"4 Minutes" topped the charts in 21 countries while in the UK it was her 13th Number 1 and remained on top for 4 weeks. "Hard Candy" was the 11th best selling album worldwide in 2008. If that is not called success then I don't know what is.
And still some people don't like this album. I have to say that even though that this album is not better than Confessions On A Dancefloor, is still a very solid and enjoyable album.
It's cohesive and and everyone at the time was working with her collaborators. At the time I was working at a hotel in the front office and we would sometimes put in CDs of our own to play in the lobby and public areas. I would always play this album and no one ever complained. Even people who didn't really listen to or care for Madonna liked it.
For me, now a gay man in my 30s, this Madonna hard candy era was playing at clubs when I first started going out to gay clubs.. sneaking out of my parents house... kissing strangers...getting my first hickeys.. I was so innocent and so in my twenties
Fuck I'm a 19 year old closeted bi guy from a muslim family in the west. I really need to live that. Just kissing hot guys without tomorrow and listening to Madonna lol
I remember when this aired in the UK, so exciting! The lead up to this album, the huge success of 4 Minutes, the promo shows, the aesthetics and energy...unreal
I think the album came out a year too late. It had a very 2007 sound and think had she released it a year prior it would’ve been a bigger success. Also, she was originally gonna work with The Pet Shop Boys on the record and I think it would’ve been a HUGE success!!
Devil Wouldn’t Recognized proved that Madonna is the best in RNB! But the best song in this album is Heart Beat!!!! Miles Away was the stuff that can really touch so many lives.
I loved the Hard Candy era. That's when I became a big fan. I do think she should have lightened up a bit but she was going through a divorce at the time.
Not her best moment in music, but it gave us (fans) one of her greatest tours ever. I saw her five times during this tour in Brazil and every night was a unique experience. My favorite song from this album is definitely "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You". Seeing it live was a wow moment.
If it’s not her best in music, what do you have to say about American Life, MDNA, Rebel Heart and Madame X? 4 Minutes is one of her biggest hits, was almost as big as Hung Up.
Not really - she’s mainly known as pop and dance - she’s not an urban artist at all imo and this album was just trying to get her big in the states cause that’s all Americans seem to like music wise 🙄
@@garycambridge5513 If that's the case "Hard Candy" is very dance oriented. Plus, Madonna is labelled as a Pop artist but she has faced every music genre in her career. Every album is a new genre, atmosphere, style. She's an artist for all tastes. "Hard Candy" was a new reinvention for her as she hired the hot producers of the moment aka Timbaland and Neptunes to collaborate with. The album has those producers signature sounds. Finally, she's American so it made sense that she wanted to be successful in her country which is also the most important music market by miles 🙄.
At that times new era was a big event for every superstar. The announcement of a new tour was huge, they had all these specials and shows. Yourself were crafted for months, planned, ppl had this sense of expectations because superstars were about to present what was new in technology and music in the top of the world. Nowadays female stars copied the formula: screens, dancers, choreographies. Not just the music became manufactured the same but also the tours. You can’t tell the difference between a tour of Ariana, Katy or Gaga and I really mean no shade but everything looks the same and nothing feels like a milestone or a game changer
She is really good as an artist. Her albums are all so different end every album has a wonderful musical spirit and it's full of message. As a singer she's not that good but I think she's a really good performer and she really loves what she's doing
Everybody's a critic, I suppose. M does what she does, and does it well. Give her materials, she'll make magic. And besides, what can the critics say that they've done. Anybody for some balsamic (bitter grapes) 🍇😊👍🏼👑
I think it all started going proper downhill after this, happens to us all, greatest star of the 80s early 90s in terms of cutting edge and bringing a different cultural vibe entirely,, that happens every fifty years or so.
Except for her Super Bowl Half Time show in 2012 which (at the time) was the most watched in history and actually drew more people than the super bowl itself, and the Golden Globe for "Masterpiece" lol
Not even. She had her highest grossing tours after this. Super bowl 2012. Rebel heart was awesome and underrated. Age was her bane in an era of Rihanna and Gaga.
