Any of these could be considered Madonna's signature song, depending on who you ask for. But which one of the biggest of them all, ATRL?

 

 

Her first number one hit, Like A Virgin.

The hit that became her nickname, Material Girl.

Her biggest YouTube hit, La Isla Bonita.

Her biggest Spotify hit, Like A Prayer.

Her biggest 1990s hit, Vogue.

Her biggest 2000s hit, Hung Up.

 

Bonus - Other

Her most performed hit, Holiday.

Her best-selling hit in the U.K, Into The Groove.

The lead of her biggest album, Papa Don't Preach.

Edited April 24, 20251 yr by Wildcat

Like A Prayer or Hung Up for shoooore

Like a Prayer

Frozen

Popular

 

7 minutes ago, Wildcat said:

The lead of her biggest album, Papa Don't Preach.

The Live To Tell erasure

 

OT: Like A Prayer, with Like A Virgin second and Hung Up third.

When you call my name, it's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there

 

I must say that in my country hung up was wayyy more popular. But i know that like a prayer is her signature song

Top 10 according to Mediatraffic (I know...):

 

01 Like A Prayer

02 Hung Up

03 Vogue

04 Papa Don't Preach 

05 4 Minutes

06 Music

07 La Isla Bonita 

08 Who's That Girl

09 Like A Virgin 

10 Frozen 

Crazy that she has like 6 signature hits (and I'm pretty sure we can find 2 or 3 others) from the 80s to the mid-2000s

The fact that she hasn't done a tour with all of them  

Vogue is her biggest in the US

 

Hung Up is her biggest in Europe

 

Like a Prayer is her biggest worldwide as a whole

"Like a Prayer" is her true signature song. Aside from being a massive iconic #1 hit, it's a perfect pop song, has the religious and sexual elements that made her controversial, arguably her most iconic music video, it's an 80s time capsule (the decade she is most associated with), and it's her most critically acclaimed single. More than any of her other singles, it encapsulates her as an artist and figure in culture.

 

As the decades go by I think this will be the song/video referenced by critics and historians and we will see that reflected in playlists, cover versions, inclusion in media, etc. In 100 years I feel like this will be the Madonna song that lives on.

Like a Prayer hands down. Even though I do not think it's even close to being her best song.

21 minutes ago, Hector said:

Top 10 according to Mediatraffic (I know...):

 

01 Like A Prayer

02 Hung Up

03 Vogue

04 Papa Don't Preach 

05 4 Minutes

06 Music

07 La Isla Bonita 

08 Who's That Girl

09 Like A Virgin 

10 Frozen 

"Music" was SO big at the time, it felt like one of the biggest hits of the early 2000s, it's kind of crazy that it's recurrent stats are so low. I think that's what happens when you have so many hits spread out across the decade. The playlists focus on certain songs and some get left out. When people are in the mood for Madonna nostalgia they gravitate to some tracks and some lose momentum.

WW it's Hung Up or LAP

in US it's Take a Bow

generationally I think it would differ actually, LAP, Vogue, or Hung Up imo depending on who you ask. 

 

when you have multiple decades of appeal 

Sadly LAV which is one of her most boring songs.

The one that went number 1 in 41 countries.

LAP x

La Isla Puta

Like A Virgin or Crazy For You in my country.

Like a Prayer definitely.

 

I don't want to sound creepy, but when it is all said and done for her, it will definitely emerge as THE song from her.

Edited April 25, 20251 yr by Imagine Dragon

Global number one of 1986 - Papa Don't Preach

Global number one of 1989 - Like A Prayer 

 

 

jus so u kno da impact these songs have and how hard it is to choose 

Well certainly not Like A Virgin or Material Girl! These aren't even big enough hits to be performed on her greatest hits tour! 

22 hours ago, MatiRod said:

"Music" was SO big at the time, it felt like one of the biggest hits of the early 2000s, it's kind of crazy that it's recurrent stats are so low. I think that's what happens when you have so many hits spread out across the decade. The playlists focus on certain songs and some get left out. When people are in the mood for Madonna nostalgia they gravitate to some tracks and some lose momentum.

Yeah, Music felt like it would be at least as big as Vogue, it's surprising 4 Minutes would be above it. At least she still had a huge hit 25 years in, I guess.