Dress You Up
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Dress You Up" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Single by Madonna | ||||
| from the album Like a Virgin | ||||
| B-side | "Shoo-Bee-Doo" "I Know It" (UK) |
|||
| Released | July 24, 1985 | |||
| Format | Vinyl (12"), CD Single (Re-Issue), Vinyl (7"), Cassette Single, Limited Edition Shaped Picture Disc | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 4:01 | |||
| Label | Sire, Warner Bros. | |||
| Writer(s) | Andrea LaRusso, Peggy Stanziale | |||
| Producer | Nile Rodgers | |||
| Certification | Silver (UK)[1] | |||
| Madonna singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
 |
|
||||
| Problems listening to this file? See media help. | |||||
"Dress You Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was the fourth single released from her second studio album, Like a Virgin, and was released on July 24, 1985 by Sire Records.
Contents |
[edit] Song information
The dance song makes use of an extended metaphor between fashion and sex. Madonna sings about clothes she'd like draped over her man, obviously for the pleasure of having her hands all over his body. She also sings that she'll create a "look" for her lover, referring to a concept that would become unique to Madonna's own fame. She even sings about covering her man with "velvet kisses", and making him feel the "silky touch of [her] caresses". In Britain, the song was one of several Madonna singles to be released as a limited-edition shaped picture disc. In this case, it was star-shaped to tie in with the Christmas release for the single.
The song was subject to controversy when it was included in the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen" list, for the perceived sexual content of its lyrics. The PMRC's Tipper Gore had heard her daughter listening to the song, and considered its lyric ("Gonna dress you up in my love") to constitute 'vulgar music'. The list was presented to a Senate committee in a campaign to censor such songs. Other songs included then-recent hits by Cyndi Lauper, Prince, Sheena Easton, the Mary Jane Girls, and Twisted Sister. This led to the creation of the Parental Advisory sticker.
In 1999, "Dress You Up" was sung by a group of young adults, among which were then-unknowns Alex Greenwald, Rashida Jones and Jason Thompson, in Gap's "Everybody in Vests" TV commercial directed by Pedro Romhanyi. The music mix was done by the Dust Brothers.[2]
The song is one of several hit Madonna singles not included on The Immaculate Collection compilation. When fans were asked to vote for the top 20 Madonna singles of all time in Q magazine in 2003, "Dress You Up" was allocated the #8 spot. As a sign of its enduring popularity, "Dress You Up" has been included on Madonna's 2009 compilation Celebration.
[edit] Charts
"Dress You Up" peaked at five in the UK over the Christmas period of 1985 when it became her eighth Top 5 song of 1985, following "Like a Virgin", "Material Girl", "Crazy for You", "Into the Groove", "Holiday", "Angel", and "Gambler". "Holiday" and "Like A Virgin" had technically been released the previous year, though the former re-entered the chart in 1985, and the latter was still in the Top 5 at the start of the year from its original release.
In Australia, the song peaked at #5 in October 1985, becoming Madonna's sixth Top 10 single in that country in just over a year.[3]
Following on from a sizeable amount of previous hit singles, the song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in 1985. Madonna also won the Best Choreography in a video at the MTV Video Music Awards.[4]
[edit] Music video
Although no music video was made, a live performance of "Dress You Up" from Madonna Live - The Virgin Tour videocassette filmed in Detroit, Michigan, was used to promote the single. Two versions of the video existed: one included a black-and-white introduction from Madonna, while the alternate showed Madonna fans arriving for the concert. Then the lights went dim and Madonna appeared on the stage performing the song. The video was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards: Best Choreography, Best Editing and Best Cinematography.
- Director: Daniel Kleinman
- Producer: Simon Fields
- Director of Photography: Jerry Watson
- Editor: Mitchell Sinoway
- Production Company: Limelight Productions
[edit] Track listing and formats
- 7" single
- A. "Dress You Up" – 3:58
- B. "Shoo-Bee-Doo" (LP Version) – 5:14
- 12" single
- A. "Dress You Up" (The 12" Formal Mix) – 6:15
- B1. "Dress You Up" (The Casual Instrumental Mix) – 4:36
- B2. "Shoo-Bee-Doo" (LP Version) – 5:14
- Japan single
- A1. "Dress You Up" (The 12" Formal Mix) – 6:15
- A2. "Shoo-Bee-Doo" – 5:14
- B1. "Ain't No Big Deal" – 4:17
- B2. "Dress You Up" (The Casual Instrumental Mix) – 4:36
- UK 7"
- A. "Dress You Up" – 3:58
- B. "I Know It"
- UK 12" single
- A. "Dress You Up" (The 12" Formal Mix) – 6:15
- B1. "Dress You Up" (The Casual Instrumental Mix) – 4:36
- B2. "I Know It"
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart | 5 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 5 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 3 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 6 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 18 |
| South African Singles Chart | 3 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 11 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 20 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary | 32 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 64 |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | 3 |
[edit] Live Performances
Thus far, Madonna has performed Dress You Up on her Virgin Tour in 1985, the Who's That Girl World Tour in 1987, and the 2009 leg of the Sticky & Sweet Tour.
Madonna has re-embraced the song in her more recent years; a backing track was created for performance on her Re-Invention Tour, however Madonna found it difficult to learn the guitar chords for the song, choosing to perform "Material Girl" instead. The song made its way into her next tour however, in the form of a video interlude medley with three other early Madonna songs before a performance of "Music Inferno". In 2008, Madonna performed the first verse and chorus of the song at four dates on the request section of the Sticky & Sweet Tour with the exception of the October 27th Chicago show, where she sang it in its entirety. This was the first time she publicly sang the song since 1987. Madonna finally added "Dress You Up" to the 2009 leg of the Sticky & Sweet Tour, featuring the groove of The Knack's song My Sharona.
[edit] Writing Credits
Written by Andrea LaRusso and Peggy Stanziale.
[edit] Cover versions
- Australian singer-songwriter Darren Hayes (formerly of pop duo Savage Garden) recorded a cover of the song in 2005. His version is based on the Re-Invention Tour studio demo, which leaked to the internet.
- An alternative rock cover of the song by shoegazer band Apollo Heights was included on the 2007 Madonna tribute compilation Through the Wilderness.
- The powerpop band Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer covered the song on their 2007 EP Duet All Night Long, a split release with ska band Reel Big Fish.
- UK dance artist Kelly Llorenna recorded a new version of the song in 2008 which was later previewed during the 2008 Clubland 2 tour. A music video aired on Clubland TV, featuring Llorenna trying on a selection of different outifts in a clothes shop named Kelly Llorenna. At the end of the video, it shows her driving off in a limousine wearing a chauffeur's outfit.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
