Madonna is the world's biggest female pop star. She's influenced everyone from Beyoncé to Britney Spears; is the most successful solo artist in Hot 100 chart history; and is the best-selling female recording artist of all time. Her career – which has spanned over forty years – has seen her continually reinventing herself and her sound over fourteen studio albums, from her early years in the New York City underground dance scene, to collaborating with artists like Maluma, Sam Smith, and the Weeknd.

Throughout all this, though, she has also managed to remain an enigma. Much has been said about Madonna, but through her work, a holy trinity of themes has emerged. And through these themes – gender exploration, multiculturalism, and spirituality – we can unpack one of the most iconic catalogs in pop music.

This week on Switched On Pop, we're Listening 2 Madonna, and releasing three special episodes focused on the Material Girl, going Deeper and Deeper to understand the Queen of Pop. On this episode, we take a look at how Madonna conveys gender in her work, from "Like A Virgin" to "What It Feels Like For A Girl."

Songs discussed:

Madonna – "Vogue"
Madonna – "Borderline"
Madonna – "Like A Virgin"
Madonna – "Material Girl"
Deniece Williams – "Let's Hear It For The Boy"
Madonna – "True Blue"
Madonna – "Live to Tell"
Madonna – "Papa Don't Preach"
Madonna – "Express Yourself"
Madonna – "Justify My Love"
Madonna – "Deeper and Deeper"
Madonna – "Waiting"
Madonna – "Bad Girl"
Madonna – "What It Feels Like For A Girl"

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