 | MadonnaA Retrospective: 1982-2022 |
Overview:
The dance-pop singer and record executive (Maverick Records) was born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone on August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. She was the third of six children born to an Italian-American Chrysler engineer named Silvio “Tony” Ciccone. Her mother, Madonna Louise Fortin, was of French-Canadian descent, and died of breast cancer at 30 years old when her daughter was only five. Madonna was raised in a Catholic family in the Detroit suburbs. She was a straight A-student at Rochester Adams High School. She was on the cheerleading squad and studied ballet. She went to the University of Michigan on a dance scholarship, but left in 1977 for New York, dreaming of being a ballet dancer. She performed with the Alvin Ailey dance troupe and the Walter Nicks dancers. She also studied with Martha Graham and Pearl Lang. She still made little money with low-paying jobs such as Dunkin’ Donuts and also worked a nude model. While working as a dancer for French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 tour, Madonna became involved with musician Dan Gilroy. The pair formed the dance/pop group the Breakfast Club when they returned to New York. She left in 1980, eventually being signed to Sire Records as a solo artist in 1982. She quickly established herself as a master of controlling “the media and the public with her music, her videos, her publicity, and her sexuality.” AMG She was “arguably…the first female pop star to have complete control of her music and image.” AMG She was named the most successful female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records in 2000. She has sold an estimated 275 million albums worldwide and 75 million singles. She was married to actor Sean Penn (1985-89) and British director Guy Ritchie (2000-08). She was also featured in movies such as Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996), the latter of which won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. On the Web:Lists: |
Awards:
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The Studio Albums:Hover over an album cover to see its title and year of release. Click on the album to go to its dedicated DMDB page. 
Compilations:
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Madonna
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Rating: 
3.855 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: July 27, 1983 Peak: 8 US, 6 UK, 16 CN, 10 AU, 7 DF Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 0.3 UK, 13.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 40:47 |
About the Album: Madonna’s first single, “Everybody,” became a club and dance hit, even gaining some airplay on R&B radio stations, which led many to believe Madonna was a black artist. After having club hits with “Physical Attraction” and “Burning Up,” Sire Records financed an album of dance songs. It would become a multi-platinum, top-10 album on the strength of “Holiday,” “Borderline,” her first in a “remarkable string of 17 consecutive Top Ten hits,” AMG and “Lucky Star,” her first top-5 hit. |
Like a Virgin
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Rating:
3.976 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: November 12, 1984 Peak: 13 US, 12 UK, 3 CN, 2 AU, 9 DF Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 1.63 UK, 26.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 43:10 |
About the Album: Madonna created a sensation at the first MTV Video Music Awards with her performance of new song, “Like a Virgin.” She writhed around on stage in a wedding gown and her Boy Toy belt. Some critics “felt that her provocative style attempted to disguise an absence of talent.” W-M Commercially, however, there was no stopping Madonna. “Like a Virgin” and its parent album of the same name hit #1 and three more top-5 hits from the album followed. She also scored a #1 in 1985 with “Crazy for You,” a ballad from the movie Vision Quest and “Into the Groove,” from the movie Desperately Seeking Susan, was an international hit, becoming her first #1 song in the UK. That year also saw the re-emergence of nude photos which Madonna posed for in 1977 and A Certain Sacrifice, a low-budget erotic drama which Madonna filmed in 1979. At first, she “tried to block them from being published, but later remained unapologetic and defiant.” W-M It probably helped her reputation as a sexual being who felt no need to apologize for being so. That “forceful personality” AMG along with “stylish, sexy videos” AMG and a look adopted by thousands of “Madonna wannabe” teenage girls transformed the singer into an international superstar. 1985 also saw Madonna marry actor Sean Penn, who she met while filming the music video for “Material Girl.” After allegations that Penn was abusive and Madonna’s own admission that she was obsessed with her career, the couple divorced in September 1989. |
True Blue
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Rating:
3.949 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: June 30, 1986 Peak: 15 US, 16 UK, 114 CN, 12 AU Sales (in millions): 7.8 US, 1.96 UK, 26.3 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 40:20 |
