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Hard Candy (Madonna album)
Encyclopedia
Hard Candy is the eleventh studio album
by American singer-songwriter Madonna
, released on April 19, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records
. It was her final studio album with the record company, marking the end of a 25 year recording history. Madonna started working on the album in 2007, and collaborated with Justin Timberlake
, Timbaland
, Pharrell Williams
and Nate "Danja" Hills. The album has an overall urban pop
vibe, while remaining a dance-pop
record at its core. The Pet Shop Boys
were also asked to collaborate with Madonna on the album by Warner Bros. but the record company later changed their mind and withdrew their invitation.
Madonna became interested in collaborating with Timberlake after hearing his 2006 album FutureSex/LoveSounds
. Together they developed a number of songs for the album, but the basis of the development was Williams' demos. Madonna had a number of songs written down for the album, which amazed Timberlake. They had intensive discussions among themselves before recording a song. Later, Madonna recalled that most of the songs on Hard Candy were autobiographical in many respects. However, according to her this was not intentional and happened while she was in the process of developing the album.
Madonna had initially decided to portray herself as the Black Madonna
for the cover art, and call it the same, but later felt the idea may have been seen as controversial. She instead named the album "Hard Candy" which refers to the juxtaposition of toughness and sweetness. Critical reaction to the album was generally favorable, though some reviewers condemned it for its attempt to harness the urban market. On release Hard Candy debuted at number one in 37 countries worldwide, including the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom and became the eleventh best selling album worldwide of 2008. Worldwide sales of the album stand at four million copies.
Three singles
were released from the album. The first, "4 Minutes
", was a worldwide success, topping the charts in 21 countries and becoming Madonna's 37th Billboard Hot 100
top-ten hit. Other singles released were "Give It 2 Me
" and "Miles Away
". To promote the album, Madonna went on a small promotional tour, where she played in three cities in small venues. The album received the majority of its promotion from the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour
, which went on to become the highest grossing tour ever, by a solo artist.
said that he was working with Madonna for her upcoming eleventh studio album. It was Madonna's last studio album for Warner Bros. Records
, and following the release of a greatest hits collection (Celebration
), she would join Live Nation Artists, a new initiative launched by concert promoter Live Nation
. The 10-year deal with Live Nation encompassed all of Madonna's future music and music-related businesses, including the exploitation of the Madonna brand, new studio albums, touring, merchandising, fan clubs/Web sites, DVDs, music-related television and film projects and associated sponsorship agreements. In August 2007, Timbaland spoke about the development of the album to MTV News
. Together he and Justin Timberlake
were confirmed to have worked on the album with Madonna and said that they wrote ten songs for her. Songs confirmed to have been developed were "La, La" and "Candy Shop", which was written by Pharrell Williams
. Timbaland added,
Timbaland finished off by saying that the title of the album was not decided then, but he had to reconvene with Madonna to complete the record by September 2007. MTV described the new album as moving in an urban direction. It had initially been defined as having "a lot of producers from a lot of genres in there." Pet Shop Boys
were originally asked by Warner
to write and produce some songs for the album. Neil Tennant
revealed they were contacted again the same week and were told that Warner had changed their mind. "We got told to forget it as they decided to shove her down the R&B route". Timbaland referred to the album as being "like 'Holiday
' with an R&B groove".
and Nate "Danja" Hills. Previously, Madonna had worked with relatively unknown producers like William Orbit
, Mirwais Ahmadzaï
and Stuart Price
. However, for Hard Candy Madonna decided to collaborate with producers and artists who were already well-known. Talking to MTV, Madonna explained her decision to collaborate with well-known producers: "Because they're good, and I like their shit. [...] I mean, I don't like to repeat myself, and I was sitting around thinking, 'What music do I love right now?' And it was actually [Timberlake's] record FutureSex/LoveSounds
. [...] I was listening to it obsessively." Madonna had already started work on the album with Pharrell, and during one of her breaks from recording, her manager Guy Oseary
spoke to Timberlake, suggesting that it "would be cool" if he recorded some songs with her. Timberlake commented "'That would be awesome,' but I thought, 'That'll never happen', [...] But it's a testament to Pharrell. He had already laid the groundwork where she was going with it. She played 'Candy Shop' for me, and a couple of other songs, and I thought, 'What a cool direction.' I thought she could essentially do the whole record with Pharrell if she wanted to, and I asked Tim, 'How do we fit in?' And it basically came down to how we did my record, co-producing, and just throwing Madonna in the mix." The first track recorded by Madonna and Timberlake was "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You". Timberlake felt that the song, which Madonna had been working on for years before the Hard Candy project, was comparable to "Frozen
" (1998). He wanted to turn the line "'The devil wouldn't recognize you, but I do" into a catchy hook and make it sound like a concept.
Timberlake was impressed by the amount of recording material Madonna would already have ready. He said that he does not normally write down his lyrics, since the ideas come faster to him, but Madonna had "all these thoughts, riddles, poems, feelings, all written in huge notebooks ... she kept handing them over. It was amazing, taking these little bits here and there and putting them together like a puzzle." For recording "Miles Away
", Timberlake played a guitar riff for Madonna and asked "How do we want to do this? What do we want it to be about? What do we want to say?" Madonna decided to have discussions between herself and Timberlake to develop other ideas for the songs. One of the ideas they connected on was the universality of long-distance relationship
s, which they felt was too personal for them, but nevertheless used the concept in "Miles Away". Madonna commented on the recorded version: "We put our stuff out there. [...] And after we did the song, everybody in the studio was like, 'Oh, I can relate to that.'"
magazine, Madonna explained her inspirations behind the songs and the music of Hard Candy. She said, ""Probably in many respects most of the songs [on Hard Candy] are [autobiographical]. But in more of an unconscious way. I don't really think about telling personal stories when I'm writing music. It just comes. And then a lot of times, six months later, eight months later, I go, 'Oh, that's what I wrote that song about.' But that's when I play the song for lots of people and they all go, 'Oh, I can totally relate to that.'" "Candy Shop" is the opening track of the album. Produced by Williams, the song uses the word candy as a metaphor for sex. Williams said, "We were just in a studio, [...] and [Madonna] was like, 'Look, give me some hot shit.' I was looking at her like, 'She's saying hot shit?' She was like, 'What?' And I'm like, 'OK.' So we just worked and made it." The first single from the album, "4 Minutes
", was initially known as "4 Minutes to Save the World". The song's development was motivated by a sense of urgency to save the planet from destruction, and how people can enjoy themselves in the process. According to Madonna, the song inspired her to produce the documentary I Am Because We Are
. The song features vocals by Timberlake and Timbaland. An uptempo dance song with an urban, hip hop
style, it also incorporates Timbaland's bhangra beats. The instrumentation used in the song includes brass
, foghorn
s and cow bell
s. The song's lyrics carry a message of social awareness, inspired by Madonna's visit to Africa and the human suffering she witnessed. In "Give It 2 Me
", the album's second single, Madonna merged bounce-beats
and a funky bassline
. "If it's against the law, arrest me", she sings "If you can handle it, undress me." The song has a short interlude where Madonna continuously repeates the words "Get stupid", as Williams chants, "To the left, to the right". "Give It 2 Me" was written by Madonna as an anthemic, self-manifesto song which, although it appears to be about dance and sex, is a reference to Madonna's career spanning three decades in the music industry. Musically it is an upbeat dance song, featuring instrumentation from West African percussion
and cowbells. Backing vocals are provided by Williams. The fourth track "Heartbeat" has Madonna singing breathlessly and also features an interlude where the music changes from its normal rhythm, to just the sound of drums.
