I've been remiss in getting back to my regular Blast from the Past weekly feature, and will try to start that up again next weekend. In the meantime, this song popped into my head, and I decided to look it up. I'm really glad I did! Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) by Reunion is both more and less than what it seems.
It's "more" because even though it's a little bubble-gum sounding, and sounds a bit like gibberish, it's actually very, very clever. The lyrics are stuffed with callouts to music, artists, DJs and other famous music-related pop-culture references from the early days of Rock & Roll, to where it was at the time of the recording. The snappy, fast pace--seemingly without room for the singer to breathe--makes learning the lyrics tough, but fun. And as the song fades out, several songs (Baby I Need Your Loving, Uptight (Everything is Alright), Celebrate and I Want to Take You Higher) are woven together, while the lead singer continues to patter. It's quite complex.
It's "less," because Reunion isn't really a band at all. It was an ad hoc collection of studio musicians, something that seemed to happen a lot in the late 60s and early 70s. The lead singer, Joey Levine, is a voice you'd know from other 70s novelties like Yummy, Yummy and Chewy, Chewy by Ohio Express (also not a "real" band). Still, the song is undeniably catchy and clever. And somebody named "abmcw" on YouTube saw fit to make a video that's almost as clever as the song. I'm sending it out to my brother-in-law Todd, who is similarly gifted in creating these sorts of videos. It made me think of him. So, without further ado, here is Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) by Reunion. And for the heck of it, the remake by Tracy Ullman.
Pop music gets very little respect from music fans. For those of us who like it, it's just a fun confection, an enjoyable lark. From "real" music fans, pop music is disposable, meaningless, without artistic merit. The equivalent of Stephen King or Dean Koontz in the fiction genre. Well, you know what? I dig King and Koontz! And I dig pop music too!
There are numerous pop songs that just strike me as pop confection perfection. And this is my list of some of the best of the best.
1. Misery - Maroon 5 - This group, headlined by The Voice's Adam Levine, is one of the most successful acts at crafting pure pop perfection. Usually, they include a little profanity to add a little street cred. But their songs are just little balls of perfectly crafted song candy. Misery is one of the best, making an abusive relationship sound fun and bouncy! Yay! I'm in misery!
2. Express Yourself - Madonna - It would be impossible to narrow down Madonna's discography to find the best, most perfect pop song. That's why I didn't, and there is more than one. This one isn't just perfect, it has alternate versions that are equally perfect! And that shouldn't be possible!
3. Mony Mony - Billy Idol - This is an eighties version of a sixties song, that is largely meaningless. But it is absolute perfection in what it sets out to do: set dance floors on fire, and make people happy for no reason. Its recent inclusion in a Nissan Sentra ad is just proof. 4. Steal My Sunshine - Len - Usually, when an act samples parts of another song to put into their own, the result is derivative, uninspired and something of a retread. In this case, one-hit-wonder Len achieves pop perfection, using Andrea True's More, More, More disco tune as a foundation.
5. Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode - You can tell when even an "alternative" band has become mainstream when their old tunes not only get mixed in on "80s and More!" radio stations, but get put into GAP ads. This song might be from a band with a heavy artistic cred, but the song is a pop meringue.
6. Vogue - Madonna - Leave it to Madonna to take an underground gay dance craze, and turn it into mainstream success. And then, make it enough of a classic that if you played it on any dance floor 20+ years later, it would still draw a crowd.
7. Waterloo - ABBA - I am of the opinion that ABBA's catalog--almost all of it--could be released today, and be successful. Many, if not most of their hit songs are masterpieces of pop music. Songs like Ring, Ring and On and On and On should be re-released, just to see what happens. But Waterloo, to me, is a perfect pop song. 8. A Little More Love - Olivia Newton-John - This one might seem like a stretch, but hear me out. Pay attention to Olivia's change-ups in melody. Notice that she changes the note structure in each lead-in to the chorus, and each chorus itself. Much like Adam Levine does in Maroon 5, Olivia plays with the notes, going all over the place, but always in tune, and sounding perfect.
