"Causing a Commotion" 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 the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

to the 1987 film ''

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''. It was released as the album's second

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on August 25, 1987 by

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 Gottehrer ...

. Its Silver Screen Single Mix later appeared on the EP ''

The Holiday Collection ''The Holiday Collection'' is the fifth compilation album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records in 2006, and peaked at number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz chart, number 40 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 85 on the ''B ...

'' (1991). Written and produced by Madonna and

Stephen Bray Stephen Pate Bray (born December 23, 1956) is an American songwriter, drummer, and record producer. He is best known for his collaborations with Madonna, being a member of the band Breakfast Club, and for winning the 2017 Grammy Award for the ...

, the song was inspired by her relationship with then-husband

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

, and his abusive and violent nature. Containing a

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

-oriented, up-

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 (often ...

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station * ...

, the song begins with 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 ...

and is accompanied by a four-note descending

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...

and

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and has appeared in music ...

chords in the

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

s. Since its release, "Causing a Commotion" has received mixed reviews from

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s. The song was a commercial success, peaking within the top-ten in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and topped the ''

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chart. Madonna performed the song on the

Who's That Girl World Tour The Who's That Girl World Tour (billed as Who's That Girl World Tour 1987) was the second concert tour by American singer and songwriter Madonna. The tour supported her 1986 third studio album '' True Blue'', as well as the 1987 soundtrack ''Who ...

in 1987 – which was transmitted via satellite to the

1987 MTV Video Music Awards The 1987 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 11, 1987, from the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Hosted by MTV VJs Downtown Julie Brown, Carolyne Heldman, Kevin Seal, Michael Tomioka, and Dweezil Zappa, the show honored the best m ...

– and the

Blond Ambition World Tour The Blond Ambition World Tour (billed as Blond Ambition World Tour 90) was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album '' Like a Prayer'' (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film ''Dick Tracy ...

in 1990. The performances were included in the home video release of the tours.

Background and release

In 1986, Madonna was shooting for her third motion picture ''

'', known at the time as ''Slammer''. Needing songs for the soundtrack of the movie, she contacted

Patrick Leonard Patrick Ray Leonard (born March 14, 1956) is an American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna. His work with Madonna includes her albums '' True Blue'' (1986), ''Who's ...

and

, with whom she had written and produced her third studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' True Blue'' (1986). The song was written and produced by Madonna and Bray for the film's soundtrack. It was inspired by her then husband

and their often tumultuous relationship. Madonna felt that her marriage to Penn was on the verge of breaking up, due to Penn's abusive and violent nature. That translated as the inspiration behind the song. In a ''

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 ...

'' article dated September 10, 1987, Madonna spoke about Penn's impact on her life,

"I don't like violence. I never condone hitting anyone, and I never thought that any violence should have taken place. But on the other hand, I understood Sean's anger and believe me, I have wanted to hit them he_paparazzi.html" ;"title="paparazzi.html" ;"title="he paparazzi">he paparazzi">paparazzi.html" ;"title="he paparazzi">he paparazzimany times. I never would, you know, because I realize that it would just make things worse. [...] I felt like he was 'Causing a Commotion' to purposefully distract me. I wrote this song and vented my frustration in it."

In the United States, "Causing a Commotion" was released on August 25, 1987. In the United Kingdom, the song was released on September 17, just after the conclusion of the

that same month. In 1991, the Silver Screen Single Mix of the song was included on the EP ''

'' (1991).

Recording and composition

"Causing a Commotion" was recorded and mixed by Stephen Bray along with

Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...

, who also did additional production on the track.

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was the mixing engineer along with Steve Peck, the former also did the audio editing. Background vocals were provided by

Donna De Lory Donna De Lory is an American singer, dancer and songwriter. Part of a musical family, De Lory has been performing since a young age. Her voice can be heard on albums by Carly Simon, Ray Parker Jr., Kim Carnes, Santana, Martika, Laura Branigan, Be ...

and

Niki Haris Niki Haris (born April 17, 1962) is an American singer and dancer of pop, R&B, dance music and jazz, perhaps best known for having been one of Madonna's backing vocalists from 1987 to 2001, and as being the guest lead vocalist on various Snap! s ...

