| "Material Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.png) Artwork for North American,Iberian, Australian, and Brazilian releases | ||||
| Single byMadonna | ||||
| from the albumLike a Virgin | ||||
| B-side | "Pretender" | |||
| Released | January 23, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Studio | The Power Station (New York, NY)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:01 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Nile Rodgers | |||
| Madonna singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Material Girl" onYouTube | ||||
"Material Girl" is a song recorded by American pop singerMadonna for her secondstudio album,Like a Virgin (1984). It was released on January 23, 1985, by theSire label as the secondsingle fromLike a Virgin. It also appears slightlyremixed on the 1990greatest hits compilation,The Immaculate Collection, in its original form on the 2009 greatest hits compilation,Celebration andFinally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). The song was written byPeter Brown and Robert Rans, and produced byNile Rodgers. Madonna said the concept of the song was indicative of her life at that time, and she liked it because she felt it was provocative.
"Material Girl" consists of synthesizer arrangements with a robotic-sounding voice chant repeating thehook, "living in a material world". The lyrics identify withmaterialism, with Madonna asking for a rich and affluent life, and only wanting to date men who can offer her this. Contemporary critics have frequently identified "Material Girl" along with "Like a Virgin" as the songs that established Madonna as an icon. "Material Girl" was a commercial success, reaching the top-five in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Japan and United Kingdom. It reached the number two position on theBillboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming her third top-five single there.
The single's release was accompanied by a music video directed byMary Lambert. The video payshomage toMarilyn Monroe's performance of the song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in the 1953 filmGentlemen Prefer Blondes, with the mimicked scenes interspersed with scenes of aHollywood director trying to win the heart of an actress, played by Madonna herself. Discovering that, contrary to her song, the young woman is not impressed by money and expensive gifts, he pretends to be penniless and succeeds in taking her out on a date. Madonna has performed the song in five of her world tours; most of her performances of the song on tour are mimicries of the song's music video.
"Material Girl" has been covered by a number of artists, includingBritney Spears andHilary andHaylie Duff. It also became a viral hit onTikTok. Madonna has often remarked that she regrets recording "Material Girl" as its title became a nickname for her in the mainstream media. The song has been labeled an empowering influence for women, and was the subject of debates.
"Material Girl" was written byPeter Brown and Robert Rans, whileNile Rodgers produced the track.[3] In 1986, Madonna toldCompany magazine, that although she did not write or create the song, the lyrical meaning and concept did apply to her situation at that point of time. She elaborated, "I'm very career-oriented. You are attracted to people who are ambitious that way, too, like in the song 'Material Girl'. You are attracted to men who have material things because that's what pays the rents and buys you furs. That's the security. That lasts longer than emotions."[3] During a 2009 interview withRolling Stone, Madonna was asked by interviewerAustin Scaggs, regarding her first feelings, after listening to the demos of "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl". Madonna responded by saying, "I liked them both because they were ironic and provocative at the same time but also unlike me. I am not a materialistic person, and I certainly wasn't a virgin, and, by the way, how can you belike a virgin? I liked the play on words, I thought they were clever. They're so geeky, they're cool."[4]
"Material Girl" consists ofsynth arrangements, with a strong backbeat supporting it. A robotic-sounding male voice, sung by Frank Simms, repeats thehook "Living in a material world".[5] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com byAlfred Publishing, the song is set in thetime signature of common time, with atempo of 120beats per minute. It is set in the key ofC major, with Madonna's voice spanning from the tonal nodes of C4 to C5. The song has a basicchord progression of F–G–Em–Am-F-G-C in thechorus, while the verses are based on the Cmixolydian mode, giving a hip, swing-like mood.[6] With itspost-disco style, the beat of the song is reminiscent ofthe Jacksons' "Can You Feel It", which appeared on their 1980 albumTriumph.[5][7]
The lyrics explain that Madonna is a "material girl" who will not accept men who cannot provide her with luxuries.[5][8]
