"Burning Up" 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 ...

included on her 1983 self-titled debut album, released as a single on March 9, 1983. The song was presented as an early recorded demo by Madonna to

Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehre ...

who green-lighted the recording of the single after her previous release, " Everybody", became a dance hit. Madonna collaborated with

Reggie Lucas Reginald Grant Lucas (February 25, 1953 – May 19, 2018)John Benitez John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters ...

provided the guitar riffs and backing vocals. Musically, the song incorporates instrumentation from bass guitar, synthesizers and drums, with the lyrics talking of the singer's lack of shame in declaring her passion for her lover. Released with "Physical Attraction", another song from the album, as its B-side, "Burning Up" was given generally positive reviews from contemporary critics and authors, who noted the song's darker, urgent composition and praised its dance beats. It did not enter any important charts, except the United States

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; it found more success in Australia, where it became a top 20 hit. After a number of live appearances in nightclubs to promote it, it was added to the set-list of the

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

(1985), Re-Invention (2004) and

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 ...

(2015–2016) concert tours; on these last two, the singer performed rock-inspired versions and played

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

. The accompanying music video of the song portrayed Madonna in classic submissive female positions, writhing in passion on an empty road while waiting for her lover who drives toward her in a car. The video ends with Madonna driving the car, with an interpretation that she is in charge. Many authors noted that the "Burning Up" music video was a beginning of Madonna's depiction of her taking control of a destabilized male sexuality.

Background

In 1980, Madonna was living in New York and trying to launch her musical career.

Steve Bray Steven Bray (born June 1969) is a British activist from Port Talbot in South Wales who, in 2018 and 2019, made daily protests against Brexit in College Green, Westminster. He is variously known as Stop Brexit Man, Mr Stop Brexit or the Stop B ...

, her former boyfriend from Detroit, became the drummer for her band. After deciding to abandon the hard rock sound, they were signed by a music management company, Gotham records, and decided to pursue music in the funk genre, but soon dropped those plans as well. Madonna carried rough tapes of three songs with her: " Everybody", "Ain't No Big Deal" and "Burning Up"; she presented "Everybody" to DJ Mark Kamins who, after hearing the song, took her to

, and she was signed for a single deal. When "Everybody" became a dance hit, Sire Records decided to follow up with an album. However, Madonna chose not to work with either Bray or Kamins, opting instead for Warner Brothers producer

Reggie Lucas Reginald Grant Lucas (February 25, 1953 – May 19, 2018) The latter pushed Madonna in a more pop direction and produced "Burning Up" and "Physical Attraction" for her. While producing the tracks, Lucas radically changed their structure from the original demo versions. Madonna was not pleased with this, so she called

John "Jellybean" Benitez John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters. H ...

, a DJ at the Funhouse Disco, to remix the tracks. Benitez added some extra guitar riffs and vocals to "Burning Up". Sire Records backed up the single by sending Madonna on a series of personal appearances in clubs around New York, where she performed the single. They also hired a stylist and jewelry designer named Maripol. The final cover for the 12-inch dance single for "Burning Up" was designed by the singer's friend Martin Burgoyne. The track was then used as background music for a scene in the 1984 film '' The Wild Life'' and, 25 years later, included on Madonna's

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' Celebration.

Composition

Musically, "Burning Up" has a starker arrangement brought about by

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, single guitar and drum machine. The guitar riffs in the songs were not characteristics of Madonna's later records, while the

tom-tom drum A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go a ...

beats used in the song were reminiscent of the records of singer

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

. It also incorporated

s and the "most state-of-the-art" synthesizers of that time. The

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

is a repetition of the same three lines of the lyrics, while the

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consists of a series of double entendres in regards to the lyrics of the song which describe what she is prepared to do for her lover and that she is individualistic and shameless. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by

Alfred Publishing Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, "Burning Up" is written in the

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note va ...

of common time with a dance beat

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 138

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

. The song is composed in the key of

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: : Changes n ...

