Yes it definitely does have some recency bias... plus the competition for 11s etc in the 10s period wasn't as strong but it's good to see something from her later eras do so well :wub:

 

I've seen it all before

 

 

09. Sorry // Confessions on a Dancefloor // 9.786

 

The first of the three big Confessions out is Sorry! The song was the follow-up to the huge, monster smash 'Hung Up' and it continued the vibes of that song, the musical tones, the instrumentals and the dancefloor hitting beats in gorgeous style. The song was one of the first developed for the album and certainly it encapsulates the album's theme perfectly. A song about empowerment and strength in the face of disdain, and it does so with sassy style. The song was a big success across the globe (US excluded - due to radio plays), and went on to help cement the Confessions era as a force to be reckoned with. The music video continued the video of 'Hung Up' and showcased the empowerment message of the song through Madonna cage fighting a bunch of men and roller-skating herself to victory. It's a fun video for a fun song, a stomper and anthem. Here, the song has performed very well racking up a healthy set of high scores and racing into the top 10. The album has two more singles to come, but which of the remaining two will come out on top?

 

 

Madonna: 0/8

Like A Virgin: 0/9

True Blue: 0/9

Like A Prayer: 1/11

Other (80s): 0/10

I'm Breathless: 1/12

Erotica: 0/14

Bedtime Stories: 0/11

Evita: 0/13

Ray of Light: 2/14

Other (90s): 0/12

Music: 1/13

American Life: 0/11

Confessions On A Dancefloor: 2/15

Hard Candy: 0/13

Other (00s): 0/5

MDNA: 0/16

Rebel Heart: 0/25

Madame X: 1/18

Other (10s): 0/3

 

80s: 1/47

90s: 3/76

00s: 3/57

10s: 1/62

That one is a bit too high for my personal tastes but it's a still a great fun track, the perfect follow up to Hung Up. It was definitely a highlight back when it was released but it's been overtaken by Get Together and, especially, Forbidden Love in my affections for the COADF tracks.

I love 'Sorry' but it does get overshadowed in my affections by the other singles off the album and 'Forbidden Love'. The middle-8 is my favourite part with the different languages. *.*

Don’t explain yourself cos talk is cheap , there’s more important things than hearing you speak ‘ !!

 

My fave part in Sorry!!

Papa Don't Preach is a very important song for me. About 5 years ago now, I listened to it on the way to work and it is the exact moment I decided to come out to my mum. I did it later that evening and I have this song as the motivator for that happening. It's a very worthy way of starting what promises to be an almighty top 10!

What a special memory to have attached to this song! :heart:

 

Strong start to the Top 10 with one of my very favourites of the 80s. As I said in the commentary, 'Papa Don't Preach' is the perfect example of how Madonna can present a complex issue and make it accessible to the widest possible audience. That's the beauty of pop music and it's one of the strongest qualities in Madonna's music.

What a special memory to have attached to this song! :heart:

 

Strong start to the Top 10 with one of my very favourites of the 80s. As I said in the commentary, 'Papa Don't Preach' is the perfect example of how Madonna can present a complex issue and make it accessible to the widest possible audience. That's the beauty of pop music and it's one of the strongest qualities in Madonna's music.

All of this! :heart:

Everybody knows the damn truth

 

 

08. God Control // Madame X // 9.808

 

Representing the best of the 2010s is 'God Control'. Madonna impressed us with her ambitious, global adventure of Madame X back in June this year and it was 'God Control' that gripped fans the most. The song starts with gloomy piano chords, almost mimicking the sound of a death knell, as a disaffected Madonna mumbles through gritted teeth her frustration with the lack of urgency and effort in ending gun violence. Her despair is heightened with the introduction of the Tiffin Children's Choir who give a voice to the innocent lives that are affected by this neglect. It's not clear where the song intends to go, until a sudden burst of synthesised strings takes us by surprise - this literally is our wake-up call! From here on, we're taken on an exhilarating ride through a swirling disco utopia; the dancefloor represents freedom, a concept Madonna has frequently promoted in her music, and this is what is at jeopardy. Even the places we go to escape are no longer safe and this juxtaposition of bright, uplifting music with dark, sombre lyrics highlights this sad and scary reality. The powerful music video that accompanies the song is a disturbing, reversed account of a club shooting. Showing such a graphic incident at the start keeps this image in mind as the video progresses and we see all the signs that have been ignored: the television report, the gunpoint mugging, the big, shining "we need to wake up" sign above the club. It's a challenging watch but is essential in reconnecting us with our shock and anger instead of being desensitised whenever these events are reported.

 

Madonna: 0/8

Like A Virgin: 0/9

True Blue: 0/9

Like A Prayer: 1/11

Other (80s): 0/10

I'm Breathless: 1/12

Erotica: 0/14

Bedtime Stories: 0/11

Evita: 0/13

Ray of Light: 2/14

Other (90s): 0/12

Music: 1/13

American Life: 0/11

Confessions On A Dancefloor: 2/15

Hard Candy: 0/13

Other (00s): 0/5

MDNA: 0/16

Rebel Heart: 0/25

Madame X: 0/18

Other (10s): 0/3

 

80s: 1/47

90s: 3/76

00s: 3/57

10s: 0/62

What an INCREDIBLE performance from God Control. It's certainly up there as one of the best she's done this decade but I'm still giving it more time before I can effectively compare it to the "classics" of the top 10. Still, what a result! And what a song, video, moment of her career!

