Celebration (Madonna album)
Madonna's third greatest hits compilation, released in 2009.
Celebration is the third greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on September 18, 2009, by Warner Bros. Records. It features 34 songs spanning her career from the 1980s to the 2000s, along with three new tracks. The album received acclaim from critics and debuted at number one in several countries, tying Madonna with Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most number-one albums in the United Kingdom.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Madonna
- Released
- 18 September 2009
- Recorded
- 1982–2009
- Genre
- Pop
- Length
- 78:47
- Label
- Warner Bros.
- Producer
- Madonna
- DJ Frank E
- Paul Oakenfold (new tracks)
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
Celebration track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hung Up | Madonna, Stuart Price, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson | 5:38 |
| 2 | Music | Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï | 3:45 |
| 3 | Vogue (The Immaculate Collection version) | Madonna, Shep Pettibone | 5:16 |
| 4 | 4 Minutes (radio edit, featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland) | Madonna, Timberlake, Timothy Mosley, Nate Hills | 3:09 |
| 5 | Holiday | Curtis Hudson, Lisa Stevens | 6:08 |
| 6 | Like a Virgin (The Immaculate Collection version) | Thomas Kelly, William Steinberg | 3:11 |
| 7 | Into the Groove | Madonna, Stephen Bray | 4:45 |
| 8 | Like a Prayer | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 5:42 |
| 9 | Ray of Light (radio edit) | Madonna, David Atkins, Christine Leach, Clive Skinner, William Orbit | 4:33 |
| 10 | La Isla Bonita | Madonna, Leonard, Bruce Gaitsch | 4:03 |
| 11 | Frozen (radio edit) | Madonna, Leonard | 5:10 |
| 12 | Material Girl | Peter Brown, Robert Rans | 4:03 |
| 13 | Papa Don't Preach | Brian Elliot, Madonna, (add., additional lyrics by) | 4:29 |
| 14 | Lucky Star (2009 Q-Sound edit) | Madonna | 3:38 |
| 15 | Express Yourself (2009 remix/edit) | Madonna, Bray | 4:00 |
| 16 | Open Your Heart (The Immaculate Collection version) | Madonna, Gardner Cole, Peter Rafelson | 3:51 |
| 17 | Dress You Up (2009 edit) | Andrea La Russo, Margaret Stanziale | 4:02 |
| 18 | Celebration | Madonna, Paul Oakenfold, Ian Green, Ciaran Gribbin | 3:34 |
| Total length | 78:47 | ||
Disc one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hung Up | Madonna, Stuart Price, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson | 5:38 |
| 2 | Music | Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï | 3:45 |
| 3 | Vogue (The Immaculate Collection version) | Madonna, Shep Pettibone | 5:16 |
| 4 | 4 Minutes (radio edit, featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland) | Madonna, Timberlake, Timothy Mosley, Nate Hills | 3:09 |
| 5 | Holiday | Curtis Hudson, Lisa Stevens | 6:08 |
| 6 | Everybody (2009 edit) | Madonna | 4:10 |
| 7 | Like a Virgin (The Immaculate Collection version) | Thomas Kelly, William Steinberg | 3:11 |
| 8 | Into the Groove | Madonna, Stephen Bray | 4:45 |
| 9 | Like a Prayer | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 5:42 |
| 10 | Ray of Light (radio edit) | Madonna, David Atkins, Christine Leach, Clive Skinner, William Orbit | 4:33 |
| 11 | Sorry (single edit) | Madonna, Price | 3:58 |
| 12 | Express Yourself (2009 remix/edit) | Madonna, Bray | 4:00 |
| 13 | Open Your Heart (The Immaculate Collection version) | Madonna, Gardner Cole, Peter Rafelson | 3:51 |
| 14 | Borderline (2009 Q-Sound edit) | Reggie Lucas | 3:59 |
| 15 | Secret (radio edit) | Madonna, Dallas Austin | 4:28 |
| 16 | Erotica (radio edit) | Madonna, Pettibone, Anthony Shimkin | 4:30 |
| 17 | Justify My Love | Madonna, Ingrid Chavez, Lenny Kravitz | 4:54 |
| 18 | Revolver (featuring Lil Wayne) | Madonna, Dwayne Carter, Justin Franks, Carlos Centel Battey, Steven Andre Battey, Brandon Kitchen | 3:40 |
| Total length | 79:38 | ||
Disc two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dress You Up (2009 edit) | Andrea La Russo, Margaret Stanziale | 4:02 |
| 2 | Material Girl | Peter Brown, Robert Rans | 4:03 |
| 3 | La Isla Bonita | Madonna, Leonard, Bruce Gaitsch | 4:03 |
| 4 | Papa Don't Preach | Brian Elliot, Madonna, (add., additional lyrics by) | 4:29 |
| 5 | Lucky Star (2009 Q-Sound edit) | Madonna | 3:38 |
| 6 | Burning Up | Madonna | 3:44 |
| 7 | Crazy for You (The Immaculate Collection version) | John Bettis, Jon Lind | 3:46 |
| 8 | Who's That Girl | Madonna, Leonard | 4:00 |
| 9 | Frozen | Madonna, Leonard | 6:18 |
| 10 | Miles Away (radio edit) | Madonna, Timberlake, Mosley, Hills | 3:45 |
| 11 | Take a Bow | Madonna, Kenneth B. Edmonds | 5:20 |
| 12 | Live to Tell | Madonna, Leonard | 5:51 |