, with Madonna's vocals ranging from the tonal nodes of A₃ to B₄. The song follows a basic sequence of Bm–Bm–A–E as its

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

Release and reception

The single was released on March 9, 1983, following " Everybody"; it did not enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart nor the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart. It did, however, peak at number three on the ''

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 adverti ...

Hot Dance Club Play 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 th ...

, where it remained for 16 weeks. By September 1983, according to ''

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'', the "Burning Up"/"Physical Attraction" single had sold more than 150,000 copies. The song entered Australia's

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent (historian), David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music ...

in November 1983 and, almost eight months later, peaked at number 13. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

from mid-1983 until June 12, 1988. Critical reception to "Burning Up" has been generally positive. Rikky Rooksby, author of ''The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna'', commented that it was noticeably weaker compared to other songs from the album like " Lucky Star" and " Borderline". On his

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

of the singer, J. Randy Taraborrelli described it as a "yearning" track. Author Santiago Fouz-Hernández, in ''Madonna's Drowned Worlds'', complimented it for having upbeat dance music. While Joshua Ostroff, from the Canadian edition of the ''

HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', called it "semi-obscure", ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s Don Shewey said it was "simple stuff ..but it's clever at times, too". From

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

noted that both "Burning Up" and B side "Physical Attraction" had a darker, carnal urgency in their composition.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

referred to the 12-inch pair of "Burning Up" and "Physical Attraction" as "electroporn". ''

The Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...

'' Angela Pacienza hailed it a "syrupy pop ditty". Writing for ''

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 ...

'', Jim Farber said commented that "Burning Up" proved that Madonna could also "rock". A less favorable review came from ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

'', who felt it wasn't among the singer's best songs and called it "a nugget better left buried". Retrospective reviews have been positive; for

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

' Mark Savage, it's one of the singer's "overlooked gems" that "still sounds like a mission statement", particularly in the lyrics ''I'll do anything, I'm not the same, I have no shame, I'm on fire''. On a similar note, Alex Needham 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 ...

'' opined it was a manifesto that "still grabs you by the throat". Similarly, while reviewing the ''Madonna'' album on its 35th anniversary for ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'', Matthew Lindsay classified the song as a "brazen manifesto" that "borders on feral". Adam Graham, from ''

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'', called it "underappreciated". According to ''

''s Chris Malone Méndez, "Burning Up" was "a crucial component" in establishing Madonna's career; compared to the singer's previous single, "Everybody", which had mostly a post-disco sound, "Burning Up" saw her moving in a more pop-oriented path. For Matthew Jacobs from the ''HuffPost'', it was an "outtake from the punk persona adonnanever fully embraced", while for ''

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'' Mayer Nissim, it "wouldn't sound out of place on an early New Order or late

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after atte ...

record". Louis Virtel from '' The Backlot'' said that "as much as Madonna was something of a tartier

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo ('' née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum al ...

when she first arrived, she was also inspired by the punks of NYC – and this barebones, breathy war cry proves it". Mark Lore, writing for the ''

Portland Mercury ''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''. Contributors and staff Editor-in-chief: Wm. Steven ...

'', said both "Everybody" and "Burning Up" were "true gems, gritty New York anthems overshadowed by the sparkly classics 'Borderline' and 'Holiday'".

Nerdist Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast (The Nerdist Podcast) created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium conte ...

's Eric Diaz called it "one of her greatest hits, even though it really wasn't". According to ''

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'' Joe Morgan, "Burning Up" showed Madonna "had a little bit of edge to her". The staff from '' The Advocate'' considered "Burning Up" "one of the sexiest songs of the 980sdecade". ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily Lists of newspapers, newspaper published in Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain ...

''s Ed Masley compared it to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

's "

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (Michael Jackson album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a ...

