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Saluting the 2010's: Madonna's 10 best songs.


groovyguy
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...it's time to celebrate the output Madonna has released during this unique decade. 

Our Diva has given us three albums and more than 70 songs between 2012 and 2019. 

Which ones have made the top 10? Which album has had the highest amount of entries? 

Let's get into this ranking!

 DISCLAIMER
This is my list, not yours.
Don't be rude if your favorite song didn't make it on MY list because hey,
it still made it on YOUR list.
OKKAAAYY.

 

10. Love Spent (MDNA, 2012)

A fan favorite from Madonna's 12th studio album, MDNA, this song is a complex and captivating listen. 

The lyrics deal with love and money, particularly referring to Madonna's ex-husband Guy Ritchie. She tells the listener how money has ruined her marriage, as she felt that she mattered less than it to her partner. 

Musically, it features banjo, strings, electronic dance music and takes sharp and unexpected turns. Love Spent can be described as two or even three songs into one, beautifully mixed together. The second half of the song perfectly encapsulates that "euphoric melancholia" that I absolutely love about many songs by Madonna. 

 

9. Crazy (Madame X, 2019)

My favorite song on Madonna's 14th studio album, Crazy is a latin-pop ballad about a difficult relationship. It has everything that makes a great Madonna track: A linear melody, a big chorus, a beautiful bridge, great lyrics and natural vocals.
Like I wrote in my review for Madame X the reason I love this song so much is how it is lyrically reminiscent of Madonna's debut album, not only thematically but also when it comes to the songwriting. There is that youthful anger mixed with innocence that worked so well on The First Album. 

8. Best Night (Rebel Heart, 2015)

Dita came back four years ago, and she sounded as sexy as ever.
This beautiful r&b mid-tempo ballad with African elements is the hottest track on Rebel Heart and at the time (like its parent album) marked the return of raw soul and passion from Madonna.
This song represents the sexy, the romantic, the forbidden, the secret and the exciting. The bridge, which briefly quotes Justify My Love, is a melodic and vocal highlight. Madonna's lower tone has always been something else.

7. Devil Pray (Rebel Heart, 2015)
One of the best songs on Madonna's 13th studio album, Devil Pray is about drugs and how they are not the solution to people's problems. Madonna is telling the listener to fight against addiction (represented by the devil) and that asking others for help is not a bad thing, as by coming together we have a higher chance to win.
Madonna's voice is beautifully clear and resonant and the interesting mix of acoustic guitar and electronic dance music only seals the deal. Towards the end we can even hear the devil sing. Even IT surrendered to the brilliance of this track.

6. Rebel Heart (Rebel Heart, 2015)
This song could both be an introduction to and a summary of Madonna's career and persona in general.
I love her absolute honesty on this track. She covers her teenage struggles with her father, her controversial nature, her strength, the darker moments of her career, her romantic but at the same time tough personality.
I remember one interview she did in 2015 while promoting this record and she said that her personality was that of a warrior, a romantic warrior or  something along the lines of that.
 

5. Beautiful Killer (MDNA, 2012)
The 1980's are back on this synthwave gem.
A tribute to iconic french actor Alain Delon, this song was inspired by his character Jef Costello in the movie Le Samourai. Madonna dreams about being kidnapped by him and falling in love with him, without even knowing much about his personality, his origins and the reason he's wanted.
This song is that kind of pop perfection only Madonna is able to make so well and it sounds even better thanks to the growing popularity of the synthwave scene (read my article here).

4. Inside Out (Rebel Heart, 2015)
Inside Out is a track that instantly spoke to me when I heard it for the first time. Lyrically, I find it so full of love and passion. Madonna's vocals have also never sounded better, her voice was made for electronic songs like this one.
The chorus is straight-up old school Madonna and the bridge is absolutely magical: "Let's cross the line / so far we won't come back / can't read your mind / I should't have to ask / cynical smile / time to take off your mask / I'm on your side / so let me love you". 
I so wanted Madonna to sing this song live during the Rebel Heart Tour. 

3. Wash All Over Me (Rebel Heart, 2015)
Easily one of the greatest ballads (and songs in general) of our Diva's career, Wash All Over Me is incredibly deep and cryptic.
Her vocals, her songwriting abilities, her innate ear for pop melodies all shine on this song. She meditates on her mission as a human being, society's moral and spiritual downfall, her mortality and destiny. Wash All Over Me is a wonderfully written piece of poetry.
I really couldn't place this song outside of the top three.

2. Ghosttown (Rebel Heart, 2015)
Melodies, melodies, melodies. This is why the Rebel Heart album is the star of this top 10.
Ghosttown reminds us why Madonna is the queen of pop. In 2015 Madonna was 33 years into her career and she came up with this absolute pop gem.
With Ghosttown she proved once again her capabilities as a songwriter, giving us this situational song about two lovers who have to face an impending disaster, may it be a cataclysm or a nuclear war (like it's depicted in the music video).
Ghosttown is a masterpiece that will get appreciated more and more as time passes by.

1. Messiah (Rebel Heart, 2015)
What can I say? I've been a fan since 2005 (whew! over 14 years) and I adore this woman's discography almost in its entirety.
Still, Messiah not only is number one on this list but it is also my favorite song by Madonna, ever.
It is more than a declaration of love, this song is about trust, devotion and desire intertwined with spirituality and purity. This song perfectly expresses what it feels like to find our soulmate.
Production-wise this is immense: Dark, haunting, cinematic. Madonna's vocals sound so wonderfully clear and we can feel every word she's singing.
Simply a breathtaking song.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Because why not?
I've had a hard time making this list and there are many songs that I would have loved to include.
Here is a short (ehm) list:

I'm Addicted - from MDNA.

Joan of Arc - from Rebel Heart

Killers Who Are Partying - from Madame X 

Gang Bang - from MDNA

Dark Ballet - from Madame X 

HeartbreakCity - from Rebel Heart

Masterpiece - from MDNA

Falling Free - from MDNA

Veni Vidi Vici - from Rebel Heart

Heaven and Queen - two unreleased gems from the Rebel Heart sessions. 

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I’m a huge fan of this unique decade filled with 3 incredible albums and brilliant tours. What a feast for the eyes and ears!

With so many favorite songs, it’s hard to choose the definitive Top 10 list. I still listen to these albums a lot and my song ranking changes all the time depending on the time and day and my mood. 
 

For now, my list goes as follows:

1. Falling Free

2. Ghosttown 

3. I Rise

4. Love Spent

5. Masterpiece

6. Borrowed Time

7. Crave

8. Devil Pray

9. Crazy

10. Rebel Heart

 

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Artistically her weakest decade - to me she didnt work with any cutting edge producers/songwriters and bringing back the oldies like Orbit and Mirwais produced a mix-bag imo. Anyway the songs i listen to frequently in no order and ones that i just instinctively go too are:

Falling Free, Rebel Heart, I Don't Search I Find, Queen(Random song but i love it), Some Girls, Dark Ballet, Ghosttown, Masterpiece, Future & Joan Of Arc.

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Guest Nobody Knows Me

Definitely her weakest decade for me, however there’s still been amazing songs along the way. For now this would be my list.

  • Girl Gone Wild
  • I’m Addicted
  • Masterpiece
  • Beautiful Killer
  • Living For Love
  • Messiah
  • Addicted
  • God Control
  • I Don’t Search I Find
  • Ciao Bella
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God Control

Gang Bang

I Don't Search I Find

Living for Love

Extreme Occident

Devil Pray

I'm Addicted

Batuka

HeartBreakCity

Messiah

I Think we got a fair amount of amazing tracks this decade unfortunately for me all three albums suffers of the same problem: two directions mixed together that doesn't quite work together.

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1 hour ago, wtg1987 said:

Artistically her weakest decade - to me she didnt work with any cutting edge producers/songwriters and bringing back the oldies like Orbit and Mirwais produced a mix-bag imo. Anyway the songs i listen to frequently in no order and ones that i just instinctively go too are:

Falling Free, Rebel Heart, I Don't Search I Find, Queen(Random song but i love it), Some Girls, Dark Ballet, Ghosttown, Masterpiece, Future & Joan Of Arc.

A very weak decade indeed. I can only recall one single track that could sit comfortably amongst her incredible back catalogue, and that is 'Beautiful Killer'. The rest from 2012-2019 all vary between just 'ok' to 'bloody awful'. Not a memorable decade at all for her musically

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This has been decade I was actively involved and honestly each decade differs dramatically from the last. This decade was cumbersome for her more than the others. The 2000s showed what I’d call a decline musical risk from the albums where as her tours amped it up. The 10s show what I’d call M grasping everything around because we live in a market that’s so diverse but also shallow. I think wanting to take what was there and make something powerful like she had been but it just back fired each time to the public and some fans. But what I find this last decade was a Madonna really fighting. MDNA was meant to show off what M is made of. I don’t think it quite got to that but essence was there in the end. MDNA reminds me a lot of Like a Prayer in it trying to be risky but true to what was going on at the time. In the end, it was far too metallic in nature. Rebel Heart was a juxtaposition of two sides she tried using to make sense of all sources and influences. Again, I don’t think she succeeded in a balance, but it was defitnely warmer and more organic than the last two. In the end, the chaos makes sense and the incohesive tracklist becomes what being a Rebel Heart is about. The leaks really broke it and I believe it was the source what would be Madame X, trying to embrace more than the rebel or heart. I think her intentions really bled through this time, whether she showed it all or not. Madame X has a loose storyline and beautiful influences with tangeants here and there. Madame X showed that Madonna was still interest pop, art, and the world in general. I digress, so here goes my top ten songs of the 2010s:

1. Living for Love

2. Medellin 

3. Masterpiece

4. Ghosttown

5. God Control

6. B*tch I’m Madonna

7. Crave

8. IDSIF

9. Girl Gone Wild

10. Beautiful Scars

Honorable Mentions:

Future, GMAYL, Devil Pray, Superstar, Holy Water, Beautiful Killer, Hold Tight, Body Shop, killers That Are Partying, I Rise, I’m Addicted

PS. I just reread this and it sounds like I was drunk, but I promise I was just typing very fast. 

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Rebel Heart and Madame X are by far her two best and most creative albums released after Ray Of Light!

I don´t agree at all with the opinion of others who say that the past decade had no good songs.

Beautiful ones and above all songs that appeal to an ADULT audience.

I'm so happy that she finally found her way back to her great ballads ... Messiah is a masterpiece and one of my absolute favorite songs.

1) Messiah

2) Ghosttown

3) Wash All Over Me

4) Looking For Mercy

5) Rebel Heart

6) Devil Pray

7) Extreme Occident

8) Falling Free

9) HeartBreak City

10) Masterpiece

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Don't get fooled by disppointing chart performances (Girl Gone Wild, Living For Love and Medellin to list my fav all deserved to top the charts, we know it): I really think it's quite incredible what Madonna managed to achieve in her 50's... those 2010's years were phenomenal. Who else can match this constant body of work ?

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1. Dark Ballet

2. Falling Free

3. Bitch I'm Madonna

4. Extreme Occident

5. God Control

6. Masterpiece

7. Love Spent

8. Messiah

9. Rebel Heart

10. Looking For Mercy

 

More than honorable mentions:

Wash All Over Me

Joan of Arc

Crave

Ghosttown

I Don't Search I Find

Killers who are partying

I have some personal favorites as well that don't cover "all" the bases for me but there is one good thing I love about the song.  I like to choose the songs for these lists that do have the balance of everything I like in a song. 

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I like the albums & songs form the 2010 years. Inn my opinion the albums were sometimes badly promoted and the single selection was not always the right one.

My Favorites (not in order):

1. God Control

2. Batuka

3. Medellin

4. Gang Bang

5. Love Spent

6. Devil Pray

7. Wash All over Me

8. Best Friend

9. Rebel Heart

10. I don`t search I Find

 

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  • 3 months later...

If there was a ‘Hit’s’ Collection released for the 2010’s I don’t think it would be a bad collection. 

Im thinking 

01 Living For Love

02 Girl Gone Wild (Edit)

03 I Don’t Search I Find (Honey Dijon Radiomix)

04 God Control (Radio Edit)

05 Medellín (Edit) 

06 Bitch I’m Madonna

07 Turn Up The Radio

08 Gimme All Your Luv’in

09 Superstar 

10 Hold Tight

11 I Rise

12 Beautiful Game (Edit)

13 Ghosttown

14 Crave

15 Masterpeice

 

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