"Who's That Girl" 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'' ...
of the 1987 film, ''
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's That Girl?", an episode of ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!''
Music
* Who's Tha ...
''. It was released on June 23, 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 ...
as the first album single. While shooting for the film, then called ''Slammer'', Madonna had requested
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 ...
to develop an uptempo song that captured the nature of her film persona. She later added the lyrics and vocals to the demo tape developed by Leonard, and decided to rename the song as well as the film to "Who's That Girl".
Featuring instrumentation from drums, bass, and stringed instruments, "Who's That Girl" continued Madonna's fascination with Hispanic culture by incorporating Spanish lyrics and using the effect of double vocals. Critical reception was mixed to positive; some critics compared it to Madonna's previous single, "
La Isla Bonita
"La Isla Bonita" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album '' True Blue'' (1986). Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, with additional lyrics by Bruce Gaitsch, the song was originally presented by Leonard ...
", while others found it forgettable. "Who's That Girl" became Madonna's sixth single to top the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, while peaking atop the charts in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland and Belgium. It was also nominated for "
Best Song Written for Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media (including its previous names) is the Grammy Awards awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media.
Recipients
* Each year is linked t ...
" at the
1988 Grammy Awards
The 30th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 2, 1988, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.
Album of the Year went to U2 for ''The Joshua Tree'', and Song of the Year went ...
and "
Best Original Song
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
" at the
1988 Golden Globe Awards.
The music video portrayed a different persona of Madonna, rather than her film character for which it was released. She's seen as a young boyish lady in search of a treasure. Madonna has performed the song on her
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's That Girl?", an episode of ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!''
Music
* Who's Tha ...
(1987) 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) tours. The song has been covered by many artists and has appeared in compilations and tribute albums. Despite being a worldwide number-one hit, the song was not included in Madonna's 1990 greatest hits album ''
The Immaculate Collection
''The Immaculate Collection'' is the first greatest hits album by American singer Madonna, released on November 13, 1990, by Sire Records. It contains fifteen of her hit singles recorded throughout the 1980s, as well as two brand new tracks, " ...
'', but was later included on her 2009 greatest hits album ''
Celebration''.
Background and composition
In 1986, Madonna was shooting for her third motion picture ''
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's That Girl?", an episode of ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!''
Music
* Who's Tha ...
'', 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
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 ...
, who had written and produced her third studio album ''
True Blue'' in 1986. Madonna explained to them that she needed an uptempo song and a downtempo song. She came to the studio one Thursday as Leonard developed 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 ...
of the song. He handed over that cassette to Madonna, who went to the backroom and finished the
melody
A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...
and the lyrics of the song, while Leonard worked on the other parts of the song.
After finishing the lyrics, Madonna declared that she wanted the song to be named "Who's That Girl" and changed the movie to the same, rather than ''Slammer'', considering it to be a better title. In
Fred Bronson
Fredric M. "Fred" Bronson (born January 10, 1949) is an American journalist, author and writer. He is the author of books related to #1 songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and other books related to various music charts as well. He is also k ...
's ''The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits'' book, Leonard explained that the song was recorded in one day with Madonna adding her vocals only once. Additional instrumental tracks with guitars and percussion were included by Leonard and Bray later.
Regarding the development of the music for the film, Madonna further explained
"I had some very specific ideas in mind, music that would stand on its own as well as support and enhance what was happening on screen and the only way to make that a reality was to have a hand in writing the tunes myself. ..The songs aren't necessarily about Nikki er character name in the movieor written to be sung by someone like her, but there's a spirit to this music that captures both what the film and the characters are about, I think."
The song is composed in Madonna's typical style—mingling the
drum machine, a
bass synth line, and the sound of stringed instruments. The three parts of the song, namely the
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
, where Madonna sings "what can help me now", 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 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 ...
flow together strongly. The chorus has a haunting effect in it.
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, the song is composed in
common time
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 value ...
in the key of
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major.
The A natural minor scale is:
:
Changes ...
, and performed at a medium tempo of 104 beats per minute. The song follows a basic
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 ...
sequence of Am
9–G–C
sus2–Am
9–G–Dm and Madonna's vocals range from G
3 to B
4.
The song epitomizes Madonna's interest with Hispanic culture that continued after the release of "
La Isla Bonita
"La Isla Bonita" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album '' True Blue'' (1986). Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, with additional lyrics by Bruce Gaitsch, the song was originally presented by Leonard ...
