Borderline (Madonna song)

"Borderline"
Madonna clasping hands and facing toward camera shoot. Bunch of plastic ring bracelets on right wrist; metal bead bracelet on left wrist. She also wears huge crucifix earrings. The background is dark. The font of "Madonna" is unconventional and unique, and located at upper left; size is very big. "Borderline" is handwritten and located at bottom center.
7-inch US single picture sleeve
Single by Madonna
from the album Madonna
B-side
ReleasedFebruary 15, 1984 (1984-02-15)
RecordedFebruary 1983
StudioSigma Sound, New York City
Genre
Length
  • 5:18 (album version)
  • 3:58 (single version)
  • 6:55 (12” version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Reggie Lucas
Producer(s)Reggie Lucas
Madonna singles chronology
"Holiday"
(1983) 		"Borderline"
(1984) 		"Lucky Star"
(1984)
Music video
"Borderline" on YouTube

"Borderline" is a song by American singer Madonna from her debut self-titled studio album (1983), written and produced by Reggie Lucas. In 1982, Madonna was signed on by Sire Records for the release of two 12-inch singles; after the success of first single "Everybody", the label approved the recording of an album, and the singer decided to work with Lucas. "Borderline" is a pop song with post-disco elements whose sounds recall the music of the 1970s, while the lyrics find a woman complaining of her lover's chauvinism.

In the United States, it was released as a single on February 15, 1984, whereas in Europe it was published twice: first in June 1984, and then in January 1986. Upon release, "Borderline" was acclaimed by music critics, who lauded the singer's vocals; in retrospective reviews, it has been referred to as Madonna's breakout song, and as one of the best songs from the 1980s. It was commercially successful: in 1984, it gave Madonna her first top-ten hit in the US Billboard Hot 100. The 1986 release saw success across Europe: it became the singer's second number one in Ireland, and reached the top 3 in the United Kingdom, Belgium and The Netherlands.

The song's music video was directed by Mary Lambert; in it, Madonna portrays the girlfriend of a Hispanic man, to whom she returns after being enticed to pose and model for a white British photographer. Authors pointed out that with the visual, the singer broke the taboo of interracial relationships. "Borderline" has been performed in the singer's Virgin (1985) and Sticky & Sweet (2008) concert tours. It has also been covered by artists like Jody Watley, the Flaming Lips, and Kelly Clarkson, among others.