Vogue (Madonna Song)
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"Vogue" 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, ...
from her soundtrack album '' I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy'' (1990). Written and produced by herself and
Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...
, it was inspired by voguing, a dance prominent in the underground New York City gay scene. The song was released as the lead single from the album on March 20, 1990, by
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 ...
and
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
. "Vogue" is a
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
song with influences of
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 ...
, which contains escapist lyrics describing the dance floor as "a place where no boundaries exist". Its
middle eight The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. Th ...
features Madonna name-dropping several actors from the
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. "Vogue" was later included on three of Madonna's
compilation albums A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from one artist, then generally the tracks we ...
: '' The Immaculate Collection'' (1990), '' Celebration'' (2009), and '' Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones'' (2022). Upon its release, "Vogue" received positive reviews from music critics, who noted how it was musically different from the rest of the tracks on ''I'm Breathless''; it was retrospectively seen as one of Madonna's career highlights. The song was commercially successful, topping the charts in a number of countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where it was certified
triple platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). "Vogue" became Madonna's biggest selling single at the time of its release, and has sold more than six million copies worldwide to date. It additionally received prizes at the 1991
Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...
and at the
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. The accompanying black-and-white music video, directed by
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, was shot within 16 hours, while she was rehearsing for her Blond Ambition World Tour. It leans on static iconography, including shots inspired by works by painter Tamara de Lempicka and several Hollywood photographers. The video has been retrospectively regarded by critics as one of Madonna's best. It received a total of nine nominations at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, including for Video of the Year. Madonna has performed the song on several of her
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– the most recent being the 2023–2024 Celebration Tour – and other occasions, such as the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. "Vogue" has been covered and sampled by several artists since its release, including
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
,
Beth Ditto Mary Beth Patterson (born February 19, 1981), known by her stage name Beth Ditto, is an American singer and songwriter most notable for her work with the indie rock band Gossip. Her voice has been compared to Etta James, Janis Joplin and Tina ...
,
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
,
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
, and
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
. It was also featured on the
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
of '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), as well as in " The Power of Madonna" episode of the Fox show ''
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'' in 2010. Writers and critics have noted the video and the song's influence in bringing an underground subculture into mainstream popular culture, as well as the way in which it followed a new trend in which house music enjoyed widespread popularity. In 2020, 2022 and 2025, ''
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'', ''
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'' and ''
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'' magazine ranked "Vogue" among the best dance songs of all time.


Background and release

By the end of the 1980s, Madonna had achieved a record-breaking 16 consecutive top-five singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, more than any other act in history. However, her single " Oh Father" broke the string as it reached number 20, becoming her first single to miss the top 10 since 1984. The singer and her record company
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 ...
decided to create a new song to be placed as the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of her next release " Keep It Together" to ensure that it would fare better on the charts. The label's head of
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...
, Craig Kostich, approached producer
Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...
to record a new track, as he had remixed some of her singles previously. Pettibone wrote and recorded the basic music for the song with a budget of US$5,000, and then sent it to Madonna for her to write the lyrics. She flew to New York City two weeks later to record her vocals in a vocal booth in a 24-track basement studio at West 56th Street, in a booth that had been converted from a closet, writing most of the lyrics on the plane. According to Pettibone, Madonna was efficient in the studio, rapidly tracking all the verse and chorus vocals in order, in single takes. He proposed the idea of a rap to fill the
middle eight The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. Th ...
, and suggested name-dropping classic film stars, so they quickly wrote a list of names and she recorded it immediately. Around the same time, Madonna saw dancers voguing at
The Sound Factory The Sound Factory (also known as Sunset Sound Factory) is a recording studio in Los Angeles, California. The Sound Factory was built in the 1960s on Selma Avenue in Hollywood. At the time, it served as the home of Moonglow Records and the Moon ...
. This type of dance was combined with pantomime and modeling poses by the flamboyant dances of Las Vegas
showgirl A showgirl is a female performer in a theatrical revue who wears an exotic and revealing costume and in some shows may appear topless. Showgirls are usually dancers, sometimes performing as chorus girls, burlesque dancers or fan dancers, and ...
s. Inspired by the dance, she decided to call the song "Vogue", which surprised Pettibone, as the dance was already "semi-passé" at that point in the underground scene. He changed certain things about the music to fit what she sang, adding piano and changing the bass lines in the verse to make them flow better, although Madonna did not want him to alter the production, as she already liked it the way it was. After presenting "Vogue" to Warner Bros. executives three weeks after Kostich's approach, all parties involved decided that the song was too good to be put on a
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
and should be released as a single. "The record company went bananas, her manager went bananas. Everybody said. This is a major hit smash record — we're not going to lose it as a B-side on 'Keep It Together'", Pettibone recalled. "Vogue" was included on the album soundtrack '' I'm Breathless'', which contained songs from and inspired by the film ''
Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the '' Detroit Mirror'', and was distributed by the Chicago T ...
'', in which Madonna starred as Breathless Mahoney. The singer had been approached by director and co-star
Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...
to write a song that would fit her character's point of view, as she was "obsessed with speakeasies and movie stars and things like that", and the idea served as an inspiration for "Vogue". Madonna later altered some of the suggestive lyrics because the song was connected to
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via the soundtrack. Although it was part of the album, the track was not featured on the film. "Vogue" was released as the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
from ''I'm Breathless'' in Europe and Oceania on March 20, 1990; in the United States, it was set to be released on March 29, but as
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started playing the track two days ahead of its release, "Vogue" was serviced to most radio stations on the next day. In Japan, the song was commercially issued on April 25. Afterwards, the track was included on Madonna's
compilation albums A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from one artist, then generally the tracks we ...
'' The Immaculate Collection'' (1990), '' Celebration'' (2009), and in a remixed form on '' Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones'' (2022).


