Madonna's BEST song of all time has been revealed
As voted for by YOU!
Madonna - the undisputed Queen of Pop - has turned 65-years-old on 16th August! Across an incredible and unmatched career of over 40 years, Madonna has constantly reinvented herself to stay relevant and pushed the boundaries of not only music, but politics and societal expectations.
To celebrate, we here at Magic Radio invited you, the listeners, to determine her best song of all time through a vote - and you did not disappoint...
Self-proclaimed super-fan and Magic Breakfast co-presenter Harriet Scott was thrilled to countdown your favourite Madonna songs, saying: "I have been looking forward to this for a long time! Happy birthday Madonna! Let's just start by saying that, shall we? Happy Birthday to the Queen."
Harriet, who described Madonna as an icon and revealed she's been able to see her live a few times, added: "I love Madonna and it turns out you love her too! We're celebrating her birthday by doing a countdown of the top Madonna songs as voted for by you - this is bonafide your choices."
As there were TWO positions with an equal amount of votes, the Top 10 has become the Top 12 - and why would you have LESS Madonna if you can have more? Scroll through to find out which track made the top spot...
Madonna's 12 best songs of all time as voted for by YOU:
10 - 'Frozen'
Coming in at Number 10 is Madonna's track 'Frozen', another to appear on the 1998 album 'Ray Of Light'. Winning Best Special Effects in a Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, 'Frozen' became her first single to debut at Number 1 in the UK charts.
Harriet said: "We all adored her by then! Because this is mid-to-late 90s, she's a global icon - they have money to spend on videos. We see an indie Madonna here in like a desert shape-shifting into a flock of birds and a dog; it's a great video."
9 - 'True Blue'
Taken from her third album of the same name in 1986, Madonna's 'True Blue' was a "valentine" to her then-boyfriend and later husband Sean Penn, named after one of his favourite sayings. In the book Madonna 'talking': Madonna in her own words by Mick St Michael, co-writer and co-producer of the album (and former boyfriend) Stephen Bray said: "She was very much in love. It was obvious if she's in love she'll write love songs. If she's not in love she definitely won't be writing love songs."
Harriet added: "I love the video for that - remember, it was kind of 1950s style? That song - and, in fact, the whole album - was said to be Madonna's unabashed Valentine for her then-boyfriend and soon-to-be husband Sean Penn. I still hold a candle for those guys."
8 - 'Borderline'
Appearing on her debut album, 'Borderline' was one of the very first singles Madonna ever released. Harriet had this to say of the track: "Back in the days where they used to be B-sides of singles the B-side of this was 'Think Of Me' and 'Physical Attraction' - they are all on her debut album. This is an incredible song and if you check out the video, this is the first time we get to see the look: the crucifixes, the string vests, the luminous lime green tube skirt with studded belts and the rags rolled in her hair... Rolling around on rooftops, kissing boys - it was everything!"
7 - 'Material Girl'
It's no surprise that 'Material Girl' made it so far up the list. Not only is it one of Madonna's most iconic songs - it happens to be one of the most iconic songs ever released. Produced by Nile Rodgers of Chic, 'Material Girl' appeared on Madonna's second album 'Like A Virgin' and the video starred her performing an homage to Marilyn Monroe in 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend'.
Harriet added: "Madonna was up and running by this point, already a global icon. She's always said she liked recording this song at the time because she knew it was provocative. It's kind of a provocative thing to say - basically, unless you've got some money, unless you can buy me diamonds, I'm not interested because we're living in a material world. But subsequently she said that the whole world's media gave her the tag of a 'Material Girl' and I think she maybe didn't like that so much. You can't have it all ways, Madonna, even on your birthday!"
6 - 'Holiday'
Widely regarded to be her breakout hit, 'Holiday' comes in at Number 6 in the Magic listener's poll! It was written by songwriting duo Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens-Crowder and initially pitched to The Supremes singer Mary Wilson and two other acts before it finally appeared on Madonna's self-titled debut album released in 1983, with Harriet calling it one of her "signature tunes".
She added: "It's just a mood enhancer, isn't it? I absolutely love this song. This would have been one of the very first Madonna tunes that I ever heard. I remember my best friend's very cool older sister did a taped tape of Madonna's album; she gave me this cassette and she'd written down the track listing and then she'd put little stars - the songs that that she liked the best. I remember receiving this and right from the get go, I was absolutely hooked. I just thought, 'This girl has such attitude'."
5= - 'Into The Groove'
We have our first equal placed song at Number 5, as both 'Into The Groove' and 'La Isla Bonita' scored the same amount of votes! Madonna appeared in her first major screen role as the titular character in Desperately Seeking Susan, released in 1985 and her song 'Into The Groove' appeared on the soundtrack.
Harriet dubbed this track "absolutely brilliant, life-affirming, full of attitude and peak Madonna." She added: "No-one sits on a railing wearing Ray Bans better than Madonna. I remember going to see this film with my best friend Sophie and on the drive home I just thought, 'That's it, I'm just utterly in love with Madonna.' I thought she was the absolute coolest."
5= - 'La Isla Bonita'
In joint fifth place is 'La Isla Bonita' from Madonna's third album 'True Blue', released in 1986. The song was initially pitched as an instrumental demo to Michael Jackson, then coming to Madonna who wrote the melody and lyrics.
Harriet said: "If you've ever seen Madonna live, you'll know - I mean, my God, she puts on a show and when she goes on tour, the effort involved... The dancing that you see, the whole atmosphere that she creates is absolutely incredible. She has blazed a trail and set the standard, I think, for other artists that have come up behind her. I went to see her in the 'Confessions' Tour and actually when she performed La Isla Bonita on this particular tour was a massive highlight for me."
4 - 'Like A Virgin'
It was clear from the get-go that Madonna liked to push boundaries and forge her own path, so it came as a shock but no surprise that she released a song called 'Like A Virgin', naming her second album after the track for good measure. Produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers, the seminal track has gone down in history, being covered by the likes of Sir Elton John and Mötley Crüe as well as appearing in Moulin Rouge! and the Madonna-centred episode of Glee, 'The Power of Madonna'. Harriet described it as an "extraordinary song" with a "punchy title".
3 - 'Papa Don't Preach'
Another track to appear in the Top 10 and feature on the 'True Blue' album is 'Papa Don't Preach', coming in at Number 3. At the time of its release in 1986, it was another controversial song for Madonna - but that's what she's always been about, and it allowed the topic of teenage pregnancy to become a widely discussed topic in ways it hadn't been before. Madonna herself said of the song in 2009 to Rolling Stone magazine: "(The song) just fit right in with my own personal zeitgeist of standing up to male authorities, whether it's the pope, or the Catholic Church or my father and his conservative, patriarchal ways. For 'Papa Don't Preach' there were so many opinions – that's why I thought it was so great."
2= - 'Crazy For You'
In our second joint position of the leaderboard is 'Crazy For You', in second place. Appearing on the soundtrack for 1985 film Vision Quest starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino, Madonna contributed not only the song but also a cameo performance as a singer in a bar. This slow, lovesick ballad is a step away from the more pop-centric songs that we know her for, but that hasn't lessened it's popularity among Madonna fans! It even won Madonna her first Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
2= - 'Vogue'
And the second song in joint second place is 'Vogue' - released in 1990 and appearing on her second soundtrack album 'I'm Breathless' for the film Dick Tracy, in which she also starred alongside her then-boyfriend, Warren Beatty. Madonna has been behind a plethora of trends throughout her career, having a huge influence over international popular culture - and this includes the absolute anthem that is 'Vogue'. It was a worldwide phenomenon not only for the song itself, but also for the music video and accompanying dance moves in which the dancers perform "vogueing".
Harriet added: "The video to go with it is iconic. It's shot in black and white, it is so super stylish. You've got conical bras, you've got hand movements, you've got movie star hair."
1 - 'Like A Prayer'
There could only be one to hit the top spot! Appearing on her album of the same name which was released in 1989, 'Like A Prayer' is peak Madonna, a culmination of her career to this point. Of course, it's an incredible song, co-written and co-produced by Madonna and long-time collaborator Patrick Leonard, but beyond that, it speaks to Madonna's life mission to innovate and constantly test the limits of what's expected of her and society in general. The music video was controversial to say the least, but again, that is what Madonna has embodied throughout her career - her passion for steaming past the norm and changing the landscape was truly achieved with this song and video.
Harriet said: "This is an extraordinary song. You should be proud of yourself for placing this at Number 1. This is an absolutely iconic song. It had a massive video to accompany it, which ruffled some feathers. It was a lot for a lot of people, not least the Vatican, who got a little angry. But it is an extraordinary song."
There you have it! It won't be a surprise to many that 'Like A Prayer' hit Number 1 in Magic Radio listeners' poll of their favourite Madonna songs. Here's the full list of 30 songs that made the cut...
Here's the full Top 30 countdown of your favourite Madonna songs:
1 - 'Like A Prayer'
2= - 'Crazy For You'
2= - 'Vogue'
3 - 'Papa Don't Preach'
4 - 'Like A Virgin'
5= - 'Into The Groove'
5= - 'La Isla Bonita'
6 - 'Holiday'
7 - 'Material Girl'
8 - 'Borderline'
9 - 'True Blue'
10 - 'Frozen'
11 - 'Live To Tell'
12 - 'Cherish'
13 - 'Ray Of Light'
14 - 'Beautiful Stranger'
15 - 'Express Yourself'
16 - 'This Used To Be My Playground'
17 - 'Hung Up'
18 - 'Who's That Girl'
19 - 'Rain'
20 - 'Lucky Star'
21 - 'The Power Of Good-Bye'
22 - 'Open Your Heart'
23 - 'Dress You Up'
24 - 'Music'
25 - 'Don’t Tell Me'
26 - 'Causing a Commotion'
27 - 'Secret'
28 - 'Sorry'
Thank you for voting! Did your favourite make the cut? You can hear songs by Madonna on Magic Radio!
Scroll through to see Madonna's biggest moments through the years:
1985
Madonna is pictured here performing on 'The Virgin Tour', her debut concert tour that she took through the US and Canada. Madonna worked with designer Maripol for her fashion through the 80s, including for the tour.
1985
Madonna performed at Live Aid, taking to the stage in Philadelphia to perform 'Into The Groove' and 'Holiday' in a multi-layered outfit.
1987
She channelled her inner Marilyn Monroe for the 'Who's That Girl World Tour', performing in the US and Canada, Japan, the UK and Europe.
1990
Madonna debuted her iconic pointy bra corset on the 'Blonde Ambition World Tour'. Designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, Madonna made a statement with the item during the song 'Express Yourself'.
1993
Madonna went for a close pixie crop hairdo on her 'Girlie Show' tour, and the fashion for this tour was designed by Dolce & Gabbana with instructions from Madonna herself to look at films My Fair Lady and Cabaret for inspiration.
1998
Madonna favoured a more natural, stripped back look to promote her seventh album, 'Ray Of Light'. The music video saw her wear a denim jacket with trousers featuring a glittered belt, as clips of her singing the song were interspersed between sped up scenes from around the world. It won a GRAMMY Award as well as five MTV VMAs.
2001
She opted for a sleeker look at the film premiere for Mean Machine with her then-husband Guy Ritchie, sporting the poker-straight, feathered hairdo that's become synonymous with the early noughties.
2004
She was back to curly blonde locks for the 'Reinvention World Tour', working with designers Stella McCartney and Karl Lagerfeld among others to create the on-stage looks, including this bejewelled corset.
2008
Emulating Guns 'N Roses bassist Slash, Madonna looked fierce in black with a top hat on her 'Sticky & Sweet Tour', on which she worked once again with Stella McCartney among others.
2012
Madonna gave the cheerleading performance of her life on the 'MDNA Tour'. Working once again with Jean Paul Gaultier, the performance was split into four themes: Transgression, Prophecy, Masculine/Feminine and Redemption and, according to Madonna, showed "the journey of a soul from darkness to light".
2013
She chose a blunt black wig for the Punk-themed Met Gala, wearing an outfit by Givenchy.
2015
Madonna caught everyone's eye with her Matador performance at The BRIT Awards - and despite a blunder with the cape, she still delivered an incredible show.
2017
Once again, Madonna turned heads at the Met Gala with a camo gown by Moschino. She told Entertainment Tonight: "We knew we wanted to go with camouflage from the very start. We started with the flak jacket, and then we worked our way down. So, you know, we're ready. We're ready to go to fashion war. It's going to be a fun night."
2019
Madonna sported an eye patch for her performance at the Eurovision Song Contest, using this era to perform as her alter ego Madame X who she saw as a "spy" or "secret agent".
2022
Madonna channelled her 80s looks for this outfit in 2022, which she wore to a roller disco event at DiscoOasis at Wolman Rink in Central Park, New York.
2024
Madonna took to the stage at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro during her 'The Celebration Tour', wearing an eye-catching and colourful corset dress and long gloves made up of the colours of Brazil's flag. Designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, it's certainly reminiscent of his cone bra corset from all those years ago.
2026
Madonna was brought out as a guest at Coachella 2026 by headliner Sabrina Carpenter, as the pair performed her songs 'Vogue' and 'Like A Prayer', with her lilac ensemble reported to be pulled from her "personal archives".
Now read:
Madonna through the years: The queen of pop and fashion icon's career story
16 of Madonna's most iconic looks through the years
45 of your favourite music icons: Then and now