"American Life" >> "Hard Candy" >> "Madame X" to me. AL is actually one of the Queen's greatest albums by far, underrated and amazing. HC is fun and commercial. MX is different.
that makes sense! Hard Candy is meant to be a fun, easy listen, the same way Confessions was. American Life and Madame X are more challenging, introspective albums. Madonna has always bounced between both modes, which means you never really lose with her if you're a pop music lover. even her less 'catchy' stuff is miles ahead.
One of her most uninspired eras, but she's had so many and she will always be an icon. In my opinion she sounds better when she's not trying to be hip.
Tbh working with Timbaland Pharrell and Justin was a mistake for this concept and album. It literally sounded like a ripoff of everything that was put at the time.
the only awful thing about the video is lack of good choreo. you have a video involving two good movers Madonna and Justin and you give the masses a crappy dance routine that looks like they are winging it? NO
There were a couple of good songs on HC but ultimatley I think her record company pushed her down that route to appease the US audience as COADF was not sucessful there compared to the rest of the world. The US is very 'Urban' music orintated and COADF was more 'Euro Disco'.
Madonna was planning to work with the pet shop boys after she really enjoyed their remix of Sorry, i think the album would have had a similar sound to X by Kylie Minogue but obviously more madonna-esque lol, Warner Bros didn't want her to do another electronic/dance album which is so ironic because there's a lot of dance songs on hard candy.
@PensiveCzar actually the Pet Shop boys confirmed that they did push her down that route. They were going to work together on a more electronic album but the record company wanted a more urban US sound.
@@spaidermann217 oh, yes, that was great, one all time favourite for the fans. Thank you for mentioning that, it's a great example of classic madonnas máster piece ❤️
@@dieggarciaf6469 american life was a hell of a flop. it is by far the worst madonna record; terrible production, M trying to be fake deep, bad aesthetic and a ton of filler songs. it also lacks catchiness and a groove. very depressing and cold 😔😔😴😴🥶🥶
High mY queen of pop how's Portugal thank you for saving my life when I crashed in Amsterdam on my way to you Y queen of pop how's Portugal thank you for saving my life when I crashed in Amsterdam on my way to you anyway all came out well Madonna I like to invite you and your children to board first class our new spiritstarship 2022 gm1 bound for London Heathrow where will have a big show in wimbelton stadium will meet there on the road by night see you sweeti soon you will be counted by my manager Clara in time all Mq spiritual love to you and your children smooth touches l Love you heraldo
True. She's really done herself in with all the procedures within the past few years, sadly. She's always been a natural beauty tbh... now she looks... cartoon-y. Like a doll, almost. I'm all for people doing whatever they want to their body or face, but that also doesn't mean it's always a wise choice either. I love her to bits, she's a legend, no doubt about that... but that doesn't mean she hasn't made her fair share of poor life decisions either.
I've never gotten all the disdain for this album even from fans. It is actually a very good album. It wasn't her best compared with her most introspective works such as ROL or AL or the catchiest tunes from Music and COADF but still it is a very valid work. It's a cohesive project.
@@Jarmix-vq3gn from this album - to me it sounds like a timberland/ pharell album and that’s not a good one imo- the only songs I liked from this record were devil, miles away ( catchiest song from the album) and dance 2 nite - the rest is awful 😞 I mean incredible is nearly as bad as bitch I’m Madonna 🤢
Never understood the hate towards this album. It's actually a fun cohesive album, fans like to trash it just because it came after Confessions, and obviously the expectations were too high imo
Down hill means coming to southeast Asia and selling VIP tickets for 2000 dollars in 1 hour (sold out). Britney and Lady Gaga, Vip tickets were ultra cheap.
I loathe Justin Timberlake. He was such an opportunist and would alienate anyone that stood in his way. I am glad that he is getting what he deserves now as a has-been.
I will never understand what was that special about Timbaland's music. She did much more sophisticated albums years before like Ray of Light and Music and eventually stuck with his average mainstream tunes which aged so badly. This was the beginning of Madonna's music not being exciting anymore.
I absolutely love hard candy but I also get what you're saying. If she was wanting to just go with mainstream trends rather than a more sofisticated record then I think the album could have been executed slightly better. For example I think it would have been great if she made an album similar to Blackout which was absolutely fantastic and one of Britney's best. Maybe she should have worked with Danja instead of Timbaland!
One of the worst albums of her career! Disjointed, average, behind its Zeitgeist and in many ways the opposite of her own subversive, bold and innovative legacy. The fact that the leaked demos are more interesting than the released official material speaks volumes... It went downhill after Confessions with a few highlights here and there.... Thank god she is the best live performer ever.
Wanna make me not like your record ? put Kanye, Pharrell, Justin and Timbaland on it. Ugh, way to sabotage the fantasy that Madonna should be, turn it into a sausage-fest. I can't recommend this album to anyone.
I think one huge reason for her success is that she literally looks like a different person in each era!
It's not about looks, it's about the personality she puts in her work
Is this shade or genuine respect
@@makesparkzfly she’s the definition of reinvention, she owns the word “era”, so it’s definitely a genuine respect
50 never looked hotter! she's so beautiful smart and talented!
I think JLO looks way hotter but Madonna looks more fit
@@marcelszpak1460 send your mother three, you idiot
The only time i got attracted to Madonna was her 1993 song: Bad Girl. Smash 100%
Hot Mess...
She looked like 34 for a long time!
"4 Minutes" topped the charts in 21 countries while in the UK it was her 13th Number 1 and remained on top for 4 weeks. "Hard Candy" was the 11th best selling album worldwide in 2008. If that is not called success then I don't know what is.
And still some people don't like this album. I have to say that even though that this album is not better than Confessions On A Dancefloor, is still a very solid and enjoyable album.
Fun, jolly album
4 minutes did well!
Such an underrated album. While it wasn't among her best, it has 8 or 9 awesome songs.
it really is one dope dance album!
It's cohesive and and everyone at the time was working with her collaborators. At the time I was working at a hotel in the front office and we would sometimes put in CDs of our own to play in the lobby and public areas. I would always play this album and no one ever complained. Even people who didn't really listen to or care for Madonna liked it.
@@musiqueguy1 those are the best days, when you get to put your own sounds on at work... & it turns out everyone loves your taste in music
heart beat was the best!
Biggest female artist of all time!
Of all time....the greatest
For me, now a gay man in my 30s, this Madonna hard candy era was playing at clubs when I first started going out to gay clubs.. sneaking out of my parents house... kissing strangers...getting my first hickeys.. I was so innocent and so in my twenties
that sounds so fun 💗
Fuck I'm a 19 year old closeted bi guy from a muslim family in the west. I really need to live that. Just kissing hot guys without tomorrow and listening to Madonna lol
Im glad to know Madonna and Justin had no idea what that video was about....cause neither did we! lol
I personally love this album!!!
I knew I didn’t comment here lol
@@EMBEEAY bro! What a trip! 🤣 that’s what’s up though! 🤘😝
2008 was such an underrated year in music, so does this album.
She looks so beautiful here 😍
It wasn't her best album, but it gave her the best tour of her career.
Nobody who has seem Girlie Show can say Hard Candy is Madonnas best show
Ain't her best tour. Confession.
Ew what 😂 hardy candy tour was a mess
@@m.e.c.5837 yes, it was so tacky, even the outfits were horrible
MDNA was her best
I remember when this aired in the UK, so exciting! The lead up to this album, the huge success of 4 Minutes, the promo shows, the aesthetics and energy...unreal
What a Woman!!!! 👑👑👑👑
She looked flawless here. Wish she had left her face alone from this point.
I think the album came out a year too late. It had a very 2007 sound and think had she released it a year prior it would’ve been a bigger success. Also, she was originally gonna work with The Pet Shop Boys on the record and I think it would’ve been a HUGE success!!
Devil Wouldn’t Recognized proved that Madonna is the best in RNB! But the best song in this album is Heart Beat!!!! Miles Away was the stuff that can really touch so many lives.
Madonna proved to be the best in R&B with her Bedtime Stories album in 1994.
Exactly my two favourite songs. I've always thought it should have been singles.
