Dancer. Actress. Writer. Producer. Fashionista. Fitness guru. Tabloid fodder.

As fitting as these labels all are, the crown jewel in Madonna’s Pop Culture Icon crown is the title of Musician. In writing about Madonna every month, I would be remiss if I neglected to at least once present a cursory discography highlighting her long career.

Herewith, a rundown of Madonna’s major, officially-released albums. With each listing are some factoids and trivia, as well as a brief description of the album, written in a style I have dubbed “Bri-ku,” a meld of its originator’s name and the age-old Japanese haiku form.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy this broad retrospective on Madge’s musical output and be reminded of chestnuts that otherwise may not get much rotation in the iPod of your mind.

MADONNA (July, 1983) Billboard peak # 8, top singles Lucky Star, Borderline, and Holiday, claim to fame – legend has it that Madonna signed her first record deal in the hospital room of Sire Records then-chairman Seymour Stein after the success of club hits Everybody and Burning Up

Right out of the gate

Girlie from club world makes good

Household name is born


LIKE A VIRGIN (November, 1984) Billboard peak # 1, top singles Like a Virgin, Material Girl, and Angel, claim to fame – the title track became her first number one hit

MTV darling

Got more material, girl

What sophomore slump?




TRUE BLUE (June, 1986) Billboard peak # 1, top singles Live to Tell, Papa Don’t Preach, and Open Your Heart, claim to fame – Madonna was presciently awarded one of MTV’s first Video Vanguard Awards (later named the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award) during this era

First glimpse at “true” voice

Inspiration was Sean Penn

Papa will not preach


WHO’S THAT GIRL SOUNDTRACK (July, 1987) Billboard peak # 7, top singles Who’s That Girl and Causing a Commotion, claim to fame – album grossed more than the movie from which it was derived

Execrable film

Title song is genius

No more tiger, please



YOU CAN DANCE (November, 1987) Billboard peak # 14, top single Spotlight, claim to fame – Madonna’s least-selling full album to date

Oldies but goodies

Mistress of reinvention

Easy platinum




LIKE A PRAYER (March, 1989) Billboard peak # 1, top singles Like a Prayer, Express Yourself, and Cherish, claim to fame – the companion Pepsi commercial premiered to a 250 million-person audience, and then was promptly dropped from air after controversy regarding the title video erupted

The divorce record

Pope himself was not happy

David Fincher rocks


I’M BREATHLESS: MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY THE FILM DICK TRACY (May, 1990) Billboard peak # 2, top singles Vogue and Hanky Panky, claim to fame – only three of the songs (and exactly none of the singles) are actually in the movie

Comic book movie

Plus Sondheim’s Oscar bait songs

Yield a campy treat



IMMACULATE COLLECTION (November, 1990) Billboard peak # 2, top singles Justify My Love and Rescue Me, claim to fame – Madonna’s best-selling album to date

Decade in review

Most folks know these tunes by heart

Can you say “classic”?




EROTICA (October, 1992) Billboard peak # 2, top singles Deeper and Deeper, Rain, and Erotica, claim to fame – feeding into the Sex book craze, this was Madonna’s first album to be slapped with a parental advisory label

Crunchy and moody

Dita presents a ditty

Faux provocateur



BEDTIME STORIES (October, 1994) Billboard peak # 3, top singles Take a Bow, Secret, and Human Nature, claim to fame – Take a Bow remains Madonna’s biggest hit to date (seven weeks at # 1)

Dreamy, lush soundscape

Something’s coming over Madge

Love Bjork’s lullaby



SOMETHING TO REMEMBER (November, 1995) Billboard peak # 6, top singles You’ll See and Love Don’t Live Here Anymore, claim to fame – Madonna re-recorded and released one of her songs in Spanish (You’ll See begat Veras)

Ballads together

An audition for Parker

Meet the softer side



EVITA SOUNTRACK (November, 1996) Billboard peak # 2, top singles Don’t Cry for Me Argentina and You Must Love Me, claim to fame – Madonna was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for the title performance

Role of a lifetime

Lourdes on way, voice sounds strong

Don’t cry for her, kids



RAY OF LIGHT (March, 1998), Billboard peak # 2, top singles Ray of Light, Frozen, and The Power of Good-bye, claim to fame – the complete album, originally rumored to be called “Veronica Electronica,” was limited to thirteen tracks because that number is good luck in the kabbalah faith

William Orbit’s brills

Grammy-winning masterpiece

Fly, sweet geisha, fly


MUSIC (September, 2000), Billboard peak # 1, top singles Don’t Tell Me, Music, and What It Feels Like for a Girl, claim to fame – Madonna’s first number one album in over eleven years

Fun for Guy and dolls

Reclaiming the party scene

Ghetto fabulous




GHV2 (November, 2001), Billboard peak # 7, claim to fame – the Next Best Thing-derived cover of Don McLean’s American Pie was intentionally left off to “punish” it for its Warner Bros.-mandated appearance, despite Madonna’s objections, on some international versions of Music

Any rarities?

Absolutely no new songs

Spoils of Drowned World


AMERICAN LIFE (April, 2003), Billboard peak # 1, top singles Die Another Day, American Life, and Hollywood, claim to fame – Madonna’s only album to be produced by solely one other person throughout, Mirwais Ahmadzai

Nothing fails, indeed

Bad timing or bad album?

Not her time to go



REMIXED & REVISITED (November, 2003), Billboard peak # 115, claim to fame – Madonna’s only EP release

A Gap commercial

Hear Britney and Christina

Not near long enough





CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR (November, 2005), Billboard peak # 1, top singles Hung Up and Sorry – with success of Hung Up, her 36th top ten hit, Madonna had tied Elvis Presley as artist with the most top ten singles

Grab your rollerskates

Please don’t call it a comeback

See you on the road!