Madonna Discography

Annotated list of Madonna's albums

Madonna album cover art
Madonna.

Madonna is one of the top pop superstars of all time. From her first album she revolutionized dance music and then time after time riveted the attention of the music world on her work.

  • Madonna (1983) - Madonna's first album is state of the art dance-pop loaded with hits from "Holiday" and "Lucky Star" to "Borderline." Irresistible pop hooks glide across shimmering synth beats to make this a landmark album of the early 80's. It broke into the top 10 of the pop albums chart.
  • Like a Virgin (1984) - Chic leader and producer Nile Rodgers was brought in for Madonna's second album and it topped the album chart and produced the title song and "Material Girl," 2 of her quintessential hits. The song "Like a Virgin" spent 6 weeks at the top of the pop chart and made Madonna a household name.
  • True Blue (1986) - The third Madonna album, and her second #1, is a supremely successful effort to extend her appeal to a wider audience while consolidating mainstream pop success. "Open Your Heart" is another melodic pop classic while "Papa Don't Preach" added depth to her lyrics and the ballad "Live To Tell" swept Madonna to the top of adult contemporary charts.
  • Who's That Girl (1987) - The movie Who's That Girl was a flop, but the soundtrack produced two more hits, the title track and "Causing a Commotion," and reached the top 10, even though this music is not among her best.
  • You Can Dance (1987) - A remix compilation album that proves they can be worthwhile efforts. This is the first appearance of Madonna's club classic "Into the Groove."
  • Like a Prayer (1989) - Madonna's video for the title song of this album generated intense controversy from both the Roman Catholic Church and Pepsi, who withdrew a sponsorship agreement, but that doesn't conceal the fact that this is an amazing album. Beyond the title song, "Express Yourself" is an intense funk dance workout and "Keep It Together" is a joyous celebration. This collection returned her to the top of the albums chart.
  • I'm Breathless (1990) - There's not really much of an album in this collection of music inspired by the movie Dick Tracy, but it does include the amazing single "Vogue."
  • The Immaculate Collection (1990) - Madonna's first greatest hits collection is an outstanding collection of many of her key hits of the 80's. Many of the songs appear in slightly altered versions, but the alterations make the album work as an integral whole. It is one of the definitive albums of 80's pop music and barely missed hitting #1 on the albums chart, an outstanding showing for a greatest hits set.
  • Erotica (1992) - One of Madonna's most artistically adventurous albums includes the funky dance of "Deeper and Deeper." It became Madonna's second album to reach #2 on the chart.
  • Bedtime Stories (1994) - This is one of Madonna's warmest, most inviting albums musically. It includes "Take a Bow," one of her biggest ballad hits, but it became Madonna's second studio album in a row to miss the top of the chart, landing at #3.
  • Something To Remember (1995) - This is another outstanding greatest hits collection except this time it focuses solely on slow ballads. The album showcases Madonna's voice and its the first time the #1 hit "This Used To Be My Playground" appeared on one of her albums.
  • Selections From Evita (1997) - A reduced version of the Evita movie soundtrack including "You Must Love Me," written specifically for the movie.
  • Ray Of Light (1998) - Madonna's first new solo studio album in 4 years is a return to her dance roots. With producer William Orbit it addresses electronica head on and produced the massive hit title song and "Frozen." The album peaked at #2 on the charts.
  • Music (2000) - Filled with state-of-the-art production effects, the title song "Music" became yet another #1 pop hit for Madonna. "Don't Tell Me" followed it into the top 10, and the album became Madonna's first in over 10 years to top the albums chart.
  • GHV2 (2001) - Madonna's third greatest hits collection is a fairly complete set of her 90's hits ranging from the intimate ballad "Take a Bow" to the rousing "Beautiful Stranger."
  • American Life - (2003) This was Madonna's first studio album to fail to generate any major hit singles. Controversy helped the set debut at the top of the albums chart, but it quickly disappeared from the top 10. The set is brimming with more social commentary than Madonna has ever attempted which seemed a turnoff to many pop fans. Nevertheless, it kept dance fans happy with 3 #1 dance hits.
  • Confessions On a Dance Floor - (2005) Madonna made a commercial comeback selling more than 8 million albums worldwide and approximately 1 million more copies in the US than American Life. The single "Hung Up" reached #1 in 45 countries and hit the top 10 in the US.
  • [Hard Candy - (2008) This became one of Madonna's most critically acclaimed albums of her career. It includes the top 5 smash single "4 Minutes" featuring Justin Timberlake.