“Hung Up” topped the charts in 41 countries.
Released in 2005 as the lead single from Confessions on a Dance Floor, “Hung Up” became one of Madonna’s biggest international hits. Its chart performance was unusually broad: it reached number one in 41 countries, a figure recognized at the time as a record for the most countries topped by a song.
The track’s worldwide appeal came from its bright disco pulse, urgent vocal hook, and prominent sample from ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).” Madonna and producer Stuart Price turned that familiar melodic element into a sleek dance-pop anthem for the mid-2000s.
The number 41 refers to countries where the single reached number one, not to every country where it charted or sold successfully. It is also separate from the album’s achievement: Confessions on a Dance Floor peaked at number one in 40 countries, one fewer than “Hung Up.” In the United States, the song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.