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Hard Candy (Madonna album)
2008 studio album by Madonna From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Hard Candy is the eleventh studio album by American singer Madonna, released on April 18, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. In October 2007, Madonna announced her departure from the label after 25 years and signed a $120 million, ten-year 360 deal with entertainment company Live Nation, covering her future music-related ventures including touring, merchandising, and sponsorships. Following the release of her tenth studio album, 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madonna became interested in the work of singer Justin Timberlake, and enlisted him to collaborate on what would become her final studio album for Warner Bros. Other key collaborators included rapper Timbaland, producer Nate "Danja" Hills, and production duo The Neptunes, composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, with guest vocals from rapper Kanye West.
Musically, Hard Candy is a dance-pop record infused with urban, hip hop, and R&B elements. Thematically, Madonna described its songs as largely autobiographical, with lyrics centered around love, revenge, sex, and music, often laced with innuendo. The title references the contrast between "toughness and sweetness," reflected visually in the cover artwork, which depicts the singer as a boxer. Amidst speculation and leaks, Hard Candy became one of the first major albums to be distributed through mobile technology; several telecommunications companies pre-loaded its songs and singles onto mobile phones prior to release.
Critical reception was mixed. While many praised its danceable sound, others criticized it for being too similar to past works by other female artists such as Britney Spears, Nelly Furtado, and Gwen Stefani, whose own albums had been shaped by the same team of producers. Some argued that Hard Candy reflected a moment in Madonna's career where she began following trends rather than setting them. Despite the divided critical response, the album was a commercial triumph, topping the charts in 37 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and Japan. It was the eleventh best-selling album worldwide in 2008, with over four million copies sold to date.
Three singles were released from the album. Lead single "4 Minutes", a duet with Timberlake and Timbaland, topped charts in 21 countries and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Madonna's 37th top ten in the United States. Follow-up single "Give It 2 Me" reached number one on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, marking her 39th chart-topper in that category. To promote the album, Madonna performed small showcase concerts at New York's Roseland Ballroom, Paris' Olympia, and headlined the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. She also embarked on the Sticky & Sweet Tour, her eighth concert tour, which began in Cardiff in August 2008 and concluded in Tel Aviv in 2009. Grossing over US$411 million ($602.38 in 2024 dollars[1]), the tour became the second highest-grossing tour in history at the time.
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Background
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From left: Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Pharrell Williams collaborated with Madonna on the album.
According to music journalist Daryl Easlea, in his 2012 biography Madonna: Blond Ambition, following the release of her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), producer Stuart Price asked Madonna what she wanted to pursue next. Her response was simple: "I want to make dance music, as always."[2] At the time, however, her musical tastes were shifting. She had become "obsessed," Easlea writes, with Justin Timberlake's second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006).[2][3] Inspired by the album's polished urban pop production, Madonna made the deliberate choice to collaborate with a new wave of popular producers. According to Easlea, her goal was to "follow in the footsteps of the new generation of female stars" —particularly Britney Spears, Nelly Furtado, and Gwen Stefani— and to "work her magic" on the sound of urban contemporary music.[4] In February 2007, while attending one of Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveShow concerts, Timbaland, one of the producers behind FutureSex/LoveSounds, confirmed that Madonna had contacted him, though he gave no additional details at the time.[5] By mid-2007, he publicly announced that both him and Timberlake were working with her on a new album project.[6]
Additional contributors included The Neptunes, the American production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, and producer Nate "Danja" Hills. Easlea described the Neptunes as having a "slightly cultish" reputation, known as "crazy sound alchemists" capable of crafting "pop gems" from unexpected sonic textures.[2][7] Around this period, NME reported that singer Mika may have participated in early sessions, although no official confirmation of his involvement appears in the album's final credits.[8] Whereas Madonna had previously worked with lesser-known European producers such as Mirwais Ahmadzaï, William Orbit, and Stuart Price, her decision to recruit high-profile American collaborators signaled a significant shift. According to Easlea, the move was strategic: She aimed to "recapture the energetic sound of her early '80s hits" while re-engaging with the mainstream American pop landscape.[2] Easlea concluded: "[Madonna] had historically always been the trailblazer [...] but at this point in her career, it seemed to make sound and commercial sense to follow the hottest trends."[4]
In October 2007, Madonna officially announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records, the label she had been signed to since the beginning of her career. She entered into a landmark $120 million, ten-year 360 deal with Live Nation, which covered not only future albums but also touring, merchandise, and corporate sponsorships. Hard Candy would become her final studio release under Warner Bros.[9]
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Recording and development
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"I usually work with producers who are sort of behind the scenes people ―they don't go out on tour, don't make their own records, they're not usually stars in their own right, so we definitely had to get used to each other's energy. [Timbaland, Timberlake and Williams] have very strong opinions ―as do I― and that was a bit of an adjustment, but it turned out great in the end."
