"Hanky Panky" | ||||
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Single by Madonna | ||||
from the album I'm Breathless | ||||
B-side | "More" | |||
Released | June 12, 1990 | |||
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Length | 3:57 | |||
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Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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Licensed audio | ||||
"Hanky Panky" on YouTube |
"Hanky Panky" is a song by American singer Madonna from her soundtrack album I'm Breathless. It was released on June 12, 1990, by Sire Records as the album's second and final single. Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the song was developed from a line in the parent film, Dick Tracy, talking about a woman who enjoys being spanked by her partner. Performed in a playful, “tongue-in-cheek” style, "Hanky Panky" is a jazz and swing song, keeping with the film's general theme of the 1920s and 1930s, with a changing bassline and minor to major key-shift in the chorus. It caused some controversy in Ireland because of its innuendo and racy lyrics, with women's groups deeming them harmful; Madonna later clarified that the lyrics were intended as a joke.
The song garnered positive response from music critics, many of them highlighting its lyrical content. It was a commercial success, becoming a top-ten hit in many countries including Australia, Ireland, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States while topping the chart in Finland. Madonna has performed the song on two of her concert tours: Blond Ambition (1990) and Re-Invention (2004). The song has been covered by several tribute acts and was also performed on the television series Ally McBeal (1997).