Pantheon Songs

Trying to select the best song of a decade is a daunting, and somewhat masochistic, task. You wind up having to account for more variables than you expected to, and you invariably wind up overthinking everything anyway to the point that you are never fully satisfied with your decision. And this is to say nothing of the arguments and debates that will spring up amongst others with your choice.^[1]

When it comes to deciding what the best song of the ’90′s is I think there are two main camps: those who think that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the best song of the decade Vs. those who think that something else (such as “One” by U2 or “… Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears) is the best song of the decade. In the grand scheme of things you could make the case for any number of songs to be called The Best Song of the ’90′s. But I’m here to tell you that the best song of the ’90′s—the song that does the best job of bridging a decade that is split into two diametrically opposed halves—is a song whose original incarnation was being the final track on an album by Madonna that I would bet few people still own. The album was called I’m Breathless: Music From and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy and the song, the one that occupied the final track, almost as if to suggest that it was an afterthought, is “Vogue.”

Madonna is the most significant female pop star of the last thirty five years. Hell, she is the most significant female artist of the last thirty five years. At the height of her Zeitgeist run, Madonna was a pop singer who could sell millions of records, make indelible music videos, reinvent herself through fashion like few have ever been able to before or since, and always be one step ahead of everyone else. She was a pop culture Frankenstein like no one had ever seen before: she was equal parts (or updated versions of) Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Onassis, and Hugh Hefner.

Madonna was the quintessential star for the MTV Generation. The combination of sex appeal, attention to fashion detail, a great pop vocal range, and perfect timing all helped Madonna turn into a global celebrity when she just as easily could have been relegated to the world of one-hit wonders. Many artists could have produced a “Borderline” or a “Lucky Star”; no one else could have pulled off “Like A Virgin” or “Material Girl” (the songs or the music videos). You want to know how to easily quantify the genius and far-reaching influence of Madonna? Almost every female pop singer worth their salt has tried to emulate Madonna in some way since “Like A Virgin”—a song that was released in 1984.

By the time the late ’80′s came around Madonna had begun to reinvent herself musically, most notably with her fourth album Like A Prayer. Gone (for the most part) were the simple dance hits and wheelhouse pop numbers, replaced by the stunning and wonderfully arranged masterpieces “Express Yourself” and “Like A Prayer.” During the Like A Prayer recording sessions “Vogue” was produced, albeit with slightly different lyrics and initially as a B-side. But when the record label execs heard the song they knew immediately that it was an A-side song deserving of its own single.

“Vogue” is Madonna’s masterpiece, and the ’90′s saw Madonna reach Zeitgeist status, and Madonna was one of the most significant artists of the ’90′s.^[2] And by virtue of all of this “Vogue” should automatically be entered into the discussion of best songs of the decade. Not only is the video for “Vogue” an iconic, indelible masterwork (the video by David Fincher,^[3] with its black and white perfection, still holds up today) but the song itself is emblematic of Madonna at the height of her creative power. “Material Girl” might lend itself as the best microcosm or metaphor for Madonna’s image, but “Vogue” is the best representation of her overall talent and the superiority that she can lay claim to over her peers (and future generations that stem from her creative tree).

“Vogue” is the perfect barometer by which to measure future contemporaries. (This is why I will always cringe when people say that Britney Spears is—or could have been considered at one point to be—”this generation’s Madonna” or whatever similar ridiculous title. Why? Because Britney Spears will never in a million years be able to write a song like “Vogue.” Kissing Madonna publicly and pledging allegiance to her influence does not an icon make. But I digress…) This song, with its heavenly and deft pop touch and its references (and dance move odes) to iconic celebrities whose identity is tied to the golden age of fashion, perfectly symbolizes the ’90′s in a redefining-the-old-is-the-new-paradigm kind of way. We all mostly loved and respected the power and beauty of Vogue and the Golden Age of Hollywood era actresses before 1990. Madonna took all of that love and admiration for it and made it all so thoroughly modern—and danceable.

Get back to me when anyone will be able to do that again in general, let alone seven years after their first single hit the charts.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[1] Obviously, my use of “you” is directed at people who do think or argue about this stuff. If you do not have these types of thoughts amongst yourself, or with other people, that’s fine too. No one will think differently of you if you’ve never wondered where “Whole Lotta Love” ranks in terms of songs of the ’70′s. This site is nothing if not a judgment-free zone.

[2] It is easy to forget this now but two things occurred in the ’90′s that prove how powerful Madonna was: 1) that people were genuinely kind of upset at how underwhelming Erotica was (at the time), and 2) there was a decent-sized group of people who were genuinely curious if Madonna was going to release a techno album. (She did, it was Ray of Light.) The former would be akin to Michael Jordan missing a game-winning jumper (“Wait, that’s not supposed to happen!?”); the latter, an impressive display of how passionate and loyal fans can be (because, after all, the buzz was about a potential techno album).

[3] Yes, the same David Fincher who later went on to direct Se7en, Fight Club, and Zodiac.