About the Album: In 1986, Madonna started collaborating with Patrick Leonard, who co-wrote most of her subsequent ‘80s hits, including the “soulful ballad ‘Live to Tell’” AMG for the movie At Close Range, starring Sean Penn. The song preceded her third album, True Blue, which was another #1, multi-platinum smash. It produced three #1 hits and two more top-5 hits. “The music videos for the album displayed Madonna’s continued interest in pushing the boundaries of the video medium to a cinematic level, including elaborate art direction, cinematography, and film devices such as character and plot. Though Madonna had already made videos expressing her sexuality, she added religious iconography, gender archetypes, and social issues to her oeuvre, and these concepts would carry through her work for years to come.” W-M |
Who’s That Girl? (soundtrack)
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Rating: 
3.662 out of 5.00 |
Released: July 21, 1987 Peak: 7 US, 4 UK, 4 CN, 24 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.32 UK, 6.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 39:48 |
About the Album: Madonna had a brief appearance in 1984’s Vision Quest and then a much bigger, well-received role in 1985’s Desperately Seeking Susan. However, her film career didn’t follow the same trajectory as her music career. In November 1986, she starred alongside husband Sean Penn in Shanghai Surprise, which “received terrible reviews…[and] disastrous box office returns.” AMG In 1987, she starred in Who’s That Girl?, another box office failure. However, she contributed four songs to the soundtrack and the title cut gave Madonna her sixth U.S. #1. She also released a million-selling remix album You Can Dance that year. |
Like a Prayer
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Rating: 
4.347 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: March 21, 1989 Peak: 16 US, 12 UK, 15 CN, 4 AU Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 1.2 UK, 15.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 51:16 |
About the Album: Like a Prayer was Madonna’s third consecutive #1, multi-platinum studio album supported by at least four top-10 hits. The album “was her most ambitious and far-reaching,” AMG presenting “more personal lyrics and a more mature vocal style.” W-M It gave her “the strongest reviews of her career” W-M and Rolling Stone haled it for being “as close to art as pop music gets.” W-M That didn’t mean it was without controversy. The title cut was the lead single and hit #1. The video “was condemned by the Vatican for its ‘blasphemous’ mixture of Catholic symbolism and eroticism.” W-M Pepsi was hit with boycotts and complaints because of its endorsement deal with Madonna which featured the song in a commercial. They pulled the commercial, but Madonna kept the five million dollars they gave her since it was them who pulled out of the contract. |
I’m Breathless (soundtrack)
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Rating:
3.374 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: May 22, 1990 Peak: 2 US, 2 UK, 3 CN, 13 AU, 13 DF Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.3 UK, 8.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 45:08 |
About the Album: In 1990, Madonna found herself in a successful film for a change, starring as Breathless Mahoney in a film adaptation of the comic book series Dick Tracy with Warren Beatty as the title character. The two began a highly-publicized relationship while working on the film, but it seemed to be over by summer. I’m Breathless featured an all-Madonna soundtrack of songs from and inspired by the 1930s setting of the film. The #1 hit “Vogue” “was an homage to the Hollywood stars” W-M while “Sooner or Later” won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Three of the songs were written by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. |
The Immaculate Collection
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Rating:
4.617 out of 5.00 |
Released: November 9, 1990 Peak: 2 US, 19 UK, 19 CN, 15 AU, 8 DF Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 3.77 UK, 31.5 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 73:32 |
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: “Madonna was a change-agent of Hollywood-blockbuster proportions, embodying womanhood’s power while simultaneously upending musty notions of femininity. Whether she’s extolling escapism, wrestling with heartbreak, personalizing big issues or just breathing heavily, each listen shows that Madonna’s unerring musical instincts – let’s go ahead and call it genius – were as formidable as her more famous ambition.” BL Her first compilation gathers her biggest ‘80s hits (see previous albums for chart data on those songs) along with two new tracks (“Justify My Love” and “Rescue Me”). The song “Crazy for You,” first released on the Vision Quest soundtrack, makes its first appearance on a Madonna album. “On the surface, the single-disc hits compilation The Immaculate Collection appears to be a definitive retrospective of Madonna’s heyday in the ‘80s.” E-I In its October 2008 issue, Blender magazine went so far as to name it the #1 Greatest American Album, calling it “a flawless hits package.” BL “After all, it features 17 of Madonna's greatest hits, from Holiday and Like a Virgin to Like a Prayer and Vogue. However, looks can be deceiving.” E-I There are notable hits absent, including “Angel,” “Dress You Up,” “True Blue,” “Who’s That Girl,” and “Causing a Commotion.” Still, it “remains a necessary purchase, because it captures everything Madonna is about” E-I – “whip-smart, mega-sexy, covertly dangerous and heart-stoppingly, ass-shakingly, world-shapingly fun.” BL “It proves that she was one of the finest singles artists of the ‘80s.” E-I The video for “Justify My Love” generated more controversy for Madonna. It featured her in a Parisian hotel in “scenes of S&M, bondage with gay and lesbian characters, and brief nudity.” W-M It was banned from MTV but released by Warner Bros. Records as a video single – the first ever. |
Erotica
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Rating:
3.764 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: October 20, 1992 Peak: 2 US, 2 UK, 4 CN, 12 AU Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.6 UK, 6.5 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 75:25 |
About the Album: In 1991, Madonna released Truth or Dare, a documentary chronicling her Blond Ambition tour and her personal life. The next year, she had a successful appearance in the movie A League of Their Own and recorded the movie’s theme song, the #1 hit “This Used to Be My Playground.” She also released the soft-core porn book Sex featuring hundreds of erotic photographs of herself as well as other models and celebrities including Isabella Rossellini, Naomi Campbell, Vanilla Ice, and Big Daddy Kane. It generated “scathing reviews and enormous negative publicity.” AMG In 1992, Madonna also released Erotica, which some “disregarded as simply being a ‘porn’ album” W-M although only three cuts were “overtly sexual songs.” W-M While the album was another multi-platinum seller and generated four top-40 hits, it failed to reach #1 or produce a #1 single. The video for the title cut “only aired three times on MTV due to its highly charged sexual content.” W-M She played up the controversial angle even more on her subsequent Girlie Show tour by dressing “as a whip-cracking dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers.” W-M |
Bedtime Stories
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Rating:
3.805 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: October 25, 1994 Peak: 3 US, 2 UK, 4 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.3 UK, 8.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 51:50 |
About the Album: Bedtime Stories “was a more subdued affair than Erotica” AMG featuring a “more R&B-flavoured sound.” W-M It gave Madonna the biggest hit of her career with the 7-week chart-topping “Take a Bow,” but also produced two singles which failed to reach the top 40. The album was still her seventh multi-platinum release. In 1994, Madonna met Cuban fitness trainer Carlos Leon while walking in Central Park. He became her personal trainer and lover and they gave birth to Lourdes Marie Ciccone Leon on October 14, 1996. They ended their relationship in 1997. |
Something to Remember
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Rating:
3.982 out of 5.00 |
Released: November 3, 1995 Peak: 6 US, 3 UK, 4 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.9 UK, 10.3 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 71:08 |
About the Album: 1995 saw Madonna take on a subtle image makeover in which she “recast herself as an upscale sophisticate.” AMG Her second compilation, Something to Remember, helped create the new image. The collection focused on previously released ballads (see previous albums for chart data on those songs). It also included “I’ll Remember,” from the movie With Honors and “This Used to Be My Playground” from A League of Their Own. The collection also included new songs “I Want You” (2 versions), “You’ll See,” and “One More Chance.” |
Evita (soundtrack)
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Rating:
4.010 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. The DMDB page includes the full track listing for the 2-disc version of the soundtrack. This page lists only those songs on the single-disc edition. |
Released: November 12, 1998 Peak: 2 US, 11 UK, 5 CN, 5 AU Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 0.37 UK, 18.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 77:17 |
About the Album: Madonna’s starring role in Evita generated positive reviews and a win for Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. The song “You Must Love Me” from the soundtrack won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture. |
Ray of Light
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Rating:
4.011 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: March 3, 1998 Peak: 2 US, 12 UK, 11 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 4.35 US, 1.73 UK, 17.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 66:52 |
About the Album: In 1997, Madonna worked with producer William Orbit to craft Ray of Light, an album “heavily influenced by electronica, techno, and trip-hop.” AMG It “received uniformly excellent reviews” AMG and is “widely considered by critics to be one of her greatest artistic achievements.” W-M The multi-platinum album produced five singles, two of which reached the top-10 on the Billboard Hot 100. |
Music
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Rating:
3.826 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: September 19, 2000 Peak: 11 US, 12 UK, 12 CN, 2 AU Sales (in millions): 3.03 US, 1.63 UK, 15.8 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 44:40 |