Recording and composition

"Vogue" was written and produced by Madonna alongside Pettibone and recorded in New York City. Keyboards, bass, and programming were by Fred McFarlane, while drums and additional programming were by Alan Friedman. Pettibone also handled mixing for the track at Can Am Recording studios in Tarzana, California. Greg Kostich was its executive producer. The song was edited by Tony Shimkin. Goh Hotoda was cast as the mix engineer for the track, with engineering assistance by Curt Frasca. Madonna's backup vocalists Niki Haris and Donna De Lory, in addition to N'Dea Davenport, provided background vocals to the song. "Vogue" was mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Lacquer in Hollywood, along with all tracks present on ''I'm Breathless''. "Vogue" is a
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
song with influences of
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 ...
. Reviewers also noted a "
deep house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ...
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
", as well as a "throbbing beat" within its composition. Author J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote in his book '' Madonna: An Intimate Biography'' that the song was a "knockout pulsating track". According to author Jason Hanley, by listening to the arrangement musical form of the track, it is clear how "it was purposefully constructed for the dance floor", as the first verse does not start until a minute and a half into the song. It starts with synthesized string sounds, and then begins to build slowly with the addition of finger snaps, a pitched drum sound, and a deep pulsing bass. High strings persist throughout, and it has a "punchy" syncopated piano on the chorus. Set in the key of
A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic ...
, it is set in
common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...
with a moderately dance
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 116 beats per minute. Madonna's vocals span from C4 to E5. The song opens with Madonna asking, "What are you looking at" as "a way to establish the visual nature of the song lyrics". The escapist lyrics of "Vogue" allude to how important a "silly dance-floor ritual can be to its practitioners". On ''Encyclopedia Madonnica'', author Matthew Rettenmund stated that the lyrics "baptize the dance floor as a place where no boundaries exist"; he described a dance floor as a place where "rebirth is possible, where a new life based on gesticulation can replace motionless and emotionless reality and anyone can become if only for the duration of a song – or of one's stamina – a 'superstar'"; it is further evidenced by the lyrics "It makes no difference if you're black or white, if you're a boy or a girl". Peter Robinson of ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' viewed Madonna's belief in the dance floor as a "sacred space", as she sings: "When all else fails and you long to be something better than you are today, I know a place where you can get away – it's called a dance floor." According to ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s Nick Levine, the phrase became "essentially a mantra for her entire career". In the middle eight, Madonna performs a rap name-dropping several actors from the
Golden Age of Hollywood Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...
, stressing her affection for movie stars:
:
Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...
and
Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...
: Dietrich and DiMaggio :
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''
,
Jimmy Dean Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010) was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. He was the creator of the Jimmy Dean (brand), Jimmy Dean sausage brand as well as the spokesman for its TV comm ...
:On the cover of a magazine
In 2012, Madonna and Pettibone were sued by VMG Salsoul based on the accusation that they had sampled a 0.23-second segment of horns from the song "Love Break" by the
Salsoul Orchestra The Salsoul Orchestra was the backing Band (music), band of session musicians for many acts on the New York City label Salsoul Records and, under its own name, recorded several hit singles and albums between 1975 and 1982. History The orchestr ...
without permission. According to the plaintiff, portions of the song "are numerous but intentionally hidden" without permission by Pettibone, who they hired to mix "Love Break" before working on "Vogue"; they also claimed it took more modern technology to discover the alleged sample: "The unauthorized sampling was deliberately hidden by adonnawithin 'Vogue' so as to avoid detection ..It was only when VMG specifically looked for the sample, with the technology available to it in 2011, that the sampling could be confirmed", they continued. It was also claimed that VMG attempted to give notice of copyright infringement previously in July 2011 and again in February 2012. Pettibone's defense was that he recreated the horn sound, rather than sampling it. The case was decided in Madonna and Pettibone's favor; the judge found that "no reasonable audience" would be able to discern the sampled portions, as they were insignificant to "Vogue". That decision was affirmed by the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts: * Distric ...
.


Critical response

"Vogue" received acclaim from music critics. According to ''
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''s Karen DeSantis, it was excellent and the best song on ''I'm Breathless'', adding that "the song has her old-time style that will make a lot of kids buy this CD". Barry Walters of ''
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'' found the track "seductive" and "audacious", and stated that Madonna would "stay in vogue for a long, long time." Bill Coleman from ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' commented that "the starlet's pop/house homage to the underground (soon to be pushed very overground) fad pulls off its aims." He stated that it "maintains the flavor of Pettibone's past 'house' treatments with a bit of his classic 'Love Break' tossed in for good déjà vu measure." Ernest Hardy, a writer for ''
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'', also noted influences of "Love Break" and opined that Madonna's "pop savvy takes well to a house setting", adding that "based on the instant acceptance by radio and clubs, it's gonna be a Madonna Summer". '' Select''s Andrew Harrison considered it a "crushing house" song, while for Adam Sweeting of ''
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'', the album is "topped and talled with its best tracks", respectively "He's a Man" and "Vogue". According to Edith Lee from '' Journal and Courier'', "Vogue", along with "Something to Remember", were the only tracks which did not fit into the "vintage mold" of ''I'm Breathless''.
Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' opined that the song was "the odd song out" and "the song that shows what's missing from the rest of the album"; he stated that anyone who bought ''I'm Breathless'' expecting other similar songs would feel like "the victim of a bait-and-switch maneuver." Writing another review for the same publication, Michael MacCambridge stated that although "Vogue" was "terrific", it sounded like "a blatantly commercial appendage" to promote the soundtrack, and felt that it was not a representative single of the record. For his part, ''
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'' Ray Boren felt that the track was an "interloper, stylistically speaking" on the album. On another note, Greg Sandow from ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' felt that "Vogue" "improbably sounds like a genuine culmination" and that it "somehow fits in". David Giles of ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' stated that "it possesses a meatier groove than we've been used to", but felt that the "silly" rap section "reduces her to the level of the Beloved." While offering a negative review of the album, Tony Parsons of ''
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'' pointed out that "only 'Vogue', the recent numero uno knocked out as a bait to part of the tinies from their pocket money, passes for something like a Madonna record." Similarly, Chriss Willman of ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' said "Vogue" was "the one traditional Madonna single" on ''I'm Breathless''. According to the ''
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''s Parry Gettelman, "Vogue" served as the "spoonful of sugar to make the rest of this stuff go down" while reviewing the album as a whole. Ronni Lundy of ''
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'' commented that although it had no reason to be on ''I'm Breathless'', the track would "make this piece of fluff a multimillion seller", wondering "how many of the pop-Madonna's fans will actually play it more than twice after they get 'I'm Breathless' home and find out that 'Vogue' is the only typical Madonna song on it." Mark Coleman of ''
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 ...
'' wrote that while the song initially sounded "lackluster", within the album's context, it "gains a startling resonance". Offering a more negative review, Dan Bennett from '' North County Blade-Citizen'' commented that "at first distant, this spoken dance tune grows on you, but not that much." Retrospective reviews have also been positive. Taraborrelli wrote that the rap section of the song was "still one of Madonna's greatest camp musical moments".
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 ...
senior editor
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
said that the track was "Madonna's finest single moment" and that it had an "instantly memorable melody". In a review for '' The Immaculate Collection'', Erlewine also stated that the song was "sleek" and "stylish". Jose F. Promis, in another review for the same publication, pointed out that "Vogue" was a "crowning artistic achievement". Kevork Djansezian of ''
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'' called it a "wonderful dance tune". In 1998, Danny Eccleston from '' Q'' stated that ''I'm Breathless'' could barely describe the "shoe-horned" and "still-preposterous" song; In a retrospective review for ''I'm Breathless'', Tony Power from ''
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'' called the song "fabulous", and "entirely incongruous". Sal Cinquemani of ''
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'', also reviewing the album as a whole, claimed that while the "hugely influential" song initially sounded "grossly out of place", it turns out to be "a fitting finale" for ''I'm Breathless''. According to Peter Robinson from ''Pitchfork'', listeners would find the song's lyrics "as inspiring in 2017 as listeners almost three decades ago did".


Accolades

"Vogue" won the "Best Selling International Single" category at the 1991
Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...
, as well as the "Favorite Dance Single" prize at the
American Music Awards of 1991 The 18th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 28, 1991, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States ...
, while also being nominated for "Favorite Pop/Rock Single". The single also received a ASCAP Pop Music Award for "Most Performed Song", and won the prize for "Best Disco Single" at the SER FM Awards. Based on the 1990 ''Rolling Stone'' Reader's Poll Awards, "Vogue" was considered the best single of the year. The song was also ranked as the fourth best song of 1990 on that year's
Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
poll by ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''. In June 2020, ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'', ranked it number two in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time". In July 2022, ''
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 ...
'' ranked it number 11 in their "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". In March 2025, ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine ranked "Vogue" number 23 in their "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" list.


Commercial performance

In the United States, "Vogue" debuted at number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the issue dated April 14, 1990, and reached the top of the chart a month later, replacing
Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...
's " Nothing Compares 2 U". It matched " Like a Virgin" (1984) and " Like a Prayer" (1989) as the fastest-rising single of her career on the chart. "Vogue" also topped the Dance Club Play chart and reached number 16 on the
Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...
component charts. "Vogue" was ranked at number five on the Hot 100 year-end chart of 1990, and was certified
double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording and reproduction, recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) in June 1990, for shipments of two million copies of the single. ''Billboard'' ranked it at number five on their list of "Madonna's 40 Biggest Hits" on the Hot 100. In addition, it has also sold 311,000 digital downloads as of April 2010 according to
Nielsen SoundScan Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...
. In Canada, the song debuted at number 71 on the week of April 14, 1990, on the ''
RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
'' 100 Singles chart, and reached the top after nine weeks. It was certified platinum by
Music Canada Music Canada is a non-profit Industry trade group, trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to s ...
(MC) in August 1990 for shipments of 100,000 copies in the region. In Australia, "Vogue" debuted on the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
at number 19 on April 29, 1990. One week later, it reached the top of the chart, and stayed there for another four weeks. It was present for a total of 21 weeks on the chart, and was later certified double platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA) in 1990 for shipments of 70,000 copies of the single. On the year-end ARIA charts, "Vogue" was the third top-selling Australian single of 1990. In New Zealand, "Vogue" debuted at number 15 on the singles chart on the week of May 6, 1990, and reached number one after three weeks. It was present for a total of 22 weeks on the chart. In the United Kingdom, "Vogue" entered the UK Singles Chart at number four before moving to the top the next week, remaining there for four weeks and spending a total of 14 weeks on the chart. The
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) certified it gold in May 1990 for shipments of 400,000 copies of the single. According to the
Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...
, the song has sold 663,000 copies as of April 2019. In addition, "Vogue" also reached number one in a number of countries such as Finland, Italy, Norway, and Spain. Its commercial performance in European countries helped the song reach the summit of the
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...
chart, on the issue dated April 21, 1990. In total, "Vogue" reached number one in over 30 countries worldwide, thus becoming Madonna's biggest success at that time. As of August 1990, it was the best-selling single of 1990 with sales of more than two million copies, and has sold more than six million units worldwide to date. In addition, "Vogue" became the highest-selling single on WEA at the time, surpassing
Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictionaries classified ...
's "
Le Freak "Le Freak" is a funk-disco song by American disco band Chic, released in September 1978 by Atlantic Records as the first single from their second album, '' C'est Chic'' (1978). It was written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, a ...
" (1978).


