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Song of the Day #4,798: ‘Give It 2 Me’ – Madonna

It took 25 years and 11 albums before Madonna finally bored me. 2008’s Hard Candy is the first of her releases that left me cold from start to finish.

I think that’s because it’s the first album that feels like she’s chasing something rather than blazing a new path.

On previous albums, Madonna sought out little-known producers who helped push her music in new directions, often redefining the pop music landscape in the process. On Hard Candy, she teamed up for the first time with established stars.

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Song of the Day #4,797: ‘Fear City’ – Elliott Smith

‘Fear City’ is a track from the 2007 Elliott Smith compilation album New Moon, which included songs recorded during sessions for the mid-90s albums Elliott Smith and Either/Or.

This album and 2004’s From a Basement on a Hill were the two major posthumous releases after Smith’s 2003 death (which was initially reported as a suicide but later classified as a possible homicide — the investigation remains open).

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Song of the Day #4,796: ‘Shattered’ – The Rolling Stones

Today is my sister’s birthday, and you all know what it means when a birthday falls on a Random Weekend. Time to spin the wheel and see what the Random iTunes Fairy has in store by way of celebration.

And it’s… ‘Shattered,’ the final track on The Rolling Stones’ 1978 album Some Girls. This album, which embraced the dominant disco sound of the era, was critically acclaimed and became the band’s top-selling album.

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Song of the Day #4,795: ‘Hung Up’ – Madonna

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.

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Song of the Day #4,794: ‘X-Static Process’ – Madonna

Yesterday, I wrote about Madonna’s knack for not standing in the same place, changing producers and musical styles from album to album with a professed goal of never repeating herself.

Well, she broke her own rules on her next release, 2003’s American Life. Teaming up again with producer/co-writer Mirwais Ahmadzaï, she delivered an album similar in sound to Music but less impactful.

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