Okay, kids, that's my bit for this week. Hope you had a great Easter and/or Walking Dead finale weekend! Have a great week, and happy Monday!
Rap music. For the most part, I really don't like it. I don't consider it to be a worthy talent, and I don't enjoy it. I thought, thirty years ago, that it would burn itself out, but no. Not at all. It just keeps on chugging. And more power to 'em! I just don't like it.
Except when I do. Over the years (and you'll notice, it's mostly in years long gone by), there have been rap songs here and there that I like. Even love in some cases, enough that I'll back it up, crank it up and start it again. These songs have a rather common theme: they're usually rap/pop hybrids, with a genuine chorus, and some musicality. You'll see a trend for sure, and if you're a rap fan, you'll probably think this list is lame. That's cool too. But here we go. . .
1. C'mon N' Ride It (The Train) by Quad City DJs (1995) - This song was popular when I used to go out dancing. I liked it the first time I heard it. I think I can, I think I can! 2. Bust a Move by Young MC (1989) - This is one I can listen to over and over.
3. Get Up! (Before the Night is Over) by Technotronic (1990) - Actually, I like several of Technotronic's songs, but this one is my favorite. 4. Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang (1979) - This may be the song that birthed the whole genre. I somehow didn't know that it samples Good Times by Chic until years later.
5. Nightmare on My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (1988) - As a horror fan, of course I liked this one! 6. Let's Talk About Sex by Salt-N-Pepa (1991) - Again, I like several of this group's tunes, but this is a personal favorite (perhaps because I actually did more than talk when it was playing one time? :)
7. It Takes Two by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock (1988) - This one is fun, and was sort of remade as the pop song, Two to Make it Right by Seduction. 8. Walk This Way by Run D.M.C. & Aerosmith (1986) - Before this track, Aerosmith was kind of dead in the water. Great redo.
9. Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio (1995) - I guarantee I don't know any other Coolio, but I like this one. 10. Just a Friend by Biz Markie (1989) - Only because it's so bad, it's hilarious!
And that's it, my unlikely list of my favorite rap songs. I'll never be taken for an expert, not even a little. But I've played all of these songs within the last few months!
I have a friend who first heard the song Ticket to Ride as The Carpenters' version, and to him it's the "real" version of the song. The Beatles' original version is to him the lesser of the two. That's crazy, I know, but it really does seem to be the one you heard first that sticks and feels "real" to you. As a consequence, lots of people alive in the 1980s are far more familiar with remakes made of earlier songs, and think it is the 80s cheese that reigns supreme.
1. & 2. You Keep Me Hangin' On - Kim Wilde vs. Diana Ross & The Supremes
3. & 4. Venus - Bananarama vs. Shocking Blue
5. & 6. Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles vs. Simon & Garfunkel
7. & 8. Lean on Me - Club Nouveau vs. Bill Withers
9. & 10. Take a Chance on Me - Erasure vs. ABBA
I really saved the best for last there, didn't I? I could watch those two over and over!
This week, acclaimed singer (of many genres) Linda Ronstadt revealed that she has Parkinson's Disease, and that it has robbed her of her singing voice. Sad under any circumstances, for anybody. Sadder for a person who makes a living with their voice. Devastating when it's someone with such an amazing voice.
I didn't always think so, or at least realize it, I guess. I grew up in the 70s and early 80s, and Rondstadt was a big part of the soundtrack to my childhood. Dad liked her, of course, since she was a hottie back then, right behind Olivia Newton-John and Cher. Ronstadt had a long string of hits from 1975 forward, several of them covers. But since I was more of an ABBA fan, and then on toward disco, Ronstadt just wasn't my genre, so I didn't pay much attention. But when you listen, really listen, particularly in songs like Long, Long Time? She had an amazing voice, which is especially clear when you hear the live version and it's just as good as the studio recording.
So, here, for your entertainment and edification, is a selection of my favorite Linda Ronstadt songs, which--it turns out--I actually was a fan of after all. Which is part of having a "blast from the past," when you really think about it.
There are of course, lots more, including the Neslon Riddle Era, the "Trio" era with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, the Aaron Neville era. . .on and on. But I trust you can find them on the YouTubes yourself, should you want to. Meanwhile, have a great week, everybody. Happy Monday!
Still the reigning champions! Image from source, Billboard
This is a really interesting list (and there are several others on Billboard's site), compiling the top 100 acts of Billboard Hot 100, of all time. What's cool to me is seeing where modern acts, acts from my youth (1970s and 80s) and all-time greats stack up. The Beatles, no surprise, are still number one. But looky there, Madonna is number 2! And there are some real surprises in there. Would you have thought that Paula Abdul would make such a short list? Or Tony Orlando and Dawn? The Captain & Tenille? Yup!
I have a friend who first heard the song Ticket to Ride as The Carpenters' version, and to him it's the "real" version of the song. The Beatles' original version is to him the lesser of the two. That's crazy, I know, but it really does seem to be the one you heard first that sticks and feels "real" to you. As a consequence, lots of people alive in the 1980s are far more familiar with remakes made of earlier songs, and think it is the 80s cheese that reigns supreme.
1. & 2. You Keep Me Hangin' On - Kim Wilde vs. Diana Ross & The Supremes
3. & 4. Venus - Bananarama vs. Shocking Blue
5. & 6. Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles vs. Simon & Garfunkel
7. & 8. Lean on Me - Club Nouveau vs. Bill Withers
9. & 10. Take a Chance on Me - Erasure vs. ABBA
I really saved the best for last there, didn't I? I could watch those two over and over!
Awww. Though I was never really a Divinyls fan exactly, I always loved their song I Touch Myself, and really liked the lead singer's performance on that song and in the video. Christina "Chrissy" Amphlett died much too young of breast cancer. RIP. [Excerpt]
Divinyls Singer Christina Amphlett Dies at Age 53 Christina "Chrissy" Amphlett--frontwoman for the Australian rock band the Divinyls, whose "I Touch Myself" went to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1991--died Sunday at her home in New York. Amphlett was 53 years old. . .
Thanks to BoyCulture for pointing out this little pop culture nugget. I was a Madonna fan from the beginning, or as near to the beginning as a high school sophomore in Whitehall, Ohio can get. From the days of Holiday--when we didn't even know what she looked like (unbelievably, many thought she was black)--through Lucky Star, Borderline, Like a Virgin and Material Girl, I was in full-blown Madonnamania. And then she started releasing them practically two at a time, with album cuts and soundtrack songs coming right after the other. Crazy for You came from the Vision Quest soundtrack, quickly followed by Angel from the Like a Virgin album, quickly followed by this track, a song that never even had a proper release.
Into the Groove came from the Desperately Seeking Susan movie, perhaps Madonna's one critically lauded performance (and the critics hedged by saying she was basically playing herself). I, and probably lots of other fans, bought Into the Groove on the 12" single, which was actually the B-side to Angel. The song occurred right in the middle of Madonna's first heyday, while she was still a "Boy Toy," and unashamed pop star. Being taken seriously as an artist didn't seem to be a goal yet. She was just sexy and fun. So, while Into the Groove didn't chart on the top 40, it was a #1 dance track, and remains one of Madonna's best remembered songs. And it's been around for twenty-eight years.
Pop music gets very little respect from music fans. For those of us who like it, it's just a fun confection, an enjoyable lark. From "real" music fans, pop music is disposable, meaningless, without artistic merit. The equivalent of Stephen King or Dean Koontz in the fiction genre. Well, you know what? I dig King and Koontz! And I dig pop music too!
There are numerous pop songs that just strike me as pop confection perfection. And this is my list of some of the best of the best.
1. Misery - Maroon 5 - This group, headlined by The Voice's Adam Levine, is one of the most successful acts at crafting pure pop perfection. Usually, they include a little profanity to add a little street cred. But their songs are just little balls of perfectly crafted song candy. Misery is one of the best, making an abusive relationship sound fun and bouncy! Yay! I'm in misery!
