Say which flavour you like and I'll have it for you: Suedey's Madonna top 50

I'm listening to Celebration to show appreciation for this countdown. I know we girls like to pretend it's not a bop, but I will always remember it soundtracking a rather ill-advised night on Fire Island in my early twenties. Come join the padddeeehh :disco:
 
Loufoque said:
I'm listening to Celebration to show appreciation for this countdown. I know we girls like to pretend it's not a bop, but I will always remember it soundtracking a rather ill-advised night on Fire Island in my early twenties. Come join the padddeeehh :disco:
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I LOVE Celebration

Boyyougatta reputashaaawwww*croak*
Butchugannahaveto prove iT!!!
 
Suedey said:
Well that's folks! Thanks so much for persevering with me and encouraging me to finish this countdown. Special thanks to @jivafox , @Ag, @RaspberrySwirl , @Bluejeans , @wurst , @Mother Superior , @Frozen, @Loufoque, @Tisch , @Iguana , @funky, @Music , @RJN, @POP! , @Jark , @Ill Advised , @ManicKangaroo , @BoysForSeles , @Dr Lecter , @COB, @Beverley and everyone else I may have missed - it's been great.

On this note I invite you all to head over to lovely @Whatevar 's thread where he has just started his Mariah top 50.

Peace and love and see you in another countdown. Maybe top 50 albums of all time or maybe Kylie!!!!!?!!
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Sorry @Beverley ! Edited and updated.

Gosh I shouldn't have posted that last post. I ruined it all didn't I..
 
The full top 50 is below. "Lucky Star" was bubbling under at No. 64 :(

1. Like A Prayer
2. Frozen
3. Into The Grooove
4. Vogue
5. Secret
6. Paradise (Not For Me)
7. Live To Tell
8. Justify My Love
9. Get Together
10. Deeper and Deeper

11. La Isla Bonita
12. Drowned World/Substitute For Love
13. Oh Father
14. Erotica
15. Power of Goodbye
16. Bedtime Story
17. I Want You
18. What It Feels Like For A Girl
19. Open Your Heart
20. Ray of Light

21. Hung Up
22. Papa Don’t Preach
23. Rain
24. Till Death Do Us Part
25. Borderline
26. Bad Girl
27. This Used To be my Playground
28. Burning Up
29. You’ll See
30. Express Yourself

31. Nothing Really Matters
32. I’ll Remember
33. Keep It Together
34. Impressive Instant
35. Dress You Up
36. Take A Bow
37. Spanish Eyes
38. Don’t Tell Me
39. Skin
40. Who’s That Girl?

41. Masterpiece
42. Sanctuary
43. Dear Jessie
44. Rescue Me
45. Angel
46. Joan of Arc
47. Promise to Try
48. Hollywood
49. Like A Virgin
50. God Control
 
Peekaboo said:
'Lucky Star' missing out over STUFFF (© Miranda Priestly) like GOD CONTROL, MASTERPIECE or JOAN OF ARC? :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x:
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Madonna's first album still sounds amazing to these ears today. It's simple, and dated, but it has none of the TROUBLED ARTIFICE that has plagued her late career.

My personal favourite albums of her are Ray of Light and Like a Prayer, but I know which album I'd play if I wanted to have BACK TO BACK LOCKDOWN FUN in my living room on a FRIDAY NIGHT.
 
Great list @Suedey , my top 10 would not be the same but I wouldn’t complain about any of those either to be fair. Was there a sudden acceleration to number one or did I lose track?
 
FABULOUS JOB, madame Suedette Veruca Salt Ciccone! :disco: you've set a new GOLD STANDARD for countdowns on this forum quite frankly. (I'll have to stop trying. :basil:)

I think the section 11-20 houses the most of my absolute favourite M-dolla TRAX. in general your commentary was not just super informative but incredibly well considered and a clear demonstration of your high level of taste. you really communicated what this legendary bitch means to you, without trying too hard. love that for you.

:disco:
 
These final 5 were almost too much.
The Junior Luscious Single Mix of Secret is beyond amazing. I listen to it followed by Deeper and Deeper all the time.

Into the Groove is just joy in a song

Vogue was always a favorite but Pose made me appreciate it even more
 
The write-ups were so great and I’m definitely going to reread them next time I’m listening to any of these songs
 
Every single time I hear Live to Tell it gives me chills. Everyone else has said it: it’s one of the most dramatic pop songs ever made. Soaring, sweeping, grandiose, everything about it is dripping with emotion. It might be her most fine wine song.
 
Paradise is not my favourite but I acknowledge it objectively as one of her more accomplished songs. Even though it’s heavily Mirwais, she more than holds her own on the song and I’m really glad she included it on Music - it gives another notch to that album. I massively prefer it to the experimental ballads on American Life.
 