— Madonna on Hard Candy's recording processs, and working with multiple producers.[2]
Recording sessions for Hard Candy began in early 2007 and took place at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, Criteria Studios in Miami, and Sarm West Studios in London.[10][11] The first days of production proved challenging. Madonna was used to working within a structured daytime schedule, while Timbaland, Timberlake, and Williams preferred late-night sessions, and expected her to adjust to their routine.[2] Creative friction emerged early on, with the singer later remarking that there were "four divas" in the studio —herself, Timberlake, Timbaland, and Williams.[2] According to Easlea, Madonna expected not only production but also lyrical collaboration from her partners.[2] Initially, this proved difficult. "Writing is very intimate. You have to be vulnerable," she explained. Unfamiliar with her collaborators, she felt intimidated by the idea of composing songs with them, describing the early writing sessions as awkward and intimidating.[2] However, her and Timberlake eventually found common ground. He recalled that she often arrived with fragments of lyrics and poetry, which they shaped into full songs through extended brainstorming sessions.[3] Their first collaboration, "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You", was based on a demo Madonna had been working on for years; Timberlake helped reframe it into a complete song.[3]
Their next project, "Miles Away", addressed long-distance relationships — a personal topic for both artists.[3] Timberlake introduced a guitar riff, and Madonna quickly responded with lyrics.[3] She later explained the song reflected not just her own marriage to British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, but also "the global consciousness of people who have intimacy problems."[12][13] Other collaborations between them included "Dance 2Night" and "4 Minutes", which was originally titled "4 Minutes to Save the World"; the latter also featured Timbaland.[12][8] A separate track, "La La", produced by Timbaland, was recorded but ultimately not included on the final track listing.[6]
Williams brought a spontaneous and playful energy to the recording sessions. Madonna described his approach as "unpretentious", and referred to him as a "natural musician" who would experiment with sounds using whatever was at hand. "He would grab my acoustic guitar, he couldn't play, but he’d start playing percussion on it. He would find bottles and start playing them with spoons. He’s very inventive in the studio," she recalled.[12] Together, they created "Candy Shop", "Spanish Lesson", "Give It 2 Me", and "She’s Not Me".[12][14] Reflecting on the creation of "Candy Shop", Williams recalled: "[Madonna] was like, 'Look, give me some hot shit.' I was looking at her like, 'She’s saying hot shit?' She was like, 'What?' And I’m like, 'OK.' So we just worked and made it."[14] "Spanish Lesson" was inspired by what Williams described as the "B-beat" — a style characterized by chopped-up, staccato rhythms associated with Baltimore club music.[12] Another track, "Beat Goes On", featured a guest verse by Kanye West, who had just four hours in the studio to write, record, and finalize his contribution before catching a flight.[12]
Madonna later described the entire experience of recording Hard Candy as creatively rewarding. "It pushed me as a vocalist [...] pushed me to sing in rhythms and phrasing that I normally wouldn’t have done on my own. That's the great thing about collaborating with other people," she said.[15] She also conducted her own informal "market research," frequently playing tracks for her children, husband, and friends to gather feedback throughout the production process.[12]
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Composition
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Hard Candy is a dance-pop album that blends urban genres such as R&B and hip hop, while incorporating stylistic touches of disco and Philadelphia soul, reminiscent of Madonna's early influences.[2][16][17] According to BBC News and Slant Magazine, the album's lyrics revolve around themes of love, revenge, sex, and music.[18][19] The singer herself described the songs as largely autobiographical —though "in more of an unconscious way"— and said they reflected her emotional state during the recording process, often conveyed through innuendo-laced lyrics.[20][21]