. "Causing a Commotion" has a dancey, up-tempo

in it. The

musical arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

consists of a number of

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 ...

s interpolating with each other. It begins with the

, where Madonna sings the line "I've got the moves baby, You've got the motion, If we got together we'd be causing a commotion". The verses are accompanied by a four-note descending

and interjecting

chords. The lyrics make reference to Madonna's 1985

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

Into the Groove "Into the Groove" is a song by recorded by American singer Madonna, and featured on the 1985 film ''Desperately Seeking Susan''. Written and produced by both Madonna and Stephen Bray, the main inspiration behind the song was the dance floor; t ...

" and have three parts to the

vocal harmony Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...

. Andrzej Ciuk, one of the editors of the book ''Exploring Space'' noted that the proverbial status of the phrase "opposites attract" as a defining key ingredient of cultural concept of "love" and this was evident also in the song with the lyrics: "You met your match when you met me, I know that you'll disagree it's crazy, But ''opposites attract'' you'll see, And I won't let you get away so easy".

Critical reception

"Causing a Commotion" received generally mixed to positive reviews from

s. Rikky Rooksby, author of ''The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna'', said that the song was "Perfectly acceptable, though not in the same class as '

'." Christian Wright from ''

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'' called the song celebratory.

Camille Paglia Camille Anna Paglia (; born April 2, 1947) is an American feminist academic and social critic. Paglia has been a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1984. She is critical of many aspects of modern cultur ...

, one of the authors of ''The Madonna Companion: Two Decades of Commentary'', said that Madonna's command of massive, resonant basslines impressed her. She wrote: "I recall my stunned admiration as I sat in the theater in 1987 and first experienced the crashing, descending chords of Madonna's 'Causing a Commotion', which opened her dreadful movie ''Who's That Girl''. If you want to hear the essence of modernity, listen to those chords, infernal, apocalyptic and grossly sensual. This is the authentic voice of ''

fin de siècle () is a French term meaning "end of century,” a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom "turn of the century" and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without context ...

''."

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, occ ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

commented that "Causing a Commotion" and "Who's That Girl" were not among Madonna's best singles. Matthew Jacobs from ''

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'', placed it at number 46 of his list "The Definitive Ranking of Madonna Singles", calling it "cheerful, until you learn it was inspired by her abusive relationship with Sean Penn". In August 2018, ''

'' ranked it as Madonna's 85th greatest song; Joel Lynch wrote that only Madonna "could release a song this lightweight from a critically drubbed film and still take it to No. 2 on the Hot 100. The arresting, thick AF bass line and the sugary determination of her delivery make this a delight, albeit a relatively slight one". ''

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 ...

''s Eric Henderson called it "somehow generic and diverting in equal measure, Causing a Commotion'offers one of Madonna’s most undeniable come-on lines at the center of it all". Louis Virtel from The Backlot ranked it at number 16 on a list for "The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs", and called it "jubilant and driving". Writing for ''

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'', Joe Morgan deemed it an "absolute gem" that "unfortunately sinks in the background when it comes to Madonna’s 80s classics". ''

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''s Jude Rogers described it as "a slighter facsimile of the imperial 'Into the Groove', protesting too much about its abilities to coax out the noise police". For

Medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

's Richard LaBeau, "there is nothing especially bad about this track, but it is profoundly forgettable, particularly in comparison with the brilliant singles that preceded and followed it".

Chart performance

"Causing a Commotion" debuted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 41 the week of September 12, 1987, as "

" was descending from the top-ten. The song quickly climbed up the chart, ultimately peaking at number two the week of October 24, 1987, blocked from the top position by

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 a ...

's "

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" and Tiffany's "

I Think We're Alone Now "I Think We're Alone Now" is a song written and composed by Ritchie Cordell that was first recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells. It was a major hit for group, reaching number 4 on the US Hot 100 in April 1967. It finished at No. 12 on ''Bil ...

