Material Girl

"Material Girl" is a song recorded by American pop singer Madonna for her second studio album, '' Like a Virgin'' (1984). It was released on January 23, 1985, by the Sire label as the second single from ''Like a Virgin''. It also appears slightly remixed on the 1990 greatest hits compilation, '' The Immaculate Collection'', in its original form on the 2009 greatest hits compilation, '' Celebration'' and '' Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones'' (2022). The song was written by Peter Brown and Robert Rans, and produced by Nile 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 the hook, "living in a material world". The lyrics identify with materialism, 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 the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States, becoming her third top-five single there.

The single's release was accompanied by a music video directed by Mary Lambert. The video pays homage to Marilyn Monroe's performance of the song " Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in the 1953 film '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'', with the mimicked scenes interspersed with scenes of a Hollywood 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, including Britney Spears and Hilary and Haylie Duff. It also became a viral hit on TikTok. 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.

Background

"Material Girl" was written by Peter Brown and Robert Rans, while Nile Rodgers produced the track. In 1986, Madonna told ''Company'' 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." During a 2009 interview with ''Rolling Stone'', Madonna was asked by interviewer Austin 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 be ''like a virgin''? I liked the play on words, I thought they were clever. They're so geeky, they're cool."

Composition

"Material Girl" consists of synth arrangements, with a strong backbeat supporting it. A robotic-sounding male voice, sung by Frank Simms, repeats the hook "Living in a material world". According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is set in the time signature of common time, with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. It is set in the key of C major, with Madonna's voice spanning from the tonal nodes of C₄ to C₅. The song has a basic chord progression of F–G–Em–Am-F-G-C in the chorus, while the verses are based on the C mixolydian mode, giving a hip, swing-like mood. With its post-disco style, the beat of the song is reminiscent of the Jacksons' "Can You Feel It", which appeared on their 1980 album '' Triumph''.

The lyrics explain that Madonna is a "material girl" who will not accept men who cannot provide her with luxuries.

Critical reception

Following the song's release on November 30, 1984, as the second single from ''Like a Virgin'', "Material Girl" received mixed reviews from music critics. Author Rikky Rooksby, in his book ''The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna'', compared the song with those of Cyndi Lauper because of Madonna's shrill voice in the song. He added that the song was a "pungent satire on the Reagan/ Thatcher young-guns-go-for-it era. Which just goes to show that pop music and irony don't mix." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic 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." Debby Miller from ''Rolling Stone'', felt that the song portrayed Madonna as a more practical girl than previous female singers. Dave Karger from ''Entertainment Weekly'', while reviewing the album in 1995, felt that the song came off a bit repetitious and immature when compared to the present context. Jim Farber from the same publication felt that the song provided then critics a way to criticize Madonna's work. Sal Cinquemani of'' Slant Magazine'' commented that Madonna had "defined a generation with hits like 'Material Girl'." Alfred Soto from ''Stylus Magazine'' compared the song with "Everything She Wants" by Wham!. Michael Paoletta from ''Billboard'' commented that the song sustained a "fevered dance-rock momentum." Nancy Erlick from ''Billboard'' said that "singer and team conquer once more with their irresistible assembly of new and used pop hooks." '' 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." In 2003, Madonna fans were asked to vote for their Top 20 Madonna singles of all time for a special issue of ''Q magazine'' dedicated to Madonna. "Material Girl" was allocated the 15th spot on the list.

Chart performance

The song debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 during the week of February 9, 1985, at position 43, when " Like a Virgin" was descending out of the top ten. The single climbed the Hot 100 quickly, jumping 13 spots to number five the week of March 9, 1985, and eventually spent two weeks at number two, held off by REO Speedwagon's " Can't Fight This Feeling" and Phil Collins' " One More Night". 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. "Material Girl" reached the top of the Hot Dance Club Songs but was less successful on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, failing to enter the top 40 and peaking at number 49. It was placed at number 58 on the year-end chart for 1985, with Madonna becoming the top pop artist for the year. In Canada, the song debuted on the ''RPM'' Singles Chart at number 76, on the issue dated February 16, 1985. After five weeks, it reached a peak position of four on the chart and was present on the chart for a total of 21 weeks. It was ranked at number 46 on the ''RPM'' Year-End chart for 1985.

In the United Kingdom, "Material Girl" debuted on the UK 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. In August 2023, The song was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry, for sales and streams exceeding 600,000 units. According to the Official Charts Company, the song has sold 405,000 copies there. Across Europe, the song reached the top-ten in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain and the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, while reaching the top 40 of Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

In Australia, the single debuted at number 25 on 17 March 1985 and peaked at number four three weeks later. It also reached the Top 5 in New Zealand and Japan.

Music video

The music video was inspired by Madonna's admiration of Marilyn Monroe and mimicked the latter's performance of the song " Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the 1953 film '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes''. The video was developed to simultaneously be an exegesis and a critique of the lyrics and Madonna herself. 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. In a 1987 interview with ''New 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 aterial 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.

The music video was shot January 10 and 11, 1985, at Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood, California, and was directed by Mary 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 by Kenny Ortega. Much of the jewelry is from the collection of Connie Parente, a popular Hollywood jewelry collector.

The video featured actor Keith Carradine as Madonna's wealthy love interest. According to Carradine, Madonna had asked for him to appear in the video. Actor Robert 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 actor Sean Penn, whom she began a relationship with and married eight months later.

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. He tells his employee, played by Wuhl: "She's adonnafantastic. 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: "She ''is'' a star, George." Madonna is in a pink strapless gown and has her hair in blond locks ala Monroe. The background is a reconstruction of the Monroe video, complete with staircase, chandeliers and a number of tuxedo clad chorus boys. 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.

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 same pastiche. 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. The fan in Monroe's hand for the original video was an iconography of the Sudarshana Chakra (wheel) held by the Indian idol Vishnu. Scholar Georges-Claude Guilbert, who wrote ''Madonna 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. 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. 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." Lisa A. Lewis, author of ''Gender, Politics and MTV'' said that with the video, Madonna achieved the rare distinction of being accepted as a literature medium by the music authors. "Material Girl" was nominated for best female video at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to Tina Turner's " What's Love Got to Do with It". The video was ranked at position 54 on VH1's 100 Greatest Videos. On YouTube, the video became her ninth video to surpass 100 million views.

Live performances

"Material Girl" was performed by Madonna on five of her world tours. She ended the Virgin Tour (1985) with a self-parodying performance of the song. She wore a white tube top and a tight white skirt and carried a bunch of notes in her left hand. At the end of the performance she asked the audience "Do you really think I'm a material girl?...I'm not...Take it hrowing fake money.. I don't need money... I need love." 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. The performance was included in the VHS release '' Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour''.

In the Who's That Girl World Tour of 1987, Madonna performed it as a medley with " Dress You Up" and "Like a Virgin". She wore an elaborate costume, inspired by Dame 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." 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, and '' Ciao Italia: Live from Italy'', filmed in Turin, Italy, on September 4, 1987.

For the Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990, Madonna and her supporting dancers Niki Haris and Donna 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. Two different performances were taped and released on video, ''Blond Ambition: Japan Tour 90'', taped in Yokohama, Japan, on April 27, 1990, and '' Blond Ambition World Tour Live'', taped in Nice

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