| "Material Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.png) Artwork for North American, Iberian, Australian, and Brazilian releases | ||||
| Single by Madonna | ||||
| from the album Like a Virgin | ||||
| B-side | "Pretender" | |||
| Released | January 23, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:01 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Nile Rodgers | |||
| Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Material Girl" on YouTube | ||||
"Material Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984). It was released on January 23, 1985, by the Sire label as the second single from Like a Virgin. It also appears slightly remixed on the 1990 greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection, in its original form on the 2009 greatest hits compilation, Celebration and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). The song was written by Peter Brown and Robert Rans, and produced by Nile Rodgers. Madonna said the concept of the song was indicative of her life at that time, and she liked it because she felt it was provocative.
"Material Girl" consists of synthesizer arrangements with a robotic-sounding voice chant repeating the hook, "living in a material world". The lyrics identify with materialism, with Madonna asking for a rich and affluent life, and only wanting to date men who can offer her this. Contemporary critics have frequently identified "Material Girl" along with "Like a Virgin" as the songs that established Madonna as an icon. "Material Girl" was a commercial success, reaching the top-five in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Japan and United Kingdom. It reached the number two position on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming her third top-five single there.
The single's release was accompanied by a music video directed by Mary Lambert. The video pays homage to Marilyn Monroe's performance of the song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with the mimicked scenes interspersed with scenes of a Hollywood director trying to win the heart of an actress, played by Madonna herself. Discovering that, contrary to her song, the young woman is not impressed by money and expensive gifts, he pretends to be penniless and succeeds in taking her out on a date. Madonna has performed the song in five of her world tours; most of her performances of the song on tour are mimicries of the song's music video.
"Material Girl" has been covered by a number of artists, including Britney Spears and Hilary and Haylie Duff. It also became a viral hit on TikTok. Madonna has often remarked that she regrets recording "Material Girl" as its title became a nickname for her in the mainstream media. The song has been labeled an empowering influence for women, and was the subject of debates.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (September 23, 2020). "The Number Ones: REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling". Stereogum. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
Madonna's satirical/not-satirical new-wave mercenary anthem "Material Girl" peaked at #2 behind "Can't Fight This Feeling".