Who's That Girl (Madonna song)

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"Who's That Girl"
Song
B-side"White Heat"

"Who's That Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from the soundtrack album Who's That Girl of the motion picture of same name. It was released on June 30, 1987 by Sire Records as the first single from the album. It later appeared on the 1991 UK compilation EP The Holiday Collection, which was released to accompany the 1990 compilation album The Immaculate Collection, and has since been included on the two-disc edition of her 2009 greatest hits album Celebration. While shooting for the film, then called Slammer, Madonna had requested Patrick Leonard to develop an uptempo song that captured the nature of her film persona. She later added the lyrics and vocals to the demo tape developed by Leonard, and decided to call both the song and the movie "Who's That Girl".

Featuring instrumentation from drums, bass, and stringed instruments, "Who's That Girl" continued Madonna's fascination with Hispanic culture by incorporating Spanish lyrics and using the effect of double vocals. Although it received mixed reactions from reviewers, the song became Madonna's sixth single to top the Billboard Hot 100, while peaking atop the charts in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium.

The music video portrayed a different persona of Madonna, rather than her film character for which it was released. Like the song, it incorporated Hispanic culture and portrayed her dressed in Spanish style as a young lady in search of a treasure. It was criticised for not depicting her real self. Madonna performed the song once on the Who's That Girl World Tour in 1987. The song has been covered by many artists and has appeared in compilations and tribute albums.

Background

In 1986, Madonna was shooting for her third motion picture Who's That Girl, known at the time as Slammer. Needing songs for the soundtrack of the movie, she contacted Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray, who had written and produced her third studio album True Blue in 1986.[1] Madonna explained to them that she needed an uptempo song and a downtempo song. She came to the studio one Thursday as Leonard developed the chorus of the song.[1] He handed over that cassette to Madonna, who went to the backroom and finished the melody and the lyrics of the song, while Leonard worked on the other parts of the song.[1] After finishing the lyrics, Madonna declared that she wanted the song to be named "Who's That Girl" and changed the movie to the same, rather than Slammer, considering it to be a better title. In Fred Bronson's The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits book, Leonard explained that the song was recorded in one day with Madonna adding her vocals only once. Additional instrumental tracks with guitars and percussion were included by Leonard and Bray later.[1] Regarding the development of the music for the film, Madonna further explained

"I had some very specific ideas in mind, music that would stand on its own as well as support and enhance what was happening on screen and the only way to make that a reality was to have a hand in writing the tunes myself. [...] The songs aren't necessarily about Nikki [her character name in the movie] or written to be sung by someone like her, but there's a spirit to this music that captures both what the film and the characters are about, I think."[1]

Composition

"Who's That Girl"
A sample to Madonna's "Who's That Girl", where the lyrics for the chorus include Spanish words.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The song is composed in Madonna's typical style—mingling the drum machine, a bubbling bass synth line, and the sound of stringed instruments.[2] The three parts of the song, namely the bridge, where Madonna sings "what can help me now", the chorus and the verse flow together strongly. The chorus has a haunting effect in it.[2] The song epitomizes Madonna's interest with Hispanic culture that continued after the release of "La Isla Bonita", by adding Spanish phrases in the chorus and over the trumpets of the second verse, and also by the added instrumental break in the middle.[2] It also uses the sonic effect brought about by the combination of multiple vocal lines, which had been previously used by groups like The Beach Boys in their singles "God Only Knows" (1966) and "I Get Around" (1964) as well as R.E.M.'s singles "Fall On Me" (1986) and "Near Wild Heaven" (1991).[2] "Who's That Girl" employs this effect on the last chorus where three or four different vocal hooks are intertwined.[2]

Reception

Critical response

Critical reaction to the song has been mixed. In his book The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, author Rikky Rooksby explained that the song was Madonna's best take on her original music style.[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic commented that "Who's That Girl" along with "Causing a Commotion" were not amongst Madonna's best singles.[3] Although Tony Power of Blender magazine criticised the whole soundtrack, he considered "Who's That Girl" to be its standout track.[4] Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, in his book Madonna: An Intimate Biography called the song "quintessential Madonna music" and went on to describe it as "funky, sassy and melodic, with a Latin accent."[5] Noah Robischon from Entertainment Weekly opined that with the both the song and the movie, Madonna had pushed "synergy over the borderline."[6] Bill Lamb of About.com said that the song, along with the second single from the soundtrack "Causing a Commotion", was not an example of Madonna's best music.[7]

