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"Bitch I'm Madonna" is a song by American singer
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
from her thirteenth studio album, ''
Rebel Heart ''Rebel Heart'' is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released by Interscope Records on March 6, 2015. She worked on the album throughout 2014, co-writing and co-producing it with various musicians, including Di ...
'' (2015), featuring guest vocals from rapper
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
. The artists co-wrote the song with MoZella,
Toby Gad Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and producin ...
,
Ariel Rechtshaid Ariel Rechtshaid ( ;) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His accolades include three Grammy Awards for music production. Rechtshaid was the lead singer and guitarist of the ska ...
,
Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
, and
Sophie Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...
. It was released as the third single from the album by
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
on June 15, 2015, along with a number of remixes commissioned. Produced by Madonna and Diplo, it is an
EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
song with lyrics about Madonna having continuous fun because she is Madonna. The song divided
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, as some called it "energetic", applauding Minaj's rap verse and its unusual composition, while others criticized it for being "desperate to shock". In the United States, "Bitch I'm Madonna" became the first Madonna song to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in three years, peaking at number 84. The song became Minaj's 63rd and Madonna's 57th Hot 100 entry, placing them at positions three and four on the list of women with the most entries on the chart up that point. It also reached number-one on the
Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart, extending Madonna's lead as the artist with the most number-ones on the US dance chart. Worldwide, the song has reached the top-thirty in Hungary, and the digital charts of Finland and Sweden. The song's accompanying video, directed by
Jonas Åkerlund Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish film director, screenwriter, music video director, and drummer. His video for Madonna's song "Ray of Light" won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, and a record of fiv ...
, has Minaj and Diplo appearing alongside Madonna. The video also contains cameos from
Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
,
Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studi ...
,
Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
,
Jon Kortajarena Jon Kortajarena Redruello (born 19 May 1985) is a Spanish fashion model and actor. He has landed advertising campaigns for Just Cavalli, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Bally, Etro, Trussardi, Diesel, Mangano, Lagerfeld, Pepe Jeans but notably H&M ...
,
Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
, Alexander Wang,
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
,
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
,
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, and Madonna's two sons, Rocco and David. It was shot at the
Standard Hotel Standard Hotels is a group of seven boutique hotels in New York City (Meatpacking District and East Village), Miami Beach, London, Maldives, Ibiza, and Hua Hin, Thailand. The hotels are operated by Standard International Management. The two origi ...
in New York City and shows Madonna and her entourage having a party throughout the building, ending at the rooftop. The release of the video to the streaming service
Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
was plagued by technical difficulties and was met with a mixed response. Critics complimented the craziness of the clip but panned the absence of the guest stars from the set. Additionally, comparisons ensued with then recently released music video for singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's single " Bad Blood", which had featured similar guest stars. In order to further promote the song, Madonna performed "Bitch I'm Madonna" during her appearance on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'', which was received positively. It was also performed as the second song of the
Rebel Heart Tour The Rebel Heart Tour was the tenth concert tour by American singer Madonna, staged in support of her thirteenth studio album, ''Rebel Heart'' (2015). Comprising 82 shows, the tour visited North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. It began on S ...
(2015–2016).


Background and development

In February 2014, Madonna announced that she had begun working on her thirteenth studio album, saying "I'm right now in the process of talking to various co-writers and producers and talking about where I want to go with my music". By the next month she started posting a number of images on social media website
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, where she hinted at possible songwriters and collaborators with
hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...
captions. Two months later, Madonna posted a
selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as F ...
where she talked about working with American DJ
Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
. Madonna had invited him to her annual
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
party, but he was unable to attend. They eventually started talking about music through texts and decided to collaborate on the album. In an interview with ''
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
'', Diplo explained that Madonna had asked him to provide his "craziest record" for the album. Together they wrote and recorded seven songs and Diplo added that " adonnawas up for anything. I love when an artist gives a producer the confidence he needs to work with them, and hewas very open-minded to my ideas. Those records are gonna be crazy-sounding. We really pushed the envelope with some of the stuff we were doing." One of the tracks recorded was confirmed by Diplo as titled "Bitch I'm Madonna", which he believed would push his boundaries of songwriting. Madonna explained that the phrase was new to her and was introduced by Diplo, who explained that anyone who could remain cool when faced with criticism was appropriating Madonna, hence it was not just a unique reference to the singer. The origin of the song's idea was traced back to rapper
Lil B Brandon Christopher McCartney (born August 17, 1989), professionally known as Lil B and as his alter ego The BasedGod, is an American rapper. Lil B has recorded both solo and with Bay Area group The Pack. His solo work spans several genres, ...
's 2010 song, "Pretty Boy Anthem", which presented the lyrics "I look like Madonna / Bitch, I'm a farmer". Diplo took this idea to Madonna and developed a song which addressed the singer's detractors, who spoke negatively about her longevity in the music industry, adding "We made this record about, 'Fuck it, bitch, we're all Madonna'". He also insisted that they recruit rapper
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
, who had previously worked with Madonna on two songs, "
Give Me All Your Luvin' "Give Me All Your Luvin'" is a song by American singer Madonna from her twelfth studio album, '' MDNA'' (2012). It features guest vocals by Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj and English rapper M.I.A. The song was written and produced b ...
" and "
I Don't Give A "I Don't Give A" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Madonna for her twelfth studio album '' MDNA'' (2012). The song features rap vocals by American recording artist Nicki Minaj. It was written and produced by Madonna and Martin So ...
", from her '' MDNA'' album. Diplo explained to ''
Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...
'' magazine that the song's composition happened while they were drinking one night in the studio. There he played Madonna a Japanese
pizzicato Pizzicato (, ; translated as "pinched", and sometimes roughly as "plucked") is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument : * On bowed ...
melody and a
drop Drop, DROP, drops or DROPS may refer to: * Drop (liquid) or droplet, a small volume of liquid ** Eye drops, saline (sometimes mydriatic) drops used as medication for the eyes * Drop (unit), a unit of measure of volume * Falling (physics), allowi ...
, which she liked. Since Madonna preferred to start her compositions on guitar, Diplo added guitar sounds over the melody and then progressed with the writing. Another
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
post by Madonna confirmed Minaj's involvement in the track, with the photo caption "We go hard or we go home we gon' do this all night long! #werk". Madonna commented about her method working with Minaj:
Whenever we work together she always sits with me and listens to the song, and says "tell me what this song is about to you." She's very methodical in her thinking. We talk about it, she writes down words that I say describing what the song's about and the sentiment that I'd like her to get out there, and then she goes away and she works on it. She writes it, she comes back. She does a version of it, we talk about it. It's a back and forth until she gets it right. It's a total collaboration.