Production is divided between Williams and the team of Timbaland, Danja, and Timberlake. The Guardian observed that Timbaland and Timberlake's contributions follow a formula of "honking rave synthesisers, sweaty funk riffs, [and] clattering beats," while Williams' tracks —such as "Beat Goes On" and "She's Not Me"— introduce "disco strings, toots, beeps, whistles, handclaps and Chic guitar licks," drawing from retro influences.[22] Rolling Stone magazine described the production process as collaborative and layered, highlighting "4 Minutes" as an example where Madonna and Timberlake trade lines, finish each other's phrases, and overlap in vocal delivery.[23]
The album's innuendo-driven tone is evident in "Give It 2 Me", where Madonna proclaims, "When the lights go down and there's no one left, I can go on and on" —a line that MTV interpreted as both a motivational statement and a sexual double entendre.[24] Sexual metaphor is further emphasized in "Candy Shop", where lines like "My sugar is raw" and "Say which flavor you like and I'll have it for you" are sung over what BBC Music described as "breathy punctuation and tinny percussion."[19][25] In "She's Not Me", Madonna confronts a romantic rival with the line, "She started dressing like me and talking like me. It freaked me out," which This Is Dig!'s Mark Elliott noted echoes "Thief of Hearts", a similarly confrontational track from her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992).[14][26]
Several tracks delve into emotional distance and vulnerability. "Miles Away" blends a "Ray of Light trancelike vibe" with folktronica textures reminiscent of both Music (2000) and American Life (2003), layered over a "stuttering" Timbaland beat.[21][27] Its lyrics reflect the tension of long-distance love, hinting at Madonna's own marital struggles, with lines like "I guess we’re at our best when we’re miles away" and "You always have the biggest heart when we’re 6,000 miles apart."[23][27] Described as the album's most structurally unconventional track, "Incredible" shifts between genres, key changes, and overlapping vocals to mirror a plea for renewal in a faltering relationship.[28][14] "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" begins with a lullaby-like calm before building into a lush, brooding arrangement that underscores its themes of deception and emotional denial.[14][12]
Meanwhile, "Heartbeat" evokes Madonna's earlier dance-pop style —particularly "Into the Groove" (1985)— with a "thumping hip-hop beat, a sandpaper shuffle and twinkling Eighties-reminiscent synths".[18][23] "Spanish Lesson" incorporates Latin pop and Flamenco influences, featuring a "ton" of percussion and playful lyrics like, "If you do your homework, baby I will give you more."[14][29][27] The atmospheric closing track, "Voices", poses the question “Who is the master, who is the slave?” before winding down operatically and concluding with a dramatic bell toll.[30] Included only on the Japanese edition, "Ring My Bell" has Madonna threatening to withhold intimacy from a lover who won't be upfront. Williams features briefly on backing vocals.[31]
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Title and artwork
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Sirius Satellite Radio host Larry Flick reported on December 6, 2007, that Madonna's upcoming album would be titled Licorice and scheduled for release in late April of the following year.[32] However, the next day, the singer's longtime publicist Liz Rosenberg refuted the claim, stating, "Sirius does not know what they are talking about. Wrong title. Release date wrong."[33] The official title, Hard Candy, was revealed on February 26, 2008, by Entertainment Weekly.[34] According to Rosenberg, the name reflected a "juxtaposition of toughness and sweetness," and as Madonna herself explained, "I'm gonna kick your ass, but it's going to make you feel good."[34] In an interview with MTV Australia, the singer revealed that she had initially considered naming the album Candy Shop or Give It to Me, but ultimately discarded both options as they were already the titles of songs by 50 Cent and Timbaland, respectively.[35] Another working title was Black Madonna, which she described as "fun" but ultimately did not pursue further.[36]
For the album's artwork, Madonna collaborated with American photographer Steven Klein and developed a boxing-inspired visual concept.[35] The cover image, taken during a photoshoot originally commissioned for Interview magazine, features the singer seated against a backdrop of pink peppermint swirls, wearing knee-high boots and a championship belt.[37][38] Writing for Billboard, Joe Lynch remarked that the cover resembled "an outtake [rather] than a photo shoot's best take."[39] In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, Madonna revealed to Austin Scaggs that her and Klein had also created imagery for the working title Black Madonna, which was ultimately scrapped. "I painted my face black, except for red lips and white eyes," she recalled. "Then I thought, 'Twenty-five percent of the world might get this, probably less. It’s not worth it.'"[36]