." It remained in the runner-up position for three consecutive weeks, before descending the chart. The song reached the top 40 of the ''Billboard''

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chart and hit number one on the

chart. In Canada, the song debuted at number 90 on the ''

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'' Top 100 chart on September 19, 1987. After six weeks, the song reached a peak of number two on the chart. It was present for a total of 31 weeks and ranked at number 47 on the ''RPM'' year-end chart for 1987. In the United Kingdom, "Causing a Commotion" entered 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 ...

at number seven and peaked at number four. The song was present for a total of nine weeks. According to the

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

, the song has sold 230,000 copies there. In Germany, the song debuted on the

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at number 66 on September 29, 1987, reaching a peak of number 14 in its third week and spending 12 weeks on the chart. The song reached the top-ten in Australia and the

European Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and '' Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, peaking at number seven and three, respectively. Elsewhere, the song reached the top-ten in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland, and the top 20 in Austria, Norway and Sweden.

Live performances

Madonna performed "Causing a Commotion" on the

and the

. On the Who's That Girl World Tour, "Causing a Commotion" was the sixth song of the set list. Collaborating with Marlene Stewart on the clothes for the tour, Madonna expanded on the idea of bringing her video characters to life and to display a

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theme for the song. She wore a golden lamé jacket and performed the song while accompanied by two dancers, each holding a gun. Performances of the song on this tour can be found on the ''Who's That Girl: Live in Japan'' video, filmed in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan, on June 22, 1987, and on the '' Ciao Italia: Live from Italy'' video, filmed in

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, Italy, on September 4, 1987. The latter performance was transmitted via satellite to the

. On the Blond Ambition World Tour, "Causing a Commotion" was the third song of the set list. The outfit she wore for the performance was described by Carol Clerk, author of ''Madonnastyle'', as the "perfect visual combination of masculine and feminine". Madonna wore heavy makeup with thick, blackened eyebrows and heavy application of dark liner. The performance ended with Madonna wrestling with her female backup singers. Two different performances were released on video: the ''Blond Ambition Japan Tour 90'', filmed in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan, on April 27, 1990, and the ''

Blond Ambition World Tour Live ''Blond Ambition World Tour Live'' is a video album by American singer-songwriter Madonna released exclusively on Laserdisc by Pioneer Artists on December 13, 1990. It contained the Blond Ambition World Tour's final show, filmed at the Stade ...

'', filmed in

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, France, on August 5, 1990.

Track listing and formats

*US 7" single # "Causing a Commotion" (Silver Screen Single Mix) – 4:00 # "Jimmy Jimmy" (LP Version) – 3:54 *UK 12" single # "Causing a Commotion" (Silver Screen Mix) – 6:33 # "Causing a Commotion" (Movie House Mix) – 9:40 # "Jimmy Jimmy" (Fade) – 3:39 *US 12" Maxi-Single # "Causing a Commotion" (Silver Screen Mix) – 6:33 # "Causing a Commotion" (Dub) – 7:04 # "Causing a Commotion" (Movie House Mix) – 9:40 # "Jimmy Jimmy" (LP Version) – 3:54 *Germany / UK Reissue CD Maxi-Single (1995) # "Causing a Commotion" (Silver Screen Mix) – 6:33 # "Causing a Commotion" (Dub) – 7:04 # "Causing a Commotion" (Movie House Mix) – 9:40 # "Jimmy Jimmy" (LP Version) – 3:54

Credits and personnel

* Madonna – vocals, writer, producer *

– writer, producer, audio mixing *

– audio mixing, additional production *

– mixing engineer, audio editing * Steve Peck – mixing engineer * Jane O'Neal – photography * Jeri Heiden – art direction * Maura P. McLaughlin – design Credits adapted from the ''Who's That Girl'' soundtrack and 12" single

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Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Notes

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

"Causing a Commotion"
on

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"Causing a Commotion" (remastered)
on

{{authority control 1987 singles 1987 songs Madonna songs Sire Records singles Songs written for films Songs written by Madonna Songs written by Stephen Bray Song recordings produced by Madonna Song recordings produced by Stephen Bray