Release

On December 17, 2014, ''Billboard'' reported that the demo version of "Bitch I'm Madonna" had leaked onto the Internet, alongside the other twelve demo recordings for Madonna's then untitled thirteenth studio album. An aggravated Madonna clarified that the songs were demo versions from earlier recordings; she compared the leak to that of "artistic
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
". She was subsequently criticized for referring to the hack as "
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
" in the wake of the Peshawar school attack and Sydney hostage crisis. On December 20, 2014, the album became available for pre-order on
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
. When ordered, six tracks including "Bitch I'm Madonna" were available for digital download. Madonna stated that the songs were meant to be "an early
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
gift" with the final release in March 2015. Following "
Living for Love "Living for Love" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her thirteenth studio album, ''Rebel Heart'' (2015). It was written and produced by Madonna, Diplo and Ariel Rechtshaid, with additional writing from MoZella and Toby Gad. O ...
" and " Ghosttown", "Bitch I'm Madonna" was confirmed as the third single from ''Rebel Heart'' by Madonna on her Instagram. She also released three remixes of the song on her
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
and
Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
accounts for
streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
. The cover art of the song was also released along with the remixes; it was created from one of her images on Instagram. The majority of
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
remixes of "Bitch I'm Madonna" were produced by
Rosabel Rosabel is an American house music duo consisting of DJ/producers Ralphi Rosario from Chicago, Illinois and Abel Aguilera from Miami, Florida. Already successful club/dance artists individually, the duo has hit number one on the Hot Dance Mus ...
,
Sander Kleinenberg Sander Kleinenberg (; born 29 December 1971) is a Dutch disc jockey, VDJ, and record producer. He founded and runs Little Mountain Recordings and THIS IS Recordings. Kleinenberg is well known for his use of digital video in concerts, his "Every ...
and Oscar G, who posted a message on his
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
account about the collaboration, "When Madonna calls you, you do exactly what she asks. I am very grateful for this opportunity!" Another remix by
Sick Individuals Sick Individuals (stylized as SICK INDIVIDUALS) is a Dutch electronic dance music act consisting of Rinze "Ray" Hofstee () and Joep "Jim" Smeele (). The two met in Hilversum, Netherlands (2008) while studying Music Composition. Jim and Ray had b ...
, which consist of Dutch duo Rinze "Ray" Hofstee and Joep "Jim" Smeele, was released exclusively to ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''. The remixes were first released on June 15, 2015, in Australia and Germany, and the next day in other nations.


