Madonna’s ‘Hard Candy’ Turns 5: Stan & Deliver

Bradley Stern | April 24, 2013 5:30 am

Name: Robbie Daw | Location: New York, NY | Twitter: @chartrigger

9. Dance 2Night: More than any other song on Hard Candy, the retro, funky “Dance 2night” represents somewhat of a wink and a nod to Madonna’s early ’80s roots. (And, rightly so — Hard Candy had Madge hitting the 25-year mark, as far as putting out albums was concerned.) Symbolic milestones aside, the track is all slinky bass, dreamy synths, disco guitar licks and smashing beats. Oh, and and there are some pretty sweet handclaps drizzled across the entire number for good measure. In other words, “Dance 2night” is Madonna letting her hair down and simply having a good time, which is usually when some of her best tracks come about.

That said, it’s mind boggling that the label opted to pass this shining gem over for a single release. Perhaps it was deemed that two Justin Timberlake duets would come across as overkill? (Though, curiously, JT isn’t given a feature bill here as he is on “4 Minutes,” despite his vocal back and forth with Madonna.) Whatever the reasoning, it was radio’s loss. Surely “Dance 2night” would have made for sweeter ear candy during drive time than “Miles Away.”