'MDNA' moves back up the Billboard charts

MDNA has moved from number 140 last week on Billboard's Top 200 Albums in the US to number 94 this week, and from number 7 on the Dance/Electronics chart to number 3. The MDNA tour currently in the US is obviously helping to boost sales.

Thanks to Jeffrey

Comments

[ngl]

@Lee- 'Confessions On A Dancefloor' and 'Hard Candy' LP's followed the two albums you named ('Music' & 'American Life') before 'MDNA"- and these two albums show artistic growth and change! Correct me if I'm wrong, but your point if taken more broadly is that Madonna's albums for the last 12 years have been predominately uptempo electronica and you feel it is time for a really dramatic change. My point was simply that given Madonna's current sound, which is not dramatically different to her more recent albums and is becoming ever more closer to tne mainstream sound (EDM dominates the charts now), it's surprising then that such a large loyal UK fanbase has switched off Madonna so swiftly! It would be nice if Madonna did change her sound radically for her next LP (a move away from electronica, more intelligent lyrics like 'BS','ROL' LP's, and more ballads), but she has already done more then her fair share of reinvention and maybe the 'artistic well' has run dry.

[Lee]

"Her MDNA singles are great, and not drastically different to the music she had been making in recent years"

Maybe therein lies your answer - same old, same old. Maybe it is time for the self-styled queen of reinvention to ACTUALLY reinvent herself?

From a purely musical viewpoint, I don't think MDNA shows any artistic growth since Music and American Life, imho.

[Jackie]

All Madonna fans who want to hear her new music on the radio should contact Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Located in Santa Monica, CA. Tel: 310-865-1000
Let your voices be heard.

[ngl]

Before 2012 Madonna had enormous support & success in the UK- it was her most loyal market. They released 'Crazy for You' twice in the UK (1985, 1991) and it was a top 10 hit both times! Many extra singles where released in the UK over the years, always to great success too! So what the hell has happened?? Her MDNA singles are great, and not drastically different to the music she had been making in recent years- 'Celebration' was a hit single in the UK. So why the sudden change of heart?

[George]

I completely agree! SO happy it is rising in the US. Shame the UK can't give it a go..

[ngl]

Was 'American Life' a complete flop in the US- I live in Australia so I'm just asking?? I thought the first single "Die Another Day" was a modest US hit (It was in Oz), and the same with "Hollywood"??? I keep hearing mixed responses from US fans about the relative success (or lack of) the 'American Life' LP and comparing it to MDNA. I like the 'American Life" LP, but I think the time it came out (when the US went to war) and the title of the LP led people to mistakenly believe it was unpatriotic and thus it suffered. It should have been called "Modern Life", because the issues Madonna critiqued are equally true in most 1st world western countries. This album contained some really beautiful love songs, "Love Profusion", "Nothing Fails", shame it just got overlooked. MDNA is suffering from a lack of promotion and single distribution- that only a big record label can provide/afford. I think her new label thought the Superbowl performance would give 'MDNA' ALL the promotion required. Her performance at the Superbowl was great and I thought it would help her- she received higher audience ratings than the game itself! A lot of established acts/artists have released LP's this year and they haven't done well (Alanis M, No Doubt, Garbage, Pet shop Boys, MJ,Nelly Furtado...), so MDNA's performance should be held in context.

[jeffrey]

Masterpiece should have been the first release off MDNA. It won the Golden Globe in Feb. and would have been a perfect intro to the album. It is a beautiful song and how Live Nation and Interscope failed to capitalize on it's win is appalling. It is a beautiful ballad and I think would have done extremely well. Second single should have been Love Spent, which is the best song on the album in my opinion. It would have moved her in the direction of a more dance friendly release, and then moved into a full blown dance song by releasing Turn Up the Radio in summer as it is a perfect top and windows down song. I like GMAYL alot, but I agree it should not have been released as the first single, should have just been tied in with the Superbowl, which it was a perfect fit for. I'm Addicted should have been and can still be a single release, as well as Some Girls and Beautiful Killer. I personally love the MDNA album, it has slightly edged out Ray of Light for me to become my favorite Madonna album. I hope it continues to climb back up the charts in the US as more people discover that it truly is a great album. It has been on the Dance/Electronic chart since it's release staying within the top 20 and now up to number 3. Hopefully it will get a second life on the top 200 albums.

[The Lion]

I agree, the North American leg should have gone first - for some reason, competition in the US is tougher than that in Europe I think.

Masterpiece should have been the first single - I think people would have appreciated a "more mature" song by Madonna, especially since she won the Golden Globe for the song. GMAYL should have been released only as a promotional single to go with the Super Bowl (keeping the video though!) and the second single should have been Girl Gone Wild, released soon after Masterpiece. Turn Up The Radio third and Love Spent fourth. This would have had a lot more impact, believe me. Whoever thought GMAYL is worthy of being the "comeback single" was utterly wrong - it's a fun and good song but definitely not a strong comeback. Think Frozen and Hung Up - now these were truly excellent come-back singles (with 4 years break after Bedtime Stories in the first case and after American Life's complete flop in the second).

[ngl]

@ Anastacio & DM- I agree with you 100% about the Brilliant "Confessions" LP and Tour!!! Sometimes I feel like a freak because I still LOVE 'COADF" LP so much, I live in Australia and people I know don't share my enthusiasm for this album- Madonna's music career in Australia died after "Music" LP (strange as this was a huge number 1 hit LP in Oz, bigger than ROL!). "Hung Up" is one of my favourite dance songs STILL, but the entire LP is strong- "Jump", "How High", "Push"...it's just so Amazing. When I compare "MDNA" LP/Tour to the "Confessions" LP/Tour it is hard to believe they were made by the same artist! Nevertheless, if you look at Madonna's entire career it has been marked by artistic/commercial highs and lows- so I live in hope for a Madonna comeback again!!

[ngl]

I like ALL the MDNA singles, however the way her new record company handled their release was shambolic!!! The first single only had a digital release- ages later they gave it a physical release as a 2 track CD (the remixes remained a digital only release). Single 2 GGW was rush released as a second digital release, it got a sporadic physical release as a 2 track CD single, then quite a while later without any fanfare a CD MaxiSingle was released! After a few months the 3rd Single TUTR finally was released- it only got a digital release! Its been months now and there has been no fourth single- even though most fans would like "Love Spent" or "Masterpiece" to be a single. It appears that Madonna is done with the MDNA singles, this is odd considering Madonna delayed until recently bringing her MDNA Tour to the US, finally some people have renewed interest in her music so I would have thought that this would have been the right time to drop a single! Madonna's MDNA is not a great album IMO, but I do think it has some strong songs that clearly have single potential, beyond the 3 singles we have been served. However further MDNA singles need a clear and uniform physical CD release date, and plenty of positive promotion- but realistically I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a new MDNA single. Her current management should be sacked- things couldn't be worse without them!!! She's so talented, it is such a shame witnessing the MDNA music era- I hope she can get things back on track with her next LP. Maybe her new marketing strategy should be that you have to buy the LP if you want to buy a concert ticket- not sure how her fans would feel about this.

[DM]

I would not say the best of the decade, Confessions was her best. MDNA is a very good album though with a mixed bag of goodies. I don't think Give me All your luvin was a bad song to release first. It went with the Super bowl Theme and it was a bit corny but FUN. It was just not promoted correctly. Girl Gone Wild was not promoted correctly either. You are telling me the dance songs currently out there are better!! I think NOT! Turn up the Radio is great and madonnaesque. But why not on the RADIO?? Ageism in North America in the music industry tends to hinder music releases in my opinion. Masterpiece is a great ballad and so is Falling Free. Maybe the music on this album is too sophisticated for the mainstream listener

[Scott]

It is a great album. When I heard leaks I was drawn to many of the songs. I really thought "I Fucked Up" would have been the ultimate live song. I pictured the crowd really getting into it. It needed no visuals. Madonna front and center. Audience participation would have been amazing. I now envision that the song will take a slighty different meaning next tour and she should open with it if/when she makes it to Austrailia :)

The album is part of my running playlist, and i can tell you, although i've heard others not liking this song, "I'm A Sinner" is one of my favorite Madonna songs, and i run just a little faster when it plays. I hope this gets a repeat performance in future tours!

And yes, I 100% thought "Turn Up The Radio" was going to be single 2 and a summer anthem of sorts. Really it should have been single 1. GMAYL really didn't need to be released. Superbowl with "Turn Up the Radio" or "I'm A Sinner" would have been great.

[Jerome]

And this is news because? Wow 94, what an achievement.

[Anastacio]

I think the album suffered because of the lack of proper promotion as far as single releases. Superbowl aside, "Give Me All Your Luvin'" was not a strong enough single to carry a "comeback" album. "Girl Gone Wild" wasn't a bad choice, but by the time the single was released the album had already flopped. MDNA flopped bigger than American Life. "Girl Gone Wild" should have been the first single. MDNA, in my opinion, is a better album than Hard Candy, but it's not Madonna's best in the last decade. Confessions was a far superior album, and since Music, is Madonna's most successful album. "Hung Up" was a massive success. Alas, the main problem for Madonna in the US is lack of radio exposure. Radio airplay means everything in the US.

[Alex]

Some only understand now that MDNA is the best Madonna album of the last decade.I ADORE this album.

[shle896]

It may have been a good idea to have done the North American leg of her tour FIRST so as to keep the sales momentum going. That coupled with better choices in singles to release could really have made the album and singles better. Whoever decided to release the singles they did should be fired ASAP.

[Adam]

It's such a good album. Glad more people are giving it a go.