy for you' and still ^^^

HOLIDAY!!!!

and also into the groove. But seriously, why so few mentions of holiday?

I have to go for "Dear Jessie", but out of the more well-known ones, "Holiday" is definitely a good call. Love "Lucky Star" too. And "Music" even though it isn't much of a song harmonically.

"Crazy for You" has that remarkable moment where Madonna, never much of a singer, lowers her voice down from its chirpy default to a more seductive rumble. That's the point where she shifts from kids' stuff to something richer.

"Live to Tell," though, is an amazing song, not least for its ambiguity. I love its haunting use in "At Close Range." I also love the Bill Frisell cover.

OTM. I published an essay on these very qualities.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, martes 9 de diciembre de 2008 15:13 (Yesterday)

That's a very nice writeup Soto!

Thanks!

Alright I've been looking everywhere for this groovier - into the groove 12" - mentioned upthread and I still can't find it. ysi anyone?

have we not done a madonna singles poll?

like top 10 in rank order or something?

into the groove wins obv, but then--?

she probably has too many singles to fit into an ilx poll

POX is also impossible: ranking only her 10/10 flawless all-time classic singles gives me the following -

deeper and deeper
die another day
burning up
bad girl
open your heart
like a prayer
into the groove
everybody
vogue
music
frozen
take a bow
justify my love
hung up
ray of light
dress you up
oh father
live to tell
don't tell me
beautiful stranger
like a virgin
borderline
papa don't preach

i consider it a real mark of her greatness that my three favourite madonna singles come from three separate decades

look at those songs! even if she (likely) never releases anything truly great again she can still say she has the greatest catalogue in pop music.

there's going to be a tracks poll, but it's quite far down in the queue so it won't take place till 2013/14.

Today, coincidentally, I have to write an essay on Madonna and choose a Top 10 which mixes hits with a couple of surprises. The essay's easy, the list is hard.

there's still room for someone to sign up to do a proper Madonna ballot poll

what was your top 10 in the end DL? and indeed where is your essay?

My top fifteen postedhere. But here's ten:

Angel
Where's The Party (Dub Remix)
Burning Up
Crazy For You
Vogue
Deeper and Deeper
Live To Tell
Into the Groove
Like a Prayer
Open Your Heart

Cherish because even my dad loves it (I caught him humming it once. It was kinda weird.)
Borderline - first Madonna song I heard
Like a Prayer
Frozen
Oh Father
Bad Girl
Burning Up
Ray of Light

I hate Vogue. I can admit it's a decent song and I can understand people liking it, but it annoys the hell out of me.

Writing it for next issue of Q. I don't think of myself as a big Madonna fan but I loved writing it and found myself working from a shortlist of 30 brilliant songs - I love it when work forces me to re-engage with an artist and realise how much I like them. It's not quite my personal top 10 because that would be all singles and I was asked to pick out a couple of "deep cuts" to mix it up a bit but anyway it's this:

Borderline
Into the Groove
Live to Tell
Oh Father
Justify My Love
Deeper and Deeper
I Want You
Skin
Don't Tell Me
Hung Up (SDP Extended Vocal)

Regrettable omissions: Burning Up, Ray of Light, Music, Bad Girl, Express Yourself, Crazy For You, Everybody, Beautiful Stranger.

it's pretty much impossible not to put together a solid gold top 10, isn't it.

my fav two remixes are prob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL4NPftrcr0

immense synth line grinding itself into your face forever - mdna for REAL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWNu3Un7_5Y

terrifying* and mental version of "justify my love" where she starts reciting the book of revelation like a possessed woman

*esp at 6am in an, er, altered state

deep cuts off the albums - she got way better at these in the '90s, i think (or maybe just picked the best songs as singles in the '80s)

secret garden
in this life
love tried to welcome me
to have and not to hold
sky fits heaven
impressive instant
inside of me
push
waiting
thief of hearts

If it's just limited to singles (and making an effort to spread it around chronologically, instead of just listing everything from 1989-1993):

Lucky Star
Live to Tell
Open Your Heart
Vogue
Erotica
Fever
I'll Remember
Nothing Really Matters
Don't Tell Me
Get Together

i love thief of hearts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBtcD7qmpPw

Also re: two tracks from Music - "Impressive Instant" mentioned upthread and "Amazing" - the story is that the label wanted the latter to be the fourth single, Madonna wanted the former, and they wound up NOT releasing a fourth single, but actually both tracks HAVE been issued as promo-only singles. I do enjoy both regardless.

it’s quite remarkable madonna didn’t make it to either of the 2010s polls

is it? her output last decade is not well regarded by anyone really. madame x is endearingly weird but that's about it

yeah that’s what i meant

My jam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCRaq3t7X_Q

More super album tracks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Vm72XDljI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpkOb6JRKHM

The best B-side:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8uCTFJbwUI

Should have been a single in the US

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kLbsB1ynaE

"You're just jealous CUZ YOU CAN'T BE ME