Madonna - "4 Minutes" (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)

Who: Madonna
What: brand new single, released 25 March in the US
Why: instant club hit/spring break anthem, her best song in nearly a decade
When/Where/How: listen to "4 Minutes" by Madonna NOW - Quicktime | Windows Media

When leaks are bad: when they aren't finished versions, are boring, or cause artists to lose money that would otherwise rightfully be theirs.

When leaks are good: the first version of "4 Minutes" that I heard was the horrible recording of it that was played in a club in Philly by Timbaland back in December. I only listened to it because I'm, well, a bit of a Madonna fan and was anxious to hear her collaboration with Justin. But I didn't save it, or judge the track based upon this initial listen. All the leak did was get me extremely excited for when I'd be able to hear the proper track played very LOUDLY. The hype of hearing that crappy leak got me all hip-hoppy hyped up to listen to the proper track. Fast forward to today.

Well... mission accomplished leakers, because listen to "4 minutes" is precisely all I've done ever since getting it via pre-ordering Hard Candy on iTunes earlier this week. Over and over and over again I've listened, quite loudly, on repeat. Check my last.fm if you don't believe me. Oh wait, I guess it only records two of the same song in a row before it judges you a psycho listener and ceases scrobbling? Well, in the past 24 hours I've done enough dancing alone on my bed, shaking my fists in the air to the beat of "4 Minutes", to put that kid from the "Last Of The Famous International Playboys" music video to shame. And I can't stop singing it: "keep it up, keep it up, don't be afraid, Ma-DONNA..."

"4 Minutes" is the lead single off of Madonna's 11th studio album, Hard Candy, and was co-written by Justin Timberlake and produced by Timbaland. A superteam. Dance music's Justice League. And of course - if there really were "only four minutes to save the world" with a pop song, who else would you want working together other than Madonna, JT, and Tim?

The track features bits that recall the marching band/Stomp aesthetic that Gwen Stefani recently popularized, and a sense of Hillary Clinton's 'kitchen sink' campaign strategy with Timbaland pretty much throwing everything he's got at the listener, sometimes all at once. There are horns, beat box scratches, synths, signature Timbaland beats, cowbell, Justin singing in his best Michael Jackson voice, Madonna "tick tock tick tock tick tock"ing, and all manner of other sounds hiding in the background of the mix. Yet somehow the song does not end up a cacophony; instead, the magical combination of Tim, JT, and Madonna have put together her best song since "Don't Tell Me" - a song that's sure to be Madonna's first top 5 US hit since 2000, regardless of the current state of US pop charts. Excellent songs will always rise to the top and dominate the ears of the public - this song is better than excellent. It's hookus majorus, it's dance floorus for sure-us, it's a Brachiosaurus compared to the Compsognathuses that have ruled the pop charts of late. It's... it's... really good. As good at being a dance pop song as I am at being a nerd.

"4 Minutes" is loud, banging, catchy, thumping, energetic, and nearly perfect. If this song doesn't get you into the groove and make your body move then nothing will. Listen below, look for the entire album on the 29th of April.

Listen:
"4 Minutes" by Madonna (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland) - Quicktime | Windows Media

See Madonna live @ special promo gigs in three cities:
New York: 28 April
Paris: 6 May
London: 10 May

**"4 Minutes" release party TONIGHT @ Highline Ballroom**

Watch Ellen DeGeneres dance and react to Madonna's "4 Minutes" over on EARF.

Visit Madonna on MySpace.