Chart performance

"Who's That Girl" was released in the United States in June 1987. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number forty-three, reached the top of the chart in its seventh week, maintained the top position for one week, and spent sixteen weeks on the chart.[8] It became Madonna's sixth number-one single in the United States,[9] making her the first artist to accumulate six number-one singles in the 1980s, and the first female performer to get that many number-ones as a solo act.[10] The song peaked at number two on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.[8] In 2000, the song came tenth in a vote conducted to determine the favourite Madonna song.[11]

In Canada, the song debuted at the eighty-third position of the RPM singles chart on July 11, 1987,[12] reached the top for one week on August 29, 1987,[13] and stayed on the chart for twenty-three weeks.[14] In the United Kingdom, "Who's That Girl" was released on July 14, 1987, and debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, soon climbing to number one the next week[15] to become Madonna's fifth number-one single in the United Kingdom.[16] Across Europe, "Who's That Girl" also topped the singles charts in Belgium, Italy, Ireland, and the Netherlands,[17][18][19][20] as well as peaking in the top five in Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.[21][22]

Music video

Madonna, wearing a Spanish hat, looks happily toward the children after finding the treasure casket in the music video.

The music video was shot over two days, at Grayhall Mansion in Beverly Hills, California. Madonna had adopted a garish, platinum blond hairstyle for the Who's That Girl movie which she used in the music video; it was her way of reviving the comedy heroine of the 1930s Hollywood screwball comedies.[23] She continued with her Hispanic look from the "La Isla Bonita" music video, this time she appeared dressed boyishly in a wide-brimmed Spanish hat and bolero jacket—a combination which would later become a fashion trend.[24]

The music video, directed by Peter Rosenthal,[25] begins with Madonna entering a park.[26] After meeting two children and a teenage boy, they start roaming around the park, with Madonna singing the song.[26] These scenes are interchanged with scenes from the motion picture, which show Madonna as the movie character Nikki Fynn. As the music video progresses, Madonna is shown to be in search of an Egyptian treasure casket.[26] After being directed to it by a postcard displaying her cartoon impersonation, Madonna opens it to find a huge diamond. She looks up happily to the children. The video ends with them continuing dancing and Madonna carrying away the casket.[26]

The video portrayed a different image of Madonna rather than her real self. According to Vincent Canby of The New York Times, Madonna at that time was shrewdly pragmatic about her persona and appearance—resembling Marilyn Monroe, but with the "comic tartiness" of Jean Harlow. This persona was reflected in the second half of the Who's That Girl film.[27] However, the music video chose not to capture her real self and qualities, or to promote the movie for which it was specifically created. Instead, it concentrated on the humorous off-putting personality of Madonna's film character depicted in the first half of the film.[27] As a result, the video failed to appeal to people who were not acquainted with her prior work, nor with people who already knew and admired Madonna's erotic and funny performance in her music videos.[27]

Live performance and covers

Madonna performed the song live only once, on her 1987 Who's That Girl World Tour. The song was performed as the part of the encore. The outfit for the performance, designed by Marlene Stewart,[24] was created with toy watches, plastic lobsters and an ashtray—thereby depicting her awareness of surrealism.[28] According to biographer Andrew Morton, it also portrayed her tongue-in-cheek sense of style: when she bent over in this ensemble, she revealed panties with the word "Kiss" written on them.[24] The performance included Madonna dancing around the stage in the dress and asking the audience to join her. Two different performances of the song on this tour can be found on the videos: Who's That Girl – Live in Japan, filmed in Tokyo, Japan, on June 22, 1987, and Ciao, Italia! – Live from Italy, filmed in Turin, Italy, on September 4, 1987.[29][30]

The song has been covered many times, mostly on tribute albums. In 1999, The Countdown Singers made a sound-alike cover version for the album Hit Parade of 80's, Vol. 2.[31] The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) made an instrumental version of the song for the 1998 album Material Girl: RPO Plays Music of Madonna.[32] German actress Eva Mattes covered the song for her 2006 album Language of Love.[33] In 2007, The Bubonic Plague recorded a cover of the song that was included on the tribute album Through the Wilderness.[34]

