Madonna’s Top 5 Albums: The Original Queen of Pop

As I continue to bask in the neon club glow of Madonna’s Confessions II, I thought about where it would fall in her discography. Would it be top 7? Top 5? It is interesting to think about. First off, you need to have a lot of great albums to even have this as a topic. And second, thinking of an artist’s top 5 is a lot of fun. Now, for this exercise I am not counting EPs, soundtracks or best of records. Sorry Vogue…that means you’re out. This is going to be tough and let me know in the comments what you think. Here we go:

5. Like a Virgin

Coming in at number 5 is a record that many people think is Madonna’s debut, but it’s actually her second album. Not as strong as her debut record…we’ll get back to that later…but it has probably two of the most iconic pop tracks of all time. The title track Like a Virgin and Material Girl were so transgressive and genre defining that this record has to be on the top 5 somewhere. I just think that other albums have more hits and her later work is more complex and experimental. Her vocal is still on point and both of the previous tracks still hit, but there are some better records ahead. A must listen, but in a discography as deep as Madonna’s, this comes in at number 5.

4. Madonna

This is Madonna’s debut record and has some of her biggest pop hits on it. You have Lucky Star, Holiday and Borderline. Even though it has all of those hits, this record is often forgotten. Madonna’s debut record is as pop as it gets. Glittery tracks that shimmer in that early 80s pop we all love. The album itself went 5x platinum, but didn’t hit number 1…but her next release Like a Virgin would hit number 1. Madonna will ultimately shed this pure pop persona in her later work, but her evolving style would define pop over and over again. It’s great to re-visit where everything started, but not her best record…however a solid number 4.

3. Confessions II

You’ll see a theme with my top 3 Madonna records. They’re all comeback records. I think comeback records force Madonna…or any artist really…to start over and evolve. Each time Madonna has come out with a comeback record they are pop defining records that totally change how you see her music. Even though Confessions II is a sequel, it’s still fresh and something new for Madonna. She is moving back to the dance floor, but more of a Euro club vibe on this record than past records. What I love about this record is the mix of spoken word, how each track blends into the next, her excellent duet with Sabrina Carpenter and how she keeps you guessing. There are tons of hits on this album, but the track I keep coming back to is the opening track I Feel so Free. It’s a thesis for the record. It starts with “Thanks for coming” and layers the club vibes on top of each other. It’s like a hymn to the dance floor. Probably her best record in the last 20 years…well…since the next record…

2. Confessions on a Dance Floor

I can’t have a sequel without the original. When this record came out it shook the pop world and Madonna was back on top. It was that roller disco vibe and how one song bled into the next that made the entire record a party. I can go on and on about the hits on this record and how it changed the pop landscape in the 2000s and beyond, but Hung Up is all you need to know. Artists like Dua Lipa, Lizzo and even Lorde to an extent are still following the lead from Confessions. This was a mammoth record that changed everything you thought about Madonna’s music and showed how she could continually evolve. It’s hard to put this record in perspective, which makes the fact that the sequel is so good even more amazing. You need to do yourself a treat and listen to Confessions and Confessions II back to back. For how amazing this record was…it’s still not number 1.

1 Ray of Light

In the mid 90s, if I told you that in 1998 Madonna would have a comeback record inspired by yoga and wellness, you would say I was insane. But Ray of Light came out and shot Madonna back to pop stardom. I think this is her best record. Before Ray of Light Madonna was sort of in the wilderness with some EPs, soundtracks and nothing too ground breaking. Sure you had Vogue and Evita in there…but nothing stuck. This is where Madonna first goes hardcore in the club and fully embraces EDM. Her vocal is stunning and tracks like Ray of Light, Nothing Really Matters, Shanti/Ashanti and Frozen were all radically different from each other and each highlighted different aspects of her art. I think Frozen is the real gem in how it soars within such and epic scope. This is my favourite Madonna record and I can listen to it over and over again.

This can be seen as a controversial list. No Like a Prayer. No True Blue. That last one was a tough one to leave off the list. But some tough decisions needed to be made. What are your top 5? What did I get right? What did I get wrong? Let me know in the comments or hit the show up on Twitter.