18. Sanctuary ~ 7.70

 

Who needs the sun, when the rain's so full of life?

 

Quoting the poet Walt Whitman, next up it's Sanctuary from Bedtime Stories. With an atmospheric introduction, the song continues in its dream like scape. She sings of love and death and it sonically leads into the following track, 'Bedtime Story' in a glorious transition. It's an R&B ballad about finding security in a lover despite the uncertainty of the external elements. The song came out of Madonna hearing a beat and remixing Sanctuary on top of it. Overall, it's a hugely sensual and brooding song that entices viewers in.

The way Sanctuary transitions into Bedtime Story is pure perfection. I like the song on its own too of course! It's higher than I thought it'd be here :o

^ agreed

 

When i play this with the album its divine but dont usually opt to play it on its own.

 

17. I Deserve It ~ 7.85

 

All the pain was worth it

 

We now have the start of FOUR songs with the exact same averages. The songs have been separated by number of top scores and I Deserve It falls short out of the 4. In the song Mirwais worked his magic and created a totally warped soundscape for the song. Madonna's vocals were completely stripped of all effects and we are left with her rawest of tones. Alongside this is the overly produced and processed synthing instrumentation. The juxtaposition of two is a totally engrossing experience. In the song, Madonna is highly introspective and it's a hugely personal song about her struggles along the way.

^ totally love this

 

Understated, yet powerful 😍

I really love that song I Deserve It. It's amazing.

I Deserve It is a huge favourite of mine. It's a highlight of the Music album and I'm glad it's done this well here!

 

16. Rebel Heart ~ 7.85 (more 11s)

 

All the pain was worth it

 

Following on from the previous song about Madonna's long journey on the difficult road she has travelled, Rebel Heart too continues along this theme. The title track for her 13th album Madonna sings of her harsh journey to get to where she was. In it, she sings of her darkness, battles and tough love. The song is about starting again and shedding your skin throughout your career. It's a triumphant song that carries with it a heartfelt, personal message of self worth.

love Rebel Heart , its so different from the demo but i still appreciate it.

Demo version is so much better for me.

 

Shame it's so hard to locate these days.

Rebel Heart is one of my favourite Madonna songs of recent albums. It's excellent in both it's demo and album form.

 

I think it should have been released as the lead single...

 

I like to imagine that she sang this at the Brit Awards, staged in the same way as she did on the Rebel Heart tour with (age appropriate) images flashing up behind her as she stood and sang the song (a finished version of the demo). It would have been a magical performance (much better than her being dragged off stage) and could have turned the song into a hit.

 

Follow it up with Ghosttown and you've got a much more successful era... (probably)

It's definitely a highlight of the album it's from. Do I listen to it beyond playing the album as a whole? No, but maybe I need to change that.

 

15. Future Lovers ~ 7.85 (more 11s and 10s)

 

I'm gonna tell you about love

 

The four-way tie continues. This time we return to Confessions with Future Lovers. One of the first songs written for the album it perfectly encapsulates its sound and vibes. The track opened the Confessions Tour and is heavily inspired by the Donna Summers song "I Feel Love" (leading to the song being performed as a medley with this on the tour).

The intro to confessions is perfection!

A key highlight on a fantastic album. Electrifying!

Definitely a great one (but then the entire album is). Also what an incredible opening for the Confessions Tour - oh to have been there live :(

 

14. Devil Pray ~ 7.85 (more 11s and 10s and 8s)

 

Forever be lost, with no way home

 

The final song in our four-way tie is Devil Pray which ranks as Rebel Heart's highest entry in this countdown. Madonna stated that the song is about how people take drugs to connect to God or higher level of consciousness. However this is put alongside the illusion that these narcotics create and the destructive properties that they have. It deals with Madonna's own experiences with drugs juxtaposed with religious awakenings.

Devil Pray is good but it's beaten some absolute classics here and I'm not sure it should be as high as 14th!

Devil Pray should have been a single!! Should have been top 10.

 

13. Nobody Knows Me ~ 8.00

 

It's no good when you're misunderstood

 

Next up it's the final album track from American Life which starts off the 8+ averaged songs. Nobody Knows Me was released as a promotional single for the album and was included remixed on her Remixed & Revisited album. In the song Madonna rejects popular culture, tv, magazines and the media. Madonna becomes a nobody in the song, out of the public eye and rejecting the fame that she has. It contains the album's signature vocoder effects and thumping bass.