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"Causing a Commotion"
Song
B-side"Jimmy, Jimmy"

"Causing a Commotion" is a song by American recording artist Madonna. It was released as the second single from the soundtrack album Who's That Girl on August 25, 1987 by Sire Records. Its Silver Screen Single Mix later appeared on the 1991 UK compilation EP The Holiday Collection. Written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, the song was inspired by Madonna's relationship with then husband Sean Penn, and his abusive and violent nature. Containing a dance-oriented, up-tempo groove, the song begins with the chorus and is accompanied by a four-note descending bassline and staccato chords in the verse.

Since its release, the song has received mixed reviews by critics. It became a top-ten hit in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and topped the Billboard U.S. dance chart. Madonna performed the song on the Who's That Girl World Tour – which was transmitted via satellite to the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards – and the Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990. The performances were included in the home video release of the tours.

Background

The song was written and produced by Madonna and long-term co-writer Stephen Bray for the Who's That Girl film soundtrack. It was inspired by her then husband Sean Penn and their often tumultuous relationship. Madonna felt that her marriage to Penn was on the verge of breaking-up, due to Penn's abusive and violent nature.[1] That translated as the inspiration behind the song. In a Rolling Stone article dated September 10, 1987, Madonna spoke about Penn's impact on her life and the song,

"I don't like violence. I never condone hitting anyone, and I never thought that any violence sould have taken place. But on the other hand, I understood Sean's anger and believe me, I have wanted to hit him many times. I never would you know, because I realize that it would just make things worse. [...] I felt like he was 'Causing a Commotion' to purposefully distract me. I wrote this song and vented my frustration in it."[2]

In the United States, "Causing a Commotion" was released in August 1987. In the United Kingdom, the song was released just before the commencement of Madonna's 1987 Who's That Girl Tour in October. In 1991, the Silver Screen Single Mix of the song was included on Madonna's The Holiday Collection EP.[3]

Composition

"Causing a Commotion"
A 20 second sample of Madonna's "Causing a Commotion" featuring the chorus.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Causing a Commotion" has a dancey, up-tempo groove in it.[4] The musical arrangement consists of a number of hooks interpolating with each other. It begins with the chorus, where Madonna sings the line "I've got the moves baby, You've got the motions, If we got together we be causing a commotion." The verses are accompanied by a four-note descending bassline and interjecting staccato chords.[4] The lyrics make reference to Madonna's 1985 single "Into the Groove" and have three parts to the vocal harmony. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Walt Disney Music Company, the song is set in the time signature of common time with a tempo of 192 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of B♭ major with Madonna's voice spanning from the high-note of C3 to B5. The song has a basic sequence of B♭–Fm7–B♭–F9–B♭6 as its chord progression.[5]

Reception

Critical response

The song received generally mixed reviews. Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, said that the song was "Perfectly acceptable, though not in the same class as 'Who's That Girl'."[4] Christian Wright from Spin called the song celebratory.[6] Tony Power from Blender criticized the song, saying "nothing in it is good".[7] Bill Lamb of About.com said that the song, along with the title track, was not an example of Madonna's best music.[8] Carol Benson, one of the authors of The Madonna Companion: Two Decades of Commentary, said that Madonna's command of massive, resonant basslines impressed them. "I recall my stunned admiration as I sat in the theater in 1987 and first experienced the crashing, descending chords of Madonna's 'Causing a Commotion', which opened her dreadful movie Who's That Girl. If you want to hear the essence of modernity, listen to those chords, infernal, apocalyptic, and grossly sensual. This is the authentic voice of fin de siecle."[9] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic commented that "Causing a Commotion", along with "Who's That Girl" were not among Madonna's best singles.[10]

Chart performance

"Causing a Commotion" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at number 41 the week of September 12, 1987, as "Who's That Girl" was descending from the top ten.[11] The single quickly climbed up the chart, ultimately peaking at number two the week of October 24, 1987, the same week Michael Jackson's "Bad" advanced to the pole position. It remained in the runner-up position for three weeks, before descending from the chart.[12] "Causing a Commotion" reached the top 40 of the Adult Contemporary chart of Billboard and reached the top of the Hot Dance Club Play chart.[13][14] In Canada, the song debuted at 90, on the RPM singles chart on September 19, 1987.[15] After six weeks, the song reached a peak of two on the chart.[16] It was present for a total of 31 weeks and ranked at 47 on the RPM Year-end chart for 1987.[17][18]

In the United Kingdom, "Causing a Commotion" was released on September 19, 1987. It entered the UK Singles Chart at seven, and peaked at four.[19] The song was present for a total of nine weeks.[20] In Germany, the song debuted on the Media Control Charts at 66 on September 29, 1987, reaching a peak of 14 in its third week, and spending 12 weeks on the chart.[21] The song reached the top ten in Australia and the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, and peaked at seven and three respectively.[22][23] Elsewhere, the song reached the top ten in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland and the top twenty in Austria, Norway and Sweden.[24][25][26][27]

Live performances

Madonna performed "Causing a Commotion" on the Who's That Girl World Tour of 1987 and the Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990. In the Who's That Girl World Tour, "Causing a Commotion" was the sixth song of the setlist. Collaborating with Marlene Stewart on the clothes for the tour, Madonna expanded on the idea of bringing her video characters to life and to display a gangster theme for the song. She wore a golden lamé jacket and performed the song while accompanied by two dancers, each holding a gun.[28] Performances of the song on this tour can be found on the Who's That Girl – Live in Japan video, filmed in Tokyo, Japan, on June 22, 1987,[29] and on the Ciao, Italia! – Live from Italy video, filmed in Turin, Italy, on September 4, 1987.[30] The latter performance was transmitted via satellite to the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards.[31]