", also saying it had "the personality that would go on to help define the decade fully formed — playful, assertive and sexy". He named it Madonna's 21st greatest song. On his ranking of Madonna's singles, in honor of her 60th birthday, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Chuck Arnold placed "Burning Up" on the eleventh position; calling it "another shoulda-been hit", as well as the "most rocking thing she has ever done". ''Billboard'' also deemed it Madonna's eleventh greatest song; Joe Lynch called it "irresistible" and said that " hesounds less like a doormat and more like a pioneer of female Big Dick Energy". Samuel R. Murrian from ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...

'' placed it at number 32 of his ranking and highlighted out its production. It figured on the same position of ''

Slant Slant can refer to: Bias *Bias or other non-objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields Technical * Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level * Slant d ...

''s list; Paul Schroeder called it one of the singer's "most aggressive" songs. The staff of ''Rolling Stone'' also considered it one of the singer's best and classified it as a "freestyle electro-jam". ''

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 ...

''s Robbie Daw considered "Burning Up" as one of Madonna's "10 best songs that radio forgot". Finally, ''

The National Student ''The National Student'' was a national print and online magazine for higher education students in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a c ...

''s Emily D'Souza hailed it Madonna's third most underrated song, calling it an "irresistibly catchy, quintessentially 80s" track.

Music video

Background

Sire Records commissioned a music video for "Burning Up" directed by

Steve Barron Steven Barron (born 4 May 1956) is an Irish-British filmmaker. He is best known for directing the music videos for the songs "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Summer of '69" and " Run to You" by Bryan Adams, " Money for Nothing" by Dire Stra ...

; Barron had previously directed Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", Toto's "

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

" and Eddy Grant's "

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". At the time, Barron was on vacations when he got a call from Sire Records producer Simon Fields asking him to direct the video. The director initially refused, as the song "didn't have the atmosphere" he was looking for and wouldn't know what to do with it. However, Madonna, who was "really keen on the 'Billie Jean' video", insisted until Barron begrudgingly agreed. He went to meet the singer in New York and was impressed with her confidence. He would later recall:

I went to New York to meet with adonna begrudgingly, and showed up at an address at SoHo, which turned out to be a squat basically. Madonna was scantily clad, working out to a massive disco track. She was charismatic. She kept putting her head down on the table and talking to me, very flirtatious, and that gave me the idea for the scene in "Burning Up", where her face is on the road, and the camera's really low and close.

Filming took places for two nights in Los Angeles. The "mish-mash" concept of the video was based on Barron's ideas as opposed to the lyrics and theme of the song, as he still "didn't connect with it too much". According to him, Madonna was "very much in charge" of her look and clothes; she ended up wearing a white mini-dress,

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (La ...

earrings and black typewriter belts as bracelets. Actress

Debi Mazar Deborah Anne Mazar Corcos (; born August 13, 1964) is an American actress and television personality, known for playing sharp-tongued women. She began her career with supporting roles in ''Goodfellas'' (1990), '' Little Man Tate'' (1991) and ''S ...

, Madonna's personal friend, was hired as the make-up artist, while her then boyfriend Ken Compton was hired to play the role of her onscreen lover. During a 2015 interview with ''Rolling Stone'', Barron recalled that a seven-ton crane that stretched out and had a camera placed on it, was used to shoot scenes of the singer lying in a boat at night; Barron also remembered how on one moment, the crane almost fell right on top of the singer. The video was included on 2009's '' Celebration: The Video Collection''.

Analysis and reception

''Rolling Stone'' staff described the video as a juxtaposition of "disparate images of illuminated busts and cars driving on water with Madonna writhing in the middle of the road". The narrative shows Madonna proclaiming her passion for her lover, being portrayed as a "helpless" victim and a "stereotyped emaleportrayed in many silent movies". Though lyrics such as ''Do you want to see me down on my knees?'' portray female helplessness, the video acts as a counter-text; when this line is sung, Madonna is shown kneeling on the road in front of the advancing

Amphicar The Amphicar Model 770 is an amphibious automobile which was launched at the 1961 New York Auto Show, manufactured in West Germany and marketed from 1961 to 1968. Production stopped in 1965. Designed by Hans Trippel, the amphibious vehicle ...