Music video


Background and development

The accompanying music video for "Vogue" was directed by
David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...
, who had previously directed Madonna's videos for " Express Yourself" and " Oh Father" (both 1989). The video was filmed on February 10–11, 1990 at Burbank Studios in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
. It was produced by Vicki Niles, under Propaganda Films, with editing by Jim Haygood, and cinematography by Pascal Lebegue. Fincher recalled that he convinced Madonna to release a video for "Oh Father", but although he was happy with the result, the single's performance on the charts did not meet her label's expectations. She was pressured by the company to rush with a video for "Vogue", and returned to him to direct the video. The visual was filmed in a total of 16 hours, as she was rehearsing for her Blond Ambition World Tour and had restricted time to film the video. Dancers Luis Camacho and Jose Gutierez, both members of the House of Xtravaganza, who were already famous in New York City's underground ballroom scene as voguing pioneers, were two of the first to audition for the singer at the Tracks nightclub in New York City. They received the chance to audition as their friend's boyfriend was friends with Madonna's make-up artist at the time, Debi Mazar. Gutierez recalled that when they danced for the singer, "the whole club turned into an audition", as the crowd followed their dance moves. Their impromptu audition impressed Madonna enough to invite them to official auditions, and the opportunity to choreograph the video. The official auditions took place after a rushed casting call in Los Angeles, where hundreds of different sorts of dancers appeared and were whittled down within a few days, with Madonna also taking them out to clubs to make sure they "could deliver". Given the absence of Fincher's typically extensive pre-production routine, the video leans on static imagery, including shots that recall compositions by
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
painter Tamara de Lempicka, as well as Hollywood portrait photographers, such as Don English, Eugene Robert Richee, George Hurrell, Whitey Schafer, Ernest Bachrach, Scotty Welbourne, László Willinger, Clarence Sinclair Bull, and Horst P. Horst. The latter was reportedly "displeased" with Madonna's video because he never gave his permission for his work to be used and received no acknowledgement from the singer or her team. Horst's manager declared, "You can't fault her taste. But the video should have been called Hommage'' to Horst'. We just wish we could have worked something out beforehand-like doing an original photograph of her in the nude", to which Madonna's spokeswoman responded that "she's a great admirer of Horst. We didn't mean to upset him". The music video premiered on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
on March 29, 1990, billed as a "planetary premiere" by the network. MTV requested that Madonna remove the scenes in which her breasts are visible through a sheer lace blouse, but she refused to do so, and the scenes were aired unaltered.


Synopsis

The
black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
video begins with a feather curtain covering the screen. As they are disclosed, several dancers are shown posing like statues amid Greek statues and paintings. Madonna begins singing the song as she turns around and strikes a pose, while dancers are marching fashionly, with others sitting on chairs. During the first verse, images of the singer wearing a sheer lace dress are intercalated with shots of her floating above a satin covered floor. As the first chorus begins, Madonna is seen wearing a tunic accompanied by three male dancers all dressed in black in front of a black background, executing a choreography performed only with their hands, standing still. In the second verse, the singer walks in front of a huge window, wearing a black long dress. For the second chorus, three dancers perform another choreography, but unlike the first chorus, not standing still but moving in different corners of the frame; these scenes are intercalated with images of Madonna imitating Horst's "Lisa With Turban" and "Carmen Face Massage" pictures. The third chorus depicts the singer dancing with just one male dancer, before the rap that name-drops Hollywood actors. For the last chorus, all the dancers and two backup singers perform the song along with Madonna, who opens her blouse and dances showing her cone bra. The scenes are intercalated with several sequences where Madonna imitates Horst's "Mainbocher Corset" picture, which depict her dressed in a back-lacing corset. The video ends with a curtain of feathers being pulled over Madonna and her dancers.


Reception and analysis

Initial reaction towards the video was positive. Edna Gundersen from ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' called the visual "camp, glamour, sensuality and dress-you-up finery" and found Madonna's look in the video similar to that of
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
. Harriet Swift of ''
Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, and a predecessor of the '' East Bay Times''. It was published by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' ...
'' shared a similar opinion, writing that Madonna had "never looked more like Marilyn Monroe than in this film, with her white-blond hair no rebelliously declasse dark roots showing this time", and considered that the clip was "so much slicker and more stylized than any other Madonna video", noting its "stylish camera angles, extremely sophisticated film editing and freeze-frame body posing", looking as if it "could have been photographed by the late
Robert Mapplethorpe Robert Michael Mapplethorpe ( ; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female Nude (art), n ...
with its cool, glamorous surfaces and penchant for classical motifs." Liz Smith, a journalist from ''
