Don't go for second best, baby. Put your ILM ARTIST POLL #31: MADONNA to the test.

Also, given the surprisingly small pool of deep cuts vs. the overwhelming abundance of obvious contenders, placement in this poll in particular meant so much more than usual.

xpost oh hooray! I was afraid I'd miss the whole shebang

thx johnny

that might now be my favourite page on the whole of the internet

this whole thing has been incredible thank you so much JF

I don't want to sideswipe other, slower polls but the pacing of this one made it so much more fun

Partly due to nature of artist, partly due to quality of posters tbh - feels like most of our top music writers are heads

said this yesterday but, man, watching the "Open The Heart" video again I'm struck by what a beautifully wrought collection of images it is.

hey johnny when were the remix results rolled out i don't remember the remix results rolling out where are they huh where are the remix results

where's the party

lol

btw "Into the Groove" is such a beast of a song, so perfect in so many ways

1. holiday
2. open your heart
3. like a prayer
4. deeper and deeper
5. burning up
6. the power of good-bye
7. into the groove
8. rain
9. live to tell
10. ray of light
11. act of contrition
12. like a virgin
13. thief of hearts
14. what it feels like for a girl
15. don't tell me
16. dear jessie
17. jimmy jimmy
18. vogue
19. hung up
20. till death do us part

more artists need to write songs about hot Puerto Rican boys imo

I came into this poll thinking I had a pretty good grasp on my madonna fandom but thanks to ppl like JF, Tim, Alfred, Eric and Lex, I've gone back and relistened to stuff I wouldn't have glanced at a second time.

Esp grateful to this poll for kickstarting my renewed love of Erotica and Like A Prayer albums specifically, and gave Confessions a lot of listening time which I really enjoyed

xpost alfred otm

can't wait til Neil Young's

can't wait for Ghostface's!

also thanks to this poll i've now had Take a Bow stuck in my head for like a week. Which is actually kind of a nice thing

Didn't the Neil Young poll run already?

more artists need to write songs about hot Puerto Rican boys imo

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn) - lol straight trolling djp now

also thanks to this poll i've now had Take a Bow stuck in my head for like a week. Which is actually kind of a nice thing

it is the earwormiest, which i blame entirely on babyface's harmonies. you can't remember a portion of it without his echo

then I remember that another great song about hot Puerto Rican boys is one of DJP's favorites:

http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/qnP5q2dZy5o/hqdefault.jpg

Great poll/great rollout/great images, JF!

though i will say a few weeks ago i was out and these guys i know that usually play eighties were djing and i was standing outside smoking and thinking 'ok, so how long til enola gay' and this freestyle started up and i was like 'o man is this expose, finally something besides the usual english synth pop' and then it quickly dawned on me that it wasn't expose, it was 'domino dancing' (of course, branching far afield = a different pet shop boys cut than usual), and i totally got djp's ire for once.

http://cloudfront3.bostinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/deniro-300x208.jpg

xp: hahaha

that is the cruelest self-inflicted bait and switch

It's almost as bad as the period of time when Ashanti was hot and I kept thinking the radio was bringing "One More Chance" back into rotation every time I heard the opening to "Foolish"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tECvyhfvGY

swap 1 and 3 and i'm fully on board. borderline is so definitively her best song tho, one of my favourite songs of all time, kindof a meaningful song for me for so many reasons. i remember pissing off my ex so bad singing it at the top of my lungs cycling around Ghent at night when we were on student exchange together. Everything on like a virgin just seems a little paler than everything on s/t, the undercurrent of longing so much more present in that first album. Something in the way you love me won't let me

Fantastic rollout, and a well-deserved #1; "Live To Tell" is the only top ten track I'm blanking. I know there's another track-I-love-that-Dan-hates to go alongside "Domino Dancing"/"Deeper & Deeper" - are there any Depeche Mode/New Order tracks titled "D____ D____"?