, then turns her head back while exposing her throat back in a posture of submission. However, her voice tone and her look at the camera portray a hardness and defiance that contradict the submissiveness of her body posture and turn the question of the line into a challenge for her lover. At the end of the video, it is her who's driving the car, with a knowing, defiant smile on her lips. She has ditched the man, thereby giving the message that she's in charge. This theme would become recurrent throughout her career. Author Andrew Morton, in his biography on Madonna, commented that the video was America's first introduction to Madonna's sexual politics. Author Robert Clyde Allen in his book ''Channels of Discourse'' compared the video to "

Material Girl "Material Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her second studio album, '' Like a Virgin'' (1984). It was released on November 30, 1984, by the Sire label as the second single from ''Like a Virgin''. It also appears slightly ...

" (1985). According to him, both videos have an undermining ending, while employing a consistent series of puns and exhibiting a parodic amount of excess associated with Madonna's style. The discourses included in the video are those of sexuality and religion. Allen wrote that Madonna's image of kneeling and singing about 'burning in love' performed the traditional ideological work of using the subordination and powerlessness of women in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

to naturalize their equally submissive position in patriarchy. Author Georges-Claude Guilbert in his book ''Madonna as postmodern myth'' commented that the representation of the male character becomes irrelevant as Madonna destabilizes the fixing and categorization of male sexuality in the video. Her utterance of having "no shame" was interpreted by author James B. Twitchell, in his book ''For Shame'', as an attempt to separate herself from contemporary female artists of that era. To the staff of ''Rolling Stone'', it can be seen as a "great testament to the anything-goes era of early MTV".

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', compared Madonna's poses to those of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

. Louis Virtel deemed it Madonna's 18th greatest video and wrote: "Before adonnahumped the stage of the

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

in a wedding dress, she thrusted away at pavement in a chintzier white ensemble". It was ranked her 13th best by Eric Diaz, who went on to call it "iconic" and a "classic". He further wrote that "there is something bout 'Burning Up'that is just so ’80s, and so Madonna - the rubber bracelets, the chains, the bleach blonde hair with the terrible roots. When girls today dress up like '80s Madonna' for Halloween, it's the look from this video they're emulating".

Live performances and covers

Before its official release, Madonna promoted the single by performing at different clubs around New York, where she was assisted by dancers Erika Belle and Bags Rilezz. She then traveled to London to promote it in clubs like

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

, Camden Palace, Beatroot Club as well as

The Haçienda The Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, North West England, which became famous during the Manchester years of the 1980s and early 1990s. It was run by the record label Factory Records. The club opened in 1982, eventually ...

in Manchester. However, those performances were not well received by the British audience. The song was then included on three of the singer's

concert tours A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

(1985), Re-Invention (2004) and

(2015–2016). On the first one, it was performed before the

encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

and found Madonna, decked in a black outfit of matching fringed top and mini-skirt, suggestively posing around her band; orange lights bathed the stage. ''

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'' Mikel Longoria praised the performance for being "crisp and energetic". "Burning Up" was one of three performances not included on the '' Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour'' video release. For 2004's Re-Invention World Tour, it was performed in a rock-style version with the singer playing a black

Gibson Les Paul The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typ ...

. She was dressed in

military fatigues A combat uniform, also called field uniform, battledress or military fatigues, is a casual wear, casual type of uniform used by military, police, firefighter, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and combat duty purpo ...

while the screens behind her depicted scenes of war and sex which, according to ''The New York Times'' Kelefa Sanneh, look liked they were filmed with a camcorder and were reminiscent of the prisons in

Abu Ghraib Abu Ghraib (; ar, أبو غريب, ''Abū Ghurayb'') is a city in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq, located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000 (2003). The old road ...

. The '' Daily Herald''s Mark Guarino praised Madonna's ability to "transform the song's original adolescent whine into adult certitude"; Neva Chonin, writing for the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...

