Being a total don comes naturally to Madonna, who’s spent the last 34 years redefining the rules, making brilliant music, and shooting unmissable videos to accompany it all. Let’s take a look at some of her best songs.

‘Into The Groove’ (1985)

This straight-up bop soundtracked the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan, in which Madonna played the titular Susan Thomas. It’s about dancing, of course.

Key lyric: “Only when I’m dancing can I feel this free“

‘4 Minutes’ (2008)

2008 found Madonna flipping to the ‘Ti’ section of her phonebook to rope in Timbaland and Justin Timberlake for an apoca-jam of epic proportions. As if the carpe diem message weren’t hitting you hard enough already, she and JT also hammered the point home in the video by dancing around in front of a massive countdown timer.
Key lyric: “Tick tock“

‘Take a Bow’ (1994)

Madge works a bit of Shakespeare into this contemplative and downbeat soother from ‘Bedtime Stories’. At first it sounds like a comparison between a broken relationship and a curtain call, but the video pivots the story to paint the bad guy as a deadly matador.
Key lyric: “You took my love for granted, why oh why? The show is over, say good-bye.“

‘Material Girl’ (1984)

Boasting one of the most iconic synth lines ever, ‘Material Girl’ has a Marilyn Monroe-inspired video, and entirely unironic lyrics about loving, erm, stuff. In ’86 Madonna said: “You are attracted to men who have material things because that’s what pays the rents and buys you furs. That’s the security. That lasts longer than emotions.”
Key lyric:“If they don’t give me proper credit I just walk away“ 

‘Deeper and Deeper’ (1992)

‘Erotica”s head-over-heels slice of dance-pop preaches pure “love is love” and includes a lyrical callback to ‘Vogue’, the single that preceded it. Don’t miss the bit in the middle, which we’re cautiously terming a ‘Flamenco drop’.
Key lyric: “I can’t help falling in love – I fall deeper and deeper the further I go.”