After the relative slump of American Life, Madonna was ready for another reinvention. She started working with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï for the third straight album, but realized it was time for a change.
She turned to English electronic artist and producer Stuart Price, who had co-written a song on her previous record, and set out to create the ultimate dance album. After diving into serious subject matter on American Life, she was ready to have fun again.
The result, 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, is definitely fun. It’s a blast of disco-infused pop that never stops to take a breath. It doesn’t contain any radio hits outside of lead single ‘Hung Up’ (which set a world record for hitting #1 in the most countries) but everything here is a banger.
The album features Madonna’s first widespread use of sampling, with elements from ABBA, Pet Shop Boys, The Police, Depeche Mode, and others blending into her dance-ready beats.
Price would go on to produce tracks on Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia 13 years later, and you can hear echoes of this album on that one. In her late 40s, Madonna was still a trailblazer, always skating to where the puck was going to be.
Confessions on a Dance Floor received critical acclaim and became a worldwide hit, selling more than 10 million copies internationally and nearly two million in the U.S. It was her third straight album to hit #1 on Billboard’s albums chart, and her sixth overall.
It would also prove to be a late-career peak. Due to waning popularity and a sea change in the music industry, every successive album would sell less than its predecessor. Next week, I’ll take a look at those last four albums, released between 2008-2019.
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
[Chorus]
Every little thing that you say or do
I’m hung up, I’m hung up on you
Waiting for your call, baby, night and day
I’m fed up, I’m tired of waiting on you
[Verse 1]
Time goes by so slowly for those who wait
No time to hesitate
Those who run seem to have all the fun
I’m caught up, I don’t know what to do
[Pre-Chorus]
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
I don’t know what to do
[Chorus]
Every little thing that you say or do
I’m hung up, I’m hung up on you
Waiting for your call, baby, night and day
I’m fed up, I’m tired of waiting on you
Every little thing that you say or do
I’m hung up, I’m hung up on you
Waiting for your call, baby, night and day
I’m fed up, I’m tired of waiting on you
[Verse 2]
Ring, ring, ring goes the telephone
The lights are on, but there’s no one home
Tick tick tock, it’s a quarter to two
And I’m done, I’m hanging up on you
[Bridge]
I can’t keep on waiting for you
I know that you’re still hesitating
Don’t cry for me, ’cause I’ll find my way
You’ll wake up one day, but it’ll be too late
[Chorus]
Every little thing that you say or do
I’m hung up, I’m hung up on you
Waiting for your call, baby, night and day
I’m fed up, I’m tired of waiting on you
Every little thing that you say or do
I’m hung up, I’m hung up on you
Waiting for your call, baby, night and day
I’m fed up, I’m tired of waiting on you
[Post-Chorus]
Every little thing, every little thing
I’m hung up, I’m hung up on you
Waiting for your call, waiting for your call
I’m fed up, I’m tired waiting on you
[Breakdown]
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
So slowly, so slowly, so slowly
So slowly, so slowly, so slowly
So slowly, so slowly, so slowly
So slowly, so slowly, so slowly, so slowly, so
I don’t know what to do
[Chorus]
Every little thing that you say or do
I’m hung up, I’m hung up on you
Waiting for your call, baby, night and day
I’m fed up, I’m tired of waiting on you
Every little thing that you say or do
I’m hung up, I’m hung up on you
Waiting for your call, baby, night and day
I’m fed up, I’m tired of waiting on you
[Post-Chorus]
Every little thing, every little thing
I’m hung up, I’m hung up on you
Waiting for your call, waiting for your call
I’m fed up, I’m tired waiting on you
Meet Me In Montauk 
While I’m sure this album is a “blast,” by 2005, and really both before and since, I have zero interest in listening to dance music.
“Always skating to where the puck would be” love that description 😊
Yes, I love that description, too!