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MadonnaNation's top 25 Madonna songs


Guest henZ

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Live To Tell by svperstar

It probably wouldn't make much sense if I just went on and started rambling about why this very special ballad sits at the pole position of my personal chart, and no one would have the patience to read a 10000-word essay on it, so I'll just give it to you as straight as I possibly can. "Live to Tell" is not just a song, it's a standard. History will write Madonna in whatever way it will see fit, but one of the first and foremost legacies she will carry with her is the fact that she was the gifted artist who got to sing this very special, very moving, ultimately hypnotic masterpiece. I was only seven years old when I first heard it, and even then I remember thinking how unforgettable the whole thing was. It has carved itself into a very special place in my heart for some time, but not enough to necessarily make it the absolute favorite until now. What changed? Two words: "Confessions Tour." I saw the woman, in all her personal glory, for the very first time live last year, and when she took the stage to sing one of my favorite songs of hers, she seemingly brought it into a completely new realm of significance. Now it is not just music, it is art with cultural impact. Every time I hear the words "I have a tale to tell," my mind is taken back to that special night, when she emerges from behind a black curtain hanging from a mirrored cross, a crown of pink thorns nestled on the top of her head. It's a striking image, an image of importance, an image enriched by the fact that it has been backed by a song that touches nearly everyone who hears it. And now, it touches me more than it ever has. It is an experience I will never forget, and the song itself seems to mean so much more as a result. Thank you Madonna for the gift that is "Live to Tell."

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#1

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Like A Prayer by HolidayGuy

Madonna has pumped out many a great track since she hit the scene in 1982- but it was in 1989 that she presented us with what probably is her finest achievement in song- via the title track from her critically acclaimed Like a Prayer album.

Always one to tackle sonic freshness with each release (well, most of the time anyways), here she returned to her R&B roots, even enlisting a gospel choir to achieve the heavenly results we hear in "Like a Prayer." The opening guitar and dramatic door slam set the tone for a track that not only provided the world with a pop masterpiece, but also a visual one- the Queen of Controversy may have reached her zenith with the accompanying video clip that meshed racism, religion and sex like nothing before it or since.

But let's just focus on the song itself- Madonna's pretty much peerless when it comes to pop melodies and delivery (having a huge voice is not needed for effectiveness), and she undoubtedly was at the top of her game here. She sounds good despite not having a big voice– and she sounds damn-near angelic on the verses, with the church-infused musical background. Like the video clip, the song is full of drama and, in classic Madonna style, full of innuendo. While she once explained that the song is about a girl's relationship with God, lines like "I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there" are open to profane interpretation- which likely is exactly how she wanted it. To put it simply, "Like a Prayer" is the perfect marriage of art and commerce- which Madge puts together like few others.

Seriously- it's easy enough to argue that Madonna holds the template for pop music over the last 25 years- and, sure, she always has had some detractors and even some who don't get what all the fuss is about. To any of those people, just listen to this track and dare to even compare any contemporaries and wannabes or non-wannabes to come thereafter. It just doesn't get any better than this, folks.

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#2

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Live To Tell by svperstar

It probably wouldn't make much sense if I just went on and started rambling about why this very special ballad sits at the pole position of my personal chart, and no one would have the patience to read a 10000-word essay on it, so I'll just give it to you as straight as I possibly can. "Live to Tell" is not just a song, it's a standard. History will write Madonna in whatever way it will see fit, but one of the first and foremost legacies she will carry with her is the fact that she was the gifted artist who got to sing this very special, very moving, ultimately hypnotic masterpiece. I was only seven years old when I first heard it, and even then I remember thinking how unforgettable the whole thing was. It has carved itself into a very special place in my heart for some time, but not enough to necessarily make it the absolute favorite until now. What changed? Two words: "Confessions Tour." I saw the woman, in all her personal glory, for the very first time live last year, and when she took the stage to sing one of my favorite songs of hers, she seemingly brought it into a completely new realm of significance. Now it is not just music, it is art with cultural impact. Every time I hear the words "I have a tale to tell," my mind is taken back to that special night, when she emerges from behind a black curtain hanging from a mirrored cross, a crown of pink thorns nestled on the top of her head. It's a striking image, an image of importance, an image enriched by the fact that it has been backed by a song that touches nearly everyone who hears it. And now, it touches me more than it ever has. It is an experience I will never forget, and the song itself seems to mean so much more as a result. Thank you Madonna for the gift that is "Live to Tell."

:bow: LOVE IT.

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Here's the top 40 if anyone is interested:

1. Like A Prayer

2. Live To Tell

3. Vogue

4. Drowned World/Substitute For Love

5. Frozen

6. Hung Up

7. Into The Groove

8. Ray of Light

9. Secret

10. Get Together

11. La Isla Bonita

12. Express Yourself

13. Oh Father

14. Justify My Love

15. Paradise (Not For Me)

16. Music

17. Erotica

18. What It Feels Like For A Girl

19. Deeper And Deeper

20. Open Your Heart

21. Die Another Day

22. Holiday

23. Borderline

24. Burning Up

25. Bedtime Story

26. Till Death Do Us Part

27. Sorry

28. Papa Don’t Preach

29. Rain

30. Bad Girl

31. Lucky Star

32. Take A Bow

33. Jump

34. You’ll See

35. The Power of Good-bye

36. Nothing Really Matters

37. Dress You Up

38. Sky Fits Heaven

39. Like A Virgin

40. Hollywood

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Agreed. This was a great read, and a bunch of flowers to Henz for arranging it all. (And for sending all of those gentle reminder emails to tardy contributors such as myself who didn't get our minges in motion at the first or second time of asking!)

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:bow:

Henz you rock! I enjoyed reading this and all who contributed did a great job. There were some surprises in there....I also had no idea Get Together was that loved. Kind of surprised about Die Another Day too, it seems upon release it wasn't really a favorite of many. Also looking at the Top 40 I'm utterly shocked Take A Bow made it in there.

:inlove: at Borderline making the Top 25

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Agreed. This was a great read, and a bunch of flowers to Henz for arranging it all. (And for sending all of those gentle reminder emails to tardy contributors such as myself who didn't get our minges in motion at the first or second time of asking!)

:lol: It was quite a bitch sometimes, but yeah, you're welcome guys. It was my pleasure :)

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My my. You're on a roll today, Mary.

Well I was starting to wonder if you have friends who work in Interflora as you're so willing to send them to anybody!

You're like a Scottish Elton John!

;)

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Yes, but yours isn't real either, dear.

Well, of course. I mean, of all of the tresses in the world to choose from, mine's is soooo the barnet I would pick!

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