"Lucky Star" is a song by American singer

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

from her 1983 self-titled debut studio album. Written by her, the song was first released in the United Kingdom as a single on September 9, 1983, making it overall the fourth song released commercially off the album. In the United States, "Lucky Star" served as the album's fifth and final single after the release of " Borderline". It was then 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 ...

s ''

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, " ...

'' (1990) and '' Celebration'' (2009). Originally, the song was produced by

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 ...

to remix it according to her ideas. "Lucky Star" is a medium-paced dance song and combines the heavy beats of a drum with the sounds of a guitar played in a high

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

. The lyrics juxtapose the male body with the heavenly stars in the sky.

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 mu ...

s praised the song, heralding it as the introduction to upbeat

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

. The song was a commercial success; in the United States, it peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Madonna's first top-five and second top-ten single after "Borderline". It also topped the

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 along with "

Holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or t ...

". Internationally, "Lucky Star" reached the top ten in Canada, and the top 20 in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

portrayed Madonna dancing in front of a white background, accompanied by two dancers. After the video was released, Madonna's style and mannerisms became a fashion trend among the younger generation. Scholars noted that in the video, Madonna portrayed herself as narcissistic and an ambiguous character; they felt she referred to herself as the lucky star, unlike the lyrical meaning of the song. The artist has performed the song in four of her

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 ...

, the last being the

Rebel Heart Tour The Rebel Heart Tour was the tenth concert tour by American singer Madonna, staged in support of her thirteenth studio album, ''Rebel Heart'' (2015). Comprising 82 shows, the tour visited North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. It began on S ...

(2015–2016). It has also been

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

ed by a number of artists around the world.

Background

In 1983, Madonna was recording her first studio album with

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

producer

Reggie Lucas Reginald Grant Lucas (February 25, 1953 – May 19, 2018) However, she did not have enough new material to ensure a full

LP album The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and ...

, so Lucas produced for her a number of songs, namely " Borderline", " Burning Up", "Physical Attraction", "I Know It", "Think of Me" and lastly "Lucky Star". The song was written by Madonna for Mark Kamins, who had promised her to play the track at

Danceteria Danceteria was a nightclub that operated in New York City from 1979 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. The club operated in various locations over the years, a total of three in New York City and four in the Hamptons. The most famous locat ...

, the club where he worked at as a DJ. However, the track was instead used for the singer's debut album, which she planned to call ''Lucky Star''. She believed that "Lucky Star", along with "Borderline", were the "perfect foundation" for the album. However, problems arose after recording the song; Madonna was unhappy with the way the final version turned out. According to her, Lucas used too many instruments and did not consider her ideas for the songs. This led to a dispute between the two and, after finishing the album, Lucas left the project without altering the songs to Madonna's specifications. Hence, Madonna brought her then boyfriend

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 ...

to remix "Borderline" and "Lucky Star", along with some of the other recorded tracks. In a later interview, Benitez reflected back on the recording sessions and commented,

She was unhappy with the whole damn thing, so I went in and sweetened up a lot of music for her, adding some guitars to 'Lucky Star', some voices, some magic. ..I just wanted to do the best job I could do for her. When we would play back 'Holiday' or 'Lucky Star', you could see that she was overwhelmed by how great it all sounded. You wanted to help her, you know? As much as she could be a bitch, when you were in groove with her, it was very cool, very creative.

"Lucky Star" was initially decided to be released as the third single from the album, but "

" had already become a dance-hit in the United States. Hence it was released as the fourth single from the album. Music executive Jeff Ayeroff, who was instrumental in green-lighting her career, recalled how she initially didn't want to release "Lucky Star" as a single. He says that around that time Madonna was getting sued and needed money, so he told her "Let me release 'Lucky Star', and I guarantee that you'll sell enough records to pay that off". According to Ayeroff, he was right because "'Lucky Star' broke the first album wide open".

Composition

Musically a medium-paced dance track, "Lucky Star" starts off with a sparkle of synth note and is followed by heavy beats of

electronic drum Electronic drums is a modern electronic musical instrument, primarily designed to serve as an alternative to an acoustic drum kit. Electronic drums consist of an electronic sound module which produces the synthesized or sampled percussion sound ...

and

handclaps A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), ...

. A guitar is played in high

and a bubbling

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 ...

synth is produced to accompany the guitar sound. The song revolves around the " star light, star bright"

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 ...

for more than a minute, before going to 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 ...

