Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979, despite mixed commentary. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita (1996), but has received harsh feedback for other film roles. Madonna's other ventures include being a fashion designer, children's book author, film director and producer. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, and in 2007, she signed an unprecedented US $120 million contract with Live Nation.
Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Considered to be one of the "25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century" by Time for being an influential figure in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry.
Madonna singles discography

Musically "Like a Virgin" is a dance-oriented song, composed of two hooks. Madonna's voice is heard in a high register while a continuous arrangement of drums are heard along the bassline. The lyrics of the song is ambiguous and consists of hidden innuendo. In sexual terms, the lyrics can be interpreted in different ways for different people. "Like a Virgin" received positive reviews from contemporary as well as old critics, who frequently called it as one of the defining songs for Madonna. It became her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, while reaching the top of the charts in Australia, Canada and Japan and the top-ten of the other countries.
The music video portrayed Madonna sailing down the riverways of Venice in a gondola, as well as roaming around a palace wearing a white wedding dress. With the video, scholars noted Madonna's portrayal of a sexually independent woman, the symbolism of the appearance of a man with lion's mask to that of Saint Mark, and compared the eroticism of the video to the vitality of the city of Venice. Madonna has performed the song in five of her concert tours, most recent being the Confessions Tour in 2006. Majority of the time, her performances of "Like a Virgin" has been associated with strong reaction and uproar from the media.
"Like a Virgin" has been covered by a number of artists and has appeared in feature films such as Reservoir Dogs, Moulin Rouge! and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. The song is noted for its profound effect on society. Family groups sought to ban it as they believed that the song promoted sex without marriage. On the other hand, Madonna's public persona of an indomitable, sexually unashamed, supremely confident woman was widely accepted by the younger generation who emulated her style and fashion. Scholars have credited "Like a Virgin" as the song which cemented her place in the pop music scene.

"Material Girl" incorporated New Wave music and consists of synth arrangements with a robotic voice repeating the hook. The lyrics identify with materialism, with Madonna asking for a rich and affluent life, rather than romance and relationships. Contemporary and old critics have frequently noted "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin" as the songs that made Madonna an icon. "Material Girl" was a commercial success, reaching the top-five in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Japan and United Kingdom. It reached the position two of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming her third top-five single there.
The music video was a mimicry of Marilyn Monroe's performance of the song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The mimicked scenes are interspersed with scenes of a Hollywood director trying to win the heart of an actress, played by Madonna herself. Discovering that, contrary to her song, the young woman was not impressed by money and expensive gifts, he pretended to be penniless and succeeded in taking her out on a date. Scholars noted the symbology of the video and deduced it as a medium for promoting Madonna's image. She has performed the song in four of her world tours, most of them being mimicry of the song and the video.
"Material Girl" has been covered by a number of artists, including Britney Spears, The Chipettes and Hilary Duff. It has appeared in films like Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). Madonna has often remarked that she regrets recording "Material Girl" as the name became a pseudonym for her in mainstream media. The song has been labelled an empowering influence for women, and was

John "Jellybean" Benitez was the producer for the song, and it was a challenge for him, as previously he was associated with recording dance-pop songs only. Initially Warner Bros. Records did not want the song to be released as a single, since they believed that "Crazy for You" would take away the attention from Madonna's sophomore release Like a Virgin. In the end, Peters and Guber convinced Warner officials to greenlight the release of the single. "Crazy for You" ushered a new musical direction for Madonna, as previously she had not recorded any songs in the ballad genre. It features instrumentation from snare drums, harp, bass synthesizer and electric guitar. Lyrically the song talks about sexual desire between two lovers and consists of innuendos. It received positive reception from contemporary critics and scholars, and earned a Grammy Award nomination in 1986 for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
The song became Madonna's second number-one single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 as well as reaching the peak position in the charts of Australia and Canada. It also reached number-two in the charts of Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where it was released twice, once in 1985 and again in 1991. Madonna has performed "Crazy for You" in two of her concert tours – The Virgin Tour in 1985 and the Re-Invention World Tour in 2004. The performances were included in the home video releases of the tours. The song has been covered by a number of artists.