About the Album: In 1999, Madonna landed another top-10 hit with “Beautiful Stranger” from the soundtrack of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. She also made news as a devotee of Kabbalah, a form of religion associated with Judaism which detractors brand as a cult. She also gave birth that year to a son, Rocco John Ritchie. She met his father, filmmaker Guy Ritchie in 1999 and they were married in 2000. That year she also starred in The Next Best Thing, which was another box office disappointment, but produced her dance cover of Don McLean’s epic “American Pie.” She also released her eighth studio album, Music, which found Madonna “slightly step away from the exploration of spirituality and fame to get back to the ‘party’ spirit of dance, pop, and house music.” W-M The album produced her last #1 hit (so far) with the title cut. |
GHV2 (Greatest Hits Volume 2)
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Rating:
4.121 out of 5.00 |
Released: November 13, 2001 Peak: 7 US, 2 UK, 11 CN, 3 AU, 11 DF Sales (in millions): 1.49 US, 0.97 UK, 7.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 68:26 |
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: “During the ‘90s, Madonna was a true album artist, even as she was making singles as tremendous as Take a Bow , Deeper and Deeper, Ray of Light, Don’t Tell Me, and the non-LP Beautiful Stranger,” E-G from the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. “These songs don't really hold together when taken together, since they were designed to be part of a bigger context – either their parent album or the airwaves of the time.” E-G The compilation picks up where The Immaculate Collection left off, gathering Madonna’s 1990s hits (see previous albums for chart data on those songs). It “seem[s] to have songs missing when it really doesn’t.” E-G In addition, “the non-chronological sequencing…tends to rob this collection of Madonna’s ‘90s hits of any momentum it might have had.” E-G Also, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina…simply does not feel comfortable next to the rest of the savvy, modern music here.” E-G “Taken on their own, most of these are still pretty tremendous, but tossed together on GHV2, the end result is less than the sum of its parts, even if this is a good way to get all of Madge’s ‘90s hits at once.” E-G |
American Life
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Rating: 
3.184 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: April 22, 2003 Peak: 11 US, 11 UK, 11 CN, 3 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.34 UK, 5.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 49:39 |
About the Album: In 2002, Madonna starred in yet another panned film, Swept Away, directed by husband Guy Ritchie. She also wrote and performed “Die Another Day,” the theme song to the James Bond film of the same name. It gave her another top-10 hit, amusingly nominated for both a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and a Golden Raspberry for Worst Song. In 2003, she released American Life. It was the lowest-selling album of her career at that point, producing a couple of singles that didn’t even crack the Billboard Hot 100. She generated attention at the MTV Music Awards when she kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during her performance of “Hollywood.” She also released a successful children’s book, The English Roses. |
Confessions on a Dance Floor
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Rating:
3.853 out of 5.00 Notes: See the DMDB page here. |
Released: November 15, 2005 Peak: 11 US, 12 UK, 11 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 1.73 US, 1.36 UK,12.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 56:28 |
About the Album: Confessions on a Dance Floor marked Madonna’s return “to the dance-oriented material that had made her a star.” AMG The single “Hung Up” went to #1 in a record-breaking 41 countries. W-M In 2006, she adopted a baby boy named David when she went to Malawi to help build an orphanage. Critics suggested she didn’t follow Malawian law requiring a year of residence for adoptive parents. It was also reported that David’s birth father didn’t understand that he was giving up his son for good. In 2007, Madonna was reported by Forbes magazine to be the fourth wealthiest woman in the world in entertainment, behind Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, and Martha Stewart. Her worth was reported between $350 to $400 million. AMG |
Hard Candy
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Rating:
3.332 out of 5.00 |
Released: April 24, 2008 Peak: 11 US, 11 UK, 12 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 0.75 US, 0.34 UK, 4.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 56:22 |
About the Album: Hard Candy was Madonna’s seventh #1 album in the United States and tenth in the UK. The single “4 Minutes” was a top-5 hit in the U.S. and a #1 in 23 countries. |
Celebration
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Rating:
4.072 out of 5.00 |
Released: September 18, 2009 Peak: 7 US, 11 UK, 11 CN, 6 AU Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.67 UK, 4.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Hung Up (2) Music (3) Vogue (4) 4 Minutes (5) Holiday (6) Everybody (7) Like a Virgin (8) Into the Groove (9) Like a Prayer (10) Ray of Light (11) Sorry (12) Express Yourself (13) Open Your Heart (14) Borderline (15) Secret (16) Erotica (17) Justify My Love (18) Revolver Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Dress You Up (2) Material Girl (3) La Isla Bonita (4) Papa Don’t Preach (5) Lucky Star (6) Burning Up (7) Crazy for You (8) Who’s That Girl? (9) Frozen (10) Miles Away (11) Take a Bow (12) Live to Tell (13) Beautiful Stranger (14) Hollywood (15) Die Another Day (16) Don’t Tell Me (17) Cherish (18) Celebration Total Running Time: 2:37:24 |
About the Album: At the close of the century, Madonna released a career retrospective, making for a large overlap with Immaculate Collection and GHV2. The double-disc Celebration omitted some songs and added another eleven songs not included on either of the previous compilations, including eight songs released after GHV2. While her hits dwindled in that era, she still managed three top ten hits in the U.S. (Die Another Day, Hung Up, 4 Minutes). The latter two, as well as Sorry, were #1 hits in the U.K. See previous albums for chart data on those songs. Among the post-2000 songs were two new cuts. Celebration was included on all versions of the album and released as the first single. It “became Madonna's 40th number-one song on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs chart.” W-C Revolver was released as a second single and is included on the double-disc deluxe edition. W-C The iTunes Store deluxe digital versions also included It’s So Cool as a bonus track. W-C
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MDNA
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Rating:
3.570 out of 5.00 |
Released: March 23, 2012 Peak: 11 US, 11 UK, 11 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 0.54 US, 0.13 UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 50:47 |
About the Album: With her twelfth studio album, MDNA, Madonna no longer had the same kind of impact as she had on the pop world two decades earlier, but she didn’t go unnoticed either. The album hit #1 in the U.S. and UK, sold more than a million copies worldwide, and gave her a last hurrah in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Give Me All Your Luvin’.” The album was comprised of upbeat songs about partying and music as well as heartbreak, revenge, and separation. |
Rebel Heart
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Rating:
3.140 out of 5.00 |
Released: March 6, 2015 Peak: 2 US, 2 UK, 11 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): 0.24 US, 0.1 UK, 1.0 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 55:06 |
About the Album: Madonna had definitely moved to “heritage act” status with this album. Her legacy had been well established, but there was nowhere near the same audience for her new material as their had been for her prime releases in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The album failed to generate a top 40 single. “Bitch I’m Madonna” only reached #84. Even so, she remained a presence on the dance charts where three of the album’s singles reached #1. |
Madame X
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Rating:
2.893 out of 5.00 |
Released: June 14, 2019 Peak: 11 US, 2 UK, 2 CN, 2 AU Sales (in millions): 0.17 US, 0.06 UK, 0.23 world (includes US and UK) Tracks:
Total Running Time: 56:01 |
About the Album: While Madonna’s fourteenth studio album hit #1 in the U.S., it failed to generate any singles which reached the Billboard Hot 100. The album did, however, produce four singles which topped the dance charts. The feat gave Madonna a record 50 songs to top the dance charts. |
Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones
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Rating:
4.530 out of 5.00 |
Released: August 19, 2022 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Tracks: (1) Holiday (2) Like a Virgin (3) Material Girl (4) Into the Groove (5) Open Your Heart (6) Physical Attraction (7) Everybody (8) Like a Prayer (9) Express Yourself (10) Keep It Together (11) Vogue (12) Justify My Love (13) Erotica (14) Deeper and Deeper (15) Fever (16) Secret (17) Bedtime Story (18) Don’t Cry for Me Argentina (19) Frozen (20) Ray of Light (21) Nothing Really Matters (22) Beautiful Stranger (23) American Pie (24) Music (25) Don’t Tell Me (26) What It Feels Like for a Girl (27) Impressive Instant (28) Die Another Day (29) American Life (30) Hollywood (31) Me Against the Music (with Britney Spears) (32) Nothing Fails (33) Love Profusion (34) Hung Up (35) Sorry (36) Get Together (37) Jump (38) 4 Minutes (with Justin Timberlake & Timbaland) (39) Give It 2 Me (40) Celebration (41) Give Me All Your Luvin’ (with LMFAO & Nicki Minaj) (42) Girl Gone Wild (43) Turn Up the Radio (44) Living for Love (45) Ghosttown (46) Bitch I’m Madonna (with Nicki Minaj) (47) Medellin (with Maluma) (48) I Rise (49) Crave (with Swae Lee) (50) I Don’t Search I Find Total Running Time: 223:18 |
About the Album: This career-spanning set gathers remixes of Madonna’s 50 songs to top the Billboard dance club chart. She was the first act in history to score that many #1’s on a single Billboard chart. Songs not on previous Madonna releases:
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Resources and Related Links:
First posted 9/11/2008; last updated 8/22/2022. |
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