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Holiday (Madonna song)

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"Holiday"
Single by Madonna
From the album Madonna
Released September 7, 1983 (Worldwide)
January 17, 1984 (JP)
1985 (re-issue)
June 4, 1991 (UK re-release)
February 5, 1999 (JP re-issue)
Single Format Vinyl (12")
CD Single
Vinyl (7")
Cassette Single
CD Maxi-Single
Holiday Collection EP
Recorded 1983
Song Length 6:11
Genre Pop
Record Label Sire
Writers Curtis Hudson, Lisa Stevens, Madonna
Producers John "Jellybean" Benitez
Lyrics [External link]
Chart Positions #16 (USA Billboard Hot 100)
#6 (UK Singles Chart)
#4 (Australia)
#2 (UK Singles Chart)(1985 re-entry)
#5 (UK Singles Chart)(1991 re-issue)
Madonna Singles Chronology
"Burning Up"
(1983) 		"Holiday"
(1983) 		"Borderline"
(1984)
Madonna UK Singles Chronology
"Rescue Me"
(1991) 		"Holiday (UK re-issue)"
(1991) 		"This Used To Be My Playground"
(1992)

"Holiday" is the third single release of Madonna, and the debut single release of her first album which bore her name. After the minor success of Everybody and the double-A sided 12" single of Burning Up/Physical Attraction, Sire greenlighted Madonna to record a full album, with Holiday being the lead single to promote it. Everybody, Physical Attraction, and Burning Up was included on the album as well.

Contents

Song history

"Holiday" was penned by both Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens, and was produced by John "Jellybean" Benitez. It is a mid-tempo song with a four-bar sequence that has Madonna beckoning to the world to take a holiday and celebrate. This song was originally offered, but later turned down by a former member of The Supremes, Mary Wilson. "Holiday" was not originally intended to be a single; however, with its success on the U.S. dance chart, it became the apparent choice for the record company to release it. Its placement in Madonna's canon of singles is even serendipitious considering it was a replacement track for "Ain't No Big Deal". Madonna has performed "Holiday" on each of her tours thus far and is considered one of her signature songs.
The rare "Train Station" cover of Holiday.
Enlarge
The rare "Train Station" cover of Holiday.

In the summer of 1983 the album versions of "Holiday" and "Lucky Star" was sent out to DJs in the U.S. as a 12" promotion vinyl. Due to the success of "Holiday" in the clubs, the song became the first single from Madonna's debut album, receiving a commercial 7" single release. [link]

In 1998, an unidentified DJ mixed together "Holiday" and the mega club hit "Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust (which is an offshoot of the group Daft Punk). The song became quite a smash among fans, and is widely considered one of the best remixes of her career. Unfortunately, the track was never officially released but can be found online in MP3 form. "Holiday" has been released multiple times in many different formats.

The song was originally released on September 7, 1983 worldwide and was re-issued again in 1985 after the success of Madonna's second album "Like a Virgin". It was then re-released in 1991 in the UK in support of the greatest hits package "The Immaculate Collection" as well as her tour documentary "Truth or Dare". Japan got another re-release of the song in 1999 as part of the promotion for the soundtrack-release of "The Wedding Singer Vol. 2.".

Many different artwork covers have been released, the original featuring Madonna on the cover in a picture from the albums photo shoot. Interestingly, the original picture sleeve of the 12" single had no picture of Madonna; instead, a couple at a busy train station was featured.

Music video

The original video for "Holiday" was reportedly so bad that it was never released. Instead the recording of television performances were used: for America and the UK "Solid Gold" and Europe "Sky Channel" as well as a "Top Of The Pops" performance. Only a special handful of people have been able to see the original video.

The later performance of "Holiday" on the "Blond Ambition Tour" in Houston was taped by Alek Keshishian and released in 1991 to help promote the release of the film In Bed With Madonna.

Despite a re-issue of "Holiday" in the UK in 1991, this live video was not used for single promotion, with channels preferring either the "Solid Gold" or "Tops Of The Pops" performances as the single re-issue featured neither a live version nor the "Immaculate Collection" remix. Along with "The Holiday Collection", the single most likely helped promote the "Immaculate Collection" album rather than the forthcoming film.

There was also another live performance released from the Drowned World Tour in 2001 to coincide with the release of the Live DVD at the end of that year.

Chart performance

"Holiday" was Madonna's first true hit song, and the one that would begin to establish her as an artist in the publics eye. The single became a top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA and also reached the top forty on the R&B chart. The track went on to become the first on an extensive list of singles to reach #1 on the Club Play Singles chart for Madonna, as well. The song spent five weeks at number 1 on the club chart and spent a total of seventeen weeks on the chart, tying "Music" as the Madonna single that has spent the most time at number one on the dance charts.

For her third international release, the single fared well, it went top five in Australia reaching number 4 and top ten in the United Kingdom.

This song has hit the UK top ten on three separate occasions. When originally released in the UK in 1984, the track peaked at #6. The next year, the song re-entered the chart, peaking at #2 in the summer of 1985, only to be kept off number 1 by Madonna's latest release "Into The Groove"! Only The Beatles and Frankie Goes to Hollywood had previously managed this simultaneous feat.

The song was re-released in the UK in 1991, along with "The Holiday Collection" and charted at number 5

Chart trajectories

UK Singles chart trajectory 1984
Week 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
Chart position
40
29 13
7
6
13 18 26 35

UK Singles chart trajectory 1985
Week 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
Chart position
32
5
2
3
6
14 23 33

UK Singles chart trajectory 1991
Week 01 02 03 04
Chart position
12
5
16 30

US Singles chart trajectory 1984
Week 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Chart position
88
76 68 60 55 45 39 33 31 31 27 25 17 16 16 22 36 53 63 87 94

Charts (alphabetical order)

Chart (1983/1991) Peak
position
Australia AMR Sales Chart 4
Brazil 3
Canada 34
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles Sales 13
France IFOP Singles Sales 24
Germany (Media Control Sales) 9
Japan (ChartJapan) 10
UK Singles Chart 6
UK Singles Chart (1985 re-entry) 2
UK Singles Chart (1991 re-release) 5
USA Billboard Hot 100 16
USA Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart 1
USA Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 25

Certifications

Country Certification
France Silver
UK Silver
UK Silver (re-release)

Credits

For You Can Dance:

Official versions

Original versions

  1. Album Version 6:11
Remixes

  1. Dub Version 6:58
  2. Edit 4:04
  3. Extended Remix [Mixed - YCD] 6:32
  4. Extended Remix [Unmixed - YCD] 6:58
  5. Q-Sound Version 4:06
  6. Single Edit of Album Remix [YCD] 4:14

Included on

References

Madonna
Discography | Albums | Singles | Videography | Tours | Filmography | Achievements/awards | Bibliography | Trivia | Unreleased songs | Controversies

 

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