Once Upon a Time in the Top Spot: Madonna, Hard Candy

Eight years ago today, Madonna released her 11th studio album, an all-star affair which featured such notable collaborators as the Neptunes, Timbaland, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and – on the album’s first single, “4 Minutes “ – Justin Timberlake.

The process of recording Hard Candy kicked off in early 2007, but the idea of working with Timberlake was initiated when Madonna fell hard for his 2006 album, FutureSex/LoveSounds. As a result, Timberlake and the album’s producer, Timbaland, found themselves developing songs for the her new album. In an interview with MTV, she offered a very simple explanation for why she chose her particular collaborators: “Because they’re good, and I like their shit.” Well, fair enough.

In addition to Timberlake and Timberland appearing on “4 Minutes,” they’re also part of the production for four other tracks. Similarly, the aforementioned Mr. West turns up to rap on “Beat Goes On,” one of seven songs produced by The Neptunes for the album. Unsurprisingly, those are the seven songs co-written by Pharrell.

Hard Candy was the last new studio album recorded for Warner Brothers by Madonna, but you can’t say she didn’t go out with a win: she walked away with a #1 album on both sides of the Atlantic, earning another top-5 US hit with “4 Minutes,” scoring a #1 single with the song in the UK as well as a top-10 UK with “Give It 2 Me,” which hit #7.