The song includes instrumentation from guitars, keyboards, drums and a synthesizer, and its lyrics deals with deceit, mistrust and childhood scars. It is also about being strong, which Madonna recalled in an interview that she thought about her relationship with her parents, while writing the lyrics. The music video, directed by James Foley, shows Madonna's first image makeover, featuring her with a cleaner look, shoulder-length wavy golden blond hair, conservative wardrobe and subtle make-up. This toned down blond appearance was again inspired by Marilyn Monroe.
Released as the album's first single in March 1986, the song was a commercial success. It became Madonna's third number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and her first number-one on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was generally well-received by music critics, who frequently referred to it as the best ballad of her career. The song faced controversy when Madonna performed it on her 2006 Confessions Tour wearing a crown of Thorns while hanging on a giant mirrored cross. The performance at Rome's Olympic Stadium was condemned as an act of hostility toward the Roman Catholic Church by religious leaders.

Released as the album's second single in mid-1986, the song was a commercial success. It became Madonna's fourth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and performed well internationally, reaching the top position in the United Kingdom and Australia. It was well-received by music critics and was frequently cited as a highlight in the album. The music video, directed by James Foley, shows Madonna's second image makeover, featuring her with a more toned and muscular body, and cropped platinum blonde hair. It portrayed a storyline, where Madonna is trying to tell her father about her pregnancy. The images are juxtaposed with shots of Madonna dancing and singing in a small, darkened studio, and spending a romantic evening with her boyfriend.
Shortly after its release, the song caused heated discussions about its lyrical content. Women's organizations and others in the family planning field criticized Madonna for encouraging teenage pregnancy, while groups opposed to abortion saw it as a positive pro-life message. Madonna has performed "Papa Don't Preach" in three of her world tours. The song also caused her first conflict with the Vatican, as she dedicated it to Pope John Paul II, who urged Italian fans to boycott her concerts during the Who's That Girl World Tour in 1987. In 2002, the song was recorded as a hard rock version by British singer Kelly Osbourne, and was included as a bonus track on her debut album Shut Up.

Featuring instrumentation from drums, bass, and stringed instruments, "Who's That Girl" continued Madonna's fascination with Hispanic culture by incorporating Spanish lyrics and using the effect of double vocals. Although it received mixed reactions from reviewers, the song became Madonna's sixth single to top the Billboard Hot 100, while peaking atop the charts in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium. It was also nominated for "Best Song From A Motion Picture" at the 1988 Grammy Awards and "Best Original Song" at the 1988 Golden Globe Awards.
The music video portrayed a different persona of Madonna, rather than her film character for which it was released. Like the song, it incorporated Hispanic culture and portrayed her dressed in Spanish style as a young lady in search of a treasure. It was criticized for not depicting her real self. Madonna performed the song once on the Who's That Girl World Tour in 1987. The song has been covered by many artists and has appeared in compilations and tribute albums.

Musically "Like a Prayer" is a power pop song which incorporates funk and gospel themes. The lyrics of the song were inspired by Madonna's own Catholic upbringing. She described it as "the song of a passionate young girl so in love with God that it is almost as though He were the male figure in her life." The lyrics have also been seen as a metaphor for sexual intercourse, containing ambiguous innuendo referring to fellatio and orgasming. "Like a Prayer" received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised Madonna's skilled songwriting and improved vocals. It became her seventh number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, while reaching the top of the charts in Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom, among others, and the top-five of many other countries.
The accompanying music video led to a media storm of controversy. The video features Madonna as a woman who witnesses a murder and flees to church for safety. The clip incorporates many Catholic symbols such as stigmata and burning crosses, and a dream about making love to a saint. The Vatican condemned the music video, while family and religious groups protested it. The song was featured in a television advertisement for soft drink manufacturer Pepsi, which was later removed from television following the controversy surrounding the music video. Madonna's contract with Pepsi was subsequently canceled. The song has been featured on three of Madonna's concert tours, most recently on the Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2009, and performed at charity events such as Live 8 and Hope for Haiti.
"Like a Prayer" has been covered by a number of artists and has appeared in feature films and television series such as Absolutely Fabulous, Never Been Kissed, and Glee. The song is noted for its profound effect on society, due to the controversy surrounding the music video. Alongside its respective album, "Like a Prayer" has been marked as a turning point in Madonna's career, as she began to be viewed as an artist rather than a mere pop singer.