I used to hate this album but ughhh it's so damn FUN. I love it! Cowbell and all.
imo one of her best albums
I loved the Hard Candy era. That's when I became a big fan. I do think she should have lightened up a bit but she was going through a divorce at the time.
Funny, it is the record I started to lose interest in her after being a huge fan since the beginning.
@@conatcha you're probably old though so that would make sense. Hard Candy and the stuff after was meant for millenials and Gen Z appeal.
@@brandonaldaymachuse6669 Yes. I have been listening to her music since the Like A Virgin era.
Omg she really wanted to call the album "Give it To Me"?? That would been a HUGE mistake!!!
Or Black Madonna. Oof.
@@JoyfulRelaxation22 "Black Madonna" would have caused so much noise.
Sticky & Sweet would have been cool too
Not her best moment in music, but it gave us (fans) one of her greatest tours ever.
I saw her five times during this tour in Brazil and every night was a unique experience.
My favorite song from this album is definitely "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You". Seeing it live was a wow moment.
If it’s not her best in music, what do you have to say about American Life, MDNA, Rebel Heart and Madame X? 4 Minutes is one of her biggest hits, was almost as big as Hung Up.
Madonna you are only, fantastic and wonderful!!! 😍😍😍 Everyone would like to have the strength and determination that you have! 💪💪
Queen of promo
so most Madonna fans hate urban Madonna when that has always been apart of her songs 👌🤷🏽♂️
Not really - she’s mainly known as pop and dance - she’s not an urban artist at all imo and this album was just trying to get her big in the states cause that’s all Americans seem to like music wise 🙄
@@garycambridge5513 my point is Erotica was R&B inspired, hard candy is also pop & R&B influenced of the time.
@@bluntedafterdarkpod Bedtime Stories too
@@garycambridge5513 If that's the case "Hard Candy" is very dance oriented. Plus, Madonna is labelled as a Pop artist but she has faced every music genre in her career. Every album is a new genre, atmosphere, style. She's an artist for all tastes. "Hard Candy" was a new reinvention for her as she hired the hot producers of the moment aka Timbaland and Neptunes to collaborate with. The album has those producers signature sounds. Finally, she's American so it made sense that she wanted to be successful in her country which is also the most important music market by miles 🙄.
Saw Hard Candy show in Montreal and it was amazing.
I love her arms! ❤️
She was best from the time of “Ray of Light” to “Music.”
That’s like a 2 year period 🤔
Erotica-American life*
At that times new era was a big event for every superstar. The announcement of a new tour was huge, they had all these specials and shows. Yourself were crafted for months, planned, ppl had this sense of expectations because superstars were about to present what was new in technology and music in the top of the world. Nowadays female stars copied the formula: screens, dancers, choreographies. Not just the music became manufactured the same but also the tours. You can’t tell the difference between a tour of Ariana, Katy or Gaga and I really mean no shade but everything looks the same and nothing feels like a milestone or a game changer
I remember when 4 minutes was a huge hit
I was 12 and listened to it with my sister
Stills my favourite album by her.
She speaks with british accent in this interview. Guy Richie left a dent on her. Lol
I feel the whole Justin ripping off M’s corset from behind was a nod to the Janet wardrobe malfunction... 👀
So uncomfy ☠️
I never thought it that way, it's true! 😲
She is really good as an artist. Her albums are all so different end every album has a wonderful musical spirit and it's full of message. As a singer she's not that good but I think she's a really good performer and she really loves what she's doing
MADONNA 2024!!!
********************
My fave era of hers.
Just got into this album and although there are some skips, the production and cohesiveness is too good
She’s such a cutie here LOL
the album was released on my 18th birthday ♥️
I was in Roseland that day
Hard candy walked so teenage dream could fly
Everybody's a critic, I suppose. M does what she does, and does it well. Give her materials, she'll make magic. And besides, what can the critics say that they've done. Anybody for some balsamic (bitter grapes) 🍇😊👍🏼👑
Not my favorite album but it still has some great tracks. The tour was entertaining. Did what it was supposed to do.
Those were a great times. You only need MTV and not stupid social media and all that influencers and tiktokers Shit.