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Leaks and release
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On July 27, 2007, the song "Candy Shop" leaked online on file hosting service Putfile, though it was quickly taken down. In response, NME reported that Madonna's then-untitled album was expected to be released in November of that year.[40] The following month, a demo version of album track "Beat Goes On", featuring guest vocals by Williams, also surfaced online.[41] Additionally, on December 16, Timbaland played "4 Minutes" during his set at the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball —three months ahead of the track's official release date.[8]
Madonna's official website announced in March 2008 that Hard Candy would be released worldwide on April 28, with its US release scheduled for the following day.[42] In Mexico, however, the album was issued earlier on April 18, according to the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.[43] The following week, it was released in Germany.[44] On April 21, one week before the official release, seven songs from Hard Candy leaked online.[45] Furthermore, the full album was made available for streaming on Madonna's official MySpace page four days ahead of the US launch.[46] A deluxe "Candy Box" was released in the United Kingdom on May 12, featuring the full album, two additional remixes, and a bag of starlight mints enclosed in collectible packaging.[21][47]
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Promotion
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"4 Minutes" was featured on a March 17, 2008 Sunsilk commercial as part of an early promotional push for Hard Candy.[48] The following day, The Times reported that Vodafone users in Europe would have access to seven tracks from the album one week prior to its official release.[49] According to Billboard, Vodafone and Warner Music also partnered to offer new music and mobile content related to the album to Vodafone customers, while in France, the full album and the "4 Minutes" video were pre-loaded onto Samsung's F400 handset, which launched in early June.[50] A similar deal was struck with Sony Ericsson, which offered the album pre-loaded on phones in 27 countries worldwide.[51]
On March 24, it was announced that "Miles Away" would serve as the theme song for the Japanese television drama Change, scheduled to premiere in April.[52] Songs from Hard Candy were also featured in "Jump", the second season finale of American series Ugly Betty, which aired on May 22.[53] Ahead of the broadcast, a special promotional video aired in which the show's main character, Betty Suarez (played by America Ferrera), asks Madonna for an autographed copy of the album as a birthday gift for her nephew.[54]
Live performances and tour
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On April 30, 2008, Madonna performed songs from Hard Candy at an exclusive concert held at New York's Roseland Ballroom, attended by approximately 2,200 people.[55][56] Hundreds of fans reportedly camped overnight to obtain one of the 750 wristbands that granted free admission.[56][57] The remaining tickets were distributed to radio and internet contest winners (about 1,000), as well as 200 members of Madonna's official fan club.[56] The event was streamed live via MSN Music and broadcast globally to mobile devices through Verizon and Vodafone.[56] During the show, Madonna was joined onstage by Timberlake for the performance of "4 Minutes".[55] Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone described the concert as an "impressive taste" of what the singer's upcoming concert tour might entail.[55] The promotional performances continued with another intimate concert at Paris' Olympia hall on May 6, followed by a headlining set at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend four days later.[58][59]
Hard Candy was further promoted through the Sticky & Sweet Tour, Madonna's eighth concert tour. Announced on May 8, 2008, the tour launched in Cardiff on August 23 and concluded in São Paulo on December 21.[60][61] A second leg was added in 2009, beginning in London and ending in Tel Aviv, spanning 27 additional European dates.[62] The concert was divided into four thematic sections —Pimp, Old School, Gypsy, and Rave— and described as a "rock-driven, dance-tastic journey."[63] Critics praised the tour's production value, Madonna's performance, and its visual ambition.[64] With a gross of US$411 million ($602.38 in 2024 dollars[1]), Sticky & Sweet became the second highest-grossing tour in history at the time, behind only the Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour.[65] It also earned Top Boxscore, Top Draw, and Top Manager (for Guy Oseary) at the 2009 Billboard Touring Awards.[66]