", by adding Spanish phrases in the chorus and over the trumpets of the second verse, and also by the added instrumental break in the middle. It also uses the sonic effect brought about by the combination of multiple vocal lines, which had been previously used by groups like
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
in their singles "
God Only Knows
"God Only Knows" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, it is a Baroque-style love song distinguished for its harmonic innovation and its subversion of typica ...
" (1966) and "
I Get Around
"I Get Around" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys and the opening track from their 1964 album '' All Summer Long''. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the autobiographical lyrics describe the group's reaction to their newfound f ...
" (1964) as well as
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...
's singles "
Fall on Me" (1986) and "
Near Wild Heaven" (1991). "Who's That Girl" employs this effect on the last chorus where three or four different vocal hooks are intertwined.
Critical reception
![Madonna II B 36a (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Madonna_II_B_36a_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In his book ''The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna'', author Rikky Rooksby explained that the song was Madonna's best take on her original music style.
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 ...
of
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 "Who's That Girl" along with "
Causing a Commotion" were not amongst Madonna's best singles. Similar thoughts were shared by
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. Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, in his book ''Madonna: An Intimate Biography'' called the song "quintessential Madonna music" and went on to describe it as "funky, sassy and melodic, with a Latin accent". Writing for ''
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 ...
'', Ed Gonzalez hailed it a "calorie-free palate cleanser after the delectable voluptuousness of '
La Isla Bonita
"La Isla Bonita" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album '' True Blue'' (1986). Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, with additional lyrics by Bruce Gaitsch, the song was originally presented by Leonard ...
'
..the music is catchy without ever stepping outside any norm". ''
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 ...
'' called it "a bright dance-popper that fared much better than the lackluster film it was tied to". Noah Robischon 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 ...
'' opined that with both the song and the movie, Madonna had pushed "synergy over the borderline". From the same magazine, Chuck Arnold wrote: "The most memorable thing about Madonna’s 1987 comedy is the chart-topping title tune of its soundtrack. While it’s not quite in the league of its obvious inspiration, 'La Isla Bonita', this tropical delight is pure enchantment". Online magazine ''
Queerty
''Queerty'' is an online magazine and newspaper covering gay-oriented lifestyle and news, founded in 2005 by David Hauslaib. As of June 2015, the site had more than five million monthly unique visitors.
History
''Queerty'' was founded by David ...
'' called it "simple enough for
adonnato perform convincingly and catchy enough for fans to remember". "Who's That Girl" was nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media (including its previous names) is the Grammy Awards awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media.
Recipients
* Each year is linked ...
at the
30th ceremony and for the
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of a ...
at the
45th ceremony.
Retrospective reviews have been generally positive; Louis Virtel from
The Backlot ranked it at number 61 on a list for "The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs", and called it "a sexy little tribute to those minxes you just can’t catch up with". Enio Chiola of
PopMatters.com listed "Who's That Girl" as one of the top-fifteen singles of Madonna's career, stating that it is an "insta-party from the moment in begins". In August 2018, ''
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 ...
'' ranked it as the singer's 62nd greatest song; Andrew Unterberger opined that it "expanded on the Spanglish hook and Latin-flavored pop bounce of 'La Isla Bonita' with a similarly contagious chorus and sparkling production from Madonna and Patrick Leonard". Jude Rogers 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 ...
'' felt that "as Balearic moments go, 'La Isla Bonita' was better". Writing for ''
Gay Star News
''Gay Star News'' (''GSN'') is a news website focused on events related to and concerning the global LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community. Headquartered in the UK, it is privately owned and was founded by Tris Reid-Sm ...
'', Joe Morgan said that it was "not the best time we saw her Spanish influence, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. Great fun song, but a bit forgettable". Matthew Jacobs from ''
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 ...
'', placed it at number 52 of his list "The Definitive Ranking Of Madonna Singles" and called it "Madonna’s least-remembered No. 1 hit". On 2019, 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, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...
'' ranked it at number 32 on his list of the singer's 100 greatest songs: "it doesn't hold up as well as some of her mightier songs of the era like 'La Isla Bonita' or '
Open Your Heart'” In 2022, while reviewing the film's soundtrack on its 35th anniversary, Albumism's Erika Wolf said of the track: "whether it was
cultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from ...