On the Blond Ambition World Tour, the song was performed as the third song of the setlist. The outfit she wore for the performance was described by Carol Clerk, author of Madonnastyle, as the "perfect visual combination of masculine and feminine".[32] It consisted of a double-breasted suit with a tight jacket, which was cut in slits, allowing her conical bra to point through. She also wore her characteristic monocle chain. Madonna wore heavy makeup with thick, blackened eyebrows and heavy application of dark liner.[32] As she finished the performance of "Open Your Heart", Madonna opened the jacket and started to simulate sexual intercourse with one of her dancers while playing the dominant role. It was followed by an exhibitionistic dance routine with a chair as a prop and Madonna singing the song. The performance ended with Madonna wrestling with her female backup singers.[32] Two different performances were released on video: the Blond Ambition – Japan Tour 90, taped in Yokohama, Japan, on April 27, 1990,[33] and the Live! – Blond Ambition World Tour 90, taped in Nice, France, on August 5, 1990.[34]

Track listing and formats

Credits and personnel

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
Position
Australian Kent Music Report[22] 7
Austrian Singles Chart[25] 14
Belgian VRT Top 30[24] 2
Canadian RPM Singles Chart[16] 2
Dutch Top 40[25] 3
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles[23] 3
German Singles Chart[21] 14
Irish Singles Chart[26] 2
Italian Singles Chart[27] 4
Norwegian Singles Chart[25] 10
New Zealand Singles Chart[25] 6
Spanish Singles Chart[35] 21
Swedish Singles Chart[25] 13
Swiss Singles Chart[25] 9
UK Singles Chart[20] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 2
US Hot Adult Contemporary[13] 37
US Hot Dance Club Play[14] 1
Preceded by US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
October 31, 1987 		Succeeded by

Notes

  1. ^ Feldman 2000, p. 211
  2. ^ Lawson, Senegal (1987-09-10). "Madonna: She's That Girl". Rolling Stone. 1019 (32). Jann Wenner. ISSN 0035-791X.
  3. ^ Rooksby 2004, p. 90
  4. ^ a b c Rooksby 2004, p. 69
  5. ^ "Digital Sheet Music – Madonna – Who's That Girl". Musicnotes.com. Walt Disney Music Company. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  6. ^ Wright, Christian (1989-09-01). "Madonna: Like a Prayer Review". Spin. 5 (2). Spin Media LLC. ISSN 0886-3032. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ Power, Tony (1987-01-01). "Review: Madonna – Who's That Girl". Blender. Alpha Media Group. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  8. ^ Lamb, Bill (1987). "Madonna Discography: Annotated list of Madonna's albums". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-07-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ Metz & Benson 1999, p. 162
  10. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (1987-07-21). "allmusic ((( Who's That Girl > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-07-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  11. ^ "The Billboard Hot 100: Week Ending September 12, 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1987-09-12. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  12. ^ a b "The Billboard Hot 100: Week Ending October 24, 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1987-10-24. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved 2010-05-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ a b "Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks: Week Ending October 24, 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1987-10-24. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  14. ^ a b "Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs: Week Ending October 31, 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1987-10-24. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  15. ^ "Top Singles – Volume 46, No. 24, September 19 1987". RPM. RPM Library Archives. 1987-09-19. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  16. ^ a b "Top Singles – Volume 47, No. 5, November 07 1987". RPM. RPM Library Archives. 1987-11-07. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  17. ^ "Top Singles – Volume 47, No. 18, February 20 1988". RPM. RPM Library Archives. 19888-02-20. Retrieved 2010-05-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. RPM Library Archives. 1987-12-26. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  19. ^ "Chartstats – Week of September 19, 1987". The Official Charts Company. Chartstats.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  20. ^ a b "Chartstats – Madonna – "Causing a Commotion"". The Official Charts Company. Chartstats.com. Retrieved 2010-05-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  21. ^ a b "Chartverfolgung > Madonna > Causing a Commotion". Media Control Charts. Musicline.de. 1987-09-29. Retrieved 2010-05-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  22. ^ a b Kent, David (1993), Australian Chart Book 1970–1992, Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W, ISBN 0-646-11917-6 {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help)
  23. ^ a b "Pan European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. 99 (41). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1987-10-24. ISSN 0006-2510.
  24. ^ a b "Madonna – Causing a Commotion – Song details" (in Dutch). VRT Top 30. 1987-09-26. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g "Madonna – Causing a Commotion (song)". Ultratop 50. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-05-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  26. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irish Recorded Music Association. 1987-09-23. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  27. ^ a b "Madonna: Discografia Italiana" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. 1984–1999. Retrieved 2010-01-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  28. ^ Clerk 2002, p. 66
  29. ^ Madonna (1987). Who's That Girl – Live in Japan (VHS). Warner-Pioneer Japan.
  30. ^ Phares, Heather. "allmusic ((( Ciao Italia: Live in Italy (Video) > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-03-18. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  31. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards | Performers". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2010-05-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  32. ^ a b c Clerk 2002, p. 84
  33. ^ Madonna (1990). Blond Ambition – Japan Tour 90 (VHS). Warner-Pioneer Japan.
  34. ^ Madonna (1990). Live! – Blond Ambition World Tour 90 (Laserdisc). Pioneer Artists.
  35. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 8480486392. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Missing pipe in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

References

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