Composition and remixes

"Bitch I'm Madonna" was co-written and co-produced by Madonna and Diplo, with other writers including
Sophie Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...
, MoZella,
Toby Gad Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and producin ...
,
Ariel Rechtshaid Ariel Rechtshaid ( ;) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His accolades include three Grammy Awards for music production. Rechtshaid was the lead singer and guitarist of the ska ...
and Minaj. Demacio "Demo" Castellon was the
audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
for the track and also did the
audio mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic, ...
and
recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...
. Other engineers who worked on the track included Nick Rowe and Aubrey "Big Juice" Delaine, with Zeke Mishanec helping with additional recording and Angie Teo working on additional mixing. The song was the first time that
PC Music PC Music is a record label and art collective based in London and run by producer A. G. Cook. It was founded in 2013, making its music available on SoundCloud that year. Artists on its roster have included Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, Danny L Harle, ...
, which generally catered to underground music and artists, was working with a mainstream artist like Madonna. Sophie recalled that it was Madonna who was "calling the final shots" for recording the song and noted that there was no label representative who dictated the process. "Bitch I'm Madonna" has similarities to
DJ Snake William Sami Étienne Grigahcine (born 13 June 1986), known by his stage name DJ Snake, is an Algerian French music producer and DJ, first achieving international recognition in 2013 by releasing an instrumentation-oriented single called " Turn D ...
and
Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cru ...
's "
Turn Down for What "Turn Down for What" is a song by French DJ and record producer DJ Snake and American rapper Lil Jon released on December 18, 2013. The song and its viral music video popularized the use of the phrase. The song was particularly successful in Nort ...
" (2013) with Madonna's vocals reminiscent of singer
Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
' autotuned
rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
. The song has a "berserk", "bleepy" and "churning"
EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
,
trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
, electro,
dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
and
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
sound. It begins with the sound of
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
reminiscent of
Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...
's single " Wake Me Up" (2012), as Madonna coos in the background, "You're gonna love this", but quickly transitions "past stadium-filling EDM into a genre that more commonly fills the headphones of kids surfing obscure music blogs late at night", as noted by Sasha Geffen, who also compared the sound to the
vaporwave Vaporwave is a microgenre of electronic music, visual art style, and Internet meme that emerged in the early 2010s. It is defined partly by its slowed-down, chopped and screwed samples of smooth jazz, elevator music, elevator, contemporary ...
genre. The track deviates from a traditional
song structure Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common forms include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus form, ternary form, strophic form, and ...
and
hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
, instead featuring harsh cuts,
synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...
and Madonna singing in a nasal tone. Minaj raps in the track, asking everybody to "go hard or go home", while Madonna shouts lyrics like, "I just wanna have fun tonight, I wanna blow up this house tonight", "alternating between pitch-shifted shrieks of 'Who do you think you are??' and the sing-songy title taunt." Regarding her profuse usage of the word "
bitch Bitch may refer to: * A female dog or other canine * Bitch (slang), a vulgar slur for a human female Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television * ''The Bitch'' (film), a 1979 film starring Joan Collins * ''Bitc ...
" in the song (along with another song "
Unapologetic Bitch "Unapologetic Bitch" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna for her thirteenth studio album, ''Rebel Heart'' (2015). It was written by Madonna, Thomas Wesley Pentz, Shelco Garcia, Bryan Orellana, Maureen McDonald and Tob ...
" from ''Rebel Heart''), Madonna defended her decision to ''Billboard'', saying:
I think that's bullshit. The word police can fuck off. I don't want to be policed! I'm not interested in
political correctness ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...
. The word "bitch" means a lot of different things. Everything is about context. When I first moved to England and heard the word "
cunt ''Cunt'' () is a vulgar word for the vulva or vagina. It is used in a variety of ways, including as a term of disparagement. Reflecting national variations, ''cunt'' can be used as a disparaging and obscene term for a woman in the United Stat ...
", I was horrified. People were calling each other cunts! And then I realized that, in that culture, it was different—they slapped each other on the back and said, "Who's the cunt, right, you're my best mate!" The word "fuck" doesn't just mean sexual intercourse. I mean, "You're a stupid fuck", "Are you going to fuck with me?" "Fuck off!" ... Sex has nothing to do with any of those expressions, and the same goes for "bitch". If I say to you, "I'm a badass bitch", I'm owning myself, I'm saying, "I'm strong, I'm tough, and don't mess with me." If I say, "Why are you being such a bitch to me?", well, that means something else.
Since Madonna had to rush-release the first six songs from ''Rebel Heart'' due to the hack and leaks, Diplo clarified that the released version on the album was not his final mixing of the track; he later posted his intended cut on his
SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
account. Three of the house remixes of "Bitch I'm Madonna" were released as dub versions of the song, with a long drawn-out beat section and minimal vocals from Madonna, as noted by Robbie Daw from ''
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
''. Kleinenberg's remix had a completely different sound from the house mixes, although Daw believed all of them to be "cheap" sounding in comparison to the original. According to Sick Individuals, their remix of the song had "hard-hitting" beats and it was also an energetic version, catering to the dance floors.
Fedde Le Grand Fedde Le Grand (; born 7 September 1977) is a Dutch house DJ, record producer and remixer from Utrecht. Biography In 2006, his single "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit" reached the top five on the Dutch Top 40, number one in the UK Singles Chart a ...
's remix of the song did not use any of the effects present in the album version, and was created as an
electro house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 130 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including Benny Benassi, Skrillex, Steve Aoki ...
track with metallic sounds.


