What would you do if you had ‘4 Minutes’ to save the world?
Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland’s answer clearly was: create an infectious Pop bop.
This week’s From The Vault pick is ‘4 Minutes’ by the dynamic trio.
In 2008, after celebrating the disco era with the impeccable ‘Confessions On A Dancefloor’ era, Madonna had her sights on the future. Notably with subsequent release ‘Hard Candy.’ So, in a very expected manner, she made sure she surrounded herself with the people responsible for the biggest hits at that time.
Enter Timberlake and Timbaland, with whom she released ‘Minutes’, a glorious, brassy and high-octane number as the album’s first single.
Commercially, the collaboration proved to be successful with the track peaking at #3 in the US and topping the charts in 21 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
For the video, the ever-edgy chanteuse turned to French directors Jonas & François and creative director/choreographer Jamie King to come up with a visual as spectacular as the song. The result was an apocalyptic offering where Madge and JT race against a black amorphous entity in order to have fun one last time before the world ends.
The video was nominated for a MTV VMA for Best Dancing in a Video in 2008, but lost to The Pussycat Dolls’ ‘When I Grow Up’.
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We’ll never knock Madonna’s hustle when it comes to keeping up with what’s hot. Because, when it’s tastefully done (as seen with this very song), the outcome can be a commercially fruitful pop dream, as well as a big middle finger to ageists around the world.
Sadly, in recent years Magde hasn’t scored a song that was able to match the quality of ‘4 Minutes’ from any of the whoever hip collaborators she got in the studio with.
Still, what time has taught us, is to never count her out.
While the priority is for her to recover after her ‘Madame X’ tour, we’re excited as always about what’s coming next for Madonna.
I miss those good timbo songs back in 06-08, s-e-x-yback, promiscuous, maneater, say it right, the way I are, give it 2me, icebox, rehab…. WtF is Timbaland now? He retired?????
Timbo was on top of the world back then. His sound was everywhere and Shock value ate! He needs to reunite with Keri.
That would be a very welcome reunion.
I consider myself a Madonna fan. This song is terrible, in my opinion.
This song is classic. Madonna and JT 4ever. Her last memorable hit if you ask me.
You want classic Madonna where she is untouchable: LOVE TRIED TO WELCOME ME, SECRETS, ANGEL. THIS SONG is “NOT” one of them.
Never listened to either of these songs started listening to Love Tried To Welcome Me, it’s kinda boring nice beat though.
This was Madonna’s last #1 in UK and last top 3 hit in US
But Madonna is a legend and an icon
Long live the Queen
I still have this song in Constant rotation!!
The entire hard candy album is a stain on Madonnas otherwise flawless discography. The only album where she tried to follow trends rather than staying unique to herself and her artistry. This was when it went downhill. Forever the queen of pop
This song is so good!
Her mix with Timbaland with JT always gave me life!
Matter of fact i think this album was the last time I can truly say i loved JT’s work!
Hard candy was Madonna’s last tour i was able to see live and it was everything <3
Even the message on the song feels accurately today:
We only Got 4 Minutes to save the world…
IM DEAD! iTunes has GaGa’s “chromatica” release date as December 31, 2020. Girl, it’s clear she’s about to re-record the ENTIRE album! If you believe in the music GaGa, release like The Weeknd did. I cannot! The night have fallen! This generation doesn’t care about you GaGa! You’re not Madonna!
Alicia Keys has the exact same “expected” date on her new album page through iTunes. I believe this is just a placeholder date until a new one gets confirmed, and it’s the same thing for Gaga. The C********** has made release date unpredictable, but this placeholder at least allows us to believe the albums will come out this year.
Also, Dec 31 is a Thursday…albums don’t get officially released on Thursdays. It’s always on a Friday.
I remember never liking this song and I still feel the same way. I prefer Tim’s work with Keri.
Billboard Hot 100:
#12. My Oh My —
@Camila_Cabello
&
@DaBabyDaBaby
(+1)
[19 weeks on chart | *new peak*]
…..
US Pop Radio:
#2. My Oh My (+1) *new peak*
— Spins: 17.491 (+103)
— Audience: 82.915 (+0.217)
Congrats Ms Camila???
Still isnt top 10 hit .. ewwwww
12 years later and still so relevant…Hard Candy is still despite 5 million album sales and a record setting tour one of Madonna’s most overlooked albums…. the lyrics, production, vocals, energy that album has… is still unreal! And this video was everywhere….ANTHEM for the apocalypse!
ICONIC AND CLASSIC! Her biggest tour of all-time by a solo artist! 🙂