New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'', also compared Madonna in the video to Monroe, as well as Harlow and Dietrich, and noted that in contrast to her previous music videos, "this one won't outrage and cause controversy", as the singer was "dressed to the teeth" with "no religious imagery and no vulgarity" that "even an old-fashioned mother might love", she concluded. David Barton from McClathy News Service felt that the scene where Madonna appears wearing a see-through sheer lace dress was "a move certain to arouse controversy, a long established Madonna tactic", and wrote that the video "manages to position Madonna once again, at least in the eyes of the mainstream audience, as on the cutting edge of popular culture." Retrospective commentary has also been positive. Writing for ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', Ben Kelly asserted that the video was Madonna's most iconic moment, as it "pays homage to the classic era of Hollywood but in turn its own imagery is now firmly embedded in pop culture history", and "from the famous dance routine to the appearance of that cone bra, it is laden with memorable moments". ''
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 ...
''s Samuel Murrian described the visual as "unforgettable" and "timeless", and commented about how it brought "an underground movement into the mainstream". Ranking it as Madonna's best video, Mike Nied of Idolator felt that it "would be a landmark release in any videography", and was "the definition of a timeless, enduring success". This opinion was shared by Louis Virtel, writing for The Backlot, who also declared it Madonna's best video, and called it "not only a pristine and elegant and ebulliently gay spectacle; it is the definitive Madonna statement. Madonna's charisma is wrapped up in theatrical arrogance and proud self-consciousness, and that's exactly what vogueing celebrates". Rocco Papa of
The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...
hailed it was "a tribute to an important part of the gay subculture" and "an example of Madonna helping build representation for the LGBTQ community". For his part, ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
''s Eric Henderson pointed out that for some, the video was "the ultimate democratization of beauty. To others, a presumptuously preemptive eradication of the racial question entirely", referring to the dance's origins. Douglas Kellner, author of ''Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity, and Politics Between the Modern and the Postmodern'', highlighted how "Vogue" was among Madonna's "most striking music videos" by being "highly aestheticized" and using "modernist techniques of the construction of compelling images". Kellner noted how the visual "deploys posed images to celebrate pure camp", while parodying fashion conventions, such as modeling, posing, photography, and objectification, but reinforcing them by identifying voguing with a gay dance phenomenon and then cultural celebrity. According to
Lucy O'Brien Lucy O'Brien (born 13 September 1961)Author Biography, O'Brien, Lucy – She Bop: The definitive history of women in rock, pop, and soul, London: Penguin, 1995 is a British author and journalist whose work focuses on women in music. Early musi ...
on ''She Bop II: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul'', Madonna "picked up on the exaggerated catwalk-model poses of a gay underground craze and turned it into a glorious celebration of image – the power of old-style movie – magazine editorial transferred to video" with "Vogue". Pamela Robertson wrote on ''Guilty Pleasures: Feminist Camp from Mae West to Madonna'' that the video makes sex and gender roles "ambiguous enough that its affiliation, and Madonna's, with a gay subculture cannot be ignored or erased", using "gay subcultural references in conjunction with post-modern pastiche and retrocinephilia to create a
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
camp effect". She also noted that Madonna served as a "female female impersonator" between the glamorous costumes and "mixed gender signs", such as the cone bra worn atop a man's suit. In ''Queer Tracks: Subversive Strategies in Rock and Pop Music'', Doris Leibetseder commented that the video portrayed "a particular relationship between gay subculture, Hollywood stars and feminist camp", and noted queer scholar
Judith Butler Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American feminist philosopher and gender studies scholar whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory. In ...
criticized how "Vogue" "diluted the homosexual political elements for the straight public", explaining that the "gay dance elements" were portrayed by "usual male and female types (e.g. the civil servant, the school girl)". The video received a total of nine nominations at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, winning three technical categories, for Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Cinematography. In 1999, the video was voted number two on MTV's 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made, only behind '' Michael Jackson's Thriller''. It was later ranked at number five on the Top 100 Videos That Broke The Rules, issued by MTV on the channel's 25th anniversary in August 2006.
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 ...
ranked "Vogue" sixth on their list of Best Music Videos of All Time. In a 2011 poll by ''Billboard'', "Vogue" was voted the third best music video of the 1990s. In 2019, it became Madonna's fourth music video to reach over 100 million views on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
across four different decades, following " Bitch I'm Madonna" (2015), "
Hung Up "Hung Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her tenth studio album ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005). Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was released as the album's lead single on October ...
" (2005) and " La Isla Bonita" (1987), making her the first female artist in history to achieve this feat within the streaming era.