MTV said that "Miles Away
", the third single from the album, was the most deceptively simple track because although it appeared straightforward on the surface, it had a lot of technical tricks underneath it. The song departs from the dance theme of the album and deals with the difficulties of long-distance relationships. "Miles Away" is a melancholy electronic ballad, which, according to Madonna is autobiographical, and is inspired by her then husband Guy Ritchie
. The relationship themed lyrics continue in the next track "She's Not Me", which talks about Madonna being emulated by another woman, hence she utters the line "She started dressing like me and talking like me, It freaked me out, She started calling you up in the middle of the night, What's that about?" The next track "Incredible" starts off like a love song but reveals itself to be a plea to someone to start over, while changing its composition from the interlude. According to MTV, the shift in the structure reflected Madonna's own confusion about how she felt about her lover in the song. "Can't get my head around it", she sang. "I, I need to think about it." "Beat Goes On" featuring West, has a 70s R&B meeting 80s dance vibe and a rap interlude by West. Williams has commented that Madonna's work ethic was different from other artists that he had worked with before. That is reflected in songs like "Spanish Lesson" where she sings the line "If you do your homework/ Baby I will give you more". It also has influences of Spanish music. Groove inspired music is present in "Dance 2night", which featured Timberlake. "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" was written by Madonna before the Hard Candy project started. The song has a sense of mystery and starts off softly and slowly with a piano introduction. It then becomes fast and melancholy, with Madonna singing: "Your eyes are full of surprises/ They cannot predict my fate". The trip hop
inspired "Voices" is the last track of the album, consisting of unresolved chords and sweeping strings, as the lyrics question who is really in control: "Are you walking the dog?/ Is the dog walking you?"
Hard Candy was released on April 25 in the European countries of Germany, Ireland, Austria and Netherlands. On April 28, the album was released in the United Kingdom, Brazil and throughout the rest of Europe, and on April 29, in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Billboard
reported that the title of the album, as announced on the Sirius Satellite Radio
programme OutQ, was Licorice. In an interview with MTV Australia
, Madonna explained that a prominent theme of the Hard Candy album was about incorporating the image of a boxer, an idea which has been repeated within the song "Give It 2 Me". According to her, "['Give It 2 Me'] is basically [opposite in meaning]. I'm not [...], 'give me all you got' [kind of person], so it's quite a sort of tough stance." Hence, initially Madonna decided that the title of the song was to be used for the then-unnamed album. This was changed following the release of a similarly named song
by Timbaland
. After that, Madonna decided to call the album Black Madonna, and even shot a photograph for the cover art, wearing blackface
make-up with white eyes. In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone
Madonna commented,
The title of the album was finally confirmed by MTV as Hard Candy. Madonna's representative Liz Rosenberg told Entertainment Weekly
: "She loves candy, [...] [The title is] about the juxtaposition of tough and sweetness, or as Madonna so eloquently expressed: 'I'm gonna kick your ass, but it's going to make you feel good." The album cover art was also released at the same time and featured Madonna with short cropped hair in a black leotard with a wrestling belt across her waist. The backdrop displayed pink peppermint
swirls. The photo was taken during a photoshoot with Klein for Interview
magazine's April 2008 issue.
, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Mark Savage from the BBC
commented on the composition of the tracks, saying "if a handful of the tracks had been delivered to more producers with a touch more subtlety, Hard Candy could have ranked alongside Madonna's best. [...] Over and over again, she subsumes her pop sensibilities to their arsenal of clattering beats, hollered raps and over-fussy production." Stephen Thomas Erlewine
from Allmusic felt that "There's a palpable sense of disinterest [in Hard Candy], as if she just handed the reins over to Pharrell and TimbaLake, trusting them to polish up this piece of stale candy. Maybe she's not into the music, maybe she's just running out this last album for Warner before she moves onto the greener pastures of Live Nation—either way, Hard Candy is as a rare thing: a lifeless Madonna album." Tom Young from Blender
gave a positive review saying "On Hard Candy, she's like an aging master thief sneaking into the temple of pop goodies for one last big score. Album 11 is good-naturedly smutty, not confrontationally nasty, but it's a veritable filth bath compared to the C-SPAN sermons and confessional strumming of 2003's dreadful American Life
or the woozily self-actualized club trance of 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor
." Kerri Mason from Billboard complimented the new sound and the musical direction taken by Madonna but felt that she had become a producer's puppet, leading her to comment that "Madonna makes producers, producers don't make Madonna." Chris Willman from Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ and said "[Madonna] makes it work with this surprisingly rejuvenated set." Mike Collett-White from Reuters
reported: "As parting gifts go, Madonna's 11th studio album—and her last before she exits long-term record label Warner Bros.—is unusually generous, if early reviews are to be believed. [...] Hard Candy scored solidly among rock critics."
Caryn Ganz from Rolling Stone
said that Hard Candy is the work of "a songwriting team of American chart royalty" that helps Madonna "revisit her roots as an urban-disco queen. [...] For Hard Candy, she lets top-shelf producers make her their plaything." Ben Thompson from The Guardian
commented on the music by saying that "Hard Candy is a tough, nuggety confection offering plenty for listeners to get their teeth into. [...] Whenever [it] threatens to get boring, something always happens to recapture your interest." Sarah Hajibegari from The Times
felt that while "Hard Candy is no disaster", the album's producers have "already done the same thing with Nelly Furtado
, Britney Spears
and Gwen Stefani
." Andy Gill from The Independent
said that the album portrayed Madonna as "how a once diverse talent has ossified into simply satisfying the sweet tooth of functional dance-pop." Thomas Hausner from PopMatters
wrote that the album "is overpopulated with recycled pop that is indistinguishable and artificial, something Madonna's soothing arpeggiating vocals cannot alleviate". Tom Ewing from Pitchfork Media
wondered "after listening [to the album], the question's still open—nobody involved in Hard Candy is anywhere near their creative peak!" Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine was disappointed with the album and said, "Madonna hasn't delivered this many vapid floor fillers on one disc since her debut, and maybe not even then. [...] There are few confessions here—nothing political, nothing too spiritual, no talk of fame, war, or the media. It's just what America ordered." Wilfred Young from NME
felt that Hard Candy was "a solid enough album by the standards of most pop tarts, but from the mistress of innovation? Pretty mediocre."
, Hard Candy sold 100,000 copies in the United States upon its first day of release. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
with over 280,000 copies sold. Hard Candy became Madonna's seventh number-one album, making her the female artist with the second most Billboard number one albums, behind only Barbra Streisand
. The album was certified gold
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) on June 4, 2008, for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. As of July 2011, Hard Candy has sold 739,000 copies there according to Nielsen SoundScan
. In Canada, the album debuted at the top of the Canadian Albums Chart
and was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA) for shipments of 80,000 copies.
In Australia, Hard Candy became Madonna's seventh album to reach number one on the ARIA Albums Chart
. The album was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) for shipments of 70,000 copies there. In New Zealand, Hard Candy debuted and peaked at number five on May 5, 2008, staying on the chart for nine weeks. The album debuted at number one on the Oricon
weekly album chart in Japan, selling around 55,462 copies, retaining that position for a second week due to an increase of sales to almost 80,000 copies. Hard Candy was her first album to top the chart in 18 years since I'm Breathless
(1990). Madonna also became the first international artist in Japanese chart history to have number-one albums in three consecutive decades. In Latin America the album reached number three in Mexico and was certified Platinum. In Argentina, the album reached three on the Monthly Album chart of CAPIF
, and was certified platinum.
Hard Candy also debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart
, where Madonna joined a select group of artists to achieve ten number one albums, behind Elvis Presley
, with eleven, and The Beatles
, with fifteen. The album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
for shipments of over 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, Hard Candy has sold 335,523 copies in the UK, as of September 2009. It also reached the top of the European Top 100 Albums
chart, moving from fourteen to the top position. In Germany, the album debuted at the top of the Media Control Charts
and was present for forty weeks. In Ireland, the album debuted at the top of the Irish charts, replacing 25 Years – 25 Songs by Mary Black
. The album was particularly successful in Brazil, where the songs "4 Minutes", "Give It 2 Me", "Heartbeat", "Beat Goes On" and "Candy Shop" were all certified platinum, for shipment of 100,000 copies of the songs as digital downloads.
