''Who's That Girl'' is the first
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 ( ...
by American singer and songwriter
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
. It was released on July 21, 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 Gotteh ...
to promote the
film of the same name. It also contains songs by her label mates
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band formed in 1977 in Leeds by singer-songwriter Green Gartside, who is the sole remaining member of the original band.
Initially formed as a punk culture, punk-aligned underground act influenced by leftist poli ...
,
Duncan Faure,
Club Nouveau,
Coati Mundi and
Michael Davidson. The soundtrack is credited as a
Madonna album, despite her only performing four of the nine tracks on the album. After the commercial success of the film ''
Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), in which she co-starred, Madonna wanted to act in another comedy film titled ''Slammer'', about a woman named Nikki Finn who was falsely accused of homicide. However, due to the critical and commercial failure of her adventure film ''
Shanghai Surprise'' (1986), Warner Bros. was initially reluctant to greenlight the project but later agreed.
Madonna began working on the soundtrack in December 1986, and 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 ...
and
Stephen Bray, who had worked as producers on her third studio album
'' True Blue'' (1986). She felt that an
uptempo song and a downtempo song were needed for the album. Leonard composed the music for the uptempo song, with Madonna providing the melody and lyrics. The singer named the track "
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* Who's That Girl (1987 film), ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a List of Philippine films of 2011#Films, Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's T ...
" and, believing this to be a better title than ''Slammer'', changed the name of the film to the same. Together, Madonna and Leonard also developed the downtempo ballad "
The Look of Love". Two more songs were composed for the film with Bray, the first being the dance track "
Causing a Commotion
"Causing a Commotion" is a song by American singer Madonna from the Who's That Girl (soundtrack), soundtrack album to the 1987 film ''Who's That Girl (1987 film), Who's That Girl''. It was released as the album's second Single (music), single on ...
", and the other being "Can't Stop", a track inspired by
Sixties Motown
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
and the group
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1973 as Martha Reeves & the Vandellas) were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s as a major act for Motown Records. Formed by friends Annett ...
.
After its release, the ''Who's That Girl'' soundtrack received a mostly negative response from critics. Some reviews described the album as plain and incomplete, although the title track and "The Look of Love" were praised as its highlights. The soundtrack was a commercial success, reaching the top ten of the album charts of the United States, Austria, Canada, France, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, while topping the charts of Argentina, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and the
European Album chart. The album went on to sell 6 million copies worldwide.
Three of the Madonna tracks were released as singles. The title track became her sixth number-one single on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, 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. "Causing a Commotion" was released as the second single and reached number two on the Hot 100. "The Look of Love" was a European market only release, reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom. Another track, "Turn It Up," was a promotional release in the United States, reaching number 15 on the dance charts. ''Who's That Girl'' received a further promotion from the successful
Who's That Girl World Tour.
Background
The 1985
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
''
Desperately Seeking Susan'', in which Madonna co-starred, was a commercial success, prompting her to take further interest in acting.
For her next screen project, she picked another comedy film initially titled ''Slammer'', but later named ''
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* Who's That Girl (1987 film), ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a List of Philippine films of 2011#Films, Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's T ...
''.
Madonna played the character of Nikki Finn, a young woman accused of homicide who insisted that she was innocent. Released on parole, she was determined to clear her name. Along with a character named Loudon Trott (played by
Griffin Dunne
Thomas Griffin Dunne (; born June 8, 1955) is an American actor, director and producer. He is known for portraying Jack Goodman in ''An American Werewolf in London'' (1981) and Paul Hackett in '' After Hours'' (1985), for which he was nominat ...
), she gets caught up in 36 hours of high adventure, culminating in a scene where Nikki interrupts a wedding to reveal the identity of the real murderer.
Regarding the character Nikki, Madonna commented,
"I had a lot in common with Nikki. She's courageous and sweet and funny and misjudged. But she clears her name in the end, and that's always good to do. I'm continuously doing that with the public. I liked Nikki's tough side and her sweet side. The toughness is only a mask for the vulnerability she feels."
However, in the light of the bad publicity surrounding Madonna and her then-husband
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
, coupled with the fact that their comedy film ''
Shanghai Surprise'' had failed commercially, she had to fight hard to persuade Warner Bros. to greenlight the project.
She also wanted her close friend
James Foley to direct the film, proclaiming him to be a "genius". Foley had previously directed the music videos of her songs "
Live to Tell", "
Papa Don't Preach" and "
True Blue".
