Madonna is many things to different people, but it's safe to say that fans and foes of the singer/sometime actress would agree that she's never been complacent. Since her 1983 self-titled debut album, she's tinkered with her look about as much as she's altered her sound, with mixed results.
Focusing on the better, here are 10 essential tracks by the recently minted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer that would make for an excellent Metromixtape as you trek to her show Saturday (Nov. 22) at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
1. "Holiday" (from 1983's "Madonna"): Sure, the blips and bleeps throughout sound like they're from an '80s video game, but they fit right in with Madonna's cheery vocals. The "holiday/celebrate" refrain ranks right up there with pop's best two-word hooks. -- CMJ
2. "Borderline" (from 1983's "Madonna"): The music may be happy and bouncy, but there's a sadness to the lyrics that's highlighted by Madonna's yearning voice. -- CMJ
3. "Into the Groove" (featured in the 1985 film "Desperately Seeking Susan"): One small step for pop, one giant leap for Madonna. Co-written and co-produced by Madge, "Into the Groove" shows her growth as a singer (more sultry than girly) and in terms of songcraft (a bridge so good it appears twice). -- CMJ
4. "Papa Don't Preach" (from 1986's "True Blue"): This hit from Madonna's third album caught some attention for its depiction of teen pregnancy and accompanying video co-starring Danny Aiello. (It received creepy cover treatment from Kelly Osbourne in 2002.) -- AB
5. "Like a Prayer" (from 1989's "Like a Prayer"): You want controversy? How about a video featuring Madonna in a church backed by a gospel choir intercut with footage of the singer making out with a black Jesus Christ-like figure and shots of her singing in front of burning crosses? The song's pretty good, too. -- AB
6. "Sooner or Later" (from 1990's "I'm Breathless"): This slow-burning jazz ballad from the 1990 flick "Dick Tracy" won composer Stephen Sondheim an Academy Award, which may be the only time Madonna and Oscar can be mentioned in the same sentence. --AB
7. "Frozen" (from 1998's "Ray of Light"): Clocking in at more than six minutes, this hypnotic hit from the late '90s (co-produced by William Orbit) became one of the darkest songs in Madonna's catalog and taught a new generation how cool she can be. -- AB
8. "Don't Tell Me" (from 2000's "Music"): Madonna tried on her cowgirl hat for this hit, and when she moans "don't tell me to stop" over the chopped-up acoustic guitar backing track, you can tell she has no plans of slowing down. -- AB
9. "Hung Up" (from 2005's "Confessions on a Dance Floor"): While those flutes on this 2005 megahit may sound like they're a leap back to her arcade-inspired sounds of the '80s, they actually were sampled from ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)." -- AB
10. "4 Minutes" (from 2008's "Hard Candy"): Never one to rest on her laurels, Madonna brought in two of modern music's biggest names, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, for this track, and you can hear the young guys working to keep up with her. -- AB
What other people are saying...
Sue Jersey from Jersey Shore - November 21, 2008 at 9:35 AM
"Vogue" and "Ray of Light" would HAVE be on my list.
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