" was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records
. "4 Minutes" has been praised by many contemporary critics. Some have noted, however, that Madonna rather than Timberlake appeared as more of a featured artist in the song. "4 Minutes" achieved international success by topping the charts in 21 countries worldwide. It became Madonna's thirteenth number-one single in the United Kingdom, the highest total for any female artist in the British charts. In the United States, "4 Minutes" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100
, giving Madonna her 37th Top Ten hit, breaking the record previously held by Elvis Presley
. In the song's accompanying music video, Madonna and Timberlake sing and run away from a giant black screen that devours everything in its path. At the end of the video, Madonna and Timberlake are consumed by the screen. The song received a Grammy
nomination in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
category.
"Give It 2 Me
" was released on June 4, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the album. The song received positive reviews from contemporary critics. It became Madonna's thirty-ninth number-one single on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It charted on the Billboard Hot 100
for one week, and reached a peak of fifty-seven only. The song topped the music charts in the Netherlands and Spain and attained top-ten positions on the charts of many other European nations. The music video
featured Madonna recreating her retro look from the Elle
magazine May covergirl photo shoot, and was directed by photographer Tom Munro. Williams had a guest appearance in the video. It received a positive response for her retro-inspired look. "Give It 2 Me" received a Grammy
nomination in 2009 in the Best Dance Recording
category.
"Miles Away
" was released as the third and final single from the album, on October 17, 2008. It received positive appreciation from contemporary critics, though some of them noted its similarity to Justin Timberlake's 2006 single, "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around
". "Miles Away" reached the top forty in the official charts of United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The song did not appear on the official chart of the United States, but it was a success on the US dance charts, where it became Madonna's seventh consecutive number-one song on the Hot Dance Airplay
chart, the most for any artist.
F400 in France. In other markets, Vodafone
and Warner Music International made an arrangement which saw the music and other forms of mobile content from "Hard Candy" available exclusively to Vodafone mobile customers prior to the album's general release. A similar deal was made with Sony Ericsson
, who offered the album pre-loaded onto their phones in 27 different countries worldwide. Hard Candy was also streamed on MySpace
four days before its United States release. Furthermore, the season finale
of Ugly Betty
s second season, "Jump
", solely featured Madonna's music. "Candy Shop", "Spanish Lesson", "She's Not Me" and "Miles Away" were played, as well as the 2006 single "Jump
". "Miles Away" was also used in the Japanese TV drama Change
. Madonna also went on a promotional tour for the album; the first venture as part of her new contract with concert promoters Live Nation
with media content provided by "Frank the Plumber LLC". The show consisted of a 40 minute set featuring six songs, with dates in New York City, Paris and Maidstone
. In an interview with the BBC, Madonna stated:
The show had an expandable, five-platform stage which displayed the album's cover art. Madonna, wearing a skintight black suit and a lace top, appeared on the stage while sitting on a throne with a golden walking stick, as the music of "Candy Shop" started. Images of confectionery flashed on the television screens flanking the back of the stage. Madonna, along with her six dancers, gyrated in choreographed dance moves. Next, Madonna strapped on an acoustic guitar, took a swig from a champagne bottle and started singing "Miles Away", as images of planes taking off and landing, airports and various locations around the globe were projected across the screens behind her. After that "4 Minutes" was performed, which mimicked its video with a flashing countdown clock. Then Madonna paused for a moment to thank her collaboraters, including Timberlake, West, Timbaland and others. "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world", she said, before dedicating the next song, "Hung Up
" from 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor
, to her fans. The song was mixed with The Rolling Stones
track "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
". It was followed by "Give It 2 Me", during which pink and green disco beams pulsated across the crowd. The show ended with a performance of "Music
" (2000), during which her dancers emerged from a false, silver subway car door. Madonna danced across the stage, touching the hands of the audience and ended the show by racing up the stage to the subway doors, behind which she disappeared.
Chris Harris from MTV reviewed the show at Roseland Ballroom
, New York, and commented that "It was an event better-suited for Madison Square Garden and one that these fans — many of whom probably had to call a sitter for the evening — won't soon forget." Ben Sisario from The New York Times
commented "for Madonna's fans, [the New York show] proved that seeing her for free in a 2,200-capacity hall — minuscule by her usual touring standards — was something worth waiting for. And waiting for a very long time." Silvio Pietrolungo from Billboard felt that "The crowd of 2,200 was certainly dedicated." The April 30, 2008, New York set was shown live via MSN in association with Control Room and Live Nation
. It was broadcast internationally on May 15, 2008. The Maidstone show faced problems with the organisers due to Madonna's use of swearing, causing complaints to be made to the BBC
when the show was aired on Radio 1
.
by Madonna. It began in August 2008 and was Madonna's first tour from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation
. The tour was announced in February 2008, with dates for American and British venues revealed. Though initially planned, the tour failed to visit Australia due to financial problems and the financial recession. Costume designer Arianne Phillips
designed the costumes, supported by a number of famous designers and brands, namely Givenchy
, Stella McCartney
, Yves Saint Laurent, Roberto Cavalli
, and Jeremy Scott
. The stage for the main show was planned similarly to that of her 2006 Confessions Tour
. After the Sticky & Sweet Tour concluded in 2008, Madonna announced plans to begin a second European leg in 2009 to perform in cities she had either never been to, or had not played for a long time.
The tour was described as a "rock driven dancetastic journey". It was divided into four acts: Pimp, where S&M was the main theme, Old School where Madonna's classic songs were performed alongside displays of the work of deceased artist Keith Haring
, Gypsy, a fusion of Romanian folk music and dance, with performances ranging from melancholy to joyous, and Rave
, where she performed track's featuring Eastern influences. The show ended with a sing-along
of the final song with the audience. Some changes were made to the set list during the second European leg of the tour in 2009, including a dance tribute to deceased singer Michael Jackson
. The tour generated positive reviews from critics.
The Sticky & Sweet Tour broke many records in terms of ticket sales, commercial gross and audience attendance. After the first leg, it became the highest grossing tour by a solo artist, earning $282 million, breaking the previous record Madonna herself held with her Confessions Tour
. Overall, Madonna performed to over 3.5 million fans in 32 countries, grossing a total of US$408 million, making it also the second highest grossing tour of all time and the highest grossing tour by a solo artist. At the 2009 Billboard Touring Awards
, the Sticky & Sweet Tour won the Top Tour and Top Draw prizes, which acknowledge the highest-grossing and highest-attended tours of the year, respectively. Madonna's manager Guy Oseary won the Top Manager award.
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American singer-songwriter Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, released on April 19, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. It was her final studio album with the record company, marking the end of a 25 year recording history. Madonna started working on the album in 2007, and collaborated with Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
and Nate "Danja" Hills. The album has an overall urban pop
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
vibe, while remaining a dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
record at its core. The Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
were also asked to collaborate with Madonna on the album by Warner Bros. but the record company later changed their mind and withdrew their invitation.
Madonna became interested in collaborating with Timberlake after hearing his 2006 album FutureSex/LoveSounds
FutureSex/LoveSounds
In 2005, Timberlake felt inspired to record songs again. Motivated by the "sad state" of pop radio, he decided he needed to experiment with music. Reportedly, it was not until Timberlake turned to producer Timbaland "that he figured out the direction he wanted the record to take"...
. Together they developed a number of songs for the album, but the basis of the development was Williams' demos. Madonna had a number of songs written down for the album, which amazed Timberlake. They had intensive discussions among themselves before recording a song. Later, Madonna recalled that most of the songs on Hard Candy were autobiographical in many respects. However, according to her this was not intentional and happened while she was in the process of developing the album.
Madonna had initially decided to portray herself as the Black Madonna
Black Madonna
A Black Madonna or Black Virgin is a statue or painting of the Virgin Mary in which the Virgin Mary is black. The term was especially applied to those created in Europe in the medieval period or earlier...
for the cover art, and call it the same, but later felt the idea may have been seen as controversial. She instead named the album "Hard Candy" which refers to the juxtaposition of toughness and sweetness. Critical reaction to the album was generally favorable, though some reviewers condemned it for its attempt to harness the urban market. On release Hard Candy debuted at number one in 37 countries worldwide, including the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom and became the eleventh best selling album worldwide of 2008. Worldwide sales of the album stand at four million copies.
Three singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
were released from the album. The first, "4 Minutes
4 Minutes (Madonna song)
"4 Minutes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. The song's development was motivated by a sense of urgency to save the planet from destruction, and...
", was a worldwide success, topping the charts in 21 countries and becoming Madonna's 37th Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
top-ten hit. Other singles released were "Give It 2 Me
Give It 2 Me
"Give It 2 Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna, featured on her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released on June 4, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the album...
" and "Miles Away
Miles Away (Madonna song)
"Miles Away" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It was first released as a promotional single in Japan, during June 2008, as the theme for the Fuji Television Japanese drama, Change. The song was released by Warner Bros...
". To promote the album, Madonna went on a small promotional tour, where she played in three cities in small venues. The album received the majority of its promotion from the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour
Sticky & Sweet Tour
The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth worldwide concert tour by American singer Madonna to promote her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It began in August 2008 and was Madonna's first tour from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation. The tour was announced in February 2008, with...
, which went on to become the highest grossing tour ever, by a solo artist.
Background and development
In February 2007, TimbalandTimbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
said that he was working with Madonna for her upcoming eleventh studio album. It was Madonna's last studio album for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, and following the release of a greatest hits collection (Celebration
Celebration (Madonna album)
Celebration is the third greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, and the closing release under her contract with Warner Bros. Records, her record company since 1982. The release follows her two previous greatest hits albums, The Immaculate Collection and GHV2...
), she would join Live Nation Artists, a new initiative launched by concert promoter Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
. The 10-year deal with Live Nation encompassed all of Madonna's future music and music-related businesses, including the exploitation of the Madonna brand, new studio albums, touring, merchandising, fan clubs/Web sites, DVDs, music-related television and film projects and associated sponsorship agreements. In August 2007, Timbaland spoke about the development of the album to MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
. Together he and Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
were confirmed to have worked on the album with Madonna and said that they wrote ten songs for her. Songs confirmed to have been developed were "La, La" and "Candy Shop", which was written by Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
. Timbaland added,
"Me and Justin did the records. [Madonna's] got a hot album. Her album is up there with Justin's album. [...] Ah, man, there's this one song, we taking it back to 'You must be my luck-eee starrrr!' ... Remember 'Ugly' by Bubba SparxxxBubba SparxxxWarren Anderson Mathis , known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American Southern rapper. His biggest hit is "Ms. New Booty" featuring The Ying Yang Twins which peaked at #7 in the United States...
? I got a beat similar to that. The hookHook (music)A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
is no words. It's saying stuff named after coffee... The name of the song is 'La, La'. Pharrell did a hot one for her too called 'Candy Shop'."
Timbaland finished off by saying that the title of the album was not decided then, but he had to reconvene with Madonna to complete the record by September 2007. MTV described the new album as moving in an urban direction. It had initially been defined as having "a lot of producers from a lot of genres in there." Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
were originally asked by Warner
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
to write and produce some songs for the album. Neil Tennant
Neil Tennant
Neil Francis Tennant is an English musician, singer and songwriter, who, with bandmate Chris Lowe, makes up the successful electronic dance music duo Pet Shop Boys.-Childhood:...
revealed they were contacted again the same week and were told that Warner had changed their mind. "We got told to forget it as they decided to shove her down the R&B route". Timbaland referred to the album as being "like 'Holiday
Holiday (Madonna song)
"Holiday" is a song by American singer Madonna from her self-titled debut album. Released on September 7, 1983 by Sire Records, it later appeared remixed on the 1987 remix compilation You Can Dance and the 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection, and in its original form on the...
' with an R&B groove".
Recording
The album features vocal appearances by Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams and Kanye West. It features production by Madonna, Timbaland, Timberlake, The NeptunesThe Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
and Nate "Danja" Hills. Previously, Madonna had worked with relatively unknown producers like William Orbit
William Orbit
William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
, Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Mirwais Ahmadzaï, more commonly known as Mirwais, is a Paris based record producer and songwriter. He was born in Switzerland to an Afghan father and an Italian mother. He is a leader in the French style of progressive electronic dance music and progressive electronica...
and Stuart Price
Stuart Price
Stuart Price is a three time Grammy-winning British electronic musician, songwriter, and record producer whose remixing and production skills are in demand by artists including New Order, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Take That, Missy Elliott, Scissor Sisters, The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Brandon...
. However, for Hard Candy Madonna decided to collaborate with producers and artists who were already well-known. Talking to MTV, Madonna explained her decision to collaborate with well-known producers: "Because they're good, and I like their shit. [...] I mean, I don't like to repeat myself, and I was sitting around thinking, 'What music do I love right now?' And it was actually [Timberlake's] record FutureSex/LoveSounds
FutureSex/LoveSounds
In 2005, Timberlake felt inspired to record songs again. Motivated by the "sad state" of pop radio, he decided he needed to experiment with music. Reportedly, it was not until Timberlake turned to producer Timbaland "that he figured out the direction he wanted the record to take"...
. [...] I was listening to it obsessively." Madonna had already started work on the album with Pharrell, and during one of her breaks from recording, her manager Guy Oseary
Guy Oseary
Guy Oseary is an Israeli-American expert businessman who began his career in entertainment at 17 at what was to become Maverick Records. He is Madonna's manager.-Maverick:...
spoke to Timberlake, suggesting that it "would be cool" if he recorded some songs with her. Timberlake commented "'That would be awesome,' but I thought, 'That'll never happen', [...] But it's a testament to Pharrell. He had already laid the groundwork where she was going with it. She played 'Candy Shop' for me, and a couple of other songs, and I thought, 'What a cool direction.' I thought she could essentially do the whole record with Pharrell if she wanted to, and I asked Tim, 'How do we fit in?' And it basically came down to how we did my record, co-producing, and just throwing Madonna in the mix." The first track recorded by Madonna and Timberlake was "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You". Timberlake felt that the song, which Madonna had been working on for years before the Hard Candy project, was comparable to "Frozen
Frozen (song)
"Frozen" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eight studio album Ray of Light. It was released as the lead single from the album on 23 February 1998 by Maverick Records...
" (1998). He wanted to turn the line "'The devil wouldn't recognize you, but I do" into a catchy hook and make it sound like a concept.
Timberlake was impressed by the amount of recording material Madonna would already have ready. He said that he does not normally write down his lyrics, since the ideas come faster to him, but Madonna had "all these thoughts, riddles, poems, feelings, all written in huge notebooks ... she kept handing them over. It was amazing, taking these little bits here and there and putting them together like a puzzle." For recording "Miles Away
Miles Away (Madonna song)
"Miles Away" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It was first released as a promotional single in Japan, during June 2008, as the theme for the Fuji Television Japanese drama, Change. The song was released by Warner Bros...
", Timberlake played a guitar riff for Madonna and asked "How do we want to do this? What do we want it to be about? What do we want to say?" Madonna decided to have discussions between herself and Timberlake to develop other ideas for the songs. One of the ideas they connected on was the universality of long-distance relationship
Long-distance relationship
A long-distance relationship is typically an intimate relationship that takes place when the partners are separated by a considerable distance....
s, which they felt was too personal for them, but nevertheless used the concept in "Miles Away". Madonna commented on the recorded version: "We put our stuff out there. [...] And after we did the song, everybody in the studio was like, 'Oh, I can relate to that.'"
Music structure and composition
With InterviewInterview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
magazine, Madonna explained her inspirations behind the songs and the music of Hard Candy. She said, ""Probably in many respects most of the songs [on Hard Candy] are [autobiographical]. But in more of an unconscious way. I don't really think about telling personal stories when I'm writing music. It just comes. And then a lot of times, six months later, eight months later, I go, 'Oh, that's what I wrote that song about.' But that's when I play the song for lots of people and they all go, 'Oh, I can totally relate to that.'" "Candy Shop" is the opening track of the album. Produced by Williams, the song uses the word candy as a metaphor for sex. Williams said, "We were just in a studio, [...] and [Madonna] was like, 'Look, give me some hot shit.' I was looking at her like, 'She's saying hot shit?' She was like, 'What?' And I'm like, 'OK.' So we just worked and made it." The first single from the album, "4 Minutes
4 Minutes (Madonna song)
"4 Minutes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. The song's development was motivated by a sense of urgency to save the planet from destruction, and...
", was initially known as "4 Minutes to Save the World". The song's development was motivated by a sense of urgency to save the planet from destruction, and how people can enjoy themselves in the process. According to Madonna, the song inspired her to produce the documentary I Am Because We Are
I Am Because We Are
I Am Because We Are is a 2008 documentary film directed by Nathan Rissman and written, narrated, and produced by Madonna.The film premiered at the 7th annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, on April 24, 2008 and at the 61st annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France on May 21, 2008...
. The song features vocals by Timberlake and Timbaland. An uptempo dance song with an urban, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
style, it also incorporates Timbaland's bhangra beats. The instrumentation used in the song includes brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
, foghorn
Foghorn
A foghorn or fog signal or fog bell is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards or boats of the presence of other vehicles in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport...
s and cow bell
Cow bell
A cowbell or cow bell is a bell worn by freely roaming livestock, so that they do not run away or wander off without being heard. While bells were used on various types of animals, they are typically referred to as "cowbells" due to their extensive use with cattle.A trychel is a large cow bell...
s. The song's lyrics carry a message of social awareness, inspired by Madonna's visit to Africa and the human suffering she witnessed. In "Give It 2 Me
Give It 2 Me
"Give It 2 Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna, featured on her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released on June 4, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the album...
", the album's second single, Madonna merged bounce-beats
Bounce music
Bounce music is an energetic style of New Orleans hip hop music which is said to have originated as early as the late 1980s, but is typically believed to have begun with the 1991 single "Where Dey At" by MC T.Tucker and DJ Irv...
and a funky bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
. "If it's against the law, arrest me", she sings "If you can handle it, undress me." The song has a short interlude where Madonna continuously repeates the words "Get stupid", as Williams chants, "To the left, to the right". "Give It 2 Me" was written by Madonna as an anthemic, self-manifesto song which, although it appears to be about dance and sex, is a reference to Madonna's career spanning three decades in the music industry. Musically it is an upbeat dance song, featuring instrumentation from West African percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and cowbells. Backing vocals are provided by Williams. The fourth track "Heartbeat" has Madonna singing breathlessly and also features an interlude where the music changes from its normal rhythm, to just the sound of drums.
MTV said that "Miles Away
Miles Away (Madonna song)
"Miles Away" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It was first released as a promotional single in Japan, during June 2008, as the theme for the Fuji Television Japanese drama, Change. The song was released by Warner Bros...
", the third single from the album, was the most deceptively simple track because although it appeared straightforward on the surface, it had a lot of technical tricks underneath it. The song departs from the dance theme of the album and deals with the difficulties of long-distance relationships. "Miles Away" is a melancholy electronic ballad, which, according to Madonna is autobiographical, and is inspired by her then husband Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
. The relationship themed lyrics continue in the next track "She's Not Me", which talks about Madonna being emulated by another woman, hence she utters the line "She started dressing like me and talking like me, It freaked me out, She started calling you up in the middle of the night, What's that about?" The next track "Incredible" starts off like a love song but reveals itself to be a plea to someone to start over, while changing its composition from the interlude. According to MTV, the shift in the structure reflected Madonna's own confusion about how she felt about her lover in the song. "Can't get my head around it", she sang. "I, I need to think about it." "Beat Goes On" featuring West, has a 70s R&B meeting 80s dance vibe and a rap interlude by West. Williams has commented that Madonna's work ethic was different from other artists that he had worked with before. That is reflected in songs like "Spanish Lesson" where she sings the line "If you do your homework/ Baby I will give you more". It also has influences of Spanish music. Groove inspired music is present in "Dance 2night", which featured Timberlake. "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" was written by Madonna before the Hard Candy project started. The song has a sense of mystery and starts off softly and slowly with a piano introduction. It then becomes fast and melancholy, with Madonna singing: "Your eyes are full of surprises/ They cannot predict my fate". The trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
inspired "Voices" is the last track of the album, consisting of unresolved chords and sweeping strings, as the lyrics question who is really in control: "Are you walking the dog?/ Is the dog walking you?"
Release and artwork
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
reported that the title of the album, as announced on the Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
programme OutQ, was Licorice. In an interview with MTV Australia
MTV Australia
MTV Australia is 24 hour general entertainment channel specialising in music and youth culture programming which serves Australia and New Zealand. It is operated by Viacom International Media Networks Australia owned by Viacom and primarily features imported shows as well as locally produced...
, Madonna explained that a prominent theme of the Hard Candy album was about incorporating the image of a boxer, an idea which has been repeated within the song "Give It 2 Me". According to her, "['Give It 2 Me'] is basically [opposite in meaning]. I'm not [...], 'give me all you got' [kind of person], so it's quite a sort of tough stance." Hence, initially Madonna decided that the title of the song was to be used for the then-unnamed album. This was changed following the release of a similarly named song
Give It to Me (Timbaland song)
"Give It to Me" is a song recorded by Timbaland, with featured artists Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, for Timbaland's second solo album, Shock Value . It was released as the album's first single...
by Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
. After that, Madonna decided to call the album Black Madonna, and even shot a photograph for the cover art, wearing blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
make-up with white eyes. In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Madonna commented,
"I did a photoshoot with Steven KleinSteven KleinSteven Klein is an American photographer based in New York.-History:After studying painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, he moved into the field of photography...
for my last album cover, and I painted my face black, except for red lips and white eyes. It was a play on words. Have you ever heard of the Black MadonnaBlack MadonnaA Black Madonna or Black Virgin is a statue or painting of the Virgin Mary in which the Virgin Mary is black. The term was especially applied to those created in Europe in the medieval period or earlier...
? It has layers of meaning and for a minute, I thought it would be a fun title for my record. Then I thought, 'Twenty-five per cent of the world might get this, probably less, it's not worth it.' It happens all the time, because my references are usually off the Richter scaleRichter magnitude scaleThe expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
."
The title of the album was finally confirmed by MTV as Hard Candy. Madonna's representative Liz Rosenberg told Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
: "She loves candy, [...] [The title is] about the juxtaposition of tough and sweetness, or as Madonna so eloquently expressed: 'I'm gonna kick your ass, but it's going to make you feel good." The album cover art was also released at the same time and featured Madonna with short cropped hair in a black leotard with a wrestling belt across her waist. The backdrop displayed pink peppermint
Peppermint
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
swirls. The photo was taken during a photoshoot with Klein for Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
magazine's April 2008 issue.
Critical reception
Hard Candy received a score of 65/100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Mark Savage from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commented on the composition of the tracks, saying "if a handful of the tracks had been delivered to more producers with a touch more subtlety, Hard Candy could have ranked alongside Madonna's best. [...] Over and over again, she subsumes her pop sensibilities to their arsenal of clattering beats, hollered raps and over-fussy production." Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
from Allmusic felt that "There's a palpable sense of disinterest [in Hard Candy], as if she just handed the reins over to Pharrell and TimbaLake, trusting them to polish up this piece of stale candy. Maybe she's not into the music, maybe she's just running out this last album for Warner before she moves onto the greener pastures of Live Nation—either way, Hard Candy is as a rare thing: a lifeless Madonna album." Tom Young from Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
gave a positive review saying "On Hard Candy, she's like an aging master thief sneaking into the temple of pop goodies for one last big score. Album 11 is good-naturedly smutty, not confrontationally nasty, but it's a veritable filth bath compared to the C-SPAN sermons and confessional strumming of 2003's dreadful American Life
American Life
American Life is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on April 22, 2003 by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. The album produced in its entirety by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï featured references to many parts of American culture...
or the woozily self-actualized club trance of 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 15, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was a complete departure from her last studio album, American Life . It included influences of 70s and 80s disco as well as...
." Kerri Mason from Billboard complimented the new sound and the musical direction taken by Madonna but felt that she had become a producer's puppet, leading her to comment that "Madonna makes producers, producers don't make Madonna." Chris Willman from Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ and said "[Madonna] makes it work with this surprisingly rejuvenated set." Mike Collett-White from Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reported: "As parting gifts go, Madonna's 11th studio album—and her last before she exits long-term record label Warner Bros.—is unusually generous, if early reviews are to be believed. [...] Hard Candy scored solidly among rock critics."
Caryn Ganz from Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said that Hard Candy is the work of "a songwriting team of American chart royalty" that helps Madonna "revisit her roots as an urban-disco queen. [...] For Hard Candy, she lets top-shelf producers make her their plaything." Ben Thompson from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
commented on the music by saying that "Hard Candy is a tough, nuggety confection offering plenty for listeners to get their teeth into. [...] Whenever [it] threatens to get boring, something always happens to recapture your interest." Sarah Hajibegari from The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
felt that while "Hard Candy is no disaster", the album's producers have "already done the same thing with Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
and Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
." Andy Gill from The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
said that the album portrayed Madonna as "how a once diverse talent has ossified into simply satisfying the sweet tooth of functional dance-pop." Thomas Hausner from PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
wrote that the album "is overpopulated with recycled pop that is indistinguishable and artificial, something Madonna's soothing arpeggiating vocals cannot alleviate". Tom Ewing from Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
wondered "after listening [to the album], the question's still open—nobody involved in Hard Candy is anywhere near their creative peak!" Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine was disappointed with the album and said, "Madonna hasn't delivered this many vapid floor fillers on one disc since her debut, and maybe not even then. [...] There are few confessions here—nothing political, nothing too spiritual, no talk of fame, war, or the media. It's just what America ordered." Wilfred Young from NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
felt that Hard Candy was "a solid enough album by the standards of most pop tarts, but from the mistress of innovation? Pretty mediocre."
Chart performance
After its release, Hard Candy debuted at number-one in 37 countries and was the eleventh best-selling album worldwide in 2008, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The album has sold four million copies worldwide. According to Nielsen SoundScanNielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
, Hard Candy sold 100,000 copies in the United States upon its first day of release. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
with over 280,000 copies sold. Hard Candy became Madonna's seventh number-one album, making her the female artist with the second most Billboard number one albums, behind only Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
. The album was certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) on June 4, 2008, for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. As of July 2011, Hard Candy has sold 739,000 copies there according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
. In Canada, the album debuted at the top of the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
and was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA) for shipments of 80,000 copies.
In Australia, Hard Candy became Madonna's seventh album to reach number one on the ARIA Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. The album was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) for shipments of 70,000 copies there. In New Zealand, Hard Candy debuted and peaked at number five on May 5, 2008, staying on the chart for nine weeks. The album debuted at number one on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
weekly album chart in Japan, selling around 55,462 copies, retaining that position for a second week due to an increase of sales to almost 80,000 copies. Hard Candy was her first album to top the chart in 18 years since I'm Breathless
I'm Breathless
I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the film Dick Tracy is the second soundtrack album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on May 22, 1990, by Sire Records...
(1990). Madonna also became the first international artist in Japanese chart history to have number-one albums in three consecutive decades. In Latin America the album reached number three in Mexico and was certified Platinum. In Argentina, the album reached three on the Monthly Album chart of CAPIF
Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers
The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent record labels....
, and was certified platinum.
Hard Candy also debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, where Madonna joined a select group of artists to achieve ten number one albums, behind Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, with eleven, and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, with fifteen. The album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
for shipments of over 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, Hard Candy has sold 335,523 copies in the UK, as of September 2009. It also reached the top of the European Top 100 Albums
European Top 100 Albums
The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100...
chart, moving from fourteen to the top position. In Germany, the album debuted at the top of the Media Control Charts
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...
and was present for forty weeks. In Ireland, the album debuted at the top of the Irish charts, replacing 25 Years – 25 Songs by Mary Black
Mary Black
Mary Black is an Irish singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both folk and contemporary material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland, and in many other parts of the world....
. The album was particularly successful in Brazil, where the songs "4 Minutes", "Give It 2 Me", "Heartbeat", "Beat Goes On" and "Candy Shop" were all certified platinum, for shipment of 100,000 copies of the songs as digital downloads.
Singles
"4 Minutes4 Minutes (Madonna song)
"4 Minutes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. The song's development was motivated by a sense of urgency to save the planet from destruction, and...
" was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. "4 Minutes" has been praised by many contemporary critics. Some have noted, however, that Madonna rather than Timberlake appeared as more of a featured artist in the song. "4 Minutes" achieved international success by topping the charts in 21 countries worldwide. It became Madonna's thirteenth number-one single in the United Kingdom, the highest total for any female artist in the British charts. In the United States, "4 Minutes" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, giving Madonna her 37th Top Ten hit, breaking the record previously held by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. In the song's accompanying music video, Madonna and Timberlake sing and run away from a giant black screen that devours everything in its path. At the end of the video, Madonna and Timberlake are consumed by the screen. The song received a Grammy
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
nomination in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers collaborate...
category.
"Give It 2 Me
Give It 2 Me
"Give It 2 Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna, featured on her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released on June 4, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the album...
" was released on June 4, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the album. The song received positive reviews from contemporary critics. It became Madonna's thirty-ninth number-one single on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It charted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for one week, and reached a peak of fifty-seven only. The song topped the music charts in the Netherlands and Spain and attained top-ten positions on the charts of many other European nations. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
featured Madonna recreating her retro look from the Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
magazine May covergirl photo shoot, and was directed by photographer Tom Munro. Williams had a guest appearance in the video. It received a positive response for her retro-inspired look. "Give It 2 Me" received a Grammy
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
nomination in 2009 in the Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
category.
"Miles Away
Miles Away (Madonna song)
"Miles Away" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It was first released as a promotional single in Japan, during June 2008, as the theme for the Fuji Television Japanese drama, Change. The song was released by Warner Bros...
" was released as the third and final single from the album, on October 17, 2008. It received positive appreciation from contemporary critics, though some of them noted its similarity to Justin Timberlake's 2006 single, "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around
What Goes Around.../...Comes Around
"What Goes Around... Comes Around" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was written and produced by Timberlake, Nate "Danja" Hills, and Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley for Timberlake's second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds...
". "Miles Away" reached the top forty in the official charts of United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The song did not appear on the official chart of the United States, but it was a success on the US dance charts, where it became Madonna's seventh consecutive number-one song on the Hot Dance Airplay
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
chart, the most for any artist.
Promotion
Seven songs from the album were made available for download by mobile phone during the week prior to the album's official release. Beginning on April 21 and ending on April 27, 2008, the songs "Candy Shop", "Miles Away", "Give It 2 Me", "Heartbeat", "Beat Goes On", "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" and "She's Not Me" were distributed. Additionally, Hard Candy and the "4 Minutes" music video were pre-loaded onto the SamsungSamsung Group
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
F400 in France. In other markets, Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
and Warner Music International made an arrangement which saw the music and other forms of mobile content from "Hard Candy" available exclusively to Vodafone mobile customers prior to the album's general release. A similar deal was made with Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
, who offered the album pre-loaded onto their phones in 27 different countries worldwide. Hard Candy was also streamed on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
four days before its United States release. Furthermore, the season finale
Season finale
A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...
of Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
s second season, "Jump
Jump (Ugly Betty)
"Jump" is the eighteenth episode in the second season, the 41st episode overall, and the second season finale of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, which aired on May 22, 2008, the same day as Naomi Campbell's 38th Bithday...
", solely featured Madonna's music. "Candy Shop", "Spanish Lesson", "She's Not Me" and "Miles Away" were played, as well as the 2006 single "Jump
Jump (Madonna song)
"Jump" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor. Written by Madonna, Stuart Price and Joe Henry, the song was supposed to be released as the third single of the album...
". "Miles Away" was also used in the Japanese TV drama Change
Change (TV series)
CHANGE is a Japanese television drama which aired on Fuji TV starting May 12, 2008.-Plot:Keita Asakura, an elementary school teacher who has no interest in politics, suddenly gets taken to the position of the prime minister...
. Madonna also went on a promotional tour for the album; the first venture as part of her new contract with concert promoters Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
with media content provided by "Frank the Plumber LLC". The show consisted of a 40 minute set featuring six songs, with dates in New York City, Paris and Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
. In an interview with the BBC, Madonna stated:
"Obviously, I want to do new stuff because I'm very excited about it. I feel that's what people come to hear but I also want to do a few of my oldies but goodies. I chose "Hung Up" because that was the biggest hit from my last record and I chose "Music" because it's a crowd pleaser, it's anthemic and it brings people together."
The show had an expandable, five-platform stage which displayed the album's cover art. Madonna, wearing a skintight black suit and a lace top, appeared on the stage while sitting on a throne with a golden walking stick, as the music of "Candy Shop" started. Images of confectionery flashed on the television screens flanking the back of the stage. Madonna, along with her six dancers, gyrated in choreographed dance moves. Next, Madonna strapped on an acoustic guitar, took a swig from a champagne bottle and started singing "Miles Away", as images of planes taking off and landing, airports and various locations around the globe were projected across the screens behind her. After that "4 Minutes" was performed, which mimicked its video with a flashing countdown clock. Then Madonna paused for a moment to thank her collaboraters, including Timberlake, West, Timbaland and others. "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world", she said, before dedicating the next song, "Hung Up
Hung Up
"Hung Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was written and produced in collaboration with Stuart Price, and released as the first single from her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was...
" from 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 15, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was a complete departure from her last studio album, American Life . It included influences of 70s and 80s disco as well as...
, to her fans. The song was mixed with The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
track "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
" Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song...
". It was followed by "Give It 2 Me", during which pink and green disco beams pulsated across the crowd. The show ended with a performance of "Music
Music (Madonna song)
"Music" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 8th studio album Music and was released on August 21, 2000, by Maverick Records. It was also released on DVD single, a debut in this format by Madonna. It earned two Grammy Award nominations in 2001, for Record of the Year...
" (2000), during which her dancers emerged from a false, silver subway car door. Madonna danced across the stage, touching the hands of the audience and ended the show by racing up the stage to the subway doors, behind which she disappeared.
Chris Harris from MTV reviewed the show at Roseland Ballroom
Roseland Ballroom
The Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....
, New York, and commented that "It was an event better-suited for Madison Square Garden and one that these fans — many of whom probably had to call a sitter for the evening — won't soon forget." Ben Sisario from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
commented "for Madonna's fans, [the New York show] proved that seeing her for free in a 2,200-capacity hall — minuscule by her usual touring standards — was something worth waiting for. And waiting for a very long time." Silvio Pietrolungo from Billboard felt that "The crowd of 2,200 was certainly dedicated." The April 30, 2008, New York set was shown live via MSN in association with Control Room and Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
. It was broadcast internationally on May 15, 2008. The Maidstone show faced problems with the organisers due to Madonna's use of swearing, causing complaints to be made to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
when the show was aired on Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
.
Sticky & Sweet Tour
The Sticky & Sweet Tour to promote Hard Candy was the eighth worldwide concert tourConcert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
by Madonna. It began in August 2008 and was Madonna's first tour from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
. The tour was announced in February 2008, with dates for American and British venues revealed. Though initially planned, the tour failed to visit Australia due to financial problems and the financial recession. Costume designer Arianne Phillips
Arianne Phillips
Arianne Phillips is a costume designer. She has also been Madonna's stylist and has designed and styled her last four concert tours. She has worked with Lenny Kravitz, Courtney Love, No Doubt and Justin Timberlake...
designed the costumes, supported by a number of famous designers and brands, namely Givenchy
Givenchy
Givenchy is a French brand of clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics with Parfums Givenchy.The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Pret-a-Porter...
, Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney
Stella Nina McCartney is an English fashion designer. She is the daughter of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney and the late photographer and animal rights activist, Linda McCartney.-Early life:...
, Yves Saint Laurent, Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli is an Italian fashion designer from Florence.-Biography:Roberto Cavalli was born in Florence, Tuscany. His grandfather, Giuseppe Rossi, was a member of the Macchiaioli Movement, whose work is exhibited in the Uffizi Gallery. Cavalli decided to enroll at the local Art Institute,...
, and Jeremy Scott
Jeremy Scott
Jeremy Scott is an American fashion designer born in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, for fashion design...
. The stage for the main show was planned similarly to that of her 2006 Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It supported her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna confirmed the possibility of going out on a tour as early as November 2005. Jamie King, Madonna's longtime collaborator, was then hired on...
. After the Sticky & Sweet Tour concluded in 2008, Madonna announced plans to begin a second European leg in 2009 to perform in cities she had either never been to, or had not played for a long time.
The tour was described as a "rock driven dancetastic journey". It was divided into four acts: Pimp, where S&M was the main theme, Old School where Madonna's classic songs were performed alongside displays of the work of deceased artist Keith Haring
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
, Gypsy, a fusion of Romanian folk music and dance, with performances ranging from melancholy to joyous, and Rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
, where she performed track's featuring Eastern influences. The show ended with a sing-along
Sing-along
Sing-along, community singing, group singing, is an event of singing together at gatherings or parties, less formally than choir singing. One can use a songbook. Common genres are folk songs, patriotic songs, hymns and drinking songs...
of the final song with the audience. Some changes were made to the set list during the second European leg of the tour in 2009, including a dance tribute to deceased singer Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. The tour generated positive reviews from critics.
The Sticky & Sweet Tour broke many records in terms of ticket sales, commercial gross and audience attendance. After the first leg, it became the highest grossing tour by a solo artist, earning $282 million, breaking the previous record Madonna herself held with her Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It supported her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna confirmed the possibility of going out on a tour as early as November 2005. Jamie King, Madonna's longtime collaborator, was then hired on...
. Overall, Madonna performed to over 3.5 million fans in 32 countries, grossing a total of US$408 million, making it also the second highest grossing tour of all time and the highest grossing tour by a solo artist. At the 2009 Billboard Touring Awards
Billboard Touring Awards
Established in 2004, the Billboard Touring Conference and Awards is an annual meeting sponsored by Billboard Magazine which also honors the top international live entertainment industry artists and professionals...
, the Sticky & Sweet Tour won the Top Tour and Top Draw prizes, which acknowledge the highest-grossing and highest-attended tours of the year, respectively. Madonna's manager Guy Oseary won the Top Manager award.
Track listing
Notes- (*) denotes co-producer
- (^) denotes additional producer
Release formats
- CD — containing the 12-track album.
- CD Japanese Edition — 13-track edition including the bonus track "Ring My Bell".
- CD Limited Collectors Edition Candy Box — 14-track edition containing the album, two exclusive "4 Minutes" remixes in a hinged DVD-sized "Candy" box with a 16-page booklet and approximately 35 Starlite Mint candies packaged in clear cello bag.
- LP Limited Edition — full length 12-track album on two pink-white and blue-white "candy swirled" vinyl discs, plus a DJ Remix 12" (on black vinyl) with two exclusive remixes of "4 Minutes" by Tracy Young and Peter RauhoferPeter RauhoferPeter Rauhofer is a DJ, remixer and producer who formerly went under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he is famous for his remixes of a number of Madonna's songs including "Nothing Really Matters", "American Life", "Nothing Fails, "Nobody Knows Me", "Get...
, and a bonus CD of the album housed in a plain white CD sleeve, all housed in a three-pocket deluxe gatefold Stoughton jacket. - iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Deluxe Pre-order version — 16-track edition containing the album, two "4 Minutes" remixes, bonus track "Ring My Bell", digital bookletDigital bookletDigital booklets are the digital equivalent of liner notes that often accompany digital music purchases. They are most commonly distributed in Portable Document Format. One well-known distributor of digital booklets with digital purchases is the iTunes Store; the first instance of this on the...
and a "Give It 2 Me" remix. - iTunes Pre-order version — 13-track edition containing the album, digital booklet and bonus track "Ring My Bell".
- Deluxe Digital version — 15-track edition containing the album, two "4 Minutes" remixes, digital booklet and a "Give It 2 Me" remix.
- Digital version — 12-track edition containing the album and digital booklet.
- VodafoneVodafoneVodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
Exclusive — from April 21, 2008, seven tracks from the album were released at a rate of one a day counting down the week before the album was available. Each track remained live for 24 hours for download before being replaced by the next one.
Credits and personnel
- MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
– vocals, songwriting, executive producer, guitar - Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
– vocals, background vocals, songwriting, executive producer - TimbalandTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
– vocals, songwriting, executive producer, drums, bass - Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
– vocals (rap) - Pharrell WilliamsPharrell WilliamsPharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
– songwriting, background vocals, producer - Nate "Danja" Hills – producer, keyboards
- Mark "Spike" StentMark StentMark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
– audio recording, audio mixing - Andrew Coleman – audio mixing
- Anthony Asher – engineering
- Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica – recording
- Demacio "Demo" Castellon – recording, programming, audio mixing
- Julian Vasquez – assistant engineer
- Vadim Chislov – assistant engineer
- Graham Archer – assistant engineer
- Fareed Salamah – assistant engineer
- Joseph Castellon – senior engineer
- Wendy MelvoinWendy MelvoinWendy Melvoin is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy & Lisa....
– acoustic guitar - Monte PittmanMonte PittmanMonte Pittman is an American musician, songwriter and studio musician, based out of Los Angeles, known largely as Madonna's long-time guitarist but has quite a diverse professional resume, including stints that range from glam-pop star Adam Lambert to metal legends Prong.-Career:Pittman started...
– acoustic and bass guitar - Hannon Lane – keyboards
- DJ Remo – audio scratching
- Ron Taylor – Protools
- Stevie Blacke – strings
- Chris Gehringer – audio mastering
- Steven KleinSteven KleinSteven Klein is an American photographer based in New York.-History:After studying painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, he moved into the field of photography...
– principal photography - Giovanni Blanco – art direction
- Guy OsearyGuy OsearyGuy Oseary is an Israeli-American expert businessman who began his career in entertainment at 17 at what was to become Maverick Records. He is Madonna's manager.-Maverick:...
– management
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Weekly charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Argentina Albums Chart Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent record labels.... |
3 |
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
2 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Wallonia) |
2 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| Czech Albums Chart | 1 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 1 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 1 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
1 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Greek Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
1 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
2 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
1 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
1 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
1 |
| Mexican Albums Chart Top 100 Mexico Top 100 México is a record chart which accounts for sixty percent of the albums sold in Mexico. The chart has the support of major record distributors in Mexico and is issued by the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. since 2005 on a weekly basis... |
3 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
5 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
2 |
| Polish Albums Chart OLiS OLiS is the official list of the highest selling music albums in Poland. The list exists since October 23, 2000 and is provided by ZPAV.... |
1 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
1 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certifications |
|---|---|
| Argentina Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent record labels.... |
Platinum |
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Platinum |
| Austria | Platinum |
| Belgium Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
Platinum |
| Brazil Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :... |
Gold |
| Canada Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
Platinum |
| Denmark | Platinum |
| Europe | Platinum |
| Finland | Gold |
| France Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
Platinum |
| Germany Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
Platinum |
| Greece IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
Gold |
| Hungary Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
Gold |
| Ireland Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
Platinum |
| Japan Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... |
Platinum |
| Mexico | Platinum |
| Poland OLiS OLiS is the official list of the highest selling music albums in Poland. The list exists since October 23, 2000 and is provided by ZPAV.... |
Platinum |
| Portugal Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
Platinum |
| Russia | 4× Platinum |
| Spain | Gold |
| Sweden | Gold |
| Switzerland | Platinum |
| Turkey Turkish Record Charts The official single airplay charts in Turkey are issued by Nielsen Music control. There is no singles chart issued based on single sales, since Turkey has an album-oriented market... |
Gold |
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Gold |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Gold |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 47 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 25 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 21 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 16 |
| German Albums Chart | 14 |
| Greek Albums Chart | 12 |
| Greek Foreign Albums Chart | 2 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart | 5 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 8 |
| US Billboard 200 | 53 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. Club |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
ITA Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||||||||||
| 2008 | "4 Minutes 4 Minutes (Madonna song) "4 Minutes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. The song's development was motivated by a sense of urgency to save the planet from destruction, and... " (featuring Justin Timberlake Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez... ) |
3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|||||||
| "Give It 2 Me Give It 2 Me "Give It 2 Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna, featured on her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released on June 4, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the album... " |
57 | 1 | 23 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||
| "Miles Away Miles Away (Madonna song) "Miles Away" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It was first released as a promotional single in Japan, during June 2008, as the theme for the Fuji Television Japanese drama, Change. The song was released by Warner Bros... " |
— | 2 | — | 21 | 23 | 54 | 11 | 26 | 32 | 39 | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||||||||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | April 19, 2008 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| European Union | April 25, 2008 | CD, Digital download |
| United Kingdom | April 28, 2008 | CD, Digital download |
| May 12, 2008 | Special Edition | |
| May 19, 2008 | 3-LP LP record The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... & CD Set |
|
| United States | April 19, 2008 | CD, Special Edition, Digital download |
| June 10, 2008 | 3-LP & CD Set | |
See also
- List of number-one albums from the 2000s (UK)
- List of number-one albums of 2008 (Australia)
- List of number-one albums of 2008 (Canada)
- List of number-one albums of 2008 (Ireland)
- List of number-one albums of 2008 (Japan)
- List of number-one albums of 2008 (Poland)
- List of number-one albums of 2008 (Spain)
- List of number-one albums of 2008 (U.S.)
- List of number-one hits of 2008 (France)
- List of number-one hits of 2008 (Germany)
- List of number-one hits of 2008 (Italy)
External links
- Madonna.com > Discography > Hard Candy
- Madonna Hard Candy Reviews Metacritic.com