A Definitive Ranking Of Madonna Albums

    "You can call me M tonight."

    Ira Madison III
    by Ira Madison III

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Now that Madonna has released her latest studio album, Rebel Heart, how does it stand against the other products of her 33-year career?

    16. MDNA (2012)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Girl Gone Wild," I'm Addicted," "Love Spent"

    Burn This Song: "B-Day Song" is the most egregious.

    "Girl Gone Wild" has a really strong video. And this was a very good tour. That's about as nice as anyone can get with this album.

    15. Who's That Girl (1987)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Track: "Causing a Commotion"

    Burn This Song: Every non-Madonna song?

    This is a soundtrack album released as a Madonna album because, you know, money. Time also hasn't really been good to "Who's That Girl," which still needs punctuation 30 years later. "Causing a Commotion" is a banger tho.

    14. Hard Candy (2008)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Heartbeat," "Miles Away," "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"

    Burn This Song: "Spanish Lesson"

    This album has aged surprisingly well. In 2008 it seemed like a desperate ploy to jump on the Timabaland bandwagon after everyone else had already moved on (you were never gonna get a "Promiscuous," M Dolla — also, let's talk about the name M DOLLA), but in 2015 most of that period bleeds together well enough that you can just enjoy the few dance tracks she made for da club. "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" is also just a truly, gorgeous song.

    13. American Life (2003)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "American Life," "Love Profusion," "Nobody Knows Me"

    Burn This Song: "I'm So Stupid"

    This album isn't perfect, but it's a lot better than people give it credit for. She hadn't quiiiite perfected the electronic sound that would make Confessions so iconic and it's not as fun as Music. But it's worth putting a handful of songs from this album on any Madonna playlist.

    12. Music (2000)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Music," "Impressive Instant," "Don't Tell Me"

    Burn This Song: "Amazing"

    I think "What It Feels Like for a Girl" is an overrated song, but that's just me. And "Amazing" is basically a rip-off of "Beautiful Stranger" with a Hard Candy-level chorus. But most of the album is energetic and entertaining, and it was the first Madonna album I ever bought so it always has a place in my heart.

    11. Like a Virgin (1984)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Material Girl," "Like a Virgin," "Dress You Up"

    Burn This Song: "Shoo-Bee-Doo"

    This album is a toss-up. It starts out with some of Madonna's most iconic songs. "Material Girl" AND "Like a Virgin" are on this album? Fuck yeah. But this album came out like 30 seconds after her debut album and the last half shows it. People only love this album for the singles — the rest of the songs are some of the most unmemorable, generic '80s pop you've heard outside of a Debbie Gibson album.

    10. I'm Breathless (1990)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "He's A Man," "Sooner or Later," "More"

    Burn This Song: "I'm Going Bananas"

    SONDHEIM. How can you go wrong with Madonna singing Sondheim? Dick Tracy is also a flawless movie and people tend to forget that (IT'S FLAWLESS, SHUT UP), so why wouldn't the album equally bang? Also "Vogue," as out of place on the album as it is, is a song people love.

    9. True Blue (1986)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Papa Don't Preach," "Open Your Heart" "True Blue"

    Burn This Song: "Jimmy Jimmy"

    This is kind of a weird album. This whole doo-wop thing going on really wants to be Motown/R&B, but Madonna still wanted to make that white people money, so it just sounds like knock-off Phil Spector in some parts. But True Blue is also home to some pretty damn legendary songs.

    8. Evita (1996)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You," "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"

    Burn This Song: "The Lady's Got Potential"

    Madonna as Evita is one of the best casting decisions of the '90s. And she can actually act in the film! But dear God Antonio Banderas' singing needs to be stopped.

    7. Rebel Heart (2015)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Best Night," "Inside Out," "Devil Pray," "Holy Water"

    Burn This Song: "S.E.X."

    She couldn't quite resist being a damn mess on "S.E.X." and singing about coming inside her, but the rest of this album is fantastic. It's kind of ironic that while Madonna's been stunt queening all over the damn place for the past few years, she actually managed to produce her best album since Confessions. "Best Night" and "Inside Out" will probably live in her pantheon of great songs, and "Iconic" is a hell of an anthem too.

    6. Madonna (1983)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Burning Up," "Borderline," "Lucky Star," "Physical Attaction"

    Burn This Song: "I Know It"

    Aside from "I Know It," there's really not a skippable song on this album (and it's not even that bad a song). This is the kind of debut all pop stars dream of. Every single one of the songs on this album are instantly recognizable for Madonna fans of any generation.

    5. Erotica (1992)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Erotica," "Waiting," "Deeper and Deeper"

    Burn This Song: "Did You Do It?"

    Um, I don't know what the fuck that last song is besides a weird remix of "Waiting," so let's pretend it doesn't exist because this album goes iiiiiin. "Erotica" is the sexiest shit you've ever heard and it's so sad that her albums from this era aren't that recognizable to the general public, because when Madonna recorded R&B albums and got her Janet Jackson on, she could slay a little.

    4. Like a Prayer (1989)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Like a Prayer," "Express Yourself," "Cherish"

    Burn This Song: "Dear Jessie"

    "Like a Prayer" is such a HUGE song and probably Madonna's best video. The album is also pretty perfect from start to finish.

    3. Bedtime Stories (1994)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: "Human Nature," "Love Tried to Welcome Me," "Secret," "Survival"

    Burn This Song: Maybe not burn it, but "Bedtime Story" is oddly not that great.

    It's not her best all-around album, but it's still a killer. It expands on the over-the-top camp of Erotica and makes it elegiac. This is an essential break-up album you NEED in your life and if YA DON'T KNOW, NOW YA KNOW.

    2. Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)

    Warner Bros.

    Standout Tracks: The whole fucking album.

    Who knew that Madonna still had not just an iconic Madonna album in her, but an iconic pop album period? Confessions is a monster with not a single hiccup and it will continue to dominate dance floors for decades. This is classic pop music — it's like a lost album Giorgio Moroder never got to make with Donna Summer.

    1. Ray of Light (1998)

    Warner Bros.

    Bow down to this album that transcends time and space. I made the mistake of not getting into this album immediately, it played on VH1 with random adult contemporary jams, so I was like next. Luckily, I've since seen the light.

    Warner Bros.