2. Express Yourself - Madonna - It would be impossible to narrow down Madonna's discography to find the best, most perfect pop song. That's why I didn't, and there is more than one. This one isn't just perfect, it has alternate versions that are equally perfect! And that shouldn't be possible!
3. Mony Mony - Billy Idol - This is an eighties version of a sixties song, that is largely meaningless. But it is absolute perfection in what it sets out to do: set dance floors on fire, and make people happy for no reason. 4. Steal My Sunshine - Len - Usually, when an act samples parts of another song to put into their own, the result is derivative, uninspired and something of a retread. In this case, one-hit-wonder Len achieves pop perfection, using Andrea True's More, More, More disco tune as a foundation.
5. Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode - You can tell when even an "alternative" band has become mainstream when their old tunes not only get mixed in on "80s and More!" radio stations, but get put into GAP ads. This song might be from a band with a heavy artistic cred, but the song is a pop confection.
6. Vogue - Madonna - Leave it to Madonna to take an underground gay dance craze, and turn it into mainstream success. And then, make it enough of a classic that if you played it on any dance floor 20+ years later, it would still draw a crowd.
7. Waterloo - ABBA - I am of the opinion that ABBA's catalog--almost all of it--could be released today, and be successful. Many, if not most of their hit songs are masterpieces of pop music. Songs like Ring, Ring and On and On and On should be re-released, just to see what happens. But Waterloo, to me, is a perfect pop song. 8. A Little More Love - Olivia Newton-John - This one might seem like a stretch, but hear me out. Pay attention to Olivia's change-ups in melody. Notice that she changes the note structure in each lead-in to the chorus, and each chorus itself. Much like Adam Levine does in Maroon 5, Olivia plays with the notes, going all over the place, but always in tune, and sounding perfect.
Okay, kids, that's my bit for this week. Hope you had a great Easter and/or Walking Dead finale weekend! Have a great week, and happy Monday!
The fact that Madonna's Express Yourself is 24 years old is at once impossible to believe, and also easy to swallow. As one of her most iconic videos--perhaps one of the medium's most iconic as well--it feels younger than it is. Still, it came out in 1989, barely the 80s, but still the 80s. It marked a turning point in my life, becoming popular as I transitioned from a boring, hum-drum life as a bank teller, and started a new career in the amusement industry.
Though that career fizzled out about eight and a half years in, it led to where my life is now, in Las Vegas, in the sign industry, married to The Other Half. Express Yourself was released as a maxi-single, with a couple of remixes. The song was already a favorite of mine, having been included onthe Like a Prayer album. The remixes really changed the feel of the song, making it even more fun. When the video came out, I was enthralled. It was the peak of my Madonna-mania, and also sort of a turning point for her. The next year would come The Immaculate Collection, and the almost X-rated Justify My Love. It was the tail end of Madonna's 80s heyday, and the beginning of a more mixed reception (though there are still many, many gems from the 90s forward).
So, while Express Yourself was over half my life ago, it was only seven years into Madonna's (so far) 31-year career in the public eye. It marked a peak in her dance pop hits both in audio and video that previewed the even better Vogue. I've always considered Express Yourself to be the middle of a trilogy started with Open Your Heart and ending with Vogue. I don't know if anyone--even Madonna--sees any connection, but if I could only pick out three of her songs or videos, those would be the ones. So, without further ado, here's Madonna performing Express Yourself over the span of the last 24 years. [Video found at BoyCulture.com]
And because I can't resist, here is the original video:
What exactly is The Lost 80s? Its those songs from the 80s that are most often overlooked, even by "We play the 80s and MORE!" stations. These are songs that were maybe the second or third hit song by a minor artist. The second hit by a group that is now regarded as a "one hit wonder" because everyone forgets the second one. They're the third- or fourth-tier hits by groups much more famous for other songs. And they're songs that just somehow got lost in the shuffle. What they are not is the number one song then and now in retrospectives. They're not the main ones, the songs you remember. And they're not the songs that really weren't hits in their day, but get played all the damned time now (I Melt With You, Turning Japanese, Just Can't Get Enough, etc., etc. No, this is The Lost 80s:
1. No Myth by Michael Penn - Great song, haven't heard it much, even though he's Sean Penn's brother and Madonna's ex-brother-in-law.