Singles
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Lead single "4 Minutes" premiered on radio on March 17, 2008, and was released digitally on March 25.[67][68] The track received mixed reviews upon release; while its catchy hook was praised, several critics argued that Madonna felt like a guest on her own song.[a] Commercially, however, it was a major success, topping the charts in 21 countries.[73] In the United States, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, making Madonna the artist with the most top ten hits in the rock era —surpassing her tie with Elvis Presley with her 37th entry.[74][75] "4 Minutes" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 51st Grammy Awards.[76] Its accompanying music video, directed by Jonas & François, features Madonna and Timberlake tackling physical obstacles.[23]
The follow-up single, "Give It 2 Me", was released digitally on June 24, along with a set of remixes.[77] The song was generally well-received, with critics praising its self-empowerment theme.[30][78] It became Madonna's 39th number-one on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, and reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart.[79][80] "Give It 2 Me" received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording.[76] Tom Munro and Nathan Rissman directed the music video, which features Madonna in black-and-white visuals, donning a cowboy hat and "hipster workout gear," alongside a cameo from Williams.[81][82]
"Miles Away" and its remixes were issued for digital download on August 11, 2009.[83] The track was praised by critics for its melodic appeal and emotional resonance, with some comparing it to Timberlake's "What Goes Around... Comes Around" (2006).[70][84] In the US, it became Madonna's ninth consecutive number-one hit on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart.[85] Although not officially released as singles, "Heartbeat", "Beat Goes On", and "Candy Shop" were certified by Pro-Música Brasil for surpassing digital sales thresholds in the country.[86]
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Critical reception
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Despite holding a score of 65 on Metacritic —indicating "generally favorable reviews"[87]— Hard Candy received a mixed critical response, with opinions ranging from positive to dismissive. Among the favorable reviews, Blender magazine's Tony Power called the album "good-naturedly smutty", and Easlea described it as Confessions on a Dance Floor "with a frothier, more playful and bawdily humorous feel".[89][4] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly deemed it a "crowd-pleaser of a CD" and an "unpretentious, nonstop dance party", while Digital Spy's Nick Levine found it to be a "brisk, exciting listen" even if not one of Madonna's "great artistic achievements".[90][94] Jon Pareles from The New York Times called its main message "Madonna's still around," delivering calculated pop songs that, while less profound than past efforts, were "smart to stay shallow".[28]
Less enthusiastic were critics like NME, who felt that "half the songs are good" but "there's nothing that'll blow you away", calling it "pretty mediocre" by Madonna's own high standards.[95] Junkee's Joseph Earp noted that while not bad, Hard Candy isn't "as great as it should be".[96] Both Now's Benjamin Boles and Bloomberg News' Mark Beech pointed to its sonic consistency but criticized its direction —Boles said it sounded like Madonna was "desperately trying to catch up with American R&B princesses".[97][21] Echoing this, Sam Damshenas and Daniel Megarry from Gay Times called it the moment where Madonna "stopped creating trends and started chasing them".[17]
The production was a recurring point of critique. Samuel Murrian from Instinct wrote that while Timberlake, Pharrell, and Timbaland "bring exactly what you'd expect", the result "barely feels like a Madonna record".[98] Several critics noted similarities to earlier projects by Nelly Furtado, Britney Spears, and Gwen Stefani —albums also produced by Timbaland, Danja, and The Neptunes— suggesting Hard Candy lacked distinctiveness.[93][99][100] BBC News' Mark Savage suggested the album "could have ranked alongside Madonna's best" with more subtle production choices, and compared it unfavorably to her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories (1994).[18] The A.V. Club's Andy Battaglia criticized the "forceful" guest spots and the "self-identifying moves" from its producers.[88]