Development
Having some specific ideas in her mind about the music of the film, Madonna 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 ...
and
Stephen Bray, who had helped to write and produce her third studio album ''
True Blue'' in 1986.
Madonna explained to them that she needed an uptempo song and a downtempo song.
Madonna came to the recording studio one Thursday, and Leonard handed her a cassette of a recording of the
chorus, which he had just finished working on. Madonna went to the backroom and completed the
melody
A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
and the lyrics of the song, while Leonard worked on the other parts of it.
After finishing the lyrics, Madonna decided to name the song "
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* Who's That Girl (1987 film), ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a List of Philippine films of 2011#Films, Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's T ...
", and changed the title of ''Slammer'' to the same, considering it to be a better name. 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 number one songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and other books related to various music charts as well. He ...
's book ''The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits'', Leonard explained that the song was recorded in one day with Madonna recording her vocals only once. Additional
guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
and
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
tracks were added later.
The downtempo song was developed on the following day, with Madonna writing the lyrics and Leonard composing the melody.
Named "
The Look of Love", the song contains the line "Nowhere to run, no place to hide. From the look of love, from the eyes of pride".
Madonna was inspired by the look that actor
James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...
gave actress
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...
in the 1954 film ''
Rear Window
''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "After-Dinner Story, It Had to Be Murder". Originally released ...
''. Madonna said: "I can't describe it, but that is the way I want someone to look at me when he loves me. It's the purest look of love and adoration. Like surrender. It's devastating."
After "The Look of Love", Madonna went on to develop two further songs with Bray as the producer. The first was called "
Causing a Commotion
"Causing a Commotion" is a song by American singer Madonna from the Who's That Girl (soundtrack), soundtrack album to the 1987 film ''Who's That Girl (1987 film), Who's That Girl''. It was released as the album's second Single (music), single on ...
", and was inspired by Penn and the couple's 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.
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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' article dated September 10, 1987, Madonna spoke about Penn's impact on her life and the song: "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 him many 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."
Composition
The title track is composed in Madonna's typical style—mixing a
drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
, bubbling
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
synth line, and the sound of stringed instruments.
According to Rikky Rooksby, author of ''The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna'', the three parts of the song, namely the
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
, where Madonna sings "what can help me now", the chorus and the
verse flow together in a coherent manner, with the chorus incorporating a haunting effect.
The song epitomized Madonna's interest in Hispanic culture that continued after the release of her 1987 single "
La Isla Bonita". Leonard and Madonna had added Spanish phrases in the chorus, over the
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
s of the second verse, and also in the added instrumental break in the middle.
"Who's That Girl" also makes use of 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 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 their f ...
in their singles "
God Only Knows" (1966) and "
I Get Around" (1964) as well as
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, 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 fir ...
's singles "
Fall on Me" (1986) and "
Near Wild Heaven
"Near Wild Heaven" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released in August 1991 as the third single from their seventh studio album, ''Out of Time (album), Out of Time'' (1991). The song was also the first single released by the band to have ...
" (1991).
"Who's That Girl" employs this effect on the last chorus where three or four different vocal hooks are intertwined.
The second track "Causing a Commotion" has a danceable, up-tempo
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
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 orchestratio ...
consists of a number of
hooks interpolating with each other. It begins with the chorus, where Madonna sings the line "I've got the moves baby, You've got the motions, If we got together we be causing a commotion." The verses are 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, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...
and interjecting
staccato
Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of Articulation (music), 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 ...
chords.
The lyrics make reference to Madonna's 1985 single "
Into the Groove" 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 ...
. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by
Walt Disney Music Company, the song is set in the
time signature
A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...
of common time with a
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 192 beats per minute. It is composed in the
key of
B major
B major is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its enharmonic equi ...
with Madonna's voice spanning from the high-note of C
3 to B
5. The song has a basic sequence of B–Fm7–B–F
9–B
6 as its
chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
.
"The Look of Love" starts off with a low
bass synth line and a slow
backing track
A backing track is an audio recording on audiotape, CD or a digital recording medium or a MIDI recording of synthesized instruments, sometimes of purely rhythmic accompaniment, often of a rhythm section or other accompaniment parts that live m ...
. It is followed by the sound of
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
and a
high register note
Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to:
Music and entertainment
* Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music
* ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian
* ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened versi ...
, contrasting with the bassline.
The song continues in this way until the last
verse, which is backed by the sound of an acoustic guitar.