Formats and track listing

Credits and personnel

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
Position
Australian Kent Music Report[35] 7
Austrian Singles Chart[21] 4
Belgian VRT Top 30[17] 1
Canadian RPM Singles Chart[13] 1
Dutch Top 40[20] 1
French SNEP Singles Chart[36] 2
German Singles Chart[22] 2
Irish Singles Chart[18] 1
Italian Singles Chart[19] 1
Norwegian Singles Chart[37] 2
Spanish Singles Chart[38] 6
Swedish Singles Chart[39] 2
Swiss Singles Chart[40] 2
UK Singles Chart[15] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 1
US Hot Dance Club Play[8] 2
Preceded by Irish Singles Chart number-one single
July 18, 1987 – July 25, 1987 		Succeeded by
UK Singles Chart number-one single
July 26, 1987
Preceded by Dutch Top 40 number-one single
August 1, 1987 – August 22, 1987 		Succeeded by
Belgian VRT Top 30 number-one single
August 8, 1987 – August 15, 1987
Preceded by US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
August 22, 1987 		Succeeded by
"La Bamba" by Los Lobos
Preceded by Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single
August 29, 1987

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Bronson 2003, p. 203
  2. ^ a b c d e f Rooksby, p. 68
  3. ^ 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)
  4. ^ Power, Tony (January 1, 1987). "Review:Madonna - Who's That Girl". Blender. Alpha Media Group Inc. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  5. ^ Taraborelli, p. 126
  6. ^ Robischon, Noah (July 27, 2001). "Dating Madonna". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  7. ^ Lamb, Bill (1987). "Madonna Discography: Annotated list of Madonna's albums". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  8. ^ a b c d "The Billboard Hot 100: Who's That Girl - Madonna - Week of 22 Aug 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 22, 1987. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  9. ^ "Artist Chart History - Madonna". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  10. ^ DeKnock, Jan (August 22, 1987). "Madonna Soars to Top of the Charts for the Sixth Time". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  11. ^ "Poll: 'Vogue' Is Fave Madonna Chart-Topper". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 15, 2000. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  12. ^ "Top Singles - Volume 46, No. 14, July 11 1987". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. July 11, 1987. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  13. ^ a b "Top Singles - Volume 46, No. 21, August 29 1987". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. August 29, 1987. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  14. ^ "Top Singles - Volume 47, No. 10, December 12 1987". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. December 12, 1987. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  15. ^ a b "Chart Stats - Madonna - Who's That Girl". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  16. ^ "Chart Stats - Madonna". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  17. ^ a b "Radio 2 - Top 30 van zaterdag 08 augustus 1987" (in Dutch). VRT Top 30. August 8, 1987. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  18. ^ a b "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irish Recorded Music Association. July 9, 1987. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  19. ^ 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)
  20. ^ a b "De Nederlandse Top 40". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Radio 538. 1987 - week 31. Retrieved 2009-04-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ a b "Madonna - Who's That Girl (Song)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. September 1, 1987. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  22. ^ a b "Chartverfolgung: Madonna - Whos's That Girl" (in German). Media Control Charts. July 27, 1987. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  23. ^ Kellner, p. 275
  24. ^ a b c Morton, p. 199
  25. ^ Metz, p. 309
  26. ^ a b c d "Madonna - Who's That Girl music video". MTV. September 6, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  27. ^ a b c Canby, Vincent (August 23, 1987). "Film View; In Search of Madonna's Persona". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  28. ^ Morton 2002, p. 200
  29. ^ Metz & Benson 1999, p. 345
  30. ^ Phares, Heather. "allmusic ((( Ciao Italia: Live in Italy (Video) > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-03-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  31. ^ "allmusic ((( Hit Parade of 80's, Vol. 2 ))) Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-04-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  32. ^ Hill, Melinda. "allmusic ((( Material Girl: RPO Plays Music of Madonna > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-04-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  33. ^ "allmusic ((( Language of Love > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-04-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  34. ^ "allmusic ((( Through the Wilderness: A Tribute to Madonna > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-04-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  35. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help)
  36. ^ "Madonna - Who's That Girl (Chanson)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. September 19, 1987. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  37. ^ "Madonna - Who's That Girl (Song)". VG-lista. Verdens Gang. 1987 - week 31. Retrieved 2009-04-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ 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)
  39. ^ "Madonna - Who's That Girl (Song)". Sverigetopplistan. July 7, 1929. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  40. ^ "Madonna - Who's That Girl (Song)". Swiss Music Charts (in German). Hung Medien. July 26, 1987. Retrieved 2009-04-25.

References

External links

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