Live performances

"Vogue" has been performed on eight of Madonna's concert tours: Blond Ambition (1990), The Girlie Show (1993), Re-Invention (2004), Sticky & Sweet (2008–2009), MDNA (2012),
Rebel Heart ''Rebel Heart'' is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released by Interscope Records on March 6, 2015. She worked on the album throughout 2014, co-writing and co-producing it with various musicians, including Di ...
(2015–2016),
Madame X ''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 Play (theatre), play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen sixteen times ...
(2019–2020), and Celebration (2023–2024). On the first one, Madonna wore a black sports cone bra with lycra shorts, while the dancers wore black spandex, with the backdrops depicting Tamara de Lempicka paintings. ''Slant Magazine'' felt that the performance was "stripped down to the bare basics" and "came closest to capturing the essence of the gay ballroom scene the lyrics were inspired by: presentational, preening, and all about the pose". Two performances were taped and released on video, the ''Blond Ambition – Japan Tour 90'', taped in
Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
, Japan, on April 27, 1990, and the '' Live! – Blond Ambition World Tour 90'', taped in
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionMadonna: Truth or Dare'' (1990). The song was later performed at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, where Madonna and her dancers were clad in 18th century-inspired fashions, inspired by
Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...
, with sexual innuendo in the performance. At one point the singer flipped open her large skirt, allowing one of her dancers to crawl inside and come out through the other side. Taraborrelli observed that it was a "classic, camp show that elevated the standards of future performances on that program". It was later ranked by ''Rolling Stone'' as the sixth best performance in the history of the award show. A similar performance was made at the AIDS Project Los Angeles benefit later that year. Three years later, Madonna included "Vogue" on The Girlie Show tour, where it was given a Thai-themed performance. She wore an ensemble consisting of black sequined hot pants and a bra paired with knee-high military boots and a large beaded headdress that was described by her tour director and brother Christopher Ciccone as "part
Erté Romain de Tirtoff (23 November 1892 – 21 April 1990), known by the pseudonym Erté (from the French pronunciation of his initials: ), was a Russian-born French people, French artist and designer. He worked in several fields, including fashi ...
, part
Zizi Jeanmaire Renée Marcelle "Zizi" Jeanmaire (29 April 1924 – 17 July 2020) was a French ballet dancer, actress and singer. She became famous in the 1950s after playing the title role in the ballet ''Carmen'', produced in London in 1949, and went on to a ...
". Santiago Fouz-Hernández and Freya Jarman-Ivens criticized the singer for placing "her signature over-exaggeration and deformation in an Asian worldview and
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
". The performance on the November 19, 1993, show at
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...
was recorded and included on the video release '' The Girlie Show: Live Down Under''. In 2004, Madonna opened the Re-Invention tour with a performance of the song in a
Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...
-themed setting. She arrived on stage atop a rising platform dressed in a jewel encrusted
corset A corset /ˈkɔːrsɪt/ is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and Posture correction, posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of Baleen, whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in th ...
. Madonna struck yoga poses and at one point, supported herself on her forearms. Sal Cinquemani from ''Slant Magazine'' commented that the performance gave new meaning to the slogan "strike a pose". The number was included in the '' I'm Going to Tell You a Secret'' live album and documentary. A mashup of "Vogue", Madonna's own " 4 Minutes", and
Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...
's " Give It to Me", was performed on the Sticky & Sweet tour in 2008 and 2009. Madonna was dressed in a black leotard and fishnet tights while the dancers wore bondage-inspired gear; together they did a synchronized choreography to the song. It received generally mixed reviews from critics. The performance was included on the '' Sticky & Sweet Tour'' live CD and DVD release, recorded in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, Argentina. In 2012, Madonna opened the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show with a performance of "Vogue". It began as a procession to the stage, with men dressed as
gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...
s pulling a large structure hidden from view by large gold-colored flags. As "Vogue" began the flags were removed, revealing Madonna in a long, gold-colored cape and an ancient-Egyptian headdress seated on a large throne. ''Slant Magazine'' praised the singer for "opening her performance at the Super Bowl, arguably the most heterosexual audience she's ever appeared in front of, with perhaps the gayest anthem in her catalogue". Ten of the stars mentioned in the song were entitled to a royalty payment of US$3,750 as their images were also used in the performance. For the performance of the track on the MDNA tour which occurred the same year, Madonna wore an ensemble consisting of a suit and a cage corset with conical bra cups, while the dancers were dressed in black and white avant-garde outfits. The singer's outfit was designed by
Jean Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 June 1952) is a French haute couture and Ready-to-wear, prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs in ...
, who described it as "a nod to the conical bra corset of the Blond Ambition tour but reinterpreted in 3-D". Chandeliers were hung on the background while the screens flashed the song's title and black and white 1950s fashion imagery. Nisha Gopalan from ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' said that thanks to being a "purist rendition" the song ended up as a "true crowd-pleaser that elicited as many squeals as it did goosebumps". A performance of the song at a show in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
at the American Airlines Arena was recorded and released on the live album '' MDNA World Tour''. On the 2015–2016 Rebel Heart Tour, Madonna performed a mashup of "Vogue" and "
Holy Water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...
", a song from her 13th studio album ''
Rebel Heart ''Rebel Heart'' is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released by Interscope Records on March 6, 2015. She worked on the album throughout 2014, co-writing and co-producing it with various musicians, including Di ...
'' (2015). Towards the end of the performance of "Holy Water", she began singing "Vogue"'s rap and chorus while writhing against a dancer dressed as a
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
in hot pants, bikini tops and high-heeled boots while other dancers simulated an
orgy An orgy is a sex party where guests freely engage in open and unrestrained sexual activity or group sex. Swingers' parties do not always conform to this designation, because at many swinger parties the sexual partners may all know each other o ...
at the
Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...
. ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
''s Michael Lallo pointed out that "Vogue" had never been "performed with such darkness" compared to its usual treatment as "a slick dance number". The performances at
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
's Allphones Arena were recorded and released on the '' Rebel Heart Tour'' live album. On December 6, 2016, Madonna sang "Vogue" during the
Carpool Karaoke Carpool Karaoke was a recurring segment on '' The Late Late Show with James Corden'', in which host James Corden invites famous musical guests to sing along to their songs with him while traveling in a car driven by Corden on a planned route usu ...
segment of ''
The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known simply as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show that aired on CBS from 2015 to 2023. It is the fourth and final iteration of '' The Late Late Show'', and aired in the United Sta ...
''. On June 30, 2019, Madonna used the track as the opening song of her mini concert at the
Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019 Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019 was a series of LGBTQ events and celebrations in June 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. It was also the first time WorldPride was held in the United States. Held primarily in the ...
, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the
Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of ...
. She entered the stage in a black trench coat amid a troupe of identically dressed dancers. A similar performance was later done for the Madame X Tour in 2019 and 2020, which was chronicled on the tour's
documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
released in 2021. On June 24, 2021, the singer made a surprise appearance at an
LGBT pride In the context of LGBTQ culture, pride (also known as LGBTQ pride, LGBTQIA pride, LGBT pride, queer pride, gay pride, or gay and lesbian pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility o ...
party at the Boom Boom Room of New York's The Standard hotel, and "Vogue" was used as the opening song. The song was again performed by Madonna on the 2023–2024 Celebration Tour, with elements of
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
's " Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)". The stage was transformed into a
ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...
competition, which was described by ''Billboard''s Joe Lynch as "a multi-layered tribute to her past, her family and her queer inspirations". She serves as a judge of a parade of dancers, which includes her daughter Estere; during the course of the tour, a number of invited judges also appear, including Gaultier,
FKA twigs Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 16 January 1988), known professionally as FKA Twigs (stylized as FKA twigs), is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. She was a backup dancer for numerous musicians, and made her musica ...
,
Julia Fox Julia Fox (born February 2, 1990) is an Italian and American actress, model, and media personality. Her debut performance was in the 2019 film ''Uncut Gems'', for which she was nominated for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Ac ...
, and her daughter Lourdes Leon. During the performance Madonna wears a new version of the conic bra, consisting of a black cone mini dress, encrusted with black crystals, designed by Gaultier.