'', deemed the performance a "singer-songwriter spotlight as Madonna showed off her competent guitar skills". Eleven years later, "Burning Up" was performed as the third number of Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour; similar to Re-Invention, the artist sang a rock rendition of the track while playing a

Gibson Flying V The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designed ...

electric guitar. During the performance, she knelt on the stage for the

guitar solo A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular ...

and then ripped off her skirt to reveal a "barely there" nun's outfit. Joey DiGuglielmo, from the ''

Washington Blade The ''Washington Blade'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the ''Philadelphi ...

'', felt the singer gave a "thrashy and spare" rendition of the song, while Sandra Sperounes, from the ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

'', opined her voice sounded "deep and dangerous".

Rappler Rappler (portmanteau of the words "rap" and "ripple") is a Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa along with a group of fellow Filipino journali ...

's Nicole Reyes pointed out Madonna "oozed attitude and charisma" during the number. 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 Mounta ...

's Allphones Arena was recorded and released on the artist'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 ...

'' (2017). "Burning Up" was covered by singer Isadar on his 2006 compilation album, ''Scratching The Surface: Vol 2 Electro-Voice Sampler''. During Madonna's induction at the 2008

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

and

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...

performed "punked-up" renditions of "Burning Up" and " Ray of Light" (1998). Two years later, it was covered by Jonathan Groff for American television show '' Glee''; his version was included in an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

titled '' Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna''. Finally,

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...

covered the song on her 2011

Femme Fatale Tour The Femme Fatale Tour was the eighth concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her seventh studio album, ''Femme Fatale'' (2011). It was officially announced in March 2011, with dates for North American v ...

. The performance found Spears straddling a giant, glittering guitar; it received a mixed review from ''Rolling Stone''s Barry Walters, who felt it "lacked Madge's authority". A studio recording of the cover, described by ''Billboard''s Sarah Maloy as "glammed-up without a hint of the '80s to be found", leaked on June 10 of that year.

Track listing and formats

* U.S. / Europe / Australia 12" Single #"Burning Up" (12" Version) – 5:56 #"Physical Attraction" (LP Version) – 6:35 * FRA/GER/NED/BEL/JAP 7" Single #"Burning Up" (7" Version) – 3:50 #"Physical Attraction" (7" Version) – 3:57 * Australia 7" Single #"Burning Up" (Alternate LP Version) – 4:48 #"Physical Attraction" (7" Version) – 3:52 *Germany / UK CD Maxi Single (1995) #"Burning Up" (12" Version) – 5:56 #"Physical Attraction" (LP Version) – 6:34 *U.S. / double A-sided promo 7" (1983) #"Physical Attraction" (Single Edit) / Sire PRO-A-2023 – 3:57

Credits and personnel

– lead vocals, background vocals, writer *

Reggie Lucas Reginald Grant Lucas (February 25, 1953 – May 19, 2018)John "Jellybean" Benitez John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters. H ...

– remixing *Fred Zarr – synthesizer, electric and acoustic piano *Dean Gant – electric and acoustic piano *Bobby Malach – tenor saxophone *

Paul Pesco Paul Pesco (born May 13, 1959) is an American session guitarist, singer-songwriter, film score composer and record producer. Biography Pesco was born in Canandaigua, New York, to a Sicilian father (an opera singer and voice instructor) and Ko ...

- guitar *Ed Walsh – synthesizer *

Gwen Guthrie Gwendolyn Guthrie (July 9, 1950 – February 3, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter and pianist who also sang backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Peter Tosh, and Madonna, among others, and who wrote songs made f ...

– background vocals *Brenda White – background vocals *Chrissy Faith – background vocals * Martin Burgoyne - artwork Credits adapted from the album and the single liner notes.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

{{authority control 1983 songs 1983 singles American rock songs Dance-rock songs Madonna songs Post-disco songs Sire Records singles Music videos directed by Steve Barron Songs written by Madonna Sonic Youth songs Song recordings produced by Reggie Lucas