M O T H E R 💣🔥👏🏾
I think it all started going proper downhill after this, happens to us all, greatest star of the 80s early 90s in terms of cutting edge and bringing a different cultural vibe entirely,, that happens every fifty years or so.
Except for her Super Bowl Half Time show in 2012 which (at the time) was the most watched in history and actually drew more people than the super bowl itself, and the Golden Globe for "Masterpiece" lol
Not even. She had her highest grossing tours after this. Super bowl 2012. Rebel heart was awesome and underrated. Age was her bane in an era of Rihanna and Gaga.
😍😍😍😍
Unpopular opinion: I enjoy this record more than American Life and Madame X.
@PensiveCzar I appreciate the humor in this comment. 💙
Unpopular opinion? Have you looked at the sales of the three of those albums? Sales isn't everything... But...
American Life is one of her best albums. Hard Candy is fun, but is one of her worst.
"American Life" >> "Hard Candy" >> "Madame X" to me.
AL is actually one of the Queen's greatest albums by far, underrated and amazing. HC is fun and commercial. MX is different.
that makes sense! Hard Candy is meant to be a fun, easy listen, the same way Confessions was. American Life and Madame X are more challenging, introspective albums. Madonna has always bounced between both modes, which means you never really lose with her if you're a pop music lover. even her less 'catchy' stuff is miles ahead.
who is this woman? is not madonna from instagram
People change
It's Madonna before she had excessive plastic surgery.
What a blessed genius beauty goddess
One of her most uninspired eras, but she's had so many and she will always be an icon. In my opinion she sounds better when she's not trying to be hip.
Saw this interview in 2021.
+« Long Live To The Only 👑❌In This🌏 🙌🎧 !! »*
Amen!
👑
Her best albums but so underrated at the same time
She’s the one of the biggest queens of pop hands down
she is the only Queen of the universe. Try harder!
One of the biggest? She is the biggest no one comes close!
*the one and only Queen of Pop
I disagree, it all sounds like standard Tim and Pharrell, which is great but for a Madonna album, it was quite tame.
Stream #FinallyEnoughLove
Justin ruined the whole thing IMO. He's just always been a wannabe personality, trying too hard to be cool.
Tbh working with Timbaland Pharrell and Justin was a mistake for this concept and album. It literally sounded like a ripoff of everything that was put at the time.
THIS!!!! Hard Candy was first album where she was clearly riding a wave instead of creating one.
wow
💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋🇧🇷
Not one of my favorite albums, but there are some great tracks on it.
3:21
the only awful thing about the video is lack of good choreo. you have a video involving two good movers Madonna and Justin and you give the masses a crappy dance routine that looks like they are winging it? NO
There were a couple of good songs on HC but ultimatley I think her record company pushed her down that route to appease the US audience as COADF was not sucessful there compared to the rest of the world. The US is very 'Urban' music orintated and COADF was more 'Euro Disco'.
I thought Concessions On A Dance Floor was a hit in the US.
Confessions on the dance floor was a really big hit here in the USA!
It wasn't. It didn't get the radio play it deserved and did not sell as expected compared to everywhere else. Honestly I'm not lying. Google it.
Madonna was planning to work with the pet shop boys after she really enjoyed their remix of Sorry, i think the album would have had a similar sound to X by Kylie Minogue but obviously more madonna-esque lol, Warner Bros didn't want her to do another electronic/dance album which is so ironic because there's a lot of dance songs on hard candy.
@PensiveCzar actually the Pet Shop boys confirmed that they did push her down that route. They were going to work together on a more electronic album but the record company wanted a more urban US sound.
This álbum is such a mistery. Madonna had never released an álbum that wasnt excelent. Why then did she bring... this?
american life?
