The queen of pop is hitting the road!
Before there was Britney, Gaga, Christina or Ariana, there was Madonna. The legendary pop star is hitting the road at the end of the summer to remind the world that she did it first.
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Her new tour is appropriately called the āCelebrationā tour, and sheāll be celebrating the hits from her 40+ year career in one night of music. Songs from the ā80s, ā90s, 2000s and 2010s will all be featured, and you know fans are going to be hearing all of the hits.
Itās a sure thing that songs like āVogue,ā āLike A Prayer,ā āLike A Virgin,ā āMaterial Girl,ā āLa Isla Bonitaā and āMusicā will be played, but what other songs are going to make the setlist? Madonna just has SO many songs, so itās going to be hard to decide which songs to play.
I thought Iād be fun to take a look through Madonnaās extensive discography and make some predictions on what fans will hear in arena across the world. Obviously, the songs I mentioned above will almost certainly be played, but letās take a walk down memory lane and predict what other songs will make the cut.
āHolidayā
It was the song that started it all. It wasnāt her first single that was released, but it was her first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100, and her first single to reach the top 10. If Madonna is going to do a concert of all the hits, she has to include this one. Itās just such a classic.
āBorderlineā
How good of a song is āBorderline?ā Honestly, all of the songs from her self-titled debut album are bops, but there is just something about āBorderlineā that makes you want to dance. Itās quintessential ā80s.
āBurning Upā
While I love āLucky Starā (itās such a good pick for the opening track of her debut), Iāve got to go with āBurning Up.ā I mean, how can you not dance to this song? It perfectly encapsulates the ā80s, and itās just so fun. Please play this one, Madge!
āDress You Upā
This might be a hot take, but I donāt really love the āLike A Virginā album. Obviously the title track and āMaterial Girlā are iconic, but besides that, thereās not a whole lot to write home about. That is, of course, except for āDress You Up.ā This song, in addition to the other two hits from this album, would be a great way to honor this era of Madonna.
āPapa Donāt Preachā
Releasing a song about abortion in the middle of the ā80s was revolutionary, let alone making it the first track to play on her third album, āTrue Blue.ā It set the tone for that entire album, and it deserves its moment in the setlist.
āOpen Your Heartā
She was three albums in, but āOpen Your Heartā sounds like it could have been on her debut, which is the genius of Madonna. Unafraid to reference herself. At its core, āOpen Your Heartā is a love song with a fantastic beat.
āCausing A Commotionā
Just after three studio albums, Madonna was already starring in movies. āWhoās That Girlā is a pretty bad movie, but the soundtrack is really, really good. The best song from it, hands down, is āCausing A Commotion.ā
āExpress Yourselfā
Madonna closed out the ā80s with one her most iconic albums, āLike A Prayer.ā Of course the title track will be on the setlist for this show, but āExpress Yourselfā should absolutely make the cut, too. The song is a straight up anthem, and it will for sure get fans on their feet.
āHanky Pankyā
The soundtrack to the āDick Tracyā album certainly gave us āVogue,ā but we canāt forget about another hit song from the album, āHanky Panky.ā The songs sounds like it could have existed in the ā40s or ā50s, which was basically the point of that album.
āHuman Natureā
The early to mid ā90s didnāt have a ton of hits for Madonna, but āHuman Natureā from her album āBedtime Storiesā is a standout. I saw her perform this live on her Sticky and Sweet tour and it was incredible.
āThis Used To Be My Playgroundā
Madonna isnāt necessarily known for her ballads, but āThis Used To Be My Playground,ā which was used for the ending credits in āA League Of Their Own,ā is one of her best. Not only is her role in the film one of her best acting performances, but the song is just so good. If sheās going to have a slow part of the concert, I hope she includes this.
āDonāt Cry For Me Argentinaā
Itās a classic, and to hear Madonna sing it in her concert would just be a cherry on top. I will also take āYou Must Love Me,ā which might be the better of the two songs from āEvita.ā
āRay of Lightā
This song, and album when you think about it, changed everything for Madonna. Not only was Madonnaās music changing, but she was leading the way for other artists to follow suite. The album won her four Grammy awards, and the title song is undoubtedly her best song ever. The entire āRay of Lightā era deserves its due at this concert.
āFrozenā
Long before there was Elsa, Madonna owned the word āFrozen.ā This song is one of Madonnaās best slow jams, and sheās never been more ethereal on a song than this one. Also, just such an iconic music video.
āBeautiful Strangerā
A song that sounds like it belongs on āRay of Light,ā āBeautiful Strangerā was recorded for the second āAustin Powersā movie, and itās one of my favorites from her. It has the vibe of the ā60s to sound like it belongs on the āAustin Powersā soundtrack, but it keeps with the same musical tone as the music she was releasing in the era. Itās such an underrated song, and I would be SO excited if it made the setlist.
āDonāt Tell Meā
Madonnaās āMusicā era was something else, where she started to mix pop, electronic, R&B and weirdly enough a little bit of country. That was never more prevalent than on āDonāt Tell Me.ā Itās truly a mashup of genres, and thatās when Madonna is at her best. This song never really got its due, and it totally deserves its moment in the setlist.
āWhat It Feels Like For A Girlā
Madonna is also always at her best when she gets political, and that is on full display with āWhat It Feels Like For A Girl.ā Itās one of her better slower songs, and Iād be fun to see her play it live.
āDie Another Dayā
This is another hot take, but āDie Another Dayā is one of the best Bond songs, and its arguably the best thing to come out of that movie. The song is just SO good, and I think the only reason it wasnāt nominated for an Oscar is because the movie was a flop.
āHung Upā
If this song isnāt on the setlist I want my money back. The āConfessions on a Dance Floorā era was a cultural reset for not only Madonna, but for the culture as a whole. One of her best songs, easily.
ā4 Minutesā
Madonnaās album āHard Candyā doesnāt get the recognition it deserves. She collaborated with Timberland and Pharrell (before he was ever famous), and this duet with Justin Timberlake is hands down the standout from the album. Iād also argue that it was her last great music video.
āGive It 2 Meā
If Madonna wanted to celebrate another song from the āHard Candyā album, this would be my pick.
āGive Me All Your Luvinā'
This was Madonnaās lead single that she performed at her iconic Super Bowl halftime performance. Iād argue it was her last good single, and to be honest, Iād be cool with her not doing any more songs beyond her āMDNAā album.
And thatās it! Madonna obviously has a huge catalog of songs to choose from, and Iām sure I missed some songs that people love, but these are my favorite Madonna songs, and I canāt wait to see her on this tour. To see if Madonna is coming to your city, click here for the full tour dates.