"Physical Attraction" is a song by American singer
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
. It was included on her debut studio album ''
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
'' (1983). Written and produced by
Reggie Lucas
Reginald Grant Lucas (February 25, 1953 – May 19, 2018)double A-side single with " Burning Up" on March 9, 1983.
Upon release, "Physical Attraction" was generally well-received by critics, and retrospective reviews have described it as a "hidden gem". It charted at number 13 in Australia and number three on the ''Billboard''
Dance Club Songs
The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart in the United States.
Background
In early 1980, Madonna was living in New York City and establishing her music career as a member of rock band the Breakfast Club, alongside her boyfriend Dan Gilroy; soon after, she was joined by Stephen Bray, her former boyfriend from
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, who became the band's drummer. Bray and Madonna left the Breakfast Club and, together, formed a new band, Emmy and the Emmys. They were soon signed by Gotham Records, but short after, Madonna quit the band and decided to pursue a solo career. She carried with her three of the
demos
Demos may refer to:
Computing
* DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system
* DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR
* Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems
* Plural for Demo (computer programming ...
she had created with Bray: " Everybody", "Ain't No Big Deal", and "Burning Up". In 1982, she met and befriended DJ Mark Kamins at
Danceteria
Danceteria was a nightclub that operated in New York City from May 1980 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. The club operated in various locations over the years, a total of three in New York City and four in the Hamptons. The most famous l ...
nightclub. After listening to "Everybody", Kamins took her to
Sire Records
Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records.
History Beginnings
The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gotteh ...
, where
Seymour Stein
Seymour Steinbigle (April 18, 1942 – April 2, 2023), known professionally as Seymour Stein, was an American entrepreneur and music executive. He co-founded Sire Records and was vice president of Warner Bros. Records. With Sire, Stein signed ba ...
, the label's president, signed Madonna for two 12" singles.
Released in October of 1982, "Everybody" became a hit in the dance scene. The song's success led to the label approving the recording of an album, but the singer chose not to work with either Bray or Kamins, opting instead for
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
producer
Reggie Lucas
Reginald Grant Lucas (February 25, 1953 – May 19, 2018) Lucas wrote "Physical Attraction" after seeing Madonna perform live, and brought it to the project alongside another new composition, " Borderline". While working on the album, Madonna felt the producer was "moving he songsaway from the sparse form of the original demos", something she did not approve of; Lucas ended up leaving the project without altering the songs.
Recording and composition
"Burning Up" was produced by Reggie Lucas. Recording took place at New York's Sigma Sound Studios; personnel working on the song included Bray on programming and guitars, alongside
Paul Pesco
Paul Pesco (born May 13, 1959) is an American session guitarist, singer-songwriter, film score composer and record producer.
Biography
Pesco was born in Canandaigua, New York, to a Sicilian father (an opera singer and voice instructor) and ...
; Butch Jones, and Fred Zarr. Background vocals were provided by Gwen Guthrie, Brenda White, and Chrissy Faith. According to author Rikky Rooksby, the song is about Madonna being interested in "a suitor who she knows is no good for her but heis attracted to anyway". He described the song as a medium-paced track with a "chic guitar line" and "synth brass flourishes". Music critic Marc Andrews described the song's sound as "redressing
disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
in a
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
electro sheen", and noted the song's similarities to a previous Lucas composition, the
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to stardom as Dorothy Gale in the original seven-time Tony Awards, Tony Award winning Broadway theatre, Broadway run of the musical ''The Wiz'' ...
single "Sweet Sensation".
Release and reception
The double-sided single of "Burning Up" and "Physical Attraction" was released on March 9, 1983. The artwork used for the 12" single was designed by the singer's friend Martin Burgoyne. "Physical Attraction" was later included on the compilations '' You Can Dance'' (1987) and '' Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones'' (2022). On the former, it was the only song not to have been remixed for the release.
Upon release, critical reception was generally positive. ''Billboard''s Brian Chin described "Physical Attraction" as a "great midtempo r&b song". Don Shewey from ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' called it a "capsule history of high-school proms, with its sly references to
The Association
The Association is an American sunshine pop band from Los Angeles, California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts, ''Billboard'' charts (including "Windy (The Association song), Windy" ...
Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
's ' Physical.'" Rikky Rooksby positively compared the song's spoken vocal sections to Madonna's later single "
Erotica
Erotica is art, literature or photography that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erot ...
" but also called the song repetitive. ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' described it as "propulsive bubblegum-pop of the highest order."
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Stephen Thomas Erlewine singled "Physical Attraction" along with "Burning Up" as "great songs" from the album, and applauded their "darker, carnal urgency". "Physical Attraction" came in at number 37 in Louis Virtel's ranking, where it was named "six minutes and 40 seconds of romantic chemistry, poppy hooks, and one tremendous idea: 'Maybe we were meant to be together / even though we’ve never met before'". ''Billboard'' deemed it Madonna's forty-fifth greatest song: "With libidinous synths, hypnotic beats, airy vocals and a chirping vocal delivery, 'Physical Attraction' is – like the lyrics suggest – about turning your brain off for a moment and giving yourself over to absolute pleasure." The staff from ''
The Advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law.
The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to:
Magazines
* The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States
* ''The Harvard Advocate' ...
'' criticized the song, describing it as sounding like a "B-side for a
Lisa Lisa
Lisa Velez (born January 15, 1966), better known by her stage name Lisa Lisa, is an American singer. She rose to fame in the 1980s as one-third of the band Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam.
Early life
According to ''Spin'' magazine, Velez was born in 1 ...
single." Samuel R. Murrian from ''
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...
'' placed it at number 35 of his ranking of Madonna songs, calling it "classic old-school Madonna", but criticizing the vocals. "Physical Attraction" has been singled as one of Madonna's best "deep-cuts" and "hidden gems" by ''Pitchfork'',
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
, ''Slant Magazine'', and ''Variety''.
"Burning Up" / "Physical Attraction" debuted on ''Billboard''s
Dance Club Songs
The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
charts at number 66 the week of April 9, 1983, peaking at number three one month later. By September 1983, according to a Warner Bros. Records advertisement in ''
Radio & Records
''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
'', the "Burning Up" / "Physical Attraction" 12" single had sold more than 150,000 copies. The song entered Australia's
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...
in November 1983 and, almost eight months later, peaked at number 13.
Credits adapted from the album and 12" single liner notes.
*
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
– lead vocals, background vocals
*
Reggie Lucas
Reginald Grant Lucas (February 25, 1953 – May 19, 2018)John "Jellybean" Benitez – remixing
*Fred Zarr – synthesizer, electric and acoustic piano
*Dean Gant – electric and acoustic piano
*Bobby Malach – tenor saxophone
*
Paul Pesco
Paul Pesco (born May 13, 1959) is an American session guitarist, singer-songwriter, film score composer and record producer.
Biography
Pesco was born in Canandaigua, New York, to a Sicilian father (an opera singer and voice instructor) and ...
*
*
*
*
*
*
* N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by
ARIA
In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...