Cruel Summer

Even without the video, which I think is among her very best, this has become my most played song of the year already. I hope it catches on, but more than anything else I'm just so excited to hear a couple new versions of it, when she's ready to release the acoustic and piano versions (hopefully before their physical shipment date). It feels so great to be this into a new Taylor song after not connecting with most of Showgirl. And on top of that, Babylon is hot on its heels as a contender for my #2 most played track of the year, too!

As soon as that car shot happened I knew I LOVED it - the monologue had gone on just the tiniest bit too long by then but she pulled me back in sooo hard!

It's really hard to name all that many other times when something like this has happened - over 20 years into her career and still at the literal top of the industry despite all the peaks and valleys, and having definitively been so for going on a decade now at least. On top of almost completely dominating the US, at the very least, for the decade before that! If there's anything I love about that, it's that it makes it incredibly likely that even if she flops to hell and back, there are decades more releases ahead, I'm genuinely so excited to see all the directions she goes in from here.

I think the Popstar remix actually melted my brain, I know it's a trend to release these lately but this is the best $5 I've spent on an extra iTunes album version in my life

See, this is the kind of thing that having not really had that, I love to hear, particularly about people younger than me. I still have some very vivid memories of hiding my real favorite music artists from my parents and family, and I don't think I mentioned Madonna's name to anyone in my family until she did the Super Bowl - by which time I was halfway through high school. Genuinely, I'm happy for you to have that kind of open and honest history with her.

The Nick León mix of Brainrot, wait a SECOND I knew this would be magical when I saw his name, he did such an exceptional remix of Oklou's Blade Bird last year, maybe I need to dig into his work more

Not me being older and crustier than you and you still having 4 years on me as a Madonna fan, the dedication

This version is actually on sale for $4.99 and comes with an extra cute alternate cover, so yes!

She's earned it more than any other comeback, renaissance, or resurgence I think I've ever seen. I think it was easy for pop fans to forget about her a little when the music was polarizing and when she was on a kind of long break, but she knew exactly what she had to do with Confessions II, did it, and did it twice as good as she had to or anyone else could. But even some of that other material deserved to be recognized so much more - Madonna getting her flowers is so long overdue.

Purchased, my coins are YOURS mother T

After some more listening and ruminating, this is far and away, very easily, my AOTY. I can't believe just how much she managed to leap forward in her artistry and in making something wholly her own, even having known for well over a decade how immense her talent is. I have no clue what my favorites are just yet, but I'm gravitating really hard to Sunglasses and Empty Stadium and a couple more for evoking so many of the same feelings as the old mixtapes, I'd Rather Be Alone and the title track for being effortlessly but infinitely catchy, and Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore for being ******* insane. I'm not sure yet whether this clears 333 as my personal favorite but the fact that it even has a shot, I could never ask for more from any artist I love than this.

This was one of my favorites to hear about - I know that since she didn't attend televising it wouldn't have done any good, but I was sad it wasn't featured in the broadcast. I loved this song from the very first listen and it's one of my most played of the whole year. I hope she's doing well and that this shows her just how much her fans are connecting with Petal.

It wasn't even nominated frankly insane since it's still one of her best videos to this day

I think a huge part of the wave of negativity on Friday and Saturday was pent up frustration and unresolved discourse from the rest of this year, where people didn't really have as much of an outlet to get their feelings off their chest. All reviews are done in context, for instance, and this is critics' first opportunity to evaluate a work of hers in light of souring reception to Showgirl overall, some of the complexity and controversy surrounding her wedding, that sort of thing. But in real life, some of that context - while it still exists, of course - is processed very differently by the general public. People don't know, for instance, that these songs aren't critically well-received; most people probably don't even know they exist. People who do are overwhelmingly likely to be fans who, on average, think they're fine. Things like the VMAs, while less relevant than they used to be, are way more visible public events and will themselves generate significantly more press. Maybe it was smart of her to release when she did, because the news cycle tomorrow will largely be about all these things and then a new video in light of historic VMA recognition. So everything will sort of calm down and everyone is left feeling fine on both sides of the spectrum.

I love how engaged and happy Madonna looks in the video of them chatting. It's so nice to see such an important, legendary figure be so good to those who have come in her wake. A cute little moment - sad that some clearly feel upset about it.