Some reviewers perceived Madonna as creatively detached.[88][101] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described the album as "lifeless", adding that it sounded as though she had simply "handed the reins" to Timberlake and Timbaland, resulting in what he called "Nelly Furtado's 'Promiscuous' hand-me-downs".[70] Spin magazine's Al Shipley similarly felt it's her only album where "it truly feels she's just riding the wave of her collaborators and adding as little of her own personality as possible".[102] The Evening Standard's El Hunt agreed, remarking that Hard Candy often made Madonna seem like a "guest dropping by on her own record".[103] A writer from the Telegram & Gazette deemed the album "sour" and "uneven", lamenting its reminder of a time when Madonna was "more interesting, more original, and alas, younger".[78] Chris Gerard of WRC-TV went further, calling it her worst effort up to that point: "a substantial disappointment", with forgettable songs, shrill vocals, and little that felt "genuine or believable".[104] Other reviewers dismissed Hard Candy as "vapid", "juvenile", "underwhelming, overworked [and] overproduced", a "let down", and lyrically weak —a musical stepback for the artist.[b] WhatCulture's Reece Shrewsbury concluded it's "by far the worst of [Madonna's] studio releases".[106]
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Commercial performance
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Following its release, Hard Candy topped the charts in 37 countries.[107] In the United States, it sold 100,000 copies on its first day, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[108] With over 280,000 copies sold in its first week, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming Madonna's seventh chart-topping album in the country and placing her second among female artists with the most number-one albums, behind Barbra Streisand.[109] On June 4, 2008, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments exceeding 500,000 units.[110] As of December 2016, Hard Candy had sold 751,000 copies in the United States.[111] In Canada, it debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified Platinum by Music Canada (MC) for shipments of over 80,000 units.[112][113] By January 2009, the album had sold 169,000 copies in Canada, according to Nielsen.[114]
In Mexico, Hard Candy peaked at number three and was certified platinum by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.[115][116] The album also topped the charts in Argentina during the week of June 1, earning a platinum certification from the Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas for shipments exceeding 40,000 copies.[117] In Brazil, it reached number one on the national albums chart.[118]
Hard Candy debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Madonna's tenth chart-topping album in the country.[119] It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments exceeding 300,000 copies, with Music Week reporting sales of 335,523 units by September 2009.[120][121] The album saw widespread success across Europe, reaching number one in Italy,[122] Spain,[123] Portugal,[124] France, and Germany.[125][126] In France, it sold 37,963 copies within its first two days and was later certified platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) for shipments of over 200,000 units.[127] According to Musica e dischi, Hard Candy was Italy's best-selling international album of 2008, with more than 170,000 copies sold.[128] The record also topped the European Top 100 Albums chart.[129]
In Australia, Hard Candy became Madonna's seventh album to top the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 70,000 copies.[130][131] It was slightly less successful in New Zealand, debuting and peaking at number five and spending nine weeks on the chart.[132] In Japan, the album debuted at number one on the Oricon chart with over 55,000 copies sold in its first week. Sales rose to nearly 80,000 in its second week, allowing it to retain the top spot.[133] Hard Candy was Madonna's first album to reach number one in Japan in almost twenty years, since I'm Breathless (1990), making her the first international artist in Oricon chart history to have number-one albums across three consecutive decades.[134] Globally, Hard Candy was the eleventh best-selling album of 2008 and has sold over four million copies worldwide.[135][136]
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Accolades and recognition
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"Much ink and cyber space have been devoted to debating the relevancy of Madonna, and in 2008, with the pop star approaching her 50th birthday, her relevancy and place in the ever-changing pop culture landscape was up for debate once again. But, as she's known to do, [she] proved her critics wrong with Hard Candy debuting at number one on the Billboard album charts not only in the United States and Canada, but in 20 other countries as well."