2. Lost in Emotion by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam - Lisa Lisa was popular for about 10 minutes in the eighties, enough time for a string of four or five hits (sometimes with Full Force).
3. Touch Me (I Want Your Body) - by Samantha Fox - Sam Fox had a similarly small run of hits in the 80s, with confections like this one.
4. Love is Like a Rock by Donnie Iris - A minor hit by a minor artist, but a fun one, nonetheless.
5. Crazy in the Night by Kim Carnes - A terrific song by an underrated singer, who is much more famous for Bette Davis Eyes.
6. State of Shock by Michael Jackson & Mick Jagger - These two singers couldn't be more famous. But ther duet is relegated to the dustbin of history.
7. Torture by The Jacksons - Not coincidentally from the same album as the one above, The Jacksons are not remembered for this one, which has a video that is torturous!
8. Come as You Are by Peter Wolf - The J. Geils Band was very famous. Its lead singer had a pair of hits including this one, but that's about it.
9. One of the Living by Tina Turner - Everyone knows that Tina Turner was in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and had a hit song We Don't Need Another Hero from it. But who remembers this one?
10. C'est la Vie by Robbie Nevil - This was one of the many two-hit wonders of the 80s, this one being his more successful. In my next edition, I'll include the other one.
And that will wrap it up for this week's edition of Blast from the Past.I hope you all got enough out of your weekend. It always seems to become part of the past too quickly, doesn't it? Happy Moonday!
I got the idea for a George Michael edition of Blast from the Past as I get many of them: on my walk while listening to Pandora. George Michael is one of my favorite artists, and one of several who is an amazing talent but who has had a difficult time breaking out beyond his heyday. Like Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper and Olivia Newton-John, he has his big "hit period," and then dribs and drabs. You could probably even put Michael Jackson into that category. With George, some of the problem was him being his own worst enemy. And as with Jackson, sadly, his latter career has been known more for controversy than it is for his music.
But this is about his glory days, so here are some of my favorite George Michael songs, both as a solo artist, duet partner and with Wham!
1. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Undoubtedly the first song most Americans knew him for, this way gay video should have alerted fans to his sexuality years and years before he announced. Those short-shorts! It's a silly, but ridiculously catchy song.
2. Careless Whisper - This one solidified Wham! as more than a novelty act, though it's actually billed as a solo song.
3. Freedom - When the tunes kept flowing from the provocatively titled Make it Big, we thought Wham! was here to stay.
4. I'm Your Man - There were several hits I'm skipping over, but by the time Music from the Edge of Heaven came out, Wham! was almost finished, even it was only their second hit album in the US.We should have known Michael would strike out on his own, since A Different Corner from this same record was his second solo tune on his group's albums.
5. I Knew You Were Waiting - This duet with Aretha Franklin (who was then enjoying a pop music comeback) served as the transition between Wham! and Michael's solo career. And it was a huge hit.
6. Faith - Though we thought he was cute before, Faith was the album that launched Michael as a sex symbol. With this tune, and the one below, his sexiness was a strong selling point.
7. I Want Your Sex - This song actually preceded Faith, having been part of the Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack. With jaw-dropping lyrics at the time, this left Michael's squeaky-clean image on the floor amongst the sweaty, soiled sheets. Watch the video, you'll see what I mean. But it also seemingly set Michael on a self-loathing jag, a few years later.
8. Monkey - This might have been the last "George Michael is sexy" video. I just wanted to be able to dance like him. The song is not as impressive on the album, but was remixed for the single, and that version is the one used in the video.
9. Kissing a Fool - I'm skipping over several more hits, but this one always hit a soft spot for me. Anyone with unrequited love could sing along with this one, and really feel it at the crescendo before the end. This was a real showcase for Michael's voice.
10. Freedom 90 - Using the title of one of the early songs, this was where Michael started hating his sex appeal--maybe because he was selling it as straight sex appeal?--and wouldn't even appear in his own videos. No matter, this is still a fantastic video, with supermodels and still lots o' sexy.
11. Too Funky - Still (mostly) shying from the camera, this one (from the AIDS charity album, Red, Hot & Blue) has always been one of my very favorites.
12. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me - Michael's duet with Elton John seemed almost inevitable.
13. FastLove - This is the last song I remember dancing to on the dancefloor. Of course, that might be because I'm an elderly shut-in who doesn't go out any more (hah!). The dance remix was fun though, I remember that.
14. Outside - When Michael's scandals started to outshine his music, he still managed to be cheeky about it. This video--after his arrest for public lewdness--managed to laugh it off.
And at twelve tunes, I think we've got more than enough, even though I've left out some winners like One More Try, Father Figure, Praying for Time, and Everything She Wants. Any more, and this will take too long to load in your browser, and you'll just leave the page anyway! So, that will do it for this week. Happy Monday!
I got to thinking of this topic when walking today, hearing two songs with the word "fuck" in them, one over 20 years old, the other over 30. It isn't unusual these days for pop songs to have curse words or racy material in them, though they are often edited on the radio. But, I'll bet kids today would be surprised that Roger Daltry was cursing on the radio in 1978.
1. Who are You? - The Who - This is the one that got the ball rolling for me. "Fuck" can be heard--if you believe Wikipedia--twice, but I think it's in there more than that. Now, it's just the theme song to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
2. Unbelievable - EMF - Though a one-hit-wonder, this song continues to get airplay, and I've never heard the many (many, many) "what the fucks"get edited out on the radio.
3. Strokin' - Clarence Carter - This jukebox favorite only contains one bad word, "shit." But the subject matter, and other words that are alluded to? Fabulously filthy!
4. Closer - Nine Inch Nails - I once saw two lipstick lesbians dancing to this one at a gay bar. I'm a gay guy, but whoa, they were smokin'! I don't even know why they try to play this one in edited form.
5. Human Nature - Madonna - Sure, Madonna has always flirted with profanity (some might say too much), but this one--which contained the line, "I'm not your bitch, don't hang your shit on me," was radically altered for radio. Even this clip edits out "shit" with a thump.
6. Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood - There isn't any swearing in this song. But the words, the sounds, the implication? "When you wanna suck it to it, when you wanna come?" Filthy!
7. Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5 - It seems like Adam Levine can't sing a single that doesn't include something that needs to be bleeped on the radio. Makes Me Wonder if all of those tattoos and swearing is "tough guy" compensation for turning out so pretty? Hah! I can't find an uncensored version, but you get the idea.
8. Sugar Walls - Sheena Easton - It doesn't take much imagination to figure out what she's singing about, and even easier when you figure out that Prince wrote it.
9. Fuck You - Lily Allen - We'll finish with a pair of songs with the dirty right in the titles, first this one with it plainly spelled out, and plainly directed at George W. Bush and the like-minded.
10. F-Me Pumps - Amy Winehouse - And this one, with the word only implied but the meaning clear, the late Amy Winehouse brings this edition of Blast from the Past to a close.
And now that you're feeling all Tourette's Syndrome-y, let's start a new week. Happy Monday!
It now goes without saying that my Sunday Blast from the Past post is dedicated to Whitney Houston. I was never her biggest fan, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that many of her songs have been part of the soundtrack of my life. I remember Saving All My Love for You being used on an episode of Ricky Schroder's Silver Spoons, and being censored. They changed "making love the whole night through," to "holding each other the whole night through." Dumb, but it was a kid's show.
Anyway, Whitney played in the background for my whole 20s, and though I never owned one of her albums, I know the words to countless songs. My favorite wasn't even a hit: her duet with Aretha Franklin, It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be.