A two-part vocal is found in the line "Nowhere to run, no place to hide". Rooksby felt that Madonna's voice sounded "expressive" when she sings the line "From the look of love" and utters the word "look" over the
D minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major.
The D natural minor scale is:
Changes needed ...
chord present underneath. The word is sung in a higher note of the
musical scale
In music theory, a scale is "any consecutive series of notes that form a progression between one note and its octave", typically by order of pitch or fundamental frequency.
The word "scale" originates from the Latin ''scala'', which literal ...
, thus giving an impression of the
suspension like the quality of the
minor ninth
In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second.
Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...
chord, dissociating it from the harmony of the other notes.
The song is set in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 80 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of D minor, with Madonna's voice spanning the notes C
5 to B
3. "The Look of Love" has a basic sequence of C–Dm–Fm–B as its
chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
.
"Can't Stop" has a high pitched keyboard sound embedded in between the sound of a drum machine and
clarinet
The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell.
Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
. The lyrics essentially refer to the idea that "I want my man and I am going to get him whatever".
Rooksby noticed that the instrumental break in the song repeats the chorus, with a synth line added on the top. He felt that "Can't Stop", at 4:45 length, was a good example of the division of Madonna's songs between dance music—where the length is important—and the requirement of classic pop songs, which can vary from two minutes to four minutes.
J. Randy Taraborrelli, in his book ''
Madonna: An Intimate Biography'', described Faure's song "24 Hours" as a slow track that fails to build up momentum.
Joe Brown from ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' described Davidson's "Turn it Up" as consisting of a slow background synth, that transforms into a rapidly progressing beat, with Davidson's singing reminiscent of the
Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...
.
Promotion
Tour
Madonna performed "Who's That Girl", "Causing a Commotion," and "The Look of Love" on her 1987 Who's That Girl World Tour. It was her second concert tour, promoting ''True Blue'' and the soundtrack.
Madonna trained herself physically with aerobics, jogging and weight-lifting, to cope with the choreography and the dance routines. For the costumes, she collaborated with designer Marlene Stewart, expanding on the idea of bringing her music video characters to life on stage.
The stage was huge, with four video screens, multimedia projectors and a flight of stairs in the middle. Leonard became the music director and encouraged Madonna to go with the idea of rearranging her older songs and presenting them in a new format.
The show consisted of seven costume changes, with song-and-dance routines with an
encore consisting of the title song "Who's That Girl" and "
Holiday
A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...
".
The tour also addressed social causes like AIDS, during "Papa Don't Preach".
Who's That Girl tour was critically appreciated and was a commercial success, grossing a total of US $25 million, with Madonna playing in front of 1.5 million people over the course of the tour. According to ''
Pollstar
''Pollstar'' is a trade publication for the concert and live music industry. The publication was purchased by Oak View Group, a venue consultancy founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, in July 2017.
''Pollstar'' holds an annual award ce ...
'', it was the second top female concert tour of 1987, behind
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...
's
Break Every Rule Tour.
Singles
"
Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* Who's That Girl (1987 film), ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a List of Philippine films of 2011#Films, Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's T ...
" was released as the
lead single
A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
A similar term, "debut ...
from the soundtrack, on June 30, 1987. A
latin pop
Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
influenced song, it became Madonna's sixth single to top the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, 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.
It also reached the top the charts in United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium.
In the music video Madonna did not portray her film character Nikki Finn,
instead she continued with her Hispanic look from the "
La Isla Bonita" music video. This time she appeared dressed boyishly in a wide-brimmed Spanish hat and bolero jacket—a combination which would later become a fashion trend.
"Who's That Girl" was nominated for "Best Song From A Motion Picture" at the
1988 Grammy Awards and "Best Original Song" at the
1988 Golden Globe Awards.
The album's second single, "
Causing a Commotion
"Causing a Commotion" is a song by American singer Madonna from the Who's That Girl (soundtrack), soundtrack album to the 1987 film ''Who's That Girl (1987 film), Who's That Girl''. It was released as the album's second Single (music), single on ...
", was released on August 25, 1987. It was criticized by music reviewers for being a sub-standard Madonna single,
but enjoyed commercial success, reaching the top ten in New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the single quickly climbed up the chart, ultimately peaking at number two in the week of October 24, 1987, the same week
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 Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
's "
Bad" advanced to the pole position. It remained in second position for three weeks, before descending from the chart. "Causing a Commotion" reached the top of the
Hot Dance Club Play
The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart.
The third song released from the album was the European single, "
The Look of Love". In the United Kingdom, "The Look of Love" was released on December 12, 1987, and entered the
UK Singles Chart at number 15. The next week, it reached a peak of nine on the chart, her first single to miss the top five since "
Lucky Star" (1984). "Turn It Up" was released as a single prior to its inclusion in the album in 1987. Described by Joe Brown of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' as "gratingly banal" and its singer as "one of Madonna's photogenic protegés",
the song was a success on the Dance Club charts of ''Billboard'', peaking at number 15.
Critical reception
The soundtrack album was not well received by music critics, some of whom went on comment that the title track is the record's highlight.
''
MusicHound
MusicHound (often stylized as musicHound) was a compiler of genre-specific music guides published in the United States by Visible Ink Press between 1996 and 2002. After publishing eleven album guides, the MusicHound series was sold to London-based ...
''s rock guide called it an "embarrassment" to an "ambitious artist".
Jim Farber from ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' gave a negative review, though Noah Robischon from the same magazine complimented the title track, saying that Madonna had "pushed synergy
over the borderline." Bill Lamb from
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...
said that the songs were not among Madonna's best music.
Taraborrelli commented that "the soundtrack was once again the reminder of Madonna's power and status as one of the most important singers of the 80s, because it was only her songs which gained prominence, albeit not being her best, though 'The Look of Love' is an exotic ballad."
Author
Mary Cross, in her biography ''Madonna: A Biography'' said that "the soundtrack slips up because of the film." Allen Metz and Carol Benson, authors of ''The Madonna Companion: Two Decades of Commentary'', said that "''Who's That Girl'' has done what it was released for, put money in Warner's pockets, but
ddsnothing in Madonna's catalogue".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
noted in his review for
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 Mus ...
that "In the strictest sense
he recordisn't a Madonna album — it's a soundtrack album", adding that it features "competent but uninspiring
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...
by
arious artists.
David Denby from ''
New York'' magazine commented that "there's nothing absolutely wrong with the soundtrack. But it's just that it has the misfortune of being associated with such an unfortunate movie, that the album actually does not hold up to you well." He added that "The Look of Love" was a hidden gem in Madonna's catalogue.
Don Shewey from ''
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.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' commented that "although essentially a Madonna album, the soundtrack does not boast a truly memorable song, rather there is the inclusion of the failed Warner artist songs, like the Coati Mundi song 'El Coco Loco' and Duncan Faure's uncannily
Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
-esque '24 Hours'. For most buyers though this album is the new Madonna album."
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
gave the album a (C–) and said "From Scritti Politti and Coati Mundi you expect trickier spin, but they're outsiders, and outsiders times soundtrack equals contract work. For her own movie, though, the decade's purest pop icon should do better than
sloppy seconds. Or neat seconds—worse still."
Ed Blank from ''
Pittsburgh Press
''The Pittsburgh Press'', formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'', was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for over a century, from 1884 to 1992. At the height of its popul ...
'' commented: "It feels like the sole purpose to create the soundtrack was to show it in the film." Jay Boyar from ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...
'' praised the songs on the soundtrack, claiming that "Madonna brings forth a heart-breaking warmth in 'The Look of Love' and a club stomping feel with 'Causing a Commotion'. With the movie's fate being sealed, luckily for her Madonna can sing." Gyan Singh from ''
The Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe countie ...
'', while reviewing the film, said that the "Only solace of the movie is the soundtrack, the songs—especially those by Madonna—are actually good." Don McLeese from ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'', while reviewing Madonna's
Who's That Girl World Tour, said that "the soundtrack's songs sound good live". Larry Geller from ''
The Advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law.
The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to:
Magazines
* The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States
* ''The Harvard Advocate' ...
'' gave a positive review, saying that "''Who's That Girl'' will be the soundtrack album of the summer."
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic.
Biography
Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...
from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' gave an equally positive review, saying that the "soundtrack album is full of engaging pop fluff. One of the hottest singles of the year, Madonna's bilingual title song has the buoyant bounce of an acrobat doing somersaults on a trampoline. 'The Look of Love' is as memorable a ballad as
adonna's 1986 single'Live to Tell', and '24 Hours', sung by Duncan Faure, skillfully fuses Beatles-styled vocals with 80's
synthesizer-pop underpinnings."
Daniel Brogan from ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' said that "since this soundtrack isn't really a Madonna album, this is no surprise that it appears as incomplete."
Commercial performance
After its release, the album debuted on the
''Billboard'' 200 at number forty-six on August 15, 1987, the same week that the title song "Who's That Girl" reached the top of the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
In the week ending September 12, 1987, the record reached its peak position at number seven.
It remained on the chart for twenty-eight weeks,
and was certified
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for shipments of one million copies across the United States.
In Canada, the album debuted at eighty-five on the
''RPM'' Albums Chart, on August 1, 1987. After seven weeks, the soundtrack climbed to its peak of four on the chart.
The soundtrack was placed at position thirty-seven, on the ''RPM'' Top 100 Albums for 1987 chart and was present on the chart for thirty weeks.
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted and peaked at number four on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
on August 1, 1987, becoming the highest debut of the week.
It fell out one place the next week, where it stayed for other three weeks. ''Who's That Girl'' was present on the chart for twenty-five weeks and ended as the most popular original soundtrack album of 1987 in the country.
The soundtrack was certified
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
by the
British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) for shipments of 300,000 copies across the United Kingdom.
The album was less successful in Australia, where it debuted and peaked at number twenty-four. It entered the New Zealand Album chart at twelve on September 6, 1987. After two weeks, the album reached its peak at number six.
In Austria, ''Who's That Girl'' became the best selling debut of the week, charting at number seven, on August 15, 1987, ultimately reaching number five.
By August 1, 1987 '' Who's That Girl '' sold 140,000 albums and 65,000 singles in Italy in few weeks. In Spain, the soundtrack was released in August and reached sales of 57,049 units by November of the same year. It was later certified with platinum from
PROMUSICAE for shipments of 100,000 copies.
In Germany, ''Who's That Girl'' debuted at the top of the charts, remaining there for two weeks and earning a gold certification from BVMI.
The album also reached the top of the charts on the
European Top 100 Albums chart.
''Who's That Girl'' also reached the top-ten of the charts in France, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Recognition
''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' editor Kerry Day ranked ''Who's That Girl'' as the second-best album of 1987. In the ''Encyclopedia of World Biography'' (1998), authors explained that in this era, unlike the movie, both the soundtrack and its accompanied tour achieved commercial success.
In 1989, ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...
'' discussed successful movie soundtracks from 1930s to that point, where ''Who's That Girl'' was included among the examples, highlighting Madonna's participation of four singles.
In a report from
British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
, according to Nigle Hunter from ''Billboard'', the release was called an "easy winner as the most popular original soundtrack album in 1987" on pair with
''Dirty Dancing''.
Hunter lumped both records among the "new trend for soundtrack albums of mixing new, specially recorded material with older hits".
Track listing
Personnel
*
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
– lyrics, vocals, producer, background vocals
*
Duncan Faure – vocals
*
Club Nouveau – vocals
*
Michael Davidson – vocals
*
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band formed in 1977 in Leeds by singer-songwriter Green Gartside, who is the sole remaining member of the original band.
Initially formed as a punk culture, punk-aligned underground act influenced by leftist poli ...
– vocals
*
Coati Mundi – 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 ...
– lyricist, producer
*
Stephen Bray – lyricist, producer
*
Michael Barbiero – additional production, audio mixing
*
Steve Thompson – additional production, audio mixing
*
Shep Pettibone – additional production, audio mixing
*
Junior Vasquez – mixing engineer, audio editing
*David Agent – producer, mixing
*
Hubert Eaves III – producer, guitars
*
Denzil Foster – lyricist
*
David Gamson
David Gamson is an American keyboardist/musician (also a producer, songwriter, arranger, engineer). Originally hailing from New York, he has worked with, among others, Kesha, Kelly Clarkson, Jessie J, Adam Lambert, Chaka Khan, Charli XCX, Meshel ...
– sound trigger
*
Green Gartside – vocals, lyricist
*Jay King – guitars
*
Stock, Aitken & Waterman – lyrics, producer, background vocals
*
Greg Ladanyi – inlay design, cover art, assistant engineer
*Michael Vail Blum – engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
See also
*
List of European number-one hits of 1987
*
List of number-one hits of 1987 (Germany)
References
Bibliography
*
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External links
*
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{{Authority control
1987 soundtrack albums
Albums produced by Patrick Leonard
Albums produced by Stephen Bray
Albums produced by Madonna
Comedy film soundtracks
Madonna soundtracks
Sire Records soundtracks
Warner Records soundtracks
Single-artist film soundtracks
Various artists soundtracks