—Michele Yeo from Entertainment Tonight Canada commenting on the album.[137]
Hard Candy received several accolades and year-end mentions following its release. Spanish outlet Jenesaispop and news agency EFE included it among the best albums of 2008.[138][139] In Denmark, Ole Burn Rosenstand of Gaffa magazine ranked it as one of the year's top 10 foreign albums.[140] It was awarded English-Language Album of the Year at the seventh edition of Mexico's Premios Oye![141] The album was also honored as one of the Top 3 International Albums at the 2009 Japan Gold Disc Awards.[142] Additionally, Hard Candy received a nomination for Foreign Modern Pop-Rock Album of the Year at the 2009 Hungarian Music Awards.[143]
On the album's 10th anniversary, Billboard's Chuck Arnold described Hard Candy as Madonna's "last great album", even if it's not a "classic" or up to par to her previous works.[27] He praised its consistency, writing: "There is no filler. There are no bad tracks. Zero." Arnold also noted that "the special Neptunes sauce" inspired Madonna to sound more erotic than she had since Erotica. He concluded by calling the album a "sweet victory lap" —a fitting final chapter in her 25-year tenure with Warner Bros., the label under which she became "the most famous female artist on the planet."[27]
In Mobile Internet For Dummies, authors Michael J. O'Farrell, John R. Levine, Jostein Arlgroy, James Pearce, and Daniel Appelquist noted that Hard Candy made Madonna the first major artist to release an album via mobile phones prior to its physical store release —a point echoed by The Times' Jonathan Richards.[144][49] Writing for Billboard, Leila Cobo highlighted Madonna as one of the artists "at the forefront of the mobile revolution" in Latin America, which was then the most active region globally in terms of preloaded content.[145] Fellow Billboard writer Andre Paine reported that Sony Ericsson sold 650,000 units of its W760 model across Latin America, preloaded with Hard Candy, earning a symbolic gold disc from Warner Music.[146] According to Chilean newspaper La Nación, the album's mobile release set a precedent for how cell phones emerged as a key platform for music distribution during the 2008 financial crisis.[147]
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Track listing
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Notes
- The Limited Collector's Edition Candy Box includes two "4 Minutes" remix bonus tracks: Tracy Young House Edit, and Rebirth Remix Edit.[150]
- The digital deluxe edition includes the remix bonus tracks "4 Minutes" (Peter Saves New York Edit), "4 Minutes" (Junkie XL Remix Edit), and "Give It 2 Me" (Paul Oakenfold Edit).[151]
- The limited LP edition includes two "4 Minutes" remix bonus tracks: Tracy Young Mixshow, and Peter Saves New York.[152]
- ^a signifies a co-producer
- ^b signifies an additional producer
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Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[11][70]
- Madonna – vocals, songwriting, executive producer
- Justin Timberlake – vocals, background vocals, songwriting, executive producer
- Timbaland – vocals, songwriting, executive producer, drums, bass
- Kanye West – vocals (rap)
- Pharrell Williams – songwriting, background vocals, producer
- Nate "Danja" Hills – producer, keyboards
- Mark "Spike" Stent – audio recording, audio mixing
- Andrew Coleman – audio mixing
- Anthony Asher – engineering
- Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica – recording
- Demacio "Demo" Castellon – recording, programming, audio mixing
- Julian Vasquez – assistant engineer
- Vadim Chislov – assistant engineer
- Graham Archer – assistant engineer
- Fareed Salamah – assistant engineer
- Joseph Castellon – senior engineer
- Wendy Melvoin – acoustic guitar
- Monte Pittman – acoustic and bass guitar
- Hannon Lane – keyboards
- DJ Demo – scratches
- Ron Taylor – Pro Tools
- Stevie Blacke – strings
- Chris Gehringer – audio mastering
- Steven Klein – principal photography
- Giovanni Blanco – art direction
- Guy Oseary – management
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Charts
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Certifications and sales
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Release history
Notes
References
External links
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