Madonna has taken on many identities during her career, but "hook girl" has never made her résumé – until now. With Timbaland's thick, clanging beat in command of the first single from the forthcoming Hard Candy, her vocal competes with a blaring marching-band horn rift as she trades lines with the song's co-writer, Justin Timberlake. The track's urgent urban thump never hits a peak, but it's a heater all the same, and it demonstrates Madonna's newest party trick: sharing the spotlight.

This story is from the April 3rd, 2008 issue of Rolling Stone.

“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”