Beat Goes On (Madonna song)

The song was leaked in August 2007, featuring only Williams and different lyrics than the album's version, which was released a year later, having additional vocals by West.

The song was performed live during the Sticky & Sweet Tour, featuring Madonna and her dancers on a 1935 Auburn Speedster, while Williams and West appeared in the video being displayed on backdrops.

[4][5][6][7] The song started with Madonna saying, "Let's do something different, let's change things up," followed by DFA handclaps and cowbells, Bee Gees-like falsettos on the chorus and "Williams background interjections sprinkled throughout the track," as noted by Maura Johnson from Idolator.

[9] The song was written by Madonna and Williams, with rap vocals by West, and the title is a reference to The Whispers' disco track "And the Beat Goes On" (1980).

Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone felt that the usage of bells and whistles as instrumentation, along with the disco sounds made the track connect to two of Madonna's inspirations, that of Chic, and Donna Summer.

[17] In a similar review, Thomas Hauner of PopMatters wrote that the song "continues the Donna Summer touch, this time opting for 'beep beep' vocals on a surprisingly sweet track.

[15] Talia Soghomolian of musicOMH praised "the variations in its tempo", making it "the perfect dance floor tune, merging old school and modern takes on urbanity.

"[10] Miles Marshall Lewis of The Village Voice was not favourable to West's verses, calling them as "playfully tepid lines",[20] while a reviewer from Blender panned his contributions.

[22] Joan Anderman of The Boston Globe was mixed in his review of the song, praising Madonna's endeavors in "Beat Goes On" while questioning West's appearance in it.

[29] Sarah Liss of CBC News called the performance "pulsating," noting that "her studio collaborators—Pharrell Williams and Kanye West—present in spirit and countenance (their virtual likenesses grimaced from those massive screens) if not in body.