Critical reception

The song divided
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. Sasha Geffen from the ''
Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...
'' gave a positive review of the track, complimenting it for bringing the underground PC Music to the mainstream, adding that "between Diplo's blocky breakdowns and Sophie's slippery
arpeggio A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...
s, he song i a provocative piece of work ... The shift from SoundCloud to superstars was always coming—it just so happens that Madonna is the one who carried it over." Another positive review came from Neil McCormick of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'', who elaborated: " e track in question fizzes with bright energy, a handclapping
rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
anthem powered by a fantastically wonky
synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...
line that sounds like a vintage arcade game played on an
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
kazoo The kazoo is an American musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (which itself is a membranophone), one of a class of instruments which modifi ...
, and topped off with a snappy Nicki Minaj rap. Madonna delivers the melody like a playground
nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From t ...
, chanting about bad behavior in a butter-wouldn't-melt sing-song voice." Dan Weiss from ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' observed that the "most surprising thing about a song that's actually called 'Bitch, I'm Madonna' is that it doesn't have any surprises". In contrast, Andrew Unterberger of the same publication enjoyed the track, claiming that "it might not be your favorite Madonna, but it's unquestionably her, and it's far more compelling than the anonymous EDM enthusiast she played on ''MDNA'' (2012)". Unterberger also praised the addition of PC Music "ping-ponging oddball freneticism" and "Diplo's block-dropping beats". Caryn Ganz of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' was also positive, calling it "frenetic", and praised Minaj's verse for being "pure fire", while Anna Zelaski of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' appreciated the song for being "the right kind of
rack Rack or racks may refer to: Storage and installation * Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted * Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use * Bustle rack, a type of storage bin ...
nbsp;... that's mindless fun and impossible to take seriously". In the same vein, Andy Gill of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' called it "amusingly abrasive" and praised Minaj for "repris ngher role as Madge's rapping henchgirl". In spite of noting that Diplo makes Madonna sound fun on the song, Gavin Haynes of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' commented that the song's composition "showed the gulf between adonna'slife and her music is now impossible to ignore". Calling it "awry",
Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...
of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' claimed that "Bitch I'm Madonna" is "a fantastic title in search of a song. In lieu of one, producer Diplo comes up with a kind of hybrid of EDM and
happy hardcore Happy hardcore, also known as 4-beat or happycore, is a subgenre of hardcore dance music or "hard dance". It emerged both from the UK breakbeat hardcore rave scene, and Belgian, German and Dutch hardcore techno scenes in the early 1990s. H ...
and throws Nicki Minaj at her most hyperactive into the mix; the result genuinely sets your teeth on edge." Criticizing ''Rebel Heart'' for being "overworked", Sal Cinquemani of ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' found that "the duality of its title smuddled by the inclusion of garish party jams like the infuriatingly catchy but lyrically cringe-inducing 'Bitch I'm Madonna'". John Murphy of
musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
remarked that the song "never quite lives up to its fantastic title, and just sounds a bit of a mess, trying to cram in Diplo-produced dance-hall rhythms, a dubstep breakdown and the seemingly now obligatory Nicki Minaj guest rap". Evan Sawdey of
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
opined that the song—and another ''Rebel Heart'' track, "
Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...
"—"absolutely reek of desperation, wanting so badly to shock and offend listeners that they fail to resolve as satisfying songs first and foremost". In their retrospective list of 2015's "song of the summer" contenders, ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' stated that "In an alternate (just) universe, 'Bitch I’m Madonna' became the hit song every summer needs, a celebration that asserts its own right to celebrate." In their year end ranking of the best songs from 2015, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' listed "Bitch I'm Madonna" at number 27, saying "She go hard or she go home, she gon do this all night long— adonnas standout from ''Rebel Heart'' has everything you love about her music: hooks, humor, attitude for days". In 2018, the same magazine listed it as Madonna's 60th best single. Chuck Arnold called it "much better than '
Give Me All Your Luvin' "Give Me All Your Luvin'" is a song by American singer Madonna from her twelfth studio album, '' MDNA'' (2012). It features guest vocals by Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj and English rapper M.I.A. The song was written and produced b ...
' ... this Diplo-produced banger is
campy Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting aes ...
fun that throws a fierce side eye". Similarly, while ranking the singer's singles in honor of her 60th birthday,
Jude Rogers Jude Rogers (born 1978) is a Welsh journalist, lecturer, arts critic and broadcaster. She is a music critic for ''The Guardian'' and also regularly writes features and articles for ''The Observer'', ''New Statesman'' and women's magazines such a ...
from ''The Guardian'' placed the track at number 67, calling it "energetic, but exhausting".


Commercial performance

In the United States, "Bitch I'm Madonna" debuted on ''Billboard''s
Dance/Electronic Songs The Dance/Electronic Songs chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is the first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according to audience impressions, digital downloads, s ...
chart dated January 3, 2015, at number 14 with sales of 12,000 copies. The song started fluctuating down the chart and exited after four weeks, but following her appearance on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'' in April 2015, the sales surged by 748% to 9,000 copies, making the song re-enter the chart at number 21. The song again started a downward trajectory on the chart until June 2015, when the music video was released. Sales for that week increased to 13,000 copies, enabling the song to reach a peak of number 5 on the chart, becoming Madonna's second top-ten single there following "Living for Love". The song debuted at number 26 on the
Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart and reached a peak of number-one, her record-extending 46th in total; it was also Minaj's fifth number-one. "Bitch I'm Madonna" debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart week of July 4, 2015, at number 84, becoming her first entry on the chart since "
Give Me All Your Luvin' "Give Me All Your Luvin'" is a song by American singer Madonna from her twelfth studio album, '' MDNA'' (2012). It features guest vocals by Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj and English rapper M.I.A. The song was written and produced b ...
" (2012). The entry was aided by a 1,454% gain in streaming activity for the track, with a total of 2.6 million US streams up to the week ending June 21, 2015. The track became Minaj's 63rd and Madonna's 57th Hot 100 entry, placing them at positions three and four on the list of women with the most entries on the chart. The following week, the song fell down by 11 places on the Hot 100, landing at number 95, which was its final appearance there. In the United Kingdom, Alan Jones from ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
'' reported that following the release of the music video, there was a sales surge for "Bitch I'm Madonna", which sold 1,667 copies (up from 148 copies of previous week); however, it was not able to chart within the top 200 positions of the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. In France, the song debuted at number 90 on the
French Singles Chart French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
the week of December 27, 2014, following the advanced release of the album's six tracks for pre-order on iTunes. Later, it fell to number 135, before dropping off the chart. The song re-entered at number 104 when the music video was released, and fell to number 149 the following week. In Spain, the song also debuted with the advanced release, reaching number 49.