Secret is incredibly underrated, really happy to see it Top 5 here. It’s such a sophisticated moment too - the production is on point. One of my favourite parts of BS is the fact that the R&B sound she goes for is more mature and experimental than the mainstream sounds of the early 90s, which I also love, but would not have suited her voice. Sure, she goes for a bit of pop R&B on Don’t Stop, Take A Bow and Human Nature but she really excels on Secret, Survival and Inside Of Me, with the more lush and layered arrangements and sensual vocals. And the compliment the trippier moments of Sanctuary and Bedtime Story.

god I love that album so much.
 
Vogue is undeniable. I have phased when it gets elbowed out of my favourites because it’s so simple and we’ve heard it so many times, but then you have a moment to it, or see one of the many iconic performances of it, and reminded of its glory. Even that moment in Devil Wears Prada is fucking iconic and elevated that scene far more than practically any song could have done, as predictable a song choice as it might have been.

I had one such moment just recently actually, watching the ReInvention Tour on YouTube. What an opening to a concert. The excitement for that performance was particularly special as it was such a long time since she had performed it live.
 
Into The Groove is, let’s face it, one of THE club tracks of the 80s. It’s one thing to have an iconic dance song than can remain relevant and not dated decades later, but also, quite another when you think that Madonna owns a handful of said songs.

I sometimes think, could True Blue have been an even more iconic and successful album had she tacked this onto it? Why didn’t they? It already had 5 genuinely massive singles, with ITG we’re talking Thriller territory.

Still, it’s because of that imperial era when she had singles between singles that made Immaculate Collection so special - as a fan, seeing all her big album songs alongside the likes of ITG and Crazy For You and Vogue... that’s what you call a proper Greatest Hits.
 
I didn’t like Frozen when it first came out. I was in the midst of becoming a loon fan after going back and discovering her 90s output properly. I’ve probably mentioned it before but I was a mainstream fan like everyone else as a kid in the 80s, then kinda stopped caring when she stopped being as relevant (at least in pure music terms) in the 90s, not really paying much attention to all the scandal and press gossip and moved on to R&B and hip-hop and house music. But the 90s albums were all on offer in Woolies, so I bought Erotica, BS and STR on the cheap and was just shocked at how good they were. I became hooked. The endless nods to club culture and R&B and the exceptional balladry! I could not. So anyway, Frozen was just too WHITE and electronica after what I’d come to expect from her.

of course once I wrapped my head around her new direction, and especially when the album came out, I was hooked. The rest, and it being possibly the greatest album ever made, is history.
 
funky said:
I sometimes think, could True Blue have been an even more iconic and successful album had she tacked this onto it? Why didn’t they? It already had 5 genuinely massive singles, with ITG we’re talking Thriller territory.
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ITG firmly belonged to the Virgin era. It was added on to the 1985 UK reissue of Like a Virgin.
 
LAP will always be Top 5 for me. It is also undeniable. I’m not sure if this is sacrilege but I do prefer the main remix, just because I prefer it when the best bit if the song, the gospel spazz out, is sung in a major key not a minor key (as in the album version). It’s just more euphoric and joyous. But honestly all versions are 11/10.

by God @Suedey what a write up. I’m in awe. And yes you’ve also put me back into a Madonna mood more deeply than I have for a long time. The nostalgic feels. What a queen.
 
Suedey said:
ITG firmly belonged to the Virgin era. It was added on to the 1985 UK reissue of Like a Virgin.
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But it came after LAV was released though yes? I genuinely can’t remember the ordering.
 
funky said:
But it came after LAV was released though yes? I genuinely can’t remember the ordering.
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Yes, it was released after LAV and it wasn't on the original pressing, but they added it to the 1985 UK reissue after it went to no. 1 here.
 
here’s where I placed your final songs...

1. Like A Prayer - #3
2. Frozen - #8
3. Into The Grooove - #17
4. Vogue - #12
5. Secret - #18
6. Paradise (Not For Me) - #44
7. Live To Tell - #10
8. Justify My Love - #2
9. Get Together - #48 (I might need to review this)
10. Deeper and Deeper - #27

11. La Isla Bonita - :x:
12. Drowned World/Substitute For Love - #21
13. Oh Father - #37

My highest songs that you didn’t include are

Waiting #9
Holiday #11
Swim #14
Medellin #16
 
I don’t know how I missed this thread. I thought it was just a poll about flavours or something.

I’m not a big Madonna fan but I’m working my way through this critiqué with interest.
 
People are quick to pounce on her these days but the quality of the songs on that list plus the fact she probably has almost the same amount of proper quality not on it should make her immune from criticism forever.
 
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