Originally posted by jason_z89

“Hung Up” turns 10 today. A decade older, yet still every bit as infectious as it was when Ryan Seacrest first spun it all those years ago. Designed from the ground-up to be the complete antithesis of Madonna’s 2013 album ‘American Life’ — an unfairly stigmatised LP that pissed off more people than it ever entertained — the track was marketed as Madonna’s return to fun pop music, and indirectly, mainstream relevance.

Madonna premiered “Hung Up” in a global live broadcast with Ryan Seacrest across commercial radio stations worldwide at precisely 5.06pm on Monday 17th October 2005. Endorsements with MTV, Apple, Motorola and CBS, and the unprecedented use of a vocal-free dub mix in the NYC club scene throughout summer 2005, had built up an appetite for the track. Madonna’s tabloid-friendly reinvention as a Londonite dance diva (with fabulously layered hair and leotards) also built buzz.

“Hung Up” was an instant smash. As one of the first “on air, on sale” singles in the then-new digital age, Madonna’s disco anthem rocketed to the top of every iTunes chart the week of release (It became Madonna's first track to be released to the iTunes Store for digital download). The physical release a few weeks later shattered records, simultaneously topping the charts in 45 countries (a first in music history).

Looking back, it’s easy to see why the track took off the way it did. In the mid-00s, radio and music channels were oversaturated with angsty pop-rock songs that hammered out the same anti-establishment lyrics over cheap guitar riffs and emo visuals. It was a time when Green Day were the biggest music act on the planet. Yet as with all trends, tastes change, and by late 2005 the world was ready to stop feeling sorry for itself, and start dancing again. Cue Madonna and her new British accent and squad of quirky-looking, under-dressed, Parkour-loving dancers, offering an exciting escape to the world of disco.

The intentionally-shallow chorus of Madonna confessing she is up in arms over an insensitive lover is so ordinary it’s relatable. The ebbs and flows of the Stuart Price production keeps you alert, especially when it gets downright dark and dirty in that Middle 8. And then that explosive final chorus and outro, with the ticking of a clock bringing the track round full circle. It’s a ride that Madonna worked her ass off to ensure the video and live performances continued, through slick choreography and staging. (Giant disco ball, anyone?)

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