Music video


Background and development

Along with announcing "Bitch I'm Madonna" as the third single, Madonna also confirmed the release of a
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for the song. She teased in a post on Instagram saying that the video would have many "surprise" guests. A number of people were tagged in the Instagram post, including singers
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
,
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
,
Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
, and
Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studi ...
, as well as Minaj and Diplo. Other personnel tagged included costume designer
Arianne Phillips Arianne Phillips (born April 26, 1963) is an American costume designer. Phillips was recognized for her work on the Broadway musical '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', starring Neil Patrick Harris, earning her a Tony award nomination for Best Cost ...
, hair stylist Andy Lecompte and fashion designer
Jeremy Scott Jeremy Scott (born August 8, 1975) is an American fashion designer. He is the creative director of the fashion house Moschino and the sole owner of his namesake label. Since launching his brand in Paris in 1997, Scott has built a reputation as ...
. Comparisons ensued with the recently released music video for singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's single " Bad Blood" which had featured similar guest stars. Madonna had also released images from the set previously, showing her with pink hair and in provocative clothing. Another preview came from
the Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...
lead singer
Wayne Coyne Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips. Early life Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
, who had visited the set and uploaded a short video of the shooting. Filming took place on the top floors of the
Standard Hotel Standard Hotels is a group of seven boutique hotels in New York City (Meatpacking District and East Village), Miami Beach, London, Maldives, Ibiza, and Hua Hin, Thailand. The hotels are operated by Standard International Management. The two origi ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and was directed by
Jonas Åkerlund Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish film director, screenwriter, music video director, and drummer. His video for Madonna's song "Ray of Light" won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, and a record of fiv ...
, who explained how he landed the project as follows: The team had a short time for finalizing the different aspects of the shoot, including rehearsing the whole sequence. They also had just one night to complete shooting and due to the casual nature of the song, decided to invite Madonna's close friends and family to be in it. Contrary to normal shooting schedules, the team had to work fast before the sun came up, since they were portraying a party at night. Following the choreography, every person on set had cues about their position and where their part would come in the shooting. A number of designers contributed clothing for the singer to wear, including
Moschino Moschino () is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1983 by Franco Moschino in Milan known for over-the-top, campy designs. The company specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, and fashion accessories. History Founding and 1990s Franco Mosc ...
, Discount Universe, SSUR,
Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...
, Majesty Black and shoes by
Giuseppe Zanotti Giuseppe Zanotti is an Italian luxury footwear and fashion designer known for his sculptural, jeweled heels, luxury sneakers, handbags, jewelry, and leather ready-to-wear. His wholly owned company, Vicini S.p.A., manufactures his eponymous label, ...
. According to Amber Kallor from
Style.com Style.com was a luxury e-commerce website, launched by international media company Condé Nast in September 2016. In June 2017 Style.com was closed and absorbed by online retailer Farfetch.com Before its closure Style.com offered established and e ...
, various contemporary fashion trends appeared in the video, including candy-colored hairs, black lips, white bows and glitter eye makeup.


Release

The video was confirmed to be released on June 16, 2015; Madonna also released a teaser of it, which showed the aftermath of a party, as the song played slowly in the background. On the release day, a poster was uploaded on Madonna's Instagram which confirmed that along with the aforementioned personnel, singer Beyoncé would also appear in it. Joe Lynch from ''Billboard'' compared the poster to those uploaded during the release of "Bad Blood" but nevertheless believed, "it's likely that Madge had this project in the works before becoming aware of Taylor's plans". However, the video did not arrive on June 16, instead a second teaser was released, showing Madonna
twerking Twerking (; possibly from 'to work') is a type of dance that came out of the bounce music scene of New Orleans in the late 1980s. Individually performed chiefly but not exclusively by women, performers dance to popular music in a sexually provo ...
in jeans shorts and high heels, with multi-colored graphics. It ultimately premiered the next day on Tidal, along with a behind-the-scenes clip. It was an exclusive release to the streaming site for the first 24 hours, following which it was released on Madonna's
Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...
page. The full list of guest appearances in the video included Beyoncé, Perry, Cyrus, Minaj, Ora, and Diplo along with rapper
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, actor and comedian
Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
, designer Alexander Wang, model
Jon Kortajarena Jon Kortajarena Redruello (born 19 May 1985) is a Spanish fashion model and actor. He has landed advertising campaigns for Just Cavalli, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Bally, Etro, Trussardi, Diesel, Mangano, Lagerfeld, Pepe Jeans but notably H&M ...
and Madonna's sons Rocco and David. However, the video faced problems in Tidal with error messages and freezing in-between, resulting in the company releasing an apology on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
: "We apologize to all the fans excited to watch the #BitchImMadonna video, we’re working on a fix. We'll have it up and running soon."


