Ask Billboard is updated every week. As always, submit your questions about Billboard charts, sales and airplay, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S.


MADONNA'S BIGGEST RADIO HITS

Hi Gary,

With Madonna's anticipated return to the scene with her upcoming "MDNA" album and her Super Bowl halftime show tomorrow, it got me to thinking about Madonna songs on the radio in the Nielsen BDS era.

Could you please rank her most-played tracks on radio over the years, according to BDS? (I understand that the number of monitored stations has increased over time, and that older songs might've had more time to build up a lead over more recent releases, but this would be nice information to know, nonetheless).

As for her upcoming new material, if any act aged 50-plus can garner curiosity and excitement for a brand-new single in today's youth-driven radio environment, it's Madonna.

Thanks and keep up the good work on the most-informative column.

Jim Radenhausen
Reeders, Pennsylvania


Thanks Jim!

As requested, here is a look at Her Madgesty's 20 most-played songs on all currently-monitored U.S. terrestrial stations dating to the advent of BDS data in the early '90s. (Special thanks to BDS director of data services Adam Foster):

Plays, Title, Billboard Hot 100 Peak Year
308,000, "Music," 2000
296,000, "Take a Bow," 1995
294,000, "Into the Groove," 1985
269,000, "Don't Tell Me," 2001
262,000, "Holiday," 1984

253,000, "Like a Prayer," 1989
237,000, "Borderline," 1984
223,000, "Crazy for You," 1985
180,000, " Vogue," 1990
158,000, "Lucky Star," 1984

156,000, "I'll Remember," 1994
152,000, "Open Your Heart," 1987
137,000, "Secret," 1994
128,000, "4 Minutes" (featuring Timbaland and Justin Timberlake), 2008
108,000, "La Isla Bonita," 1987

101,000, "Live to Tell," 1986
99,000, "Frozen," 1998
98,000, "Beautiful Stranger," 1999
85,000, "Santa Baby," 1987
76,000, "Die Another Day," 2002


Madonna's new single is off to a roaring start at pop radio, as "Give Me All Your Luvin'," featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., will almost surely debut on the Pop Songs airplay chart Monday after less than three days of airplay. Participating Clear Channel-owned mainstream top 40 stations, in conjunction with the company's iHeartRadio platform, are playing the song at the top of every hour leading up to her Super Bowl performance.

As of this posting, the song, which previews "MDNA," due March 26, also places at No. 12 on the iTunes Store's songs ranking, setting up a potentially lofty debut on next's week's Billboard Hot 100. Highlights of the chart will be revealed Wednesday (Feb. 6) on billboard.com.

Speaking of the big game ...


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