"Keep It Together" is a funk/R&B song by American recording artist, song-writer, composer Madonna, it was released on January 30, 1990, by Sire Records as the 6th and final single of her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer.
"Vogue" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her soundtrack album I'm Breathless (Music from and Inspired by the film Dick Tracy) and was released on March 20, 1990, by Sire Records. Madonna was inspired by vogue dancer and choreographers Jose and Luis Xtravaganza from the Harlem "House Ball" community, the origin of the dance Vogue, and they introduced "Vogueing" to her at the New York City club "Sound Factory". Jose Xtravaganza is featured in the Historic Art Documentary How Do I Look, director Wolfgang Busch. It also appears in a slightly remixed and extended form on the 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection and Madonna's third greatest hits album, Celebration. "Vogue" has become one of Madonna's biggest worldwide hits by topping the charts in over 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. It also became Madonna's first multi-platinum single in the United States and has sold over six million copies worldwide.
"Justify My Love" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection and was released on November 6, 1990, by Sire Records. It caused international controversy due to the accompanying music video which was sexually explicit and even banned by MTV. This outraged Madonna and she appeared on ABC's Nightline to defend it. The single was also released as a video-single and became the highest selling video single of all time. When released, the single rose to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 (her ninth number one) and many other worldwide charts. The single made number two in the UK Christmas charts, selling 228,683 copies.

Though featured in the film, it was not available on the soundtrack album, due to licensing restrictions that prohibited Madonna material from mixed or compiled with other singers on albums. It was originally available on the Olympics-inspired Barcelona Gold compilation album released that summer, but in a shorter edit than any of the versions on the commercial singles. It would later be featured on Madonna's 1995 ballads compilation, Something to Remember.
In spite of its commercial success, Madonna has never performed it in any of her concerts or media appearances. It also does not appear on succeeding greatest hits albums GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 275,000 copies there.

"Erotica" continued Madonna's exploration of potent spoken-word vocals (as introduced in "Justify My Love") and was highly controversial when it was released due to its sexual theme and suggestive lyrics. Upon the song's release, the Vatican banned Madonna from entering the state and her music was banned on its radio stations. The song and its accompanying album are also banned in Lebanon.



"I'll Remember" has characteristics of late Seventies styled songs. It utilizes a synthesized keyboard arrangement to bring about a continuously reverberating sound of heartbeat. Madonna's voice is supported by backing vocals. Contemporary critics praised the song, hailing it as one of her best work. It was nominated for "Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television" at the 37th Grammy Awards and "Best Original Song" at the 52nd Golden Globe Awards. After its release, the song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her fifth song to do so. It also reached number one in Canada and Italy. The accompanying music video portrayed Madonna singing the song in a stylized recording studio. Her look and style was compared to the imagery of the music video of previous single "Rain". The androgynous portrayal of Madonna smoking in the last shot was appreciated critically for breaking gender






Featuring a simple, elegantly arranged melody, the single sold roughly 1.5 million copies worldwide and entered the top twenty in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. The music video shows her while being eight months pregnant with her first child and scenes from the film Evita, for which she received a Golden Globe Award for best actress in a musical.



The song features vocals by American musicians Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. An uptempo dance song with an urban, hip hop style, it also incorporates Timbaland's bhangra beats. The instrumentation used in the song includes brass, foghorns and cow bells. The song's lyrics carry a message of social awareness, inspired by Madonna's visit to Africa and the human suffering she witnessed.
"4 Minutes" has been praised by many contemporary critics. Some have noted, however, that Madonna rather than Timberlake appeared as more of a featured artist in the song. "4 Minutes" achieved worldwide success by reaching number one in twenty-one countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, "4 Minutes" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Madonna her 37th top-ten single, breaking the record previously held by Elvis Presley as the artist with most top-ten hits.
In the song's accompanying music video, Madonna and Timberlake sing and run away from a giant black screen that devours everything in its path. At the end of the video, Madonna and Timberlake are consumed by the screen. "4 Minutes" was performed by Madonna on the promotional tour for Hard Candy and the Sticky & Sweet Tour. In the latter, the song served as the opener of the rave segment, where Madonna wore a futuristic robotic dress. During performances of the song, Timberlake and Timbaland appeared on video screens and sang their lines. The song received two Grammy Award nominations for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" and "Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical."