Why the '90s had Madonna at her prime

QUEEN OF POP TURNS 67

- By JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA

When Madonna's name is mentioned, most people think of her 1980s hits such as "Like a Virgin," "Material Girl," "Papa Don't Preach," "Like a Prayer," and many more.

But for many hardcore fans, it's her 1990s eras — “Erotica,” “Bedtime Stories,” “Ray of Light” and “Music” — that stand out as her most creatively adventurous decade, solidifying her staying power and continuing to influence artists today.

In honor of her 67th birthday, let's take a look back at the '90s, ten years marked by some of the most significant creative and personal benchmarks in Madonna's career.

The start of the last decade of the 20th century found her at a breaking point, as public interest began to wane due to her sexually charged antics. But by the turn of the millennium, the Detroit-born artist a first-time mother with a renewed perspective on life - proved she could still command attention even as a new wave of teen pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera dominated the charts.

Early '90s: Justify My Love, Erotica, The Girlie Show

Never a stranger to controversy, Madonna pushed the envelope once again in 1990 with "Justify My Love," the lead single from her greatest hits album "The Immaculate Collection."

It wasn't just her spoken-word delivery of sexual yearning that stirred the pot, but the music video's unapologetic depiction of bisexuality and sexual empowerment, which MTV deemed too hot for TV, banning it from rotation.

This prompted Warner Records to release it on VHS, and the controversy fueled sales, sending it to No. 2 on Billboard's Top Music Videos for two weeks, proving that for Madonna, bad publicity was still good publicity.