Maps of Music

Hard Candy (2008)

Where the lyrics of Hard Candy take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first planned under the name Black Madonna, and the cover photo shows a championship belt inscribed with its earlier title, Give It to Me.

Key places

Recorded at Record Plant (2008)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Recording of the album is linked to Record Plant in Los Angeles. The point marks the studio building, not an exact room. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at a Sarm studio in London (2008)

Recording site Sarm Studios (London) — Recording of the album is linked to a Sarm studio in London. The point is placed at the city center level, not at the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Criteria in Miami (2008)

Recording site Criteria Studios — Recording of the album is linked to Criteria Studios in Miami. The point marks the studio building, not an exact room. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Hard Candy: eleventh studio album by American singer Madonna
• Released in April 2008 by Warner Bros. Records
• Madonna's last album for the label after a 25-year history
• Dance-pop record mixing hip hop, electropop, disco, electro, funk and R&B
• Debuted at number one in 37 countries; more than 4 million copies sold worldwide
• Produced with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, the Neptunes and Nate "Danja" Hills

Background

• Timbaland said in February 2007 that he was working with Madonna on the album
• Released after the greatest hits collection Celebration, before Madonna joined Live Nation Artists
• The 10-year Live Nation deal covered all future music and music-related businesses, including touring and merchandising
• Warner had originally asked Pet Shop Boys to write and produce some songs for the album
• MTV described the album as moving in an urban direction, with many producers from many genres
• Madonna first wanted an alter-ego called the black Madonna, which was later dropped

Recording

• Madonna had already started with Pharrell Williams before Justin Timberlake was brought in
• Her manager Guy Oseary suggested to Timberlake that he record songs with her
• Earlier albums had used lesser-known producers such as William Orbit, Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Stuart Price; for this album she chose producers who were already well known
• The first track Madonna and Timberlake recorded was "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"
• Timberlake said Madonna brought large notebooks of ideas, riddles and poems
• Additional vocals by Timberlake, Timbaland, Williams and Kanye West

Cover

• Photo shot for the cover with Steven Klein
• Madonna has short cropped hair, a black leotard and a professional wrestling championship belt across her waist
• The belt reads "Give It to Me", the album's original title
• Backdrop shows pink peppermint swirls

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Madonna Louise Ciccone, born August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress.
• Raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township; moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue dance.
• Performed as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in the rock bands Breakfast Club and Emmy before signing with Sire Records.
• Debut album Madonna (1983) brought her fame.

Career

• Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), and The Immaculate Collection (1990) are among the best-selling albums of all time.
• Rolling Stone ranked Like a Prayer (1989), Ray of Light (1998), and Music (2000) among the greatest albums of all time.
• Known for continual reinvention and for works addressing social, political, sexual, and religious themes.
• Acting credits include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996), for which she won a Golden Globe.
• Founded the entertainment company Maverick (1992–2009), including Maverick Records.
• Is the best-selling female music artist of all time and the first female performer to accumulate US$1 billion from concerts.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, in her first year of eligibility.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: 65 out of 100 from 24 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews
• BBC's Mark Savage: if a few tracks had gone to producers with more subtlety, the album could have ranked with Madonna's best
• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine: described the album as a lifeless Madonna album with a palpable sense of disinterest
• Blender's Tom Young: gave a positive review, calling it good-naturedly smutty
• Entertainment Weekly's Chris Willman: gave the album a B+
• Rolling Stone's Caryn Ganz: described it as the work of a songwriting team of American chart royalty, with Madonna as the plaything of top-shelf producers
• The Guardian's Ben Thompson: called it a tough, nuggety confection
• NME's Wilfred Young: found it a solid album by pop standards but pretty mediocre from Madonna

Reappraisal

• Billboard's Chuck Arnold on the 10th anniversary: called it Madonna's last great album, though not a classic
• Arnold praised its consistency: "There is no filler. There are no bad tracks. Zero."

Records

• Debuted at number one in 37 countries; eleventh best-selling album worldwide in 2008 per IFPI
• Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with over 280,000 copies sold
• Madonna's seventh number-one album in the United States
• RIAA gold on June 4, 2008 for 500,000 shipments; 751,000 copies as of December 2016
• UK number one; BPI platinum for over 300,000 shipments
• France: SNEP platinum for 200,000 copies
• Canada: platinum for 80,000 shipments
• Australia: platinum for 70,000 shipments
• Japan: Oricon number one debut
• Premios Oye! English-Language Album of the Year; one of the Top 3 International Albums at the 2009 Japan Gold Disc Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The black Madonna alter-ego was dropped to avoid controversy.
• Seven songs were offered for mobile download in the week before release, and the album was pre-loaded on phones in several markets.
• The 'Jump' season finale of Ugly Betty's second season featured only Madonna's music.
• The promo tour's first show was at Roseland Ballroom in New York, a hall with a 2,200 capacity.
• "Miles Away" was also used in the Japanese TV drama Change.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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