Synopsis

The video begins with four young girls in outfits inspired by Madonna's iconic " Like a Virgin" performance at the
1984 MTV Video Music Awards The 1984 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 14, 1984. The inaugural ceremony honored the best music videos released between May 2, 1983 and May 2, 1984, and was hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler at the Radio City Music Hall in New ...
, who mime the opening lines of the song. Madonna is shown exercising alongside, wearing an animal print dress and a studded, pink motorcycle jacket. She finishes and comes out in a colorful hallway, drinks water, kisses a man and walks through the corridor, crossing Diplo at one point. As the chorus starts the scene cuts to four Japanese dancers (including AyaBambi) making choreographed moves in a bathtub and inside a bar as Madonna joins them. Ora and Rock appears mouthing the phrase "Bitch I'm Madonna". The second verse starts with Madonna crawling along the hallway, getting entangled in balloons, meeting Diplo again and finally the camera pans away to reveal a number of
sock puppet A sock puppet or sockpuppet is a puppet made from a sock or a similar garment. The puppeteer wears the sock on a hand and lower arm as if it were a glove, with the puppet's mouth being formed by the region between the sock's heel and toe, and ...
s in neon glow swaying together to the song. During the second chorus, Madonna and her dancers go from the hallway to a bar where the singer forcefully makes Kortajarena drink a beverage, dry humps a dancer and continues dancing. The guest appearances start with Cyrus pointing her middle fingers towards the camera wearing glitter around her eyes, followed by Wang, Diplo and Rocco in the bar, Beyoncé posing like Madonna's music video for "
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
" (1990), Perry moving around to the song, and David dancing while Madonna and the others cheer him; all of them mouth the song name while they appear onscreen. As the chorus ends, a dancer brings a video screen behind them where Minaj appears rapping her part, interspersed by shots of West cheering. Madonna and her dancers continue moving through the room with falling confetti and reach a dance pole. She climbs through a set of dimly lit stairs and reaches the rooftop where the party is taking place. The song nears to an end and Madonna is shown surrounded by her dancers and some partygoers while she lies down; interspersed scenes show her twerking and dancing alone in a room wearing a cap with Hebrew word "" ("
Shalom ''Shalom'' ( he, שָׁלוֹם ''šālōm''; also spelled as ''sholom'', ''sholem'', ''sholoim'', ''shulem'') is a Hebrew word meaning ''peace'', ''harmony'', ''wholeness'', ''completeness'', ''prosperity'', ''welfare'' and ''tranquility'' and ...
") written on it. The video ends with a far away shot of the Standard Hotel's brightly lit rooftop where the party continues. An alternate ending was present in the behind-the-scenes video, showing an exhausted Madonna leaving the party with a male model, as well as aftermath scenes of the party which were released in the first teaser trailer. The parting shot showed Madonna running around the room and posing in front of the windows overlooking New York. Other scenes included Madonna chatting with Ora and Rock in-between takes, sitting in the hallways, plunging towards the neon sock puppets multiple times as well as singing the song with the little girls from the beginning of the video. Another video set to Kleinenberg's remix featured further footage of Madonna dancing and more casual scenes featuring the guest stars.