Following the song's release on November 30, 1984,[9] as the second single fromLike a Virgin, "Material Girl" received mixed reviews from music critics. Author Rikky Rooksby, in his bookThe Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, compared the song with those ofCyndi Lauper because of Madonna's shrill voice in the song. He added that the song was a "pungentsatire on theReagan/Thatcher young-guns-go-for-it era. Which just goes to show thatpop music andirony don't mix."[5]Stephen Thomas Erlewine fromAllMusic said that "Material Girl" was one of the songs that made Madonna an icon, the other being "Like a Virgin" from the same album, both remaining as a definitive statement. He added that both tunes overshadow the rest of the record, "because they are a perfect match of theme and sound."[10] Debby Miller fromRolling Stone, felt that the song portrayed Madonna as a more practical girl than previous female singers.[11] Dave Karger fromEntertainment Weekly, while reviewing the album in 1995, felt that the song came off a bit repetitious and immature when compared to the present context.[12] Jim Farber from the same publication felt that the song provided then critics a way to criticize Madonna's work.[13] Sal Cinquemani ofSlant Magazine commented that Madonna had "defined a generation with hits like 'Material Girl'."[14][15] Alfred Soto fromStylus Magazine compared the song with "Everything She Wants" byWham!.[16] Michael Paoletta fromBillboard commented that the song sustained a "fevereddance-rock momentum."[17] Nancy Erlick fromBillboard said that "singer and team conquer once more with their irresistible assembly of new and used pop hooks."[18]Cashbox said that the song is "a playful follow-up to 'Like A Virgin'" which "still emphasizes a danceable backbeat, but...has a sense of humor and Madonna doesn't sound quite as squeaky as on past cuts."[19] In 2003, Madonna fans were asked to vote for their Top 20 Madonna singles of all time for a special issue ofQ magazine dedicated to Madonna. "Material Girl" was allocated the 15th spot on the list.[20]
The song debuted on theBillboard Hot 100 during the week of February 9, 1985, at position 43, when "Like a Virgin" was descending out of the top ten.[21] The single climbed the Hot 100 quickly, jumping 13 spots to number five the week of March 9, 1985,[22] and eventually spent two weeks at number two, held off byREO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling" andPhil Collins' "One More Night".[23][24] The week when the song slipped to position three, her upcoming single "Crazy for You" reached number four, giving Madonna two simultaneous top-five hits.[3] "Material Girl" reached the top of theHot Dance Club Songs but was less successful on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, failing to enter the top 40 and peaking at number 49.[25][26] It was placed at number 58 on the year-end chart for 1985, with Madonna becoming the top pop artist for the year.[27] In Canada, the song debuted on theRPM Singles Chart at number 76, on the issue dated February 16, 1985.[28] After five weeks, it reached a peak position of four on the chart[29] and was present on the chart for a total of 21 weeks.[30] It was ranked at number 46 on theRPM Year-End chart for 1985.[31]
In the United Kingdom, "Material Girl" debuted on theUK Singles Chart at number 24 on March 2, 1985, and reached a peak position of number three. It was present for a total of ten weeks on the chart.[32] In August 2023, The song was certifiedplatinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry, for sales and streams exceeding 600,000 units.[33] According to theOfficial Charts Company, the song has sold 405,000 copies there.[34] Across Europe, the song reached the top-ten in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain and theEurochart Hot 100 Singles,[35][36][37][38] while reaching the top 40 of Germany, Italy and Switzerland.[39]
In Australia, the single debuted at number 25 on 17 March 1985 and peaked at number four three weeks later.[40] It also reached the Top 5 in New Zealand and Japan.[41][42]
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The music video was inspired by Madonna's admiration ofMarilyn Monroe and mimicked the latter's performance of the song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the 1953 filmGentlemen Prefer Blondes.[3] The video was developed to simultaneously be an exegesis and a critique of the lyrics and Madonna herself.[8] It was the first time Madonna was able to showcase her acting ability to the public, combining the dance routines of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" with the storyline of a man who impresses Madonna with daisies, rather than diamonds.[3] In a 1987 interview withNew York Daily News, Madonna said:
Well, my favorite scene in all of Monroe's movies is when she does that dance sequence for 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend'. And when it came time to do the video for the song [Material Girl], I said, I can just redo that whole scene and it will be perfect. [...] Marilyn was made into something not human in a way, and I can relate to that. Her sexuality was something everyone was obsessed with and that I can relate to. And there were certain things about her vulnerability that I'm curious about and attracted to.[3][43]
The music video was shot January 10 and 11, 1985, atRen-Mar Studios inHollywood, California, and was directed byMary Lambert; Lambert had previously directed the videos for "Borderline" and "Like a Virgin". It was produced by Simon Fields with principal photography by Peter Sinclair, editing by Glenn Morgan and choreography byKenny Ortega. Much of the jewelry is from the collection of Connie Parente, a popular Hollywood jewelry collector.[44]
The video featured actorKeith Carradine as Madonna's wealthy love interest. According to Carradine, Madonna had asked for him to appear in the video.[45] ActorRobert Wuhl appeared in the video's opening sequence as George, an employee of Carradine's character. It was on the set of the video that Madonna met actorSean Penn, whom she began a relationship with and married eight months later.[43]