@@spaidermann217 oh, yes, that was great, one all time favourite for the fans. Thank you for mentioning that, it's a great example of classic madonnas máster piece ❤️
@@spaidermann217 american life is a brilliant record. Wyd
@@dieggarciaf6469 american life was a hell of a flop. it is by far the worst madonna record; terrible production, M trying to be fake deep, bad aesthetic and a ton of filler songs. it also lacks catchiness and a groove. very depressing and cold 😔😔😴😴🥶🥶
@@spaidermann217 omgg no bestie. Thats my fav album 😞
High mY queen of pop how's Portugal thank you for saving my life when I crashed in Amsterdam on my way to you Y queen of pop how's Portugal thank you for saving my life when I crashed in Amsterdam on my way to you anyway all came out well Madonna I like to invite you and your children to board first class our new spiritstarship 2022 gm1 bound for London Heathrow where will have a big show in wimbelton stadium will meet there on the road by night see you sweeti soon you will be counted by my manager Clara in time all Mq spiritual love to you and your children smooth touches l Love you heraldo
"So cutting edge"
Calm down. The video was good but it was no Express Yourself/Bedtime Story.
She was a great dancer! But now she barely moves on the stage.
I hate when she faked the English accent
She is a complete fake...
Love Madonna but can't stand Justin
this is soon after her face lift. Looked amazing. But now she is all filled up. pillow face. sad
True. She's really done herself in with all the procedures within the past few years, sadly. She's always been a natural beauty tbh... now she looks... cartoon-y. Like a doll, almost. I'm all for people doing whatever they want to their body or face, but that also doesn't mean it's always a wise choice either. I love her to bits, she's a legend, no doubt about that... but that doesn't mean she hasn't made her fair share of poor life decisions either.
Fluffy fluffy memory foam...
I know she looks horrendous now, so sad
Did she have a facelift at 50?
@@skindare9808 yes!! She needed it lol
Can’t figure out what is happening with her accent lmao
No
It was all downhill from this album 🥺🥺
During this album or after it you mean?
I've never gotten all the disdain for this album even from fans. It is actually a very good album. It wasn't her best compared with her most introspective works such as ROL or AL or the catchiest tunes from Music and COADF but still it is a very valid work. It's a cohesive project.
@@Jarmix-vq3gn from this album - to me it sounds like a timberland/ pharell album and that’s not a good one imo- the only songs I liked from this record were devil, miles away ( catchiest song from the album) and dance 2 nite - the rest is awful 😞 I mean incredible is nearly as bad as bitch I’m Madonna 🤢
Never understood the hate towards this album. It's actually a fun cohesive album, fans like to trash it just because it came after Confessions, and obviously the expectations were too high imo
Down hill means coming to southeast Asia and selling VIP tickets for 2000 dollars in 1 hour (sold out). Britney and Lady Gaga, Vip tickets were ultra cheap.
I loathe Justin Timberlake. He was such an opportunist and would alienate anyone that stood in his way.
I am glad that he is getting what he deserves now as a has-been.
I will never understand what was that special about Timbaland's music. She did much more sophisticated albums years before like Ray of Light and Music and eventually stuck with his average mainstream tunes which aged so badly. This was the beginning of Madonna's music not being exciting anymore.
Timbaland is an icon who revolutionized R&B but if Madonna wanted to be innovative she would’ve worked with him a decade earlier
@@MariahIsSkinnyFuckBlueLives I don't recall Madonna ever saying she wanted to be innovative with Hard Candy- she just wanted to make some music.
I absolutely love hard candy but I also get what you're saying. If she was wanting to just go with mainstream trends rather than a more sofisticated record then I think the album could have been executed slightly better. For example I think it would have been great if she made an album similar to Blackout which was absolutely fantastic and one of Britney's best. Maybe she should have worked with Danja instead of Timbaland!
Not my favorite album of hers
One of the worst albums of her career!
Disjointed, average, behind its Zeitgeist and in many ways the opposite of her own subversive, bold and innovative legacy. The fact that the leaked demos are more interesting than the released official material speaks volumes...
It went downhill after Confessions with a few highlights here and there....
Thank god she is the best live performer ever.
She looks bad has a terrible voice..and the music is gutter
Wanna make me not like your record ? put Kanye, Pharrell, Justin and Timbaland on it.
Ugh, way to sabotage the fantasy that Madonna should be, turn it into a sausage-fest.
I can't recommend this album to anyone.
3:55