Cover versions and usage

In 1991, comedian Julie Brown sang a parody of "Vogue" titled "Vague" in the TV special '' Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful'', itself a spoof of Madonna and her documentary '' Madonna: Truth or Dare''. In 1992, Finnish band
Waltari Waltari is a Finnish band from Helsinki known for combining numerous styles, from different metal subgenres such as progressive metal, alternative metal and extreme metal to non-metal styles such as hip hop, pop, industrial, techno, punk a ...
released a cover of the song on their album ''
Torcha! ''Torcha!'' is the second studio album by the Finnish avant-garde metal band Waltari. Track listing # "Lights On" – 4:54 # "The Lie of the Zombie" – 4:43 # "I Held You So Long" – 4:40 # "Dedicated to the Flyers" – 2:45 # "Lust of Life" ...
''.
The Chipettes The Chipettes are a Fiction, fictional girl group from the ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'' franchise consisting of three female anthropomorphic chipmunk singers: Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, alongside their adoptive human mother, Beatrice Mille ...
also covered it on their 1996 album '' Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes''. The 1999 compilation album ''Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna, Vol. 1'' features a cover version by British
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
group Astralasia. The same year,
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
included the song on the setlist for her ...Baby One More Time Tour along with Madonna's single " Material Girl" (1984). A dance version of "Vogue" by Mad'House can be found on their album ''Absolutely Mad'', released in 2002. The song is featured in the 2006 film '' The Devil Wears Prada'' as a nod to Miranda Priestly's inspiration, '' Vogue'' editor
Anna Wintour Dame Anna Wintour ( ; born 3 November 1949) is a British-American media executive, who has been serving as editor-in-chief of '' Vogue'' since 1988. Wintour has also served as global chief content officer of Condé Nast since 2020, where she o ...
. In 2006 and 2007, Australian singer
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
performed it in her tour Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour, with her song "Burning Up" from her eighth studio album ''
Fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...
'' (2001) as the background music. She repeated this performance during the 2009 For You, For Me Tour.
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
recorded a later leaked cover of "Vogue" before performing the song during the 2008 Fashion Rocks. In 2013, "Vogue" inspired
flash mob A flash mob (or flashmob) is a group of people that assembles suddenly in a public place, performs for a brief time, then quickly disperses, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and/or artistic expression. Flash mobs may be organize ...
s around the United States. In 2010, on the TV show ''
Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...
'', Sue Sylvester performed a parody of the "Vogue" music video on an episode titled " The Power of Madonna", with the name of
Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...
replaced by the name of Sue Sylvester, and the phrase "
Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...
we love you" replaced by the phrase " Will Schuester I hate you". Following the episode, the song charted at number 106 on the UK Singles Chart.
Beth Ditto Mary Beth Patterson (born February 19, 1981), known by her stage name Beth Ditto, is an American singer and songwriter most notable for her work with the indie rock band Gossip. Her voice has been compared to Etta James, Janis Joplin and Tina ...
has covered "Vogue" on occasion, including at Moscow Miller Party in 2011. She also paid homage to "Vogue" with the video of her single " I Wrote the Book" (2011). In 2014 and 2015,
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...
used a snippet of "Vogue" in a mashup with her own song "International Smile", during the
Prismatic World Tour The Prismatic'' ''World Tour was the third concert tour by American singer Katy Perry, in support of her fourth studio album, ''Prism (Katy Perry album), Prism'' (2013). The tour began on May 7, 2014, at Belfast, Northern Ireland's Odyssey Aren ...
.
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
performed a medley of "Vogue" and
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
's " I'm Every Woman" at New York City Pride's Dance on the Pier in 2015. In 2021, South Korean singer
Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin, Spanish and other languages * Luna (goddess) In Sabine and ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon (Latin ''Lūna'' ). She is often presented as t ...
's song "Madonna" referenced "Vogue" in its lyrics, "When I grow up, I wanna be like Madonna / When I grow up, I wanna vogue how I wanna". In 2022, Beyoncé teamed up with Madonna for "The Queens" remix of her single, " Break My Soul". This version heavily interpolates "Vogue" and has Beyonce paying homage to Madonna, her sister
Solange Knowles Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She expressed an interest in music from an early age and had temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, which featured her older sister ...
, and her
Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...
bandmates
Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling gir ...
and
Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to: * Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar * Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child * Michelle Williams (actr ...
, along with prominent black women in music, and
ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...
houses such as House of Xtravaganza, House of Aviance and
House of LaBeija The Royal House of LaBeija is the first house of Ballroom founded by Crystal LaBeija and Lottie LaBeija in 1968. It was the first ballroom house to host benefits to raise awareness during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic. Crystal and Lottie establish ...
as a celebration of empowerment. Beyoncé later thanked Madonna for allowing her to use the song, and revealed that Madonna was the one that named the remix. It was later added to the setlist of the
Renaissance World Tour The Renaissance World Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. Her highest-grossing tour to date, it was staged in support of her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance (Beyoncé album), Renaissance'' (2022). The to ...
in 2023, with Beyoncé shouting out Madonna who was in attendance at the
East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner suburb, inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 Unit ...
stop. That same year, Puerto Rican singer and rapper
Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (; born March 10, 1994), better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. Known as the " King of Latin Trap", Bad Bunny is credited with helping Spanish-language rap music achieve m ...
sampled "Vogue" on the track "Vou 787", included on his sixth studio album '' Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana''. During the song, he sings that if he was a woman, he would have been like Madonna or
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
.