. According to author Rikky Rooksby, the lyrics are repetitive and inane and revolves around the transparent ambiguity of the stars and juxtaposition of the male character with being a heavenly body in the sky. "Lucky Star" is set 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 moderate dance

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 108

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 ...

. It is set in the key of

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable com ...

with Madonna's voice spanning from the tonal nodes of G₃ to F₅. The song has a basic sequence of G–A–B–D–E–F as its 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 ...

Critical reception

Critical response towards "Lucky Star" has been generally positive. Author J. Randy Taraborrelli, in his biography of Madonna, called it "fluffy, dance-able, but forgettable." However he praised its ingenuity, which he credited to have come from its "simplicity" and dance-music nature. Author Rikky Rooksby pointed out Madonna's "cutesy" vocals and compared them to those of

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

. Simon Gage, on his book ''Queer'', deemed "Lucky Star" a "happy disco number". The song was appreciated by authors Santiago Fouz-Hernández and Freya Jarman-Ivens, who complimented it in their book ''Madonna's Drowned Worlds''. They noted that with songs like "Lucky Star" and " Burning Up", Madonna was introducing a "style of upbeat dance music that would prove particularly appealing to future gay audiences." English

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

and

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

John Potter, in his book ''The Cambridge companion to singing'', praised its sound but criticized the

reverb Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abs ...

and

double track A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most li ...

ing, which he believed "de-personalized" it. Bill Lamb from About.com described the song, along with "Holiday" and " Borderline", as "state of the art dance-pop" and praised their "irresistible" pop hooks. 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 ...

called it one of the album's highlights and called it "effervescent"; also from AllMusic, Stewart Mason criticized it for being "dead simple" and having an "absolutely bare-bones arrangement and antiseptically clean production, but for some reason, it works. It's near impossible to hear this song without dancing". ''

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 Sal Cinquemani commented that the song had "unknowingly prefaced her recent foray into the glittery halls of electronic-pop". From the same magazine, Eric Henderson said it "sets the tone f the albumright off the bat" and called it a "sonic monster worthy of David Mancuso's fine-tuned system at the Loft". On the same vein, the staff of ''

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 ...

'' called it the "perfect" album opener. On their reviews of ''

'' (1990), David Browne 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 ...

'' complimented the remixed version of the song, while rock critic

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 ...

called it "blessed". Matthew Hocter from music portal Albumism, highlighted its "catchy, semi-vacuous" lyrics. According to the staff from '' The Advocate'', it's an "enjoyable earworm". ''

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 noted how "young and innocent" the singer sounded and concluded that "sometimes a sassy delivery and a slinky post- Chic disco groove is all it takes to launch a proper pop sensation". He named it Madonna's 9th greatest song. Louis Virtel from '' The Backlot'' considered it her 19th best song, calling it "so determinedly chipper that you might forget its naughtiest element – the way Madonna croons", and compared it to

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

's 1991 song "

Gett Off "Gett Off" is a song written and produced by American musician Prince for his thirteenth album, ''Diamonds and Pearls'' (1991). The album was his first with his backing band the New Power Generation. "Gett Off" was released as the lead single fr ...

", with the exception that "Lucky Star" is "softer ndsexier". For Matthew Jacobs from 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 ...

'', it's the singer's 12th best single and her "most '80s-sounding hit". Similarly, ''

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 ...

'' Joe Morgan deemed it "pure ingenue. Pop at its most 80s". 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 ...

'' deemed it her 14th best and ''

PinkNews ''PinkNews'' is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community ( LGBT) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in 2005. It closely follows political progress on LGBT rights a ...

'' Mayer Nissim her 16th; the latter wrote: "If 'Holiday' was a statement of pop intent, 'Lucky Star' underlined that statement in silver and gold glitter pen .. hey're bothjagged slices of irresistible disco funk that anticipate her future hook-up with

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

". ''Billboard'' also deemed it Madonna's 16th greatest song; Katie Atkinson said it was an "irresistible dance hit" and a "nightclub nursery rhyme". The author went on to praise the singer's composition, which took the simplicity of a nursery rhyme and turned it into a "radio-ready earworm". Finally, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Chuck Arnold opined it was a "radiant twirler

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

feels as if it comes equipped with its own disco ball".