― or a way to make a world that was much less worldly in 1987 more unified and connected ―
he song
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'' ...
maintains a certain place in the Madonna canon, documenting a time when
hewas on the cusp of transitioning from New York pop star to mega pop superstar".
Commercial reception
"Who's That Girl" was released in the United States in June 1987. By October that year, the label shipped 105,000 copies on tape and 447,000 on vinyl.
It debuted on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 43, reached the top of the chart in its seventh week, maintained the top position for one week, and spent 16 weeks on the chart.
It became Madonna's sixth number-one single in the United States, making her the first artist to accumulate six number-one singles in the 1980s, and the first female performer to get that many number-ones as a solo act.
The song peaked at number 44 on the
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 t ...
chart.
In 2000, the song came tenth in a vote conducted to determine the favourite Madonna song. In Canada, the song debuted at number 83 on the ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
'' singles chart on July 11, 1987, reached the top for one week on August 29, 1987,
and stayed on the chart for 23 weeks. It placed at number 12 on the ''RPM'' Year-end chart for 1987.
In the United Kingdom, "Who's That Girl" was released on July 14, 1987, and debuted at number three on 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 ...
, climbing to number one the next week to become Madonna's fifth number-one single in the United Kingdom.
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 380,000 copies there. It received a silver certification from the
British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
(BPI).
In Italy, the song spent 11 consecutive weeks at the top of the ''
Musica e dischi
''Musica e dischi'' was the oldest and long-running music industry publication in Italy.
'' Billboard'' defined the publication as the "Italian record bible".
History
It was founded in October 1945 in Milan, Italy, on the initiative of the journ ...
'' charts.
[ Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Madonna".] Across Europe, "Who's That Girl" also topped the singles charts in Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands,
as well as peaking in the top five in Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
It was certified gold by the
Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
The National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (french: Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique; SNEP) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym ...
for shipment of 500,000 copies in France.
The song also reached the Top 5 in New Zealand, and the Top 10 in Australia and South Africa.
Music video
The music video was shot over two days, at
A&M Soundstages in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
. Madonna had adopted a garish, platinum blond hairstyle for the ''
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's That Girl?", an episode of ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!''
Music
* Who's Tha ...
'' movie which was not used in the music video; instead, she sported brown hair. She appeared dressed boyishly in a fedora hat, an oversized grey jacket and short pants over a black bustier.
The music video, directed by Peter Rosenthal, begins with Madonna entering a park.
After meeting two children and a teenage boy, they start roaming around the park, with Madonna singing the song.
These scenes are interchanged with scenes from the motion picture, which show Madonna as the movie character Nikki Fynn. As the music video progresses, Madonna is shown to be in search of an Egyptian treasure casket.
After being directed to it by a version of
the High Priestess
The High Priestess (II) is the second Major Arcana card in cartomantic Tarot decks. It is based on the 2nd trump of Tarot card packs. In the first Tarot pack with inscriptions, the 18th-century woodcut Tarot de Marseilles, this figure is crowne ...
tarot card displaying her cartoon impersonation, Madonna opens it to find a huge diamond. She looks up happily to the children. The video ends with them continuing dancing and Madonna carrying away the casket.
The video portrayed a different image of Madonna rather than her real self. According to Vincent Canby of ''
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 ...
'', Madonna at that time was shrewdly pragmatic about her persona and appearance—resembling
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 ...
, but with the "comic tartness" of
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...
. This persona was reflected in the second half of the ''
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's That Girl?", an episode of ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!''
Music
* Who's Tha ...
'' film.
However, the music video chose not to capture her real self and qualities, or to promote the movie for which it was specifically created. Instead, it concentrated on the humorous off-putting personality of Madonna's film character depicted in the first half of the film.
Live performances and covers
![Madonna - Rebel Heart Tour 2015 - Washington DC (23053529119)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Madonna_-_Rebel_Heart_Tour_2015_-_Washington_DC_%2823053529119%29.jpg)
Madonna performed the song on two of her tours. On her 1987
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 ...
where it was performed as a part of the encore, Madonna came out on the stage in a bright red
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
dress and performed the song, assisted by her backup singers
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 ...
,
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 Debra Parson. Two different performances of the song on this tour can be found on the videos: ''Who's That Girl: Live in Japan'', filmed in Tokyo, Japan, on June 22, 1987, and ''
Ciao Italia: Live from Italy'', filmed in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
, Italy, on September 4, 1987. Almost 30 years later, Madonna performed an acoustic, guitar-driven version of the song during 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 wardrobe for the performance consisted of a gypsy inspired ensemble, made up of
shawl
A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folded ...
