A big birthday happened recently and I did not want to let it pass without at least commenting on it. Pop icon Madonna turned 50 years old (on August 16, 2008)!!! Earlier this year, the purple one, Prince, also turned 50 and I had an issue dedicated to him which included my Top 20 songs by Prince. Go back and check that one out if you missed it.

I am not as much a fan of Madonna, but I will definitely acknowledge her success, longevity and pop culture impact. What she has accomplished is really rather amazing. Back on March 10th, Madonna was deservingly inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame along with John Mellencamp and others. I had an issue of Kickin' it which focused more on Mellencamp which included my Top 10 songs by him. In this issue, I briefly mentioned Madonna and included a link to watch the video montage that played before her induction. I recommend you click on that link to go back and watch that video again.

Guinness World Records list her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time and the top-earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of over $400 million, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. She has constantly reinvented herself over the years both with her musical sound as well as her fashion look. Although most were not commercial or critical successes, Madonna has acted in 22 films including most notably Evita (1996) for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

Madonna was particularly influential in the 80's, so I thought I would take this opportunity to publish my top 10 songs she released during that decade. She had 16 songs which reached at least the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Four of those hit #2 and impressively 7 went all the way to #1. With all of those hits, I decided to give you a few bonus songs added to my list, but will include links to the video for each of the top 10. So here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 MADONNA SONGS FROM THE 80's (+ Bonus 8):

18. "La Isla Bonita" (1986) from True Blue

17. "Papa Don't Preach" (1986) from True Blue

16. "Causing a Commotion" (1987) from Who's That Girl soundtrack

15. "Cherish" (1989) from Like A Prayer

14. "True Blue" (1986) from True Blue - I remember distinctly being stuck at home on a Saturday night in 1986 and watching a marathon of homemade videos for this song on MTV for a contest that they were having. Pretty sad, but I heard that same song played probably 20-30 times that night and each time I hear it now it takes me right back to that year.

13. "Holiday" (1983) from Madonna - Only reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 which is lower than any other song on this list

12. "Lucky Star" (1983) from Madonna

11. "Like A Virgin" (1984) from Like A Virgin - I am not as big of a fan of this song, though it was really her breakout hit and possibly her most recognized song

10. "Who's That Girl" (1987) from Who's That Girl soundtrack [link to video]

9. "Dress You Up" (1984) from Like A Virgin [link to video of live performance]

8. "Express Yourself" (1989) from Like A Prayer [link to video]

7. "Like A Prayer" (1989) from Like A Prayer [link to video] - Video was a bit controversial, but the song is quality. Interesting bit of trivia regarding this song is that it features some electric guitar riffs by none other than Prince.

6. "Open Your Heart" (1986) from True Blue [link to video]

5. "Into the Groove" (1984) from Like A Virgin [link to video] - Also appears in the movie Desperately Seeking Susan which stars Madonna with Rosanna Arquette

4. "Live To Tell" (1986) from True Blue [link to video] - Also appears on the soundtrack to the movie At Close Range which stars Madonna with then-husband Sean Penn

3. "Crazy For You" (1985) from Vision Quest soundtrack [link to video]

2. "Material Girl" (1984) from Like A Virgin [link to video] - Everything about this song is definitive of the 80's decade

1. "Borderline" (1983) from Madonna [link to video] - This song only made it to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it is easily my favorite from her catalog

There's my list. What do you think??? I'm sure many of you would rank "Like A Virgin" much higher than I have.  Leave some comments. Remember, this only includes songs from the 80's, so everything from "Vogue" onward did not qualify. A couple of my later favorites were released in 1994 including "I'll Remember" from the With Honors soundtrack and "Take a Bow" from Bedtime Stories. Like I said earlier, I would not consider myself a fan of Madonna, but she does hold an important place in the landscape of 80's music and pop culture so she gets my respect. Happy belated birthday, Madge. Though she does not look it, I still can't believe she is 50.

That will wrap up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks, as always, for reading. If you are looking for more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. If you are looking for more of my top 10 lists, please click there for a summary. If you are looking for anything else, please use the search box in the right hand column. Peace and much love.

Check this out: Are you looking for some cool t-shirts featuring 80's movies, cartoons or television shows??? Whether you are or not, you should check out 80s Tees.com. You can get there by clicking on the boxes with the ad in either the left or right hand column. That will take you directly to the website and you can browse through the hundreds of t-shirts they have available. It is entertaining to just peruse the many humorous choices (and who knows, you might find one that you need to have). I have just a couple of the choices shown here, but there are way too many great shirts at this site to do it justice. Please give it a look. I know you won't be disappointed.

Quote of the day: "A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That's why they don't get what they want." -Madonna

Download this: With all of those songs to choose from, I think I am going to go with... "Crazy For You" by Madonna