Commercial reception

"Lucky Star" was released in the United States as the album's fifth single on August 8, 1984 after " Borderline" had become her first top-ten hit. It entered the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

at number 49 the week of August 25 and, eighteen weeks later, peaked at number 4. The week of August 27 it entered, alongside "Holiday", at number 31 on ''Billboard''s

chart. One month later, it reached the top of the chart, becoming Madonna's very first chart-topper there. It was able to enter other ''Billboard'' charts, such as

Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

and

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

, where it peaked at 19 and 42 respectively. In Canada, "Lucky Star" debuted at number 89 of the '' RPM'' singles chart, the week of September 22. It peaked at number eight in November and remained in the chart for 19 weeks. It placed at number 72 on the ''RPM'' year-end chart for 1984. In the United Kingdom, it was released on September 9, 1983 simultaneously with "Holiday" in the United States; however, it failed to chart in the country. In March 1984, it was re-issued and debuted 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 ...

at number 47, eventually peaking at 14 after three weeks; it remained on the chart for nine weeks. In August 2008, 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 ...

reported that "Lucky Star" had sold 117,470 copies in the UK. In Ireland and Australia, the song peaked at number 19 and 36, respectively.

Music video

Background and synopsis

The music video for "Lucky Star" was directed by Arthur Pierson, and produced by Glenn Goodwin; Wayne Isham was in charge of photography. Originally, Mary Lambert, then a

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

graduate, was appointed director, but was soon replaced by Pierson. Warner Bros. gave him a small budget for shooting, which took place in Los Angeles in February 1984. Madonna's brother

Christopher Ciccone Christopher Ciccone (born November 22, 1960) is an American artist, interior decorator, and designer in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. He is the younger brother of singer Madonna. Ciccone began his professional career as a dancer with La Gr ...

and Erika Belle appeared in the video as dancers; Ciccone recalled that " adonnaasked us to dance in her 'Lucky Star' video ..We shoot at the old Charlie Chaplin studio ..I get paid just $200 and don't get any royalties either. However, at the time, I am happy just to be a part of it. The camaraderie between Madonna, Erika, Martin urgoyne and me is enough for me". In the video, Madonna wore a black outfit consisting of mesh crop top, fingerless lace gloves, skirt over leggings, and stars and

crucifixes 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'' (Lati ...

dangling from her ears and around her waist. Although Belle was credited with coming up with the ensemble, biographer Mary Cross noted that Madonna was wearing her "day-to-day" clothing. At the time of the song's release, Madonna's style of dress was catching on as a fashion statement among club kids and her fans. The most prominent among her fashion accessories were the crucifixes she wore as earrings, necklaces, and bangles. Madonna commented that wearing a

rosary The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or ...

and a crucifix was "kind of offbeat and interesting. I mean, everything I do is sort of tongue-in-cheek. Besides, he crucifixesseem to go with my name." In reality, she was trying to find a distinctive image for herself, being inspired by artists like

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

, and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, who were constantly shifting their image and persona. Madonna would go on to realize the importance of her music videos, and their rotation on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

was instrumental in popularizing her image. "Lucky Star" was then included on Madonna's music video compilations ''

'' (1990) and '' Celebration: The Video Collection'' (2009). The video starts with the close-up of Madonna's face, as she slides her sunglasses down her nose. This scene was a reference to the character of

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Hum ...

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

's 1962 film of the same name, and

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen ...

in the movie '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' (1961). The image then fades to white, denoting the celestial stars dazzle, and then resumes itself in color. Madonna is shown dancing with her brother and Belle against a plain white background, along with closeups of her mesmerized gaze. The video ends with the initial black-and-white image repeated, but in retrograde, as Madonna puts back on the sunglasses. The taking down and putting up of those sunglasses provided a frame to contain the song, functioning like a curtain that marks the opening and closing of a stage performance.

Analysis and reception

Dance historian

Sally Banes Sally Rachel Banes (October 9, 1950 – June 14, 2020) was a notable dance historian, writer, and critic. Life, education, and performance career Born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., Banes studied dance, an ...

