Mix Tape of the Day: March 4, 2015 - The Book of Esther (Madonna)

In 2004, pop idol Madonna adopted the name Esther as she embraced the Kabbalah, perfectly solving my twin crises of "I need a Purim mix" and "I want to do a Madonna mix soon."

Well, that worked out perfectly.

1. Lucky Star - Madonna (1983) I'm just paraphrasing here, but upbeat dance music didn't exist before this song.  Maybe that's a little extreme, but Madonna was certainly a game changer when it came to what it meant to be a pop star.  If everything just sounds like your typical pop music fare, remember that without Madonna, music as we know it wouldn't exist.

2. Like a Virgin - Madonna (1984) And suddenly, Madonna became an unstoppable force to be reckoned with, thanks to the success of "Like a Virgin."  Weird Al's "Like a Surgeon" definitely helped, I'm sure.

3. Material Girl - Madonna (1984) But to me, this is prime Madonna.  As a companion piece to "Like a Virgin," the song continues the ironic presentation of this pop sensation.

4. Dress You Up - Madonna (1984) Ooh, I didn't realize this was a Madonna song.  I always just associated it with the '80s without any further research.  Man, the Like a Virgin album really had it all.

5. Papa Don't Preach - Madonna (1986) Being an idol to teens everywhere is a powerful position, so most pop acts go out of their way to remain family friendly to maintain that elevated level of stardom.  Or some are Madonna who sing about the non-controversial topic of teen pregnancy.

6. True Blue - Madonna (1986) It's amusing that this was the follow up single to "Papa Don't Preach."  It was as if Madonna was having her cake and eating it too.

7. Like a Prayer - Madonna (1989) Well, if Madonna wasn't controversial before...Has Madonna ever been cooler than when she was during this moment?

8. Express Yourself - Madonna (1989) Thanks to Lady Gaga (Madonna's spiritual successor) for basically reviving the interest in this song by totally not copying it with "Born This Way."

9. Vogue - Madonna (1990) It almost seems as if Madonna was letting stardom get to her head...there's no way this can end well.

10. Ray of Light - Madonna (1998) Madonna continued to have success throughout the '90s, but she was no longer the "must see" act that she was in the '80s.  Still, by the end of the decade, she proved that she had a few more hits in her.  "Ray of Light"-era Madonna might just be my favorite Madonna.

11. Beautiful Stranger - Madonna (1999) Man, I wish this weren't an Austin Powers tie-in song because it is my absolute favorite Madonna song.  Bududah-dududududuh-dah-dah-dahdah-dah!

12. Don't Tell Me - Madonna (2000) While "Music" was everywhere in 2000, it was this single that I found to be a lot cooler and more enjoyable.  And, unfortunately, it would be the last fun Madonna song for a while.

13. Give Me All Your Luvin' - Madonna (2012) During the 21st century, Madonna's continued need for attention became something of an awkward joke.  It was like she was the "cool mom" who still tried to hang out with her kids' friends.  After some relatively bland years, she took a break after 2009 and then came back in full force in 2012.  I'm not quite ready to call it a second coming (or third coming), but at least she's proven that she can adapt to the changing sounds and can still entertain us the way she used to way back when.