LISTEN: 60 of Madonna's Greatest Songs

Happy Birthday Madonna!!!

Having spend 36 years on top of the pop music industry, Madonna has a wide berth of incredible tunes. Breaking out on the scene in 1982 with the classic 'Everybody', the singer soon became on her way to stardom.

She's broken dozens of music records and inspired generations of younger artists in the industry, from Lady Gaga to Britney Spears.

So, here it is, a definitive list of 60 of her greatest hits:

60) Dance 2Night
59) Mother and Father
58) Rebel Heart
57) Falling Free
56) Nothing Fails
55) Gone
54) Oh Father
53) Masterpiece
52) Me Against The Music
51) Hanky Panky

50) Deeper and Depper
49) Bye Bye Baby
48) Give it To Me
47) Shoo-Be-Do
46) Intervention
45) Wash All Over Me
44) Joan of Arc
43) Ghosttown
42) The Beat Goes On
41) Don't Tell Me

40) Nothing Really Matters
39) I Love New York
38) The Devil Wouldn't Recognise You
37) Jump
36) Live to Tell
35) Stay
34) Human Nature
33) Don't Cry For Me Argentina
32) Erotica
31) Hollywood

30) Give Me All Your Love
29) Think of Me
28) Pray For Spanish Eyes
27) Dear Jessie
26) Causing A Commotion
25) Sorry
24) 4 Minutes
23) Lucky Star
22) The Power of Goodbye
21) True Blue

20) Cherish
19) Open Your Heart
18) Ray of Light
17) Take A Bow
16) Dress You Up
15) Music
14) Borderline
13) Hung Up
12) What It Feels Like For A Girl
11) Frozen

And our Top 10 choices are:

10) Beautiful Stranger

The soundtrack for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me , Beautiful Stranger is one of Madonna's best celebrated hits, without necessarily being remembered as a Madonna song. Everyone knows the signature hook "da da da da da da da da da beautiful stranger", yet are shocked to find out the Queen of Pop is the person behind it. The track is exciting, seductive and utterly cheesy - in many ways marking the end of Vintage Madonna.

9) La Ista Bonita

The year was 1987 and Madonna was the name on everybodys lips. And just as girls everywhere started copying her frosted hair and wearing ripped gloves, rosary beads and fishnets, Madonna changed it up. The new album ushered in an era that was still wildly provocative, yet a little more polished. Madonna sported a platinum blonde pixie cut and figure-hugging clothing. Her single 'La Ista Bonita' was a flamingo fused lullaby, bringing Latino music into the mainstream long before Justin Bieber was even born!

8) Material Girl

Madonna wasn't the first singer to tribute Marilyn Monroe in a music video - but she was the best. Reinventing the iconic scene from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , Madonna's 'Material Girl' offered a frank and honest dissection of the modern world. Who needs love when you can have lots of money? The Queen makes the scene her own. Where Marilyn played up a sultry and ditzy performance, Madonna adopted a more quirky, sexual style.

7) Into The Groove

One of the best songs to get down to on the dance floor, 'Into The Groove' is one of the few songs that sounds so unabashedly 80s, yet still feeling fresh and current. Appearing on the soundtrack for Desperately Seeking Susan , this song tore up discotheques across the globe.

6) Holiday

One of her first breakout hits, 'Holiday' allows everyone who was born after the 80s' to (somehow) feel nostalgic for the 80s. It has a fun and simple message, with infectious pop beats and glorious vocals from the Queen. While it was only the third single off of her debut album, it's probably the best known track from her first era of music. Who doesn't love bopping to this as they imagine jetting off to the Portuguese coastline?

5) Papa Don't Preach

This was one of the first times Madonna sang about a topic that middle America had been trying to ignore - teenage pregnancy. Looking back, it's a fairly decent portrayal of what a young girl who was "in trouble" would have gone through. It humanises the experience by explaining that she is still daddy's girl, and that despite growing up, one always needs their father's support.

4) Express Yourself

Extracting all the controversy surrounding Lady Gaga ripping off this track (I can't hear it, sorry not sorry), Express Yourself is a motivating and joyous bop! What better song to listen to after moving on from a guy who had been holding you back for so long? "You deserve the best in life so if the time isn't right then move on!" After all, the song was written as a response to an anti-feminist backlash that had been sweeping the US. Madonna wasn't going to stand for that!

3) Like A Prayer

Oooooh didn't this cause quite a stir? When the Vatican has to get involved, you know you caused a shitstorm. When this song (and music video) dropped, people lost their minds. Pepsi, who had endorsed Madonna and signed a multi-million dollar deal with her, pulled out from association with the singer. Yet, at the heart of the video, tells a story about social injustice. A young black man is mistakenly identified as a murderer, and it is Madonna who brings the truth to light. The use of religious symbolism, from the crying statue to the burning crosses, was the peak of pop culture's love affair between spirituality and music.

2) Vogue

A dance which had been created by the young gay, black and trans community in the underground ball scene in New York took the world by storm when Madonna came out with this. It's still as iconic today as ever. The black and white video is cemented in pop culture history, and Madonna's bridge where she recites a list of famous people is probably her best attempt at rap.

1) Like A Virgin

And so we have it! The best Madonna song. Not only is this song instantly recognisable - it would still cause as much impact if it were released today. Madonna famously performed the song atop of a wedding cake at the first ever VMA's before writhing on stage and hitching up her skirt. Complaints about the performance were in the thousands! Despite the controversy, one can't deny just how insatiably catchy this tune is! "Yeah you make me feel, shiny and new!"

Now, having looked at the Top 60 Best Madonna songs, special attention must be drawn to the music video for 'Justify My Love'.

A song which reached #1 across the world and became the biggest selling video single of all time. At the time of its release the video was so controversial, that MTV refused to air it! If that isn't classic Madonna, I don't know what is.