, in her book ''Before, between, and beyond: three decades of dance writing'', noted that the video portrayed Madonna as both the subject and the object of the song. She believed that in the video, Madonna taking off her sunglasses symbolized herself as a movie star, thus creating an ambiguous characterization of herself, and a narcissistic theme. Author Peter Goodwin, in his book ''Television under the Tories: Broadcasting Policy 1979–1997'', commented that although "Lucky Star" is not a narrative video, in the clip Madonna plays at least four characters:—the person in sunglasses looking; a break-dancing girl; an androgynous social dancer; and a seductress. The juxtaposition of all these characterizations portray Madonna as a narcissistic self-lover. Images of Madonna's body writhing against the white background generates the question whether she is addressing her lover or herself in the song. Adam Sexton, author of ''Desperately Seeking Madonna: In Search of the Meaning of the World's Most Famous Woman'', noted that although the video seems to be made for a "male fetishistic gaze", Madonna takes control of "what is to be looked at and how it is to be looked at" by mockingly opening her mouth and flicking her tongue. 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 opined the video was a showcase for "Madonna as auto-erotic magnet ..full of belly button close-ups and narcissistic strutting". ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

''s John Skow noted that " e's sexy, but she doesn't need men ..she's kind of there all by herself". AllMusic's Stewart Mason deemed the video "about 500 times sexier than the entire '' Sex''

coffee table book A coffee table book, also known as a cocktail table book, is an oversized, usually hard-covered book whose purpose is for display on a table intended for use in an area in which one entertains guests and from which it can serve to inspire convers ...

". Samuel R. Murrian said it marked the moment the singer became a "style trendsetter". Matthew Jacobs highlighted the singer's "seminal look" and said that it "spawned the bulk of the copycat costumes still seen at Halloween parties far and wide" and made her a fashion icon. '' Idolators Mike Nied considered it her 19th greatest music video, praising its "classic '80s vibes" and said it was "evidence of the then-rising star’s undeniable appeal". Louis Virtel from ''The Backlot'' also placed it in the 19th position of his ranking of Madonna's videos; he wrote that "even on a stark white backdrop, Madonna is a resplendent shooting star", highlighting her "hungry stare" and dance moves.

Live performances

"Lucky Star" was included in four of Madonna's

The Virgin Tour The Virgin Tour was the debut concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. The tour supported her first two studio albums, ''Madonna'' (1983) and '' Like a Virgin'' (1984). Although initially planned for an international audience, the to ...

(1985),

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), Confessions (2006), 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). On the Virgin Tour, Madonna performed the song wearing a black ensemble consisting of a

crop top A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponics ...

beneath a vest with a silver

cross pattée A cross pattée, cross patty or cross paty, also known as a cross formy or cross formée (french: croix pattée, german: Tatzenkreuz), is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre, and often flared in a curve or straight ...

, matching fringed elbow length gloves and miniskirt, leggings, low-heeled leather boots, and a

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 ...

earring in one ear. The performance of the song at

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Cobo Arena Huntington Place (formerly known as Cobo Hall, Cobo Center, and briefly as TCF Center) is a convention center in Downtown Detroit, owned by the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) and operated by ASM Global. Located at 1 Wash ...

was included on the '' Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour'' video release (1985). Two years later, it was sung as the second number of the Who's That Girl World Tour; the performance found the artist singing underneath a

disco ball A disco ball (also known as a mirror ball or glitter ball) is a roughly sphere, spherical object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display. Its surface consists of hundreds or thousands of facets, nearl ...

hung from above the stage. She was decked out in the same black

bustier A bustier (, alternatively bustiere) is a form-fitting garment for women traditionally worn as lingerie. Its primary purpose is to push up the bust by tightening against the upper midriff and forcing the breasts up while gently shaping the w ...

from her " Open Your Heart" (1987) video, and her hair was platinum blonde and done in a big bushy style. From the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', Scott A. Zamost and Elizabeth Snead felt that, although Madonna's vocals sounded strong, she was "drowned out frequently and annoyingly by an overpowering back-up band" in numbers such as "Lucky Star". Two different performances from the tour can be found on the releases '' Ciao Italia: Live from Italy'', filmed at Stadio Communale in

Turin, Italy Turin ( , 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 from 1861 to 1865. The ...

on September 4, and ''Who's That Girl: Live in Japan'', filmed at

Korakuen Stadium was a stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1937, it was originally used for baseball, and was home to the Yomiuri Giants for nearly 50 years. For various periods of time, it was also the home stadium of six other professional Japanese baseb ...

