Single Stories: Madonna, “Material Girl”

This week we celebrate the birthday of the woman known to many as “the Material Girl,” which provides us with a perfect opportunity to delve into the song which led to her securing that nickname.

Produced by Nile Rodgers and written by Peter Brown and Robert Rans, “Material Girl” may not have been penned by Madonna herself, but it definitely struck a nerve when she first heard it. “I'm very career-oriented,” she told Company magazine in 1986. “You are attracted to people who are ambitious that way, too, like in the song. You are attracted to men who have material things because that's what pays the rents and buys you furs. That's the security. That lasts longer than emotions.”

Generally described as one of the key songs which transformed Madonna from pop star to icon, “Material Girl” was a tremendous hit, though it may surprise you to learn that it did not, in fact, climb all the way to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Although it made it to #2 and sat there for two weeks, it couldn’t overtake the juggernauts that were REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and Phil Collins’ “One More Night.” That said, Madonna still ended up having a pretty good few weeks in the top five: while the song was sitting at #3, her follow-up single, “Crazy for You,” climbed to #4.

Two singles in the top five? Sounds like an icon to us!