Don't go for second best, baby. Put your ILM ARTIST POLL #31: MADONNA to the test.

Take a Bow is really nice, and too easy to take for granted. It's so unspectacular that its easy to overlook its craft. Tellingly, it didn't Mae my ballot.

Babyface harmonies *swoon*

yep yep yeppppp

make

Xpost

Listening to 'Music' on the spotify list --- didn't like then, still don't. It's not terrible but it feels more facepalm than anything

"Swim" is amazing!! I actually was wondering if "Frozen" would place at #1; I am stunned it is this low (not bcz it's my fave but bcz it seems like total ILM bait)

i was gonna say lex otm about "what it feels like for a girl" but you know it always surprises me whenever i listen to it, there are so many small things going on at once

"Don't Tell Me" really suffers the horrible unison on the doubled vocals

and I'm SOOOOO glad that Til Death Do We Part placed so well -- it's such a gorgeous song

god "frozen" is gorgeous. did i vote for it? i didn't!

http://i.imgur.com/MrYYnwM.jpg

23. "ANGEL" from Like a Virgin (1984) [18 votes, 409 points]

TOO LOW

okay not really but this song rules

Best track on LAV.

TOO LOW

but yay

IN THE SKKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
I CAN SEE IT IN YOUR EEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYES

so many things wonderful about this -- the laughing is such a good touch

yeah i'm happy it's at least this high. massive hit but no video so it's a deep single now. boy as double a-sides go (deliberate or eventual) i'd put this up there w/ 'hello goodbye'/'i am the walrus' if not 'penny lane'/'strawberry fields forever'.

First appearance of Sexy Lower Register.

Is that pizzicato at the beginning? Nile Rodgers is so damn shrewd a producer.

First appearance of Sexy Lower Register.

So glad someone coaxed that out of her.

i didn't vote for "angel" but oh man does it rule

IN THE SKKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
I CAN SEE IT IN YOUR EEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYES

otm

Loooovvvvve "take a bow"

is there a specific age where "take a bow" just makes you cry terribly every time you hear it or is this my particular affliction?

http://i.imgur.com/1jRY4zb.jpg

22. "BAD GIRL" from Erotica (1992) [17 votes, 415 points]

TOO LOW

fully expected 'bad girl' to be top 20. this was the biggest rediscovery of the poll for me. amazing song.

and video.

This is such a fun rollout. Pacey and unpredictable. Too many recent polls have been dominated by a handful of canonical albums but Madonna's catalogue lends itself brilliantly to a poll.

Great pictures too. Reminding me how much of a crush I had on her circa 86-89. Ah, Cherish video.

goddamnit.`TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.

Damn, about 20 places too low.

wow you ppl sure do love you some Erotica

it looks like over half of that album is going to end up placing on this poll

TOO LOW YOU JERKS WTF

Am I a terrible person if I don't like the video?

you're a wanton slut whose gonna get what's coming to her when yr guardian angel gets distracted by a garfield comic iirc

*cries*

I don't really get "Bad Girl"

this is partially because the first time I ever heard it was when Madonna butchered it on SNL

<3 the brief second of standard shoe-horned walken-dance in it the most.

it's ok - yr soul died a long time ago! plus free crane shot ride w/ the continental!

she definitely struggles with the high 'baaaaaby' but it's still endearing.

i just love how nervous she seems in the SNL performance

Nice to see that one so high!

Nice to see anything from Erotica bubbling over the 25-place threshold.

I'm sorry that my only contributions to this poll seem to be reiterating how punk-awesome Erotica is. Oh wait, I'm not sorry.

I like how barely she's in control of her pitch in "Bad Girl" -- form meets content. Fabulous lyrics too.

I think also the super wishy-washy reverb fuzzing out the drums hurt the song; probably the one constant between the Madonna songs I really, really treasure is the crispness of the drum tracks and "Bad Girl" seems to actively attempt to muddy the drums, robbing them of their power

b--b-b-but she's drunk by six and smoked too many cigarettes!

lol also there ended up being 2 bona-fide ballads on my ballot so this is also just not an itch I normally turn to Madonna for scratching

xxxpost yeah it's endearing. I always kinda felt that the songs like bad Girl, or Til Death, where the lyrics are very heartfelt & personal aren't always up there on the technical greatness scale but it always makes for a much richer song, at least for me.

Yeah, "Bad Girl" was one of only 3 ballads on my ballot, along with "I'll Remember" and "Live to Tell."

ha i got four in my top eight

"Angel" in my top three.

Both "Bad Girl" and "Waiting" we're on my top four, such an amazing double slug.