Shock of the rate for me! I didn't think anything from the 10s could possibly stand a chance against her older classics but I'm pleased that God Control has managed to do so well. We've talked about it a lot this year already but I may as well reiterate again that it's an absolute joy to see her pushing boundaries again and challenging on relevant issues - it's like she regained her voice!

Definitely the big shock of the rate!

Don't leave me where I lay down

 

 

07. Don't Tell Me // Music // 9.893

 

The final song from 'Music' and one that has done exceptionally well against some absolute behemoths of singles, Don't Tell Me shimmies its way well into the top 10. The second single from the era, it combines the force of Mirwais with the song-writing of her brother-in-law, with her own magic to create this country-pop power anthem for the ages. Rejecting control from others, Madonna owns it herself as she sings of being unstoppable and uncontrollable. The song became a huge commercial success around the globe and was totally eaten up by radios. It was Madonna at her most commercial and audience-friendly, while dealing with important issues of femininity and power struggles. The music video played with the country theme and subverted it by having Madonna walking in front of a projector screen turning the Western theme on its head in a playful way. It received 2 nominations at the MTV VMAs and the song was nominated for a Grammy. It has been a regular song on tour for Madonna since its release and it remains one of her more played and well-recognised songs. With vibrant metaphors and images created throughout, it's a simple-yet-effective way of exploring the issues at hand; Madonna wants to live her life, through its struggles, triumphs and loves and wants to do so on her terms. Madonna herself sees it as a romantic song - a romance between two people accepting each other, but also a romance of the self and loving and accepting who you are unashamedly. A song with a punchy attitude and defiant message, don't tell her to stop anytime soon - she is unstoppable.

 

Madonna: 0/8

Like A Virgin: 0/9

True Blue: 0/9

Like A Prayer: 1/11

Other (80s): 0/10

I'm Breathless: 1/12

Erotica: 0/14

Bedtime Stories: 0/11

Evita: 0/13

Ray of Light: 2/14

Other (90s): 0/12

Music: 0/13

American Life: 0/11

Confessions On A Dancefloor: 2/15

Hard Candy: 0/13

Other (00s): 0/5

MDNA: 0/16

Rebel Heart: 0/25

Madame X: 0/18

Other (10s): 0/3

 

80s: 1/47

90s: 3/76

00s: 2/57

10s: 0/62

I love this track I didn’t expect it to do this well !!

I also didn't expect such a huge placing for this but I'm not complaining! A brilliant song and one I often return to <3

My number one! What a perfect song. The strings, with that beat, will forever wow me. Mirwais at his best.

 

 

 

This was the immediate highlight of the Music album for me and nothing has come vaguely close to knocking it from its perch since. In my top 3 of all time from Madonna, I adore the production that Mirwais brings and I loved the departure structurally with that extended outro where the strings become more prominent before it all just collapses inwards on itself, so clever. The video is one of my favourites too, it's not particularly inventive I guess but I love the sections where they are dancing, it really highlights the unusual quirks of the rhythm.

It's all an illusion

 

 

06. Get Together // Confession on a Dancefloor // 9.929

 

Clocking out at #6 is Confessions' third single, 'Get Together'. From the ringing of an alarm clock - if you're listening to the superior non-stop mix - the song rises like the sun on an Ibiza summer morning before diving into a fluid dance rhythm and thumping house beats. Madonna longs for a connection, returning to the theme of hooking up on the dance floor. She questions the concept of "love at first sight" but ultimately doesn't care if it's real: it's what they're feeling in that moment that counts. The music sweats along with you, evoking the euphoric rush and unstoppable feeling that the dance floor produces, only resting for a moment when the music pulls back in the middle 8 before sky-rocketing into a tremendous finale. 'Get Together' manages to simultaneously recall dance gems of the past, like Stardust's 'Music Sounds Better With You' and Madonna's early disco sounds, and set the mold for the future. It continues to sound relevant today, even climbing the ranks in the Madonna fanbase; once considered to interrupt the potentially great flow from 'Hung Up' into 'Sorry' and now even able to surpass them.

 

Madonna: 0/8

Like A Virgin: 0/9

True Blue: 0/9

Like A Prayer: 1/11

Other (80s): 0/10

I'm Breathless: 1/12

Erotica: 0/14

Bedtime Stories: 0/11

Evita: 0/13

Ray of Light: 2/14

Other (90s): 0/12

Music: 0/13

American Life: 0/11

Confessions On A Dancefloor: 1/15

Hard Candy: 0/13

Other (00s): 0/5

MDNA: 0/16

Rebel Heart: 0/25

Madame X: 0/18

Other (10s): 0/3

 

80s: 1/47

90s: 3/76

00s: 1/57

10s: 0/62

What a tune !! Lyrically it’s typical Madonna !! The video isn’t one of her best but the live version is everything .

 

Going to work listening to this tomorrow !!

I genuinely think this has overtaken Hung Up, Sorry and Jump to become my favourite single from Confessions! It's aged stupendously well. A haunting, powerful, evocative track that gets better with every listen. A great performance here to reflect the song's quality! :heart:

It's definitely my favourite single from Confessions now also, although still only my second favourite track. At the time I felt this sounded more dated than the other tracks as it seemed to jump on a very early 00s trend musically but I'd agree it has aged better than most of the other songs. Surprised but delighted to see it finish so high up :wub: