Madonna Turns 60! Celebrate with 16 of Her Biggest Hits, from 'Holiday' to 'Hung Up'

Get "Into the Groove" with these classic cuts

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Published on August 16, 2018 05:15 PM

“Holiday”

In 1983, Madonna broke onto mainstream pop scene in the U.S. with her debut single “Holiday,” which appeared on her eponymous first album.

“Borderline”

Madge’s follow-up to “Holiday” was released as a single in 1984 and became her first Top 10 Billboard hit.

“Like A Virgin”

The lead single off her sophomore album of the same name, “Like a Virgin” climbed the charts to become Madonna’s first No. 1 single.

“Material Girl”

Madonna has said she has regrets about recording the Nile Rodgers-produced track — the second single off Like a Virgin — because its title became a long-lasting nickname. Even so, “Material Girl” is one of her most enduring hits and has appeared in pop culture favorites from Moulin Rouge! and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, to the new Crazy Rich Asians adaptation.

“Into the Groove”

Originally recorded for the soundtrack of her cinematic debut — Desperately Seeking Susan — “Into the Groove” made its way onto the 1985 reissue of Like a Virgin.

“Open Your Heart”

The innuendo-ladentrack — originally penned for Cyndi Lauper — appeared on her 1986 album True Blue (and was memorably covered by Britney Spears in Crossroads 16 years later).

“Like A Prayer”

In 1989, the controversial music video for “Like a Prayer” — which showed burning crosses and a relationship with a priest — provoked ire from everyone from the Pope to Pepsi, the latter of which promptly pulled an ad featuring the singer.

“Express Yourself”

The 1989 single — her second from Like a Prayer — served as an anthem of individuality that inspired generations of pop stars. Madonna famously called “Born This Way,” Lady Gaga‘s sonically similar 2011 single, “reductive.” (Look it up.)

“Vogue”

Come on! Originally written for the 1990 thriller Dick Tracy, “Vogue” has appeared in numerous films in the nearly three decades that have followed — including Anne Hathaway‘s fabulous fashion makeover montage in The Devil Wears Prada.

“Erotica”

Madge’s kinkiest hit yet (at the time) was the first single from her sex-themed Erotica album, which was released in tandem with her controversial coffee book, Sex, in 1992.

“Secret”

After ruffling feathers with Erotica, Madonna slowed things down on her 1994 follow-up Bedtime Stories Her smooth, R&B-tinged single “Secret” was co-written and co-produced by TLC collaborator Dallas Austin.

“Ray of Light”

Inspiration struck after the birth of her first daughter, Lourdes, and Madonna’s 1998 electronic dance music departure Ray of Light — and its lead single — scored four Grammy Awards.

“Music”

In 2000, Madonna entered her electric cowboy phase with Music and its title track about the social barrier-breaking powers of music — inspired by a Sting concert!

“Hung Up”

Madonna enjoyed another career renaissance in 2005 with her disco-fueled Confessions on a Dance Floor LP, featuring the ubiquitous “Hung Up,” which sampled ABBA’s 1979 track “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).”

“4 Minutes”

Madonna recruited Justin Timberlake and Timbaland — and a killer marching band — for this dance anthem, inspired in part by her charity work in Malawi.

RELATED VIDEO: How Madonna Is Raising Malawi: Inside Her Emotional Work Saving Orphans and Fighting Poverty in Africa

“Living For Love”

Madge returned to her gospel-house roots on the lead single off her 2015 set Rebel Heart. The song dropped early, in 2014, after hackers leaked unpolished demos.