,
lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
gloves, long black skirt with silk fringes, a hat with silk flowers on it, and high-heeled knee-high lace-up leather boots. After the song, the singer admitted that it took her "a hell of a long time" to answer who the titular girl was in the song.
The song has been covered many times, mostly on tribute albums. In 1999,
The Countdown Singers
The Countdown Singers is a name given to Madacy Entertainment's revolving group of studio musicians, used since 1994. They perform sound-alike cover versions of well-known songs. They have released over 80 albums.
Other names
They are also known ...
made a
sound-alike
A sound-alike is a recording intended to imitate the sound of a popular record, the style of a popular recording artist, or a current musical trend; the term also refers to the artists who perform on such recordings. In the voice-over world, it m ...
cover version for the album ''Hit Parade of 80's, Vol. 2''. The
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
(RPO) made an
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
version of the song for the 1998 album ''Material Girl: RPO Plays Music of Madonna''. German actress
Eva Mattes
__notoc__
Eva Mattes (; born 14 December 1954) is an Austrian-German actress. She has appeared in four films directed by director Rainer Werner Fassbinder (''The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant'', ', ''Effi Briest'' and ''In a Year of 13 Moons' ...
covered the song for her 2006 album ''Language of Love''. In 2007, The Bubonic Plague recorded a cover of the song that was included on the tribute album ''
Through the Wilderness
''Through the Wilderness'' is a tribute album with contributions from a variety of artists dedicated to American singer Madonna. It was released on November 27, 2007, by Los Angeles-based Manimal Vinyl Records. According to label head Paul Beah ...
''.
Formats and track listing
*US / European 7" Single
#"Who's That Girl" (LP version) – 3:58
#"White Heat" (LP version) – 4:40
*UK 12" Single / Limited Edition 12" Picture Disc
#"Who's That Girl" (extended version) – 6:29
#"White Heat" (LP version) – 4:40
*US 12" Single / UK Limited Edition 12"
#"Who's That Girl" (extended version) – 6:29
#"Who's That Girl" (dub version) – 5:07
#"White Heat" (LP version) – 4:40
*Germany / UK CD Maxi Single (1995)
#"Who's That Girl" (Extended Version) – 6:29
#"White Heat" (LP version) – 4:40
Credits and 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 ...
– lyrics, producer, vocals
*
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 ...
– lyrics, producer
*
Michael Barbiero
Michael Francis Barbiero (born June 25, 1949)[Infidel Biography](_blank)
. Infidel Records. Retri ...
– additional production, audio mixing
*
Steve Thompson – additional production, audio mixing
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications and sales
See also
*
List of number-one hits (Belgium)
This is a list of number-one singles in Belgium from VRT Top 30 (1970–1995) and Ultratop (1995–present). In Belgium there are two parallel industry standard ("official") hit music charts, one for the Dutch-speaking and another for the French- ...
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles of 1987
*
List of number-one singles of 1987 (Canada)
*
List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1987
These hits topped the Dutch Top 40 in 1987.
See also
*1987 in music
References
{{Dutch Top 40
1987 in the Netherlands
1987 record charts
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsi ...
*
List of number-one singles of 1987 (Ireland)
This is a list of singles which have reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart in 1987.
*27 Number Ones
*Most weeks at No.1 (song): "Hold Me Now" - Johnny Logan, "You Win Again" - The Bee Gees (4)
*Most weeks at No.1 (artist): U2 (6)
*Most ...
*
List of number-one hits of 1987 (Italy)
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s
The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was compiled weekly by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) on behalf of the British record industry with a two-week break each Christmas. The BMRB used ...
*
List of ''Cash Box'' Top 100 number-one singles of 1987
Notes
References
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{{Authority control
Film theme songs
1987 songs
1987 singles
Madonna songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Macaronic songs
Spanglish songs
Number-one singles in Belgium
Number-one singles in Italy
Number-one singles in Portugal
Number-one singles in Spain
Oricon International Singles Chart number-one singles
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Songs written for films
Songs written by Madonna
Songs written by Patrick Leonard
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Song recordings produced by Madonna
Song recordings produced by Patrick Leonard