The video opens with two men (Carradine) watching a rush in the screening rooms of a Hollywood studio. On the screen, an actress played by Madonna sings and dances to "Material Girl", dressed like Monroe from "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend". One of the men, played by Carradine, is a director or a producer and is immensely rich. He falls in love with the actress and wants to express his passion for her.[8] He tells his employee, played by Wuhl: "She's [Madonna] fantastic. She could become a star." The employee answered: "She could be. She could be great. She could be a major star." The former then concludes by saying: "Sheis a star, George."[8] Madonna is in a pink strapless gown and has her hair in blond locks ala Monroe.[46] The background is a reconstruction of the Monroe video, complete with staircase, chandeliers and a number of tuxedo clad chorus boys.[43] Madonna dances and sings the song, while she is showered with cash, expensive jewelry, furs and is carried by the men over the stairs. At one time, she eludes herself from the men, by dismissing them with her fan. As the producer tries to impress Madonna, he comes to learn she is not impressed by material items, rather preferring simple romance. He pretends to be penniless, and brings her hand-cut flowers while paying a poor man a large amount to borrow (or possibly buy) his dirty truck to take her on a date. His plan seems to work, because the final scene shows him and Madonna kissing in an intimate position.[43][45]
It was in the video of "Material Girl" that Madonna began to accept and utilize herself being compared to Monroe. However, she established a safe distance from those comparisons and developed inside the samepastiche. Details like the usage of different gloves or different fans in the video brought forth the connections between these women, but Madonna alluded to herself in subtle ways.[47] The fan in Monroe's hand for the original video was an iconography of theSudarshana Chakra (wheel) held by the Indian idolVishnu. Scholar Georges-Claude Guilbert, who wroteMadonna as postmodern myth: how one star's self-construction rewrites sex, said that the fan symbolized fiery desire aroused by Monroe as well as ritual sacrifice, eerily foreshadowing her untimely death in 1962.[47] Madonna's fan, which appeared at the end of the video, signified that Madonna – while paying her tribute to Monroe – was signaling that she had no intention of being a victim like her, and that she was on the path of becoming a feminist post-modern myth.[47] Author Nicholas Cook commented that the video promoted Madonna's identity as the song suggested, with the purpose of shifting "Madonna's image from that of a disco-bimbo to authentic star."[48] Lisa A. Lewis, author ofGender, Politics and MTV said that with the video, Madonna achieved the rare distinction of being accepted as a literature medium by the music authors.[49] "Material Girl" was nominated for best female video at the1985 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost toTina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It".[50] The video was ranked at position 54 onVH1's 100 Greatest Videos.[51] On YouTube, the video became her ninth video to surpass 100 million views.
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"Material Girl" was performed by Madonna on five of her world tours. She endedthe Virgin Tour (1985) with a self-parodying performance of the song. She wore a whitetube top and a tight white skirt and carried a bunch of notes in her left hand.[52] At the end of the performance she asked the audience "Do you really think I'm a material girl?...I'm not...Take it [Throwing fake money]... I don't need money... I need love."[53] As she began to strip off more clothes, she was apprehended and marched offstage by an extra posing as her father. In Detroit, her father Tony himself did the honors.[52] The performance was included in the VHS releaseMadonna Live: The Virgin Tour.[54]
In theWho's That Girl World Tour of 1987, Madonna performed it as amedley with "Dress You Up" and "Like a Virgin". She wore an elaborate costume, inspired byDame Edna Everage. It consisted of a hat strewn with plastic fruits, flowers and feathers, jeweled batwing spectacles with heavy, black frames, a ruffled skirt, a bodice covered with objects like watches and dolls and fishnets. Author Carol Clrek stated that the dress was more "ludicrous for Madonna, than humorous."[55] Two different performances of the song on this tour can be found on the videos:Who's That Girl: Live in Japan, filmed in Tokyo, Japan, on June 22, 1987,[56] andCiao Italia: Live from Italy, filmed in Turin, Italy, on September 4, 1987.[57]
For theBlond Ambition World Tour in 1990, Madonna and her supporting dancersNiki Haris andDonna De Lory were dressed as old women in fluffy dressing gowns with dollar signs and curling pins in their hair. Singing the song with a strong mid-western accent, they got up and revealed a frivolish pink dress underneath their gown, in which they danced around. On some dates Madonna replaced the words "experience has made me rich" with "experience has made me a bitch". After singing, she produced dollar bills out of her corsage and threw them up in the air for the audience to catch.[58] Two different performances were taped and released on video,Blond Ambition: Japan Tour 90, taped inYokohama, Japan, on April 27, 1990,[59] andBlond Ambition World Tour Live, taped inNice, France, on August 5, 1990.[60] During theRe-Invention World Tour of 2004, a general setlist was decided where the show rehearsals would start with "I'm So Stupid" fromAmerican Life, "Dress You Up" and "Material Girl". But "Dress You Up" and "I'm So Stupid" were later dropped from the show.[61] Hence "Material Girl" was transferred as the closing song of the military segment of the show, and was re-arranged as an electric guitar version. Madonna wore military themed clothes and sang the song while standing in front of a microphone and playing an electric guitar. The backdrops displayed mathematical equations along withDNAhelixes rushing through the screens.[62]
