Background

The world is still hung up on Madonna’s “Hung Up”. The song was so ahead of its time that the present day realised that a sequel to its 2005 parent album is badly needed (and now in the works).

“Hung Up” is a song by Madonna, released in 2005, as the lead single from her album Confessions on a Dance Floor. The dance-pop track was written by Madonna, Stuart Price, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus, and produced by Madonna and Stuart Price.

If the last two names in the writing credits look familiar, that is because they form half of the legendary group ABBA. They were the primary songwriters in most of their hit singles and is responsible for the sampled track “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”.

Sampling in the Name of Art

When the sound of the flanged synth plays, two songs come to mind – “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” or “Hung Up”. And whatever the DJ has chosen or the streaming platform’s algorithm suggested wouldn’t matter. Both outcomes are welcome for people on the dancefloor and a party follows regardless.

Sampling is a common gimmick in music. There are conversations about how “lazy” or “derivative” the process is and how it stifles creativity. Add to that, usually, only one between the original and the reworked track results in a masterpiece. But none of those criticisms apply to Madonna’s take on the ABBA hit.

At the time, this was only the second approval that Andersson and Ulvaeus have given, after the Fugees used the bass line from “The Name of the Game” in “Rumble in the Jungle”. The duo are notorious for declining requests to sample their work. But they ultimately said yes to the Price and Madonna production. I am confident they have no regrets with their decision – either artistically or commercially.

Age and Past Controversy Can’t Overshadow Glory

Madonna was 47 at the time “Hung Up” was released. For the music industry, her age meant she came from the Jurassic age and she had to be fossilised. She was also coming from the “American Life” era, her least commercially successful endeavour up until that point. That album got her a lot of backlash for her political views and vocal criticisms of the Iraq War.

And as the queen of reinvention, she went back to the studio and rediscovered her roots as a dancer. She rose from the ashes like a phoenix, showed the young pop stars that shock is good but ultimately not necessary, and reclaimed her throne. She topped the charts in 41 countries. And for that achievement, she was featured in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records. The only notable holdout and injustice that was evident in the list of 41 nations was the US, where the single only managed to reach #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Queen of MTV

MTV got murdered by the streaming stars. But when music videos were the bedrock of pop culture, Madonna was the queen. And hers were the most prominent in both the 80s and the 90s. But even during the period of “Hung Up”, she was serving imagery that stood the test of time.

She knew that dance is universal and captured its essence through settings that knew no borders. Whether it was her rehearsal at a ballet studio, the gaming series “Dance Dance Revolution” in an arcade, street artists jumping from one building to the next, dance offs at the subway, and restaurant workers performing to release their stresses and worries, Madonna knew that she had created a song that people from all over the world and all walks of life needed.

Tick Tick Tock, It’s a Quarter to Two

The theme of a strong, independent woman unwilling to wait is commendable. But the lyricism in “Hung Up” isn’t the strongest. I would even describe them as silly. Coincidental or intentional, some of the words are even repeats from her collaboration with Prince, “Love Story”. But she doesn’t have to be a great lyricist to be an amazing artist.

She could have farted and I would still be stanning! The elements comprising the track just mesh well to create a classic. Some of my favourites – the sound of the clock ticking, the sample from ABBA, the bridge that takes it down a notch before going all out, and the pulsating beat. The only appropriate adjective for the melody and the production is perfect.

Conclusion

In the same way Madonna reintroduced ABBA to a whole new generation of listeners, I hope that someone does the same for Madonna. “Hung Up” is a classic from an icon that has already released several “classics”. To be at the top of your game consistently for more than two decades is no easy feat. But she managed to do that with this single and the album Confessions on a Dance Floor.