Reception and analysis

Jason Lipshutz from ''Billboard'' wrote an article about why the video was an important release for Madonna. He felt that although the ''Rebel Heart'' era had received more promotion than the previous ''MDNA'' era, the commercial returns had been diminishing. The first two singles, "Living for Love" and "Ghosttown", failed to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it the first Madonna album without a Hot 100 single, until "Bitch I'm Madonna" debuted at number 84. The video, Lipshutz theorized, was Madonna's attempt to bring back an audience for the whole era. Joe Lynch from the same magazine called the video an "embarrassment of star power", adding that it "has everything: Miley's middle fingers, Madonna kissing a shirtless hunk, topless women in a bathtub, break-dancing, sock puppets singing, Moschino fashion and much more". Brennan Carly from ''Spin'' believed that the "grandeur and ambition" of the clip made it comparable to Madonna's music videos for "
Hung Up "Hung Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her tenth studio album ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005). Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was released as the album's lead single on October ...
" (2005) and "Living for Love". Kevin O'Donnell from ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' said that although " ytime Madonna announces a new video, it's a global event. And it's no different with Bitch I'm Madonna', he called it "her most bonkers video in years". Hicks from the ''
San Jose Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidiar ...
'' was impressed with the video, but felt Madonna could have done it without the guest appearances. Emilee Linder from
MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
observed that the video was completely different from the one released by Swift, but described it as "action-packed" in a different way, that of portraying a party. Daniel Kreps from ''Rolling Stone'' declared that, with the release of "Bitch I'm Madonna", "the age of
blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...
all-star music videos are upon us". Both Nolan Feeney from ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' and August Brown from the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' noted that Madonna was able to successfully bring together her music industry peers in one video. Christopher Rosa from
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
criticized the fact that none of the female singers apart from Rita Ora were actually present on set during shooting of the video; their parts were filmed separately. He added that it was "pretty hilarious. Madge's clip is called, 'Bitch I'm Madonna', but why couldn't she get these youths to show the eff up?" Writing for ''
Life & Style ''Life & Style'' is an American syndicated talk show that was geared toward young adult females. It was produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Television and lasted only one season, from September 2004 to March 2005. It is unrelated to the cel ...
'' magazine, Chantal Waldholtz was disappointed with the clip, calling it "lackluster" due to the short cameo appearances. Kevin Fallon from ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'' called the video "pathetic and sad" and questioned the inclusion of guest stars like Swift's video, ultimately describing the whole affair as "absolutely pointless. At worst, it's desperate. At best, it's just dumb ...
he video He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
is a fascinating mix of impressive and sad, both aggressively relevant and therefore wholly irrelevant at the same time." He ended the review with one compliment about the single take in which the video was shot, comparing it to the 2014
black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
film '' Birdman''. Bernard Zuel from ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' spoke about the problems with the release to Tidal, saying "Apologies, embarrassment and another social media fail: is this already a new low water mark for Madonna and Tidal only weeks after it began operating?" He criticized Madonna's team for not being able to release the video smoothly, while also noting that negative feedback given to the video included "Madonna's age, sexually charged performances, ndneed to shock". Tshepo Mokoena from ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' considered the cameos as more of "slapdash than slick", appearing as "flat and glossily detached". ''Time'' magazine listed the music video at number 8 on their ranking of the "Top 10 Pop Music Videos of 2015", describing it as "nuts as its croaking bass drop".


Live performances

Madonna performed "Bitch I'm Madonna" during her appearance on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'' on April 9, 2015. She adorned herself in a black jacket covered with gold dollar symbols and a number of gold chains around her neck. The performance began with Madonna in the backstage where she put finishing touches to her make-up, then entered Diplo's dressing room where he was having a party surrounded by women. Madonna did a dance routine in the hallway where her son Rocco appeared mouthing the chorus. The singer and her troupe then moved into the studio area where the audience was present. Energetic dancing continued with Madonna straddling one member of the audience at one point. Still photos of Minaj were projected on video screens with Diplo DJing on a console. Madonna also climbed atop Fallon's desk and made him sing the chorus line. The performance ended with another energetic dance routine and crumping. Biance Gracie from ''
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
'' gave a positive review to the performance, saying that "Instead of doing her usual bit of either singing 'Living for Love' or the current single 'Ghosttown', the entertainer decided to switch things up a bit—and we're so glad hedid! Madge did a wild and super-fun version of 'Bitch I'm Madonna'." ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' listed the performance as one of the top five shocking moments by Madonna in 2015. ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
''s Caitlin White was amazed by Madonna's performance, saying that "the fact that she can dance like ... this at 56 is practically a superhuman feat, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the performance." Bradley Stern also wrote a similar review for ''MuuMuse'', describing the performance as "one of the most all-out insane television performances of the entire ''Rebel Heart'' era ... This was no basic stage performance: Instead, Madonna brought her noisy, bratty and utterly #Unapologetic banger to life." On the
Rebel Heart Tour The Rebel Heart Tour was the tenth concert tour by American singer Madonna, staged in support of her thirteenth studio album, ''Rebel Heart'' (2015). Comprising 82 shows, the tour visited North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. It began on S ...
(2015–16), the song was the second performance on the set list, during the first segment. For the first section, inspired by the ''Rebel Heart'' album cover art and
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...
, costume designer
Arianne Phillips Arianne Phillips (born April 26, 1963) is an American costume designer. Phillips was recognized for her work on the Broadway musical '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', starring Neil Patrick Harris, earning her a Tony award nomination for Best Cost ...
had created a series of costumes referencing liturgical fabrics and a contemporary exhibition of
samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
armor at the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...
. As the theatrical performance of opening number "Iconic" concluded, Madonna was joined onstage by her female dancers wearing
geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha, 芸者 ({{IPAc-en, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ʃ, ə; {{IPA-ja, ɡeːɕa, lang), also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi, are a class of female ...
-inspired costumes. They started performing the song while holding
Japanese war fan The Japanese war fan, or ''tessen'' ( ja, 鉄扇,てっせん, tessen, translation="iron fan"), is a weaponized Japanese hand fan designed for use in warfare. Several types of war fans were used by the samurai class of feudal Japan and each had ...
s. Minaj appeared on the backdrops rapping her verses, aided by "shuddering" bass sounds. The performance of the song at the March 19–20, 2016 shows in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
's
Allphones Arena The Sydney SuperDome (currently known as the Qudos Bank Arena) is a large multipurpose arena located in Sydney, Australia. It is situated in Sydney Olympic Park, and was completed in 1999 as part of the facilities for the 2000 Summer Olympics. ...
was recorded and released in Madonna's fifth live album, ''
Rebel Heart Tour The Rebel Heart Tour was the tenth concert tour by American singer Madonna, staged in support of her thirteenth studio album, ''Rebel Heart'' (2015). Comprising 82 shows, the tour visited North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. It began on S ...
''. On December 6, 2016, Madonna performed the song during the
Carpool Karaoke Carpool Karaoke is a recurring segment on ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'', in which host James Corden invites famous musical guests to sing along to their songs with him whilst traveling in a car driven by Corden on a planned route usual ...
segment of ''
The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show on CBS. It is the fourth and current iteration of '' The Late Late Show''. Airing in the U.S. from Monday to Friday nights at 12:37:28am ...
''.


Track listing

Digital download / streaming # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (featuring
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
) – 3:47 Digital download / streaming – Clean version # "B**** I'm Madonna" (featuring Nicki Minaj) – 3:47 Digital download / streaming – Remixes # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (
Fedde le Grand Fedde Le Grand (; born 7 September 1977) is a Dutch house DJ, record producer and remixer from Utrecht. Biography In 2006, his single "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit" reached the top five on the Dutch Top 40, number one in the UK Singles Chart a ...
remix) – 3:55 # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (
Rosabel Rosabel is an American house music duo consisting of DJ/producers Ralphi Rosario from Chicago, Illinois and Abel Aguilera from Miami, Florida. Already successful club/dance artists individually, the duo has hit number one on the Hot Dance Mus ...
's Bitch Move mix) – 7:05 # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (
Sander Kleinenberg Sander Kleinenberg (; born 29 December 1971) is a Dutch disc jockey, VDJ, and record producer. He founded and runs Little Mountain Recordings and THIS IS Recordings. Kleinenberg is well known for his use of digital video in concerts, his "Every ...
remix) – 4:58 # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (
Junior Sanchez Eugenio Sanchez Jr., commonly known by his stage name Junior Sanchez, is an American record producer, DJ, artist, re-mixer and record executive from New Jersey. Early life Junior Sanchez was born in New Jersey, on May 4, 1977, and raised in the ...
remix) – 5:10 # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (Oscar G 305 dub) – 8:44 # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (
Sick Individuals Sick Individuals (stylized as SICK INDIVIDUALS) is a Dutch electronic dance music act consisting of Rinze "Ray" Hofstee () and Joep "Jim" Smeele (). The two met in Hilversum, Netherlands (2008) while studying Music Composition. Jim and Ray had b ...
remix) – 5:07 # "Bitch I'm Madonna" ( Dirty Pop remix) – 5:11 # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (Flechette remix) – 3:21 # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (Oscar G Bitch Beats) – 8:44 # "Bitch I'm Madonna" (Rosabel's Bitch Move dub) – 7:35


Credits and personnel

Personnel adapted from Madonna's official website.


Management

*Webo Girl Publishing, Inc. (
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
) /
Songs Music Publishing Songs Music Publishing, also known as SONGS, is a Music publisher (popular music), music publishing company founded by Matt Pincus and joined by partners Ron Perry (music), Ron Perry in 2004 and Carianne Marshall in 2006. The company has offices in ...
, LLC on behalf of "I Like Turtles" Music *Songs of SMP (ASCAP) / Lion of God Publishing Co. (ASCAP) c/o Kobalt Songs Music Publishing /
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
April Music, Inc. and MoZella Mo Music (ASCAP) / Atlas Music Publishing on behalf of itself and Gadfly Songs (ASCAP) *Songs of Universal, Inc. (BMI) on behalf of itself and Harajuku Barbie Music (BMI) / Brill Building Songs (ASCAP) c/o Kobalt Songs Music Publishing *Nicki Minaj appears courtesy of
Young Money Entertainment Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republi ...
/
Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip h ...


Personnel

*
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
 –
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, songwriter,
producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
*
Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
 – songwriter, producer *
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
 – songwriter, guest vocals *
Sophie Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...
 – songwriter, co-producer * MoZella – songwriter *
Toby Gad Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and producin ...
 – songwriter *
Ariel Rechtshaid Ariel Rechtshaid ( ;) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His accolades include three Grammy Awards for music production. Rechtshaid was the lead singer and guitarist of the ska ...
 – songwriter *Demacio "Demo" Castellon –
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
, mixer,
recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...
* Nick Rowe – engineer *Aubrey "Big Juice" Delaine – engineer *Zeke Mishanec – additional recording *Angie Teo – additional mixing


Charts and certifications


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

*
Artists with the most number-ones on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart This is a list of artists with the most number-ones on the U.S. '' Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart. Madonna currently holds the record for the most number-one songs in the 43-year history of the chart, with 50. The only other artists to have ...
* List of ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs number ones of 2015


References


External links

* {{authority control 2014 songs 2015 singles Electronic dance music songs Hyperpop songs Interscope Records singles Madonna songs Music videos directed by Jonas Åkerlund Nicki Minaj songs Song recordings produced by Diplo Song recordings produced by Madonna Songs written by Ariel Rechtshaid Songs written by Diplo Songs written by Madonna Songs written by Mozella Songs written by Nicki Minaj Songs written by Toby Gad Songs written by Sophie (musician)