There are more, but those are the ones that played behind my early adult years. Your life's soundtrack might be a bit different. You have to admit, she was quite a talent, back in the day. RIP, Whitney.
And here's my favorite. It doesn't have a video, but doesn't it sound like she's having fun?
Madonna's Erotica album continued to crank out hits, even though the vibe at the time was that she was overexposed (literally and figuratively). Rain showed a little of the range she was to show in her eclectic song choices during her big push at movie stardom. In fact, that started before the Erotica album, and I forgot about it in last week's edition. This Used to be My Playground from A League of Their Own was huge, as was the movie (a rarity for Madonna).
I'll Remember followed, from the movie With Honors. A new maturity was evident in Madonna's music, at least I thought so. The 1994 album Bedtime Stories continued in that vein, with a lot less pop confection, and a whole lot more complexity. Secret was the first big hit, though they did manage to remix it for the dance floor.
Take a Bow was a full-on ballad, a duet with Babyface. But follow-ups from Bedtime Stories were a bit odd, and started a trend I think, of Madonna albums with two solid hits and a bunch of more experimental stuff thrown in. Human Nature--the album track--contains the words "bitch" and "shit," and had an entirely different radio edit.
From there, Madonna seemed to be on a long audition for the lead in Evita with songs showcasing her voice, not her pop. That culminated--of course--in her landing the role, most famously singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina (which has a fantastic dance mix, by the way). But she got back to the studio for the Ray of Light album, which produced a couple of hits, including the title track.
This began though, for me, a lessening of my enchantment with Madonna. I began to look back fondly at the early-to-mid career stuff, and started enjoying the current stuff less. This may be a function of my age, I realize. But where I can listen to Erotica or Like a Prayer all the way through, by Ray of Light, I'd skip to my favorite tracks. But I loved the movie tracks, Beautiful Stranger from Austin Powers in The Spy Who Shagged Me, and American Pie from The Next Best Thing (and if Don McLean likes it too, you can't hate on me, right?).
2000's Music once again featured two fantastic pop ditties, the title track and Don't Tell Me (my favorite Madonna song since Vogue).
After that, I'll be honest with you, there are only two more Madonna singles that make my "favorites" cut. The entire American Life album is skippable. I liked Die Another Day from the James Bond movie, and one song from Confessions on a Dance Floor: Hung Up. Even though 2008's Hard Candy is very likely the last CD I've bought at the store, I can't recommend it. I'm not saying it's bad, only that it isn't for me.
Madonna is seven or eight years older than me, but I think she's aiming a lot lower than that, and hopefully for her, she's hitting the target. But give me 1983-1990 Madonna most days, with a sprinkling of 1990-1994 and a dash of those videos on this page. I'll probably be playing those when I'm well past Madonna's current age.
One of my favorite 80s acts was Howard Jones, a performer who had a lot more hits than you probably remember. Most of his hits are relics of the era. But there are a couple of gems in there that are pretty timeless. All of them are still enjoyable. Take a listen.
I grew up in the 70s and 80s, and remember waiting anxiously to hear The Dr. Demento Show on Sunday nights. One of the biggest stars on that nerdfest was Weird Al Yankovic. He started out with a parody of The Knack's My Sharona (My Bologna), followed up with a riff on Queen's Another One Bites the Dust (Another One Rides the Bus), and blew us away with his take on The Kinks' Lola (Yoda). By the time I was half-way through high school, Dr. Demento either stopped airing in Columbus, Ohio, or I'd fallen out of the habit. But I still bought Weird Al's In 3-D album, due to the heavy rotation of Eat It, Al's take on Michael Jackson's Beat It. I just about wore out that cassette.
I learned with that album that Al wasn't just funny, he was really very talented. He doesn't just make a goofy song to the tune of an already famous one. His lyrics are intricate. They fit both the original song, and the spoof. It works on several levels. He's done it again, using today's top pop star, Lady Gaga as his muse. It's dead on the money. I can't see why she didn't approve it. I'm betting she reverses herself.
