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

Bradley Stern | April 24, 2013 5:30 am

Name: Sergio Kletnoy | Location: New York, NY | Twitter: @sergiokletnoy

4. Heartbeat: For as long as I can remember, Madonna made me feel what no other pop star was able to before, during and most likely ever after. From the moment I first saw M flash across my TV screen, her music made me escape to another galaxy. It took control over my mind, body and soul, and hasn’t let go since. From the good times and bad, sad and ecstatic, she’s always been my ray of light. I remember buying Hard Candy the day it was released, on April 19, 2008, exactly two days before my birthday and smiling ear to ear. Instantly, “Heartbeat” — written by M and Pharrell Williams — became one of my faves.

It’s one of those no-brainers that completely takes over, demands you drop everything you’re doing and start dancing. From the pulsating Neptunes-produced beat, to Madonna’s sexiness oozing out of every second of the song, to the breakdown at 2:19, when The Queen asks that you “See my booty get down like…” over and over again, it’s like butter. This is what pop music is all about: It grabs you, shakes you, touches you in the most inappropriate way and makes you come back for more. I’ve never been the one to over-analyze her message — I just know that i feel it in my heartbeat…and that’s all that matters.