Minimal elements of the song were included in the live performance of "Girl Gone Wild" onthe MDNA Tour (2012).[63] "Material Girl" was included in the final section of theRebel Heart Tour (2015–16). For this section, Madonna worked with designerJeremy Scott for party inspired costumes. She wanted a "Harlem-flapper-meets-Paris-in-the-Twenties" look, and Scott came up with the final dress adorned with thousands ofSwarovski crystals.[64] Following thejazz rendition of 2000 single "Music", Madonna's started performing "Material Girl", in a similar theme like the music video. Towards the end, Madonna changed the choreography, and made her dancers who posed as suitors fall down the stairs instead. The performance ended with Madonna walking down the catwalk in a bridal veil and carrying a whitebouquet, which she eventually throws into the crowd.[65] Utsing the stage as both stairs as well as video backdrop, the stairs rose up and down during the song.[66] A recording of the performance at the March 19–20, 2016 shows inSydney'sAllphones Arena was released in Madonna's fifth live album,Rebel Heart Tour.[67]
In June 2022, to accompany the remix album releaseFinally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, Madonna performed at Pride at the Women of the World Party in New York City. In the event, she premiered "Material Gworrllllllll!", amashup of "Material Girl" withSaucy Santana's hip hop song of the same name.[68] The song was released the following month.[69]
After the song's release, the phrase "material girl" became another nickname for Madonna. She has since remarked that, if she had known she would constantly be referred to by the "Material Girl" moniker, she probably would not have recorded the song.[3] Reflecting on the song, Madonna said:
I can't completely disdain the song and the video, because they certainly were important to my career. But talk about the media hanging on a phrase and misinterpreting the damn thing as well. I didn't write that song, you know, and the video was about how the girl rejected diamonds and money. But God forbid irony should be understood. So when I'm ninety, I'll still be the Material Girl. I guess it's not so bad.Lana Turner was the Sweater Girl until the day she died.[43]
Guilbert commented that "material girl" designated a certain type of liberated women, thus deviating from its original coinage which meant a girl who is tangible and accessible.[8] Cook said that the meaning and impact of "material girl" was no longer circumscribed by the video, rather by its lyrics. Its influence was seen later among such diverse groups such as female versus male, gay versus straight, and academic versus teenage.[70]
In 1993, a conference was held at theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara, with the subject asMadonna: Feminist Icon or Material Girl?. The conference pondered on the duality of Madonna as both of them and deduced that the question of Madonna's feminism is not easy to decide. Some of the feminists left the conference, citing that they had not been able to make up their minds.[71] AsNew Age spirituality became popular in the U.S. in the late 1990s, Madonna embarked on a spiritual quest of her own, and journals likeThe Times andThe Advocate described her as "the Ethereal Girl" and "Spiritual Girl" respectively.[72]
Credits are adapted from the album and 12-inch maxi-single liner notes.[1][76]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[102] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| Japan (Oricon Charts) | — | 47,060[103] |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[104] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[105] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[106] Original release | Silver | 250,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[33] 2006 release | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States Digital downloads | — | 347,000[107] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Material Gworrllllllll!" | ||||
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| Song byMadonna andSaucy Santana | ||||
| Released | August 5, 2022 (2022-08-05) | |||
| Recorded | 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:42 | |||
| Label | Warner | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Mike Dean | |||
| Madonna chronology | ||||
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| Saucy Santana chronology | ||||
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| Lyric video | ||||
| "Material Gworrllllllll!" onYouTube | ||||
In August 2022, Madonna andSaucy Santana released "Material Gworrllllllll!", a remix of Saucy Santana's 2019 single "Material Girl" that combines elements of the song with Madonna's of the same name.[108] It is anelectronic track with elements ofrap.[109][110] Madonna and Saucy Santana performed the song in June 2022 atTerminal 5 duringNew York City Pride.[111][112] It debuted and peaked at number 69 on theUK Singles Downloads Chart dated August 18, 2022, and fell off the chart the following week.[113]
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[113] | 69 |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Madonna's satirical/not-satirical new-wave mercenary anthem "Material Girl" peaked at #2 behind "Can't Fight This Feeling".
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)More recently, according to last May's edition of Tribuna De La Habana newspaper, the No. 1 song in Cuba was Madonna's "Material Girl,
