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Madonna’s Lead Singles Ranked


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From “Everybody” To “Medellín,” Madonna’s Lead Singles Ranked

https://www.idolator.com/7752032/madonna-14-lead-singles-ranked?ios=1

The Queen of Pop made a triumphant return this week with “Medellín.” Featuring Colombian heartthrob Maluma, the reggaeton banger is the lead single from Madame X (due June 24). It might seem odd that Madonna would kick off a new era with a collaboration, but she has done it before. Who could forget Justin Timberlake’s cameo on “4 Minutes” or Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.’s unexpected verses on “Gimme All Your Luvin'”? If there has been consistent thread throughout the 60-year-old’s career, it is her ability to deliver the unexpected. 

To celebrate the start of the Madame X era, I have undertaken the Herculean task of ranking the lead singles of her 14 studio albums. (I’m Breathless is classified as a soundtrack, otherwise “Vogue” would — obviously — be very high on the list). As with any exercise of this nature, take the rankings with a grain of salt. The list contains some of the best pop songs of all time, so the difference between number five and number one, for example, is infinitesimal. Ok, here we go. May the best banger win! 

14. “Give Me All Your Luvin'” (MDNA)

It’s only fitting that Madonna’s worst album was introduced by her worst lead single. Time has actually been rather kind to “Give Me All Your Luvin'” (as usual the pop icon was ahead of the curve), but nothing can change the fact that this was more of a marketing exercise than an artistic endeavor. That being said, the video is stunning and the cheerleader chanting is undeniably catchy. 

13. “American Life” (American Life)

More than a decade later, and I’m still torn about this song. On the one hand, I love it when Madonna trolls her fans (and the public at large). On the other, the verses are so underwhelming in comparison to the majestic chorus. And then there’s the fact that there were so many better songs on American Life. The era might have turned out very differently if she had kicked things off with “Nothing Fails” or “Love Profusion.” 

12. “Everybody” (Madonna)

This is technically considered to be the lead single from Madonna, even if it dropped a year before the album was released. Everything Madonna touched in the ’80s turned to gold and “Everybody” is no exception. It’s just not in the same league as classic bops like “Lucky Star” or “Borderline,” which were also on that album.

11. “Living For Love” (Rebel Heart)

Rebel Heart was a mangled trainwreck from the moment it leaked three months ahead of release. And it just got worse from there. “Living For Love” is actually a bop and could have been (a minor) hit, but someone had the great idea of making the video a SnapChat exclusive — thus taking all-important video streams out of the chart equation. By the time Madonna fell performing the song at the BRITS, the entire era felt cursed. Having said all that, the 60-year-old tried to give the gays exactly what they wanted (i.e. a club banger) and it’s not her fault that most of them had already illegally downloaded it on their phone.


 
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10. “Medellín” (Madame X)

It’s a little too early to rank the Queen’s latest single. It could move up or down this list in a couple of months, but I’m currently in the honeymoon phase. I love how bizarre “Medellín” is. From the unexpected clash of cultures to the unusually slow tempo and lengthy running time, it’s Madonna’s most dynamic single in a decade. I just wish the chorus was a little beefier and Maluma’s role was somewhat reduced. 

09. “4 Minutes” (Hard Candy)

Time has been rather unkind to “4 Minutes.” Like everything else Timbaland produced in the ’00s, it sounds a little dated. On the other hand, the song was a genuine pop culture moment. It was also the catchiest song on Hard Candy, so Madonna — and/or her label — made the right choice. I just wish it sounded more Madonna and less Nelly Furtado circa Loose.

08. “Like A Virgin” (Like A Virgin) 

From this point on, the rankings are arbitrary. “Like A Virgin” is one of the most iconic pop songs of all time, and sheer fatigue from hearing it so often is the only reason it ranks so low on this list. However, if I had to choose one song that summed up Madonna’s mastery of shock value and the three-minute pop song, this would be it. The world hasn’t been the same since it dropped in 1984.

07. “Erotica” (Erotica)

Speaking of controversial anthems, “Erotica” is one of Madonna’s best. In retrospect, it was a wildly experimental single for the biggest pop star on the planet to release. And I’m not just talking about the highly sexualized lyrics. “Erotica” is more about mood and atmosphere than pop hooks. Which makes it one of the living legend’s most interesting lead singles. (I would argue that “Rain” would have been a wiser choice but that’s beside the point).

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06. “Secret” (Bedtime Stories)

Is Bedtime Stories Madonna’s most underrated album? I’d say it’s a close tussle between this and American Life. An ever-evolving superstar, M was trying new things in the ’90s. She flirted with a more urban sound on “Secret,” but kept it just pop enough to appease the faithful. This is a dreamy, understated, rudely-forgotten gem.

05. “Music” (Music)

I really wore this CD single out. After pulling off a memorable comeback with Ray Of Light, Madonna kept the momentum going with Music. The title track topped the charts around the globe and stands out as one of her catchiest singles. More importantly, this feels quintessentially Madonna. In that it’s a balls-to-the-wall banger about letting go and having a good time. The stars truly aligned on this one.

04. “Live To Tell” (True Blue)

Contrary to popular belief, at least with next-gen fans, Madonna kicked off True Blue with “Live To Tell” instead of “Papa Don’t Preach.” While the latter was a bigger hit, “Live To Tell” showcased the pop star’s artistry and underrated vocal chops in a way we hadn’t seen before. It also deserves credit for being her only lead single that could be classified as a ballad. Not only that, but it still sounds flawless today. This has stood the test of time like the pyramids of Egypt.

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03. “Frozen” (Ray Of Light)

Goth-donna was that girl and “Frozen” ranks as one of my favorite singles of the ’90s. At a time when grunge was all-powerful and singer/songwriters set the tone on pop radio, Madonna overhauled her sound to fit the alt-trend without losing herself in the process. It was also one of her most personal singles and demonstrated immense artistic growth. A moment of pop genius.

02. “Hung Up” (Confessions On A Dance Floor)

Has there ever been a better comeback single than “Hung Up”? (Ok, maybe Cher’s “Believe”). Madonna was knee-deep in drama and reeling from the backlash to American Life when Confessions On A Dance Floor dropped in 2005. It would take one of the best pop songs of all time to win back the general public and that’s exactly what she delivered with “Hung Up.” From the ABBA sample to the majestic chorus, everything about this is utter perfection.

01. “Like A Prayer” (Like A Prayer)

How do you decide between two of the best lead singles of all time? Well, you go with your gut. And when I think of Madonna’s most perfectly executed era, Like A Prayer comes to mind. The title track arrived in a blaze of outrage in 1989, setting the template for post bubblegum-pop Madonna with its controversial tone, religious imagery and lingering trace of sadness. In a perfect world, this would have won every Grammy.

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Interesting to read the combined UK numbers for all the lead singles ❤

 

 

Madonna's lead singles ranked

As Madonna returns with Medellín, the first cut from her 14th studio album, we rank her other lead singles.

https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/madonnas-lead-singles-ranked__26119/

By Justin Myers 
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Madonna is back, not that she ever went away. After four years without new music, Madonna's fourteenth studio album, Madame X, is imminent.

The first single, Medellín, features Colombian singer Maluma and joins an array of classic hits given the honour – and huge responsibility – of launching a new Madonna album.

Everybody has their favourites, of course, and fans worldwide have been posting their own rankings of the big launch singles. But when we push aside taste and make it all about the numbers, which comes out on top? We looked at combined physical and download sales, audio and video streaming figures to count down the definitive list of Madonna's lead hits.

To make things a bit more interesting, we include her soundtracks to Who's That Girl and Evita, plus Dick Tracy tie-in I'm Breathless – featuring the earliest release to appear on an album for the first time – and the first (new material) singles off her greatest hits. Why? Well, you can never have too many hits in a countdown, can you? See all Madonna's hit singles, including 13 Number 1s, in her Official Chart archive

The biggest lead single of them all goes to Like A Virgin, the provocative title track of Madonna's second album. While it reached only Number 3 in January 1985, it's amassed 925,000 combined sales – although it was another eight months before the parent album would make it to Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart.

Next is another title track, and a very similarly titled one at that, Like A Prayer. Cruising to Number 1 in early 1989, the euphoric gospel pop banger has a tally of 850,500 and its parent album topped the charts too. In third place is the mighty ABBA-sampling Hung Up, with 730,000 combined sales to its name. Heading up the campaign for Confessions on a Dance Floor – Madonna's longest album title FYI – the song spent three weeks at Number 1 and helped its parent album rack up over 1.35 million sales.

Perhaps a controversial choice, given it felt more tacked onto the end of its mothership album rather than a part of it, Vogue is fourth, with 663,000, coming from I'm Breathless, which was inspired by the movie Dick Tracy, and featured the underrated Hanky Panky. Hard Candy's 4 Minutes, featuring Justin Timberlake and Madonna's most recent chart-topper, is next on 627,000, and Madonna's huge comeback in 1998, Frozen, from the seminal Ray of Light, is next on 602,200 – it was the first Madonna song ever to debut at the top of the Official Singles Chart. 

True Blue is Madonna's top selling studio album in the UK, but, rather surprisingly, its first single Live To Tell is in 10th spot, with 331,000. Live To Tell was originally recorded for movie At Close Range, and in early 1986 Madonna said the album would be called Live To Tell, later changing it to the True Blue we all know and love. Just behind Live To Tell is another ballad, heading up a whole album of ballad greatest hits – You'll See is in 10th place on 322,000.

The Immaculate Collection, Madonna's greatest hits from 1990, is her biggest selling album overall in the UK, with 3.76 million combined sales, but its flagship song, the "filthy for the time but pretty tame now" Justify My Love, is only her 12th biggest lead. It might have something to do with the fact radio stations were scared to death of it, and its raunchy video was only on late night TV. Plus, the album came out the week after the single and literally everyone raced to buy that instead.

Madonna's lead singles ranked in combined sales order:

  SONG SONG PEAK ALBUM YEAR
1 LIKE A VIRGIN 3 LIKE A VIRGIN 1984
2 LIKE A PRAYER 1 LIKE A PRAYER 1989
3 HUNG UP 1 CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR 2005
4 VOGUE 1 I'M BREATHLESS 1990
5 4 MINUTES 1 HARD CANDY 2008
6 FROZEN 1 RAY OF LIGHT 1998
7 MUSIC 1 MUSIC 2000
8 WHO'S THAT GIRL 1 WHO'S THAT GIRL OST 1988
9 LIVE TO TELL 2 TRUE BLUE 1986
10 YOU'LL SEE 5 SOMETHING TO REMEMBER 1995
11 EROTICA 3 EROTICA 1992
12 JUSTIFY MY LOVE 2 IMMACULATE COLLECTION 1990
13 CELEBRATION 3 CELEBRATION 2008
14 SECRET 5 BEDTIME STORIES 1994
15 YOU MUST LOVE ME 10 EVITA 1996
16 AMERICAN LIFE 2 AMERICAN LIFE 2003
17 LIVING FOR LOVE 26 REBEL HEART 2015
18 GIVE ME ALL YOUR LUVIN 37 MDNA 2012
19 EVERYBODY N/A MADONNA 1982

©2019 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Relive all Madonna's singles artwork in our gallery:

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