Down time: Madonna
From The Times Online:
Her Madge releases a live album, The Confessions Tour, on January 29. Where to next for the queen of controversy and reinvention? It’s anyone’s guess. As this top 10 demonstrates, she has covered a lot of bases, but key principles remain at the core of her work: attitude, danceability, savvy, elusiveness – and tunes to die for.
• 1 Cherish
Quite simply one of the greatest pop songs ever. “Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way, I bet”, indeed.
• 2 Papa Don’t Preach
Her best vocal, and the most musically rewarding of her early songs.
• 3 Material Girl
The defining anthem of the greed-is-good decade?
• 4 Vogue
Did anyone ever master the dance steps? Maybe not, but we sang along all the same.
• 5 Into the Groove
The moment when, with the Desperately Seeking Susan tie-in, she went stratospheric.
• 6 Like a Prayer
The video was condemned as blasphemous, overshadowing this hair-raisingly good song.
• 7 Ray of Light
Always at her best when written off, Madonna discovered rave here, and blazed back into contention.
• 8 Borderline
Impossibly addictive 1980s electro, back when she pretty much owned the genre.
• 9 MusicA return to her dancefloor roots – reductive, in your face, unmistakable.
• 10 Like a Virgin
A helium-voiced come-on, touching the world for the very first time.
To listen to and buy as an exclusive Culture iMix, visit www.timesonline.co.uk/music.