Tracks

01 Deeper And Deeper 40
02 Open Your Heart (Extended Version) 36
03 Everybody 33
04 Beautiful Stranger 30
05 Waiting 28
06 Borderline 26
07 Hung Up (SDP Extended Vocal) 25
08 Thief Of Hearts 24
09 Into The Groove 23
10 Like A Virgin 22
11 Erotica 21
12 Where's The Party (Dub Version) 20
13 Holiday 19
14 Sky Fits Heaven 18
15 Like A Prayer 17
16 Die Another Day 16
17 Bad Girl 15
18 Hollywood (Stuart Price Mix) 14
19 Spotlight 13
20 Gang Bang 12

Remixes

(redacted till rollout)

Albums

1 Erotica
2 Madonna
3 You Can Dance
4 Something To Remember
5 Like A Virgin

horseshoe so otm about everything upthread re madonnas ownership of the vectors of desire that criss cross early madonna, the way she exits the equation.

swap 1 and 3 and i'm fully on board. borderline is so definitively her best song tho, one of my favourite songs of all time, kindof a meaningful song for me for so many reasons. i remember pissing off my ex so bad singing it at the top of my lungs cycling around Ghent at night when we were on student exchange together. Everything on like a virgin just seems a little paler than everything on s/t, the undercurrent of longing so much more present in that first album. Something in the way you love me won't let me

― plax (ico), Monday, March 11, 2013 9:25 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^

definitely the song that makes me feel the most things

My ballot -- no albums/videos/remixes.

Borderline - 40
Ray of Light - 36
Into the Groove - 33
Lucky Star - 30
Material Girl - 28
Candy Perfume Girl - 26
Holiday -25
Crazy for You - 24
Vogue - 23
Who's That Girl - 22
Shanti/Ashtangi - 21
Like a Virgin - 20
Dress You Up - 19
Live To Tell -18
Burning Up - 17
Express Yourself - 16
The Power of Good-Bye - 15
Drowned World/Substitute for Love - 14
Justify My Love - 13
Open Your Heart - 12

i love how much you love borderline also, its a thing i consider in my love for it!!!

everything though, that pause: Borderline.... feels like i'm going to lose my mind.

me too Plax!

but actually regarding Like a Virgin The Album, i think it's tough to compare. i wouldn't say "paler", myself, just different - and i love them both a lot. but in terms of pure feeling, yeah, i would prob give it to debut

its partially projection i mean, that gutsy girl with just enough steeliness. not just some knockout, a real firecracker. maybe im just imagining it but i feel it, that extra push it needed. she was always going to be a star.

and gave Confessions a lot of listening time which I really enjoyed

Poll served its purpose imo.

and this is some corny shit but usually if ppl ask me who my favorite band is (somehow the question is always preloaded for rockism w/ 'band') i say roxy music or the rolling stones depending on how i feel (or if i think i'm gonna have to explain who roxy music were) and if you were to total up who i've listened to the most in my life it's probably prince and according to last.fm the acts i've listened to the most over the past whatever years are eno and miles davis but in reality in my heart i know that my fave, the one i'm a biggest fan of, the one whose music has been the best closest friend to me over the years the artist i'd most want to hug if i met them and tell them thank you for being a part of my life is madonna. now and forever girl.

1. Hung Up - 40
2. Human Nature - 36
3. Borderline - 33
4. Beautiful Stranger - 30
5. Justify My Love - 28
6. Secret - 26
7. Ray of Light - 25
8. Where Life Begins - 24
9. Deeper and Deeper - 23
10. Like A Prayer - 22
11. Erotica - 21
12. Lucky Star 20
13. Holiday 19
14. Music 18
15. Rescue Me 17
16. Dress You Up 16
17. Crazy for You 15
18. Rain 14
19. Like A Virgin 13
20. Papa Don't Preach 12

Videos:
1. Hung Up
2. Justify My Love
3. Like A Virgin
4. Papa Don't Preach
5. Crazy for You

but in reality in my heart i know that my fave, the one i'm a biggest fan of, the one whose music has been the best closest friend to me over the years the artist i'd most want to hug if i met them and tell them thank you for being a part of my life is madonna. now and forever girl.

otfm

Great work as always Johnny Fever!

Delighted to see Burning Up so high. Had no idea Deeper & Deeeper would be so high.

1. Burning Up 40
2. Secret 36
3. Till Death Do Us Part 33
4. Oh Father 30
5. Everybody 28
6. Material Girl 26
7. What It Feels Like For a Girl 25
8. Take a Bow 24
9. The Power of Goodbye 23
10. Borderline 22
11. Lucky Star 21
12. Little Star 20
13. Into The Groove 19
14. Frozen 18
15. Deeper & Deeper 17
16. Live To Tell 16
17. Think of Me 15
18. Sanctuary 14
19. True Blue 13
20. Love Song 12

1. Madonna/First album
2. Like a Prayer
3. Bedtime Stories
4. Ray of Light
5. True Blue

I would already make a few changes to my list, I'd bump Oh Father up to number two and Take a Bow should have been in my top five.

i didn't vote open your heart as high as i should have

i didn't vote open your heart as high as i should have

same

tracks:
Borderline
Like A Prayer
Cherish
Express Yourself
Vogue
Till Death Do Us Part
Don’t Tell Me
Secret
What It Feels Like For A Girl
White Heat
Into The Groove
Physical Attraction
Waiting
Material Girl
Everybody
Love Song
Human Nature
Open Your Heart
Drowned World/Substitute For Love
Die Another Day

remixes:
Express Yourself (Shep Pettibone video mix)

albums:
Like A Prayer
Madonna
Bedtime Story
American Life
True Blue

videos:
Express Yourself
Cherish
Material Girl
Secret
Vogue

Great poll/great rollout/great images, JF!

yeah i thought drowned world would place, i think it was my #2!!

After yelling TOO LOW at "Dress You Up," I went back realized I didn't even vote for it. Can't believe it. Anyway, great poll, great pix!

Into the Groove - 40
Like a Prayer - 36
Take a Bow - 33
Express Yourself - 30
Open Your Heart - 28
Crazy for You - 26
Borderline - 25
Ray of Light - 24
Material Girl - 23
Cherish - 22
Deeper and Deeper - 21
Secret - 20
Frozen -19
What It Feels Like for a Girl - 18
Don't Tell Me - 17
Lucky Star - 16
Bedtime Story - 15
Angel -14
Live to Tell - 13
Who's That Girl - 12

Tracks

1. Borderline: 40
2. Live to Tell: 36
3. Deeper and Deeper: 33
4. Secret Garden: 30
5. Till Death Do Us Part: 28
6. Papa Don't Preach: 26
7. Crazy For You: 25
8. Cherish: 24
9. Erotica: 23
10. Express Yourself: 22
11. The Power of Good-bye: 21
12. Open Your Heart: 20
13. Oh Father: 19
14. Like a Prayer: 18
15. Ray of Light: 17
16. Rescue Me: 16
17. Love Song: 15
18. Jimmy Jimmy: 14
19. Waiting: 13
20. I Love New York: 12

Albums

1. Like a Prayer
2. True Blue
3. Madonna
4. Erotica
5. Ray of Light

Great poll, fine with 'Into the Groove' as #1.

Lucky Star - 40
Live to Tell - 36
Oh Father - 33
Into the Groove - 30
What It Feels Like for a Girl - 28
Cherish - 26
Secret - 25
Take a Bow - 24
Swim - 23
Crazy for You - 22
Deeper and Deeper - 21
Borderline - 20
Angel - 19
Sanctuary - 18
Think of Me - 17
Material Girl - 16
Till Death Do Us Part - 15
Burning Up - 14
Human Nature - 13
Open Your Heart - 12

Albums:
1. Bedtime Stories
2. Madonna
3. Like a Prayer
4. Ray of Light
5. Music

After listening to it again I think Erotica should have been #5 on my albums ballot.

I'm giving "Love Tried to Welcome Me" a critical listen right now because of the stanning earlier today and it's nice and all, but it's pretty stock as far as Babyface tunes go. Perhaps part of it's generational, because "Live to Tell" still falls on me like a ton of bricks where this seems like a feather carried on the wind, but I was 12 when "Live to Tell" came out and 20 when "Love Tried to Welcome Me" did and I'd already pretty much made up my mind about Babyface's lameness. If you were 12 and hadn't reached that conclusion, I guess you could reasonably favor this. Still, I have questions.