Legacy

"Vogue" was included on the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" list, and was voted number five on
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 ...
's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s". ''Pitchfork'' editors ranked "Vogue" as the 115th best song of the 1990s, praising it for how unapologetically it celebrated queer life at the height of the
AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
epidemic. ''Rolling Stone'' listed the track as one of the "500 Best Songs of All Time" at number 139, while they named it the 11th greatest dance song of all time. The song was placed by ''Billboard'' on the number four spot on its list of "60 Top LGBTQ Anthems of All Time", and as part of the 65th anniversary of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's staff ranked "Vogue" as the 186th best pop song that appeared on the chart. ''Slant Magazine'' ranked it at number 10 on their "Best Singles of the '90s" list, and number three in the list of the 100 Greatest Dance Songs. Music critic
Jody Rosen Jody Rosen (born June 21, 1969 in New York City) is an American journalist and author. He is a contributing writer for ''The New York Times Magazine''. Career Journalism Rosen served as critic-at-large for '' T: The New York Times Style Magaz ...
from ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'' included "Vogue" as one of Madonna's "ten essential songs for new or aspiring fans". ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' called it "the most famous fashion song of all time", although the song was not specifically about the magazine '' Vogue''. It was named the most iconic female dance moment in history in a list published by ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
''. Many critics and academics agree that with the song, Madonna brought voguing into mainstream culture, and also view it as one of the first mainstream pop culture works to spotlight elements from the queer, Black and Latino-led ballroom scene. '' Boston.com''s Scott Kearnan noted that although Madonna has occasionally been accused of
cultural appropriation Cultural appropriation is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture or cultural identity, identity by members of another culture or identity in a manner perceived as inappropriate or unacknowledged. Such a controversy typically ari ...
for taking vogue mainstream, "she never obfuscated or demeaned its roots", and concluded that "even at an especially homophobic time, Madonna's gay dancers were shown as front, center, and fabulous, striking a pose alongside the most famous woman on Earth." Jon Blistein from ''Rolling Stone'' had similar thoughts, criticizing the mainstream's willingness to seriously engage with that culture and craft only when it is presented by white people, but stated that it "doesn't mean one can't still revel in the song's brilliance, nor do they necessarily suggest anything malicious on Madonna's part", as she "approached 'Vogue' with a clear admiration and respect for the ballroom world." For
Lucy O'Brien Lucy O'Brien (born 13 September 1961)Author Biography, O'Brien, Lucy – She Bop: The definitive history of women in rock, pop, and soul, London: Penguin, 1995 is a British author and journalist whose work focuses on women in music. Early musi ...
, in her book '' Madonna: Like an Icon'', "Vogue" was "the beginning of a new phase for Madonna. It was as if she got a sense of her immortality, and her true power. Feeling secure in her status as a mainstream artist, she began to play with that power and challenge her audience." James Rose of Daily Review agreed, writing that with the song Madonna began "a phase of her career that oscillates between cynical self-exploitation and courageous self-expression. Raunchy videos, explicitly themed lyrics and boudoir beats became ''de rigueur'' for the lady now arguably bearing the biggest name in popular music." Before Madonna popularized the dance, voguing was performed mostly in bars and discos of New York City in the underground gay scene. According to O'Brien, when "Vogue" became the "Number 1 hit of that summer, t wasplayed in clubs across the globe, from London to New York to Bali", also pointing out that it "rode the crest of the newly emerging dance craze, where club culture, house music and techno met the mainstream. 'Vogue' reflected the new hedonism; positive, upbeat, and totally inclusive". Liam Hess of ''Vogue'' commented that "this subcultural movement had officially boiled over into the zeitgeist" as "many were mimicking the playful, exaggerated gestures of the Harlem ballrooms" around the world. Steven Canals, the co-creator of the TV series '' Pose'' stated, "If we're looking at the history of ballroom and specifically that moment in time, what Madonna did was bring ballroom to the mainstream. She introduced the world to this community who, up until that point in time, had been a subculture." Voguing has since become a prominent dance form practised worldwide, and many female performers have followed Madonna's footsteps, adopting the dance style and incorporating it into their music videos and performances. The song is also noted for bringing
house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
into mainstream popular music, as well as for reviving disco music a decade after its commercial death. Erick Henderson of ''Slant Magazine'' explained that the song was "instrumental in allowing disco revivalism to emerge, allowing the denigrated gay genre to soar once again within the context of house music, the genre disco became in its second life." Sal Cinquemani of the same publication wrote that the song was "making its impact all the more impressive (it would go on to inspire a glut of pop-house copycats) and begging the question: If disco died a decade earlier, what the fuck was this big, gay, fuscia drag-queen boa of a dance song sitting on top of the charts for a month for?" According to Tom Breiham of ''Stereogum'', "Vogue" was certainly the first number-one house track ever. He added, "House, like voguing itself, had been a relatively underground club phenomenon a few years earlier, and it had only started to make inroads into the mainstream. As far as this column is concerned, that breakthrough might be the main legacy of 'Vogue'".


Track listing

* US 7-inch and cassette single, Japanese 3-inch CD single # "Vogue" (single version) – 4:19 # "Vogue" (Bette Davis dub) – 7:26 * UK and European 7-inch and cassette single # "Vogue" (single version) – 4:19 # "Keep It Together" (single remix) – 4:31 * US CD maxi-single and digital EP # "Vogue" (single version) – 4:19 # "Vogue" (12-inch version) – 8:25 # "Vogue" (Bette Davis dub) – 7:26 # "Vogue" (Strike-A-Pose dub) – 7:36 * US 12-inch maxi-single # "Vogue" (12-inch version) – 8:25 # "Vogue" (Bette Davis dub) – 7:26 # "Vogue" (Strike-A-Pose dub) – 7:36 * UK and European 12-inch and CD single # "Vogue" (12-inch version) – 8:25 # "Keep It Together" (12-inch remix) – 7:50 * UK 12-inch single # "Vogue" (12-inch version) – 8:25 # "Vogue" (Strike-A-Pose dub) – 7:36 * Japanese CD EP # "Vogue" (12-inch version) – 8:25 # "Vogue" (Bette Davis dub) – 7:26 # "Vogue" (Strike-A-Pose dub) – 7:36 # "Hanky Panky" (Bare Bottom 12-inch mix) – 6:36 # "Hanky Panky" (Bare Bones single mix) – 3:52 # "More" (album version) – 4:58


Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's 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, ...
 – writer, vocals, producer *
Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...
 – writer, producer, mixing * Greg Kostich – executive producer * Tony Shimkin – editor * Fred McFarlane – keyboards, bass, programming * Alan Friedman – programming * Goh Hotoda – mix engineer * P. Dennis Mitchell – engineering assistant * Curt Frasca – engineering assistant * Donna De Lory – background vocals * Niki Haris – background vocals * N'Dea Davenport – background vocals


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


All-time charts


Certifications and sales


See also

* List of Australian chart achievements and milestones *
List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1990s The following lists the number one singles on the Australian Singles Chart, along with other substantial hits, during the 1990s in music, 1990s. The source for this decade is the ARIA Charts. 1990 Top 5 singles by Australian and New Zealand ...
* List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones of 1990 * List of ''Cash Box'' Top 100 number-one singles of 1990 *
List of European number-one airplay songs of the 1990s ''Music & Media'' published a chart of the most popular songs on European radio every week. During the 1990s, the main airplay chart had been changed thrice: European Airplay Top 50 (up to 12 October 1991), European Hit Radio (22 December 1990 t ...
* List of number-one singles of 1990 (Canada) * List of number-one singles of 1990 (Spain) *
List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1990s The UK Singles Chart is a record chart compiled on behalf of the British record industry. Until 1 February 1994, the chart was compiled each week by Gallup poll, Gallup – after this date, it was managed by Kantar Group, Millward Brown, wh ...


References


Works cited

* * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1990 singles 1990 songs American house music songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Black-and-white music videos Cashbox number-one singles Dick Tracy European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles LGBTQ-related songs List songs Madonna songs MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction Music videos directed by David Fincher Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Spain Number-one singles in Sweden Number-one singles in Switzerland Oricon International Singles Chart number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Sampling controversies Sire Records singles Warner Records singles Song recordings produced by Madonna Song recordings produced by Shep Pettibone Songs about actors Songs about dancing Songs about Marilyn Monroe Songs written by Madonna Songs written by Shep Pettibone UK singles chart number-one singles Works about ball culture Cultural depictions of Bette Davis