Tokyo, Japan 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 ...

on June 22. On 2006's Confessions Tour, the singer performed a "modernized" version of the song. She wore a one-shouldered unitard with ribbons of purple

Swarovski Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Austria, and has existed as a family-owned business since its founding in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal ...

crystals across the torso, similar to the one worn by the singers of

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

, designed by

Jean Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an " enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including cors ...

, as well as a white satin cape, lit from the inside, that had "Dancing Queen" embroidered on the back. Following the performance 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 ...

" (1987), Madonna lies face-down on the stage; afterwards, two backup singers wrap the cape around her and, together, proceed to perform "Lucky Star". Towards the end, the original beat of the song slowly begins to morph into "

Hung Up "Hung Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her tenth studio album ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005). Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was released as the album's lead single on October ...

" (2005), the concert's final number. ''Slant''s Sal Cinquemani praised this new arrangement, while the ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Puli ...

'' felt it "transcended the original’s teeny-bopping tone". The performance from the August 15-16 London concerts was included on the singer's second

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

'' The Confessions Tour'' (2007). For the Rebel Heart Tour (2015–2016), the singer performed a slow,

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include: ...

and

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

-fueled

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music * Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People * Medley (surname), list of people with this n ...

of " Dress You Up", "

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; the ...

" (1985) and "Lucky Star". The number featured

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...

iconography and found Madonna, decked out in a long dress with a black shawl and a black hat, joined by a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

-themed dance crew. ''Billboard''s Joe Lynch opined that "the

maraca A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas (from Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were ...

s might have been a little much, but the crisp Spanish guitar successfully made the songs sound newly organic"; Rob Sheffield, from ''Rolling Stone'', praised the "generous and unhurried medley".

Covers and media appearances

The 2000

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

''Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna, Vol. 2'' included a

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...

cover of the song by Switchblade Symphony; AllMusic's Heather Phares highlighted it as one of the album's finest moments. Seven years later, a

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

cover by Alexandra Hope was included on ''

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 ...

''.

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

the track on her 2017 single "

Cut to the Feeling "Cut to the Feeling" is a song recorded by Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, from the Canadian-French animated film ''Ballerina'' (2016). It was released as a single on May 26, 2017, to promote the film's release under the title ''L ...

". "Lucky Star" was featured in the 1988 movie '' Running on Empty'', in a scene where

River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor, musician and activist. Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the older brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He ...

's character is attending music class. It was also used in ''Snatch (film), Snatch'' (2000), directed by Guy Ritchie, who was married to Madonna from 2000 to 2008. The music video was referenced in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film ''Pulp Fiction (film), Pulp Fiction'', in a scene where Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros) tells her boyfriend (Bruce Willis) that she wants a pot belly "like Madonna when she did 'Lucky Star'". It was mentioned on American television series ''Modern Family''; List of Modern Family characters#The Pritchett-Delgado family, Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) reveals that when he was 12, his father caught him dancing to the song, which he refers to as "the most embarrassing thing that a boy can do". In 2019, "Lucky Star" was used in the fifth episode of the first season of ''Euphoria (American TV series), Euphoria''. In the 2022 animated film ''Luck (2022 film), Luck,'' Eva Noblezada covered "Lucky Star" with additional vocals by Alana Da Fonseca, and it was included in the soundtrack released with the film by Milan Records.

Track listing and formats

*US 7" single #A. "Lucky Star" (7" Edit) - 3:44 #B. "I Know It" (LP Version) - 3:45 *US 12" single #A. "Lucky Star" (New Mix) - 7:15 #B. "I Know It" (LP Version) - 3:45 *UK 12" single #A. "Lucky Star" (Full Length Version) - 5:38 #B. "I Know It" - 3:47 *US 12" single – Promo Only #A. "Lucky Star" - 5:30 #B. "

" - 6:08 *Germany / UK CD Maxi-Single (1995) #"Lucky Star" (U.S. Remix) - 7:15 #"I Know It" - 3:47

Credits and personnel

– vocals, writer *

– audio mixing * Fred Zarr – synthesizer, electric and acoustic piano * Dean Gant – synthesizer, electric and acoustic piano * Ira Siegal – guitar * Leslie Ming – LinnDrum and Oberheim DMX claps * Bobby Malach – tenor saxophone Credits adapted from the ''Madonna'' album liner notes.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

Bibliography

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

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucky Star (Madonna Song) 1983 singles 1983 songs Madonna songs Post-disco songs Sire Records singles Songs written by Madonna Song recordings produced by Reggie Lucas Warner Records singles