| 13 | Beautiful Stranger | Madonna, Orbit | 4:22 |
| 14 | Hollywood | Madonna, Ahmadzaï | 4:23 |
| 15 | Die Another Day | Madonna, Ahmadzaï | 4:36 |
| 16 | Don't Tell Me (radio edit) | Madonna, Ahmadzaï, Joe Henry | 4:11 |
| 17 | Cherish (2009 edit) | Madonna, Leonard | 3:51 |
| 18 | Celebration | Madonna, Paul Oakenfold, Ian Green, Ciaran Gribbin | 3:34 |
| Total length | 77:54 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Background and release
On March 18, 2009, Madonna's publicist Liz Rosenberg announced plans for a greatest hits package by September, with Madonna recording new material. The next day, manager Guy Oseary asked fans on Twitter for input on the track listing. It was later confirmed that Madonna wrote three new tracks, with Paul Oakenfold producing two of them. Attitude magazine reported that Oakenfold produced tracks titled "Broken (I'm Sorry)" and "Celebrate", describing the new music as "lyrically classic Madonna with an edgy modern sound." Her official website confirmed the inclusion of "Revolver" featuring Lil Wayne when announcing the final track listing on August 26, 2009. Madonna told The Times: "The song comes first. And all of those other things that people remember, the imagistic things, are secondary."
Critical reception
Celebration received a score of 84 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". Sarah Crompton of The Daily Telegraph gave four out of five stars, noting that the album shows how consistently Madonna delivers the goods, with only a couple of dispensable songs. Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine gave four out of five stars, commenting that the back catalog is so immense that a two-disc package with 36 songs still short-changes her legacy, though he criticized missing songs and non-intuitive sequencing. Tim Sendra of AllMusic wrote that the collection lives up to its title as a celebration of her career, but criticized the use of edited versions and nonchronological sequencing. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone praised the album as dizzying and nonchronological, calling her hitmaking genius unmatched, though he lamented the omission of "Angel". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly said the album "holds up surprisingly well", and Joey Guerra of Houston Chronicle praised it as a pulsing testament to her pop prowess.
Commercial performance
Worldwide, Celebration has sold about four million copies. In the United States, it debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 with 72,000 copies sold in its first week, staying on the chart for 12 weeks and earning a gold certification from the RIAA on November 23, 2009. The album received sales boosts from a Glee episode in April 2010, re-entering at number 85, and from Madonna's Super Bowl XLVI halftime show in February 2012, re-entering at number 24. In Canada, it debuted at number one with 17,000 copies. In Australia and New Zealand, it debuted at numbers eight and two, respectively, earning gold certifications. In Ireland, it debuted at number one and was certified platinum. In Japan, it peaked at number three on the Oricon chart, sold 177,194 copies, and earned a gold certification. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number one with 77,000 copies, tying Madonna with Elvis Presley for the most number-one albums by a solo act. It was certified double platinum by the BPI and had sold 666,000 copies as of 2019.
Singles and charted songs
"Celebration" was the first single from the compilation. A preview was added to the performance of "Holiday" during the 2009 leg of the Sticky & Sweet Tour. Originally scheduled for radio release on August 3, 2009, the single leaked online, prompting an earlier release on July 31, 2009, with digital download available that day. Remixes were released to dance clubs on July 24, 2009. The song received mixed reviews but reached number one in Finland, Italy, and Sweden, and became Madonna's fortieth number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. "Revolver" was confirmed as the second single in some territories on December 11, 2009, with a digital maxi single released on December 29, 2009, followed by a CD maxi single in the US in late January 2010 and a 12" vinyl in early February 2010. Critics gave mixed reviews, and it charted in lower reaches in several countries, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. "It's So Cool" debuted at numbers 8, 20, and 30 in Finland, Italy, and Sweden due to digital downloads. "Broken", recorded but not used, was released as a free 12" vinyl to fan club members in late 2012.
More in Band Members & Collaborators
Elsewhere in Madonna
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced