November 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of Madonna’s Confessions on a Dancefloor, which has been re-released. David Ho dons a pink leotard and re-examines the magnus opus
Early in 2025, Madonna dropped a bombshell on Instagram. Following her return to Warner Records, the Queen of Pop teased a new studio album coming out in 2026 that would serve as a sequel to her much beloved album – Confessions on a Dancefloor.
The timing couldn’t be more apt. After all, November 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the beloved dance-pop classic. To commemorate its anniversary, the album has just been re-released with a slew of remixes and bonus tracks.
In reviewing this classic, it’s also important to remember where the album stands within Madonna’s oeuvre. The 2005 release came two years after her divisive American Life album. The experimental electronic album examined the excesses of celebrity life, coupled with an anti-war message aimed at the 2003 invasion of Iraq. While the album’s themes and abrasive synths have proven to be ahead of its time, it also marked a diminished response from the usual enthusiasm that greets M. Ciccone’s works.
Shrugging off the heaviness of her work with American Life producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï, and perhaps shook from the backlash, Madonna turned to Stuart Price for music that provided her “a release”. The English producer was already working with Madonna on both her documentary I’m Going to Tell You a Secret, as well as a (ultimately scrapped) musical with filmmaker Luc Besson. The two ended up using the scrapped musical compositions, which were written to sound like “ABBA on drugs”, as the basis for Confessions instead.
One of the first songs Price and Madonna created is the album’s first single and opener, “Hung Up”. The nu-disco track goes hard, especially with its ABBA sample. Madonna had to send a letter begging permission from the ABBA songwriters to use the famous riff from “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”. It marked only the third time that the Swedish supergroup had permitted another act to sample their music.
But that paid off. “Hung Up” is a monster dancefloor filler that has become one of M’s signature tunes. The music video sees Madonna stretching out in a dance studio by herself in a pink leotard, before letting loose on a Dance Dance Revolution machine with other dancers. It served as a tribute to John Travolta’s movies and is all the more impressive considering that Madge was recovering from a fall off a horse at the time of filming.
The Confessions album is sequenced like a DJ set. The tracks segues seamlessly into each other, intended to be played from start to end. It’s a far cry from the two-minute soundbites that litter Spotify today. It’s interesting to consider how this album would be received if it was released today. But it has certainly made its mark. It’s dance-all-the-way sound and format has influenced works by other pop divas in the following years. Britney Spears’ Blackout, Kylie Minogue’s Disco, and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia are among those that bear the DNA of this album.
Even two decades later, the album still holds up and sounds fresh for the most part. “Sorry” remains pop perfection, with its sassy kiss off to a lover that’s “not half the man you think you are”. An early version that leaked from the sale of a demo disc showed it had very different melodic lines on its verses, with more of a 70s disco vibe. But with its bulletproof chorus, the song was destined to be a dance classic in either form.
Confessions brings you through a long night at Club Madonna, with a nod to various soundscapes of the dancefloor. We get a dose of Donna Summer in “Future Lovers”, which was made even more apparent when it was mashed with “I Feel Love” in live performances. “Jump” remains an exhilarating slice of synth pop, while “Forbidden Love” brings lush lounge vibes. “Isaac” is a surprising piece of world-pop that remains an interesting track in her discography, recalling her Ray of Light-era cultural dabbling that might constitute appropriation these days.
The musical journey does have its weaker spots, namely in the lyrically campy “I Love New York” and school yard sing-song chorus of “How High”. These don’t make strong standalone songs, but make sense within the context of the album.
The inclusion of the PSB Maxi-Mix of “Sorry” by the Pet Shop Boys on the 20th anniversary edition is very much a welcome addition. With background vocals by Neil Tennant, it remains the definitive collaboration between the two dance acts. Our only gripe about the new additions is the lack of the Paper Faces mix of “Let It Will Be”, which was used for live performances on the Confessions Tour. With its booming beats, the remix is an undeniable beast that reverberates like an earthquake from the speakers.
The ‘new’ songs included are previously issued bonus tracks. “History” was a b-side on the “Jump” single and serves as a good bridge between her American Life and Confessions eras, with its socially conscious lyrics and Ministry of Sound-like production. “Fighting Spirit”, a track from the Confessions box set, is a chugging piece of pop produced by Mirwais Ahmadzaï in the early stages of the album’s production.
The real gem here though is “Super Pop”, a bonus download that was only available to members of her Icon fan club at the time. The song sees Madonna upping the ante on herself with each line, with lyrics like “If I was a man, I’d be the president. If I was the president, I’d be different” that still sounds like something she’d say today.
If you loved the Confessions album when it was first released, the 20th anniversary edition is going to be great dance down memory lane, with all the bonuses you might have missed before. If you haven’t heard it before, now is a good time to revisit this classic and get a taste of what Lady M has planned for 2026.
Pictures courtesy of Warner Records
Also see: Retro review: Britney Spears’ Oops!… Did It Again! turns 25
