Burning Up

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"Burning Up"
Single by Madonna
from the album Madonna
B-side(s)	"Physical Attraction"
Released	March 9, 1983
Format	Vinyl single (Worldwide)
Recorded	Sigma Sound Studios, New York City; 1982
Genre	Pop
Length	3:45
Label	Sire Records Warner Bros. Records WEA International
Writer(s)	Madonna
Producer(s)	Reggie Lucas
Chart positions
#3 (U.S. Dance Chart) #13 (Australia)
Madonna singles chronology
"Everybody" (1982)	"Burning Up" (1983)	"Holiday" (1983)
Madonna track listing
"Borderline" (2)	"Burning Up" (3)	"I Know It" (4)

"Burning Up" is an pop/dance song written by American singer-songwriter Madonna for her debut album Madonna (1983). The song was produced by Reggie Lucas and received a mixed reception from music critics. The song was released as Madonna's second single in the spring of 1983. Its only chart success was in Australia, where it was a Top 20 hit in mid-1984. In the United States, "Burning Up" was released to success on the Billboard dance charts, where it reached the Top 5 on the Dance Club chart.

Contents 1 Song history 2 Music video 3 Chart performance 3.1 Charts 4 Credits 5 Official versions 6 Included on 7 References

[edit] Song history

"Burning Up" was released with "Physical Attraction" on the flipside. The two songs were released together to clubs and DJs.

The song was released as a single in the U.S., The Netherlands, Mexico, Japan, Australia and possible other countries but was not released commercially in the U.K.. It was released to UK clubs though, with a remix Madonna was less than thrilled about: "Warner's said they wouldn't put it out in Britain unless Rusty Egan remixed. He took all the bass out and totally changed the song. You can't imagine what a horrible remix he did".[1]

Of particular note, it is possibly Madonna's only officially released song that she had written and performed long before being signed to Sire Records in 1982. Prior incarnations of the song appear in several bootleg forms, both live with her band Emmy and also as an early studio demo, featuring Madonna on rhythm guitar. Over two decades later, she would play rhythm guitar on the track again when it was performed on her 2004 Re-Invention Tour.

The song was also performed on The Virgin Tour in 1985, although left off the commercial VHS release.

Original vinyl pressings of her debut album feature a longer, alternate studio version of the song, which also resurfaced as the UK b-side to the "Angel" 7-inch single in 1985. The shorter, more guitar-driven version which was used in the video and on subsequent pressings of the album is generally known as the definitive version of the song.

The cover-artwork for the single features pictures taken by David Cunningham and was designed by Madonna's friend Martin Burgoyne, who later died of AIDS.

In 1988 the song was covered by Ciccone Youth (the band Sonic Youth featuring Mike Watt) on their LP The Whitey Album, along with "Into the Groove".

[edit] Music video

Steve Barron, famous for directing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and a-ha's "Take on Me" music videos, also directed the video for "Burning Up". The video was Madonna's first "proper" music video and featured special effects and special camera angles. The video shows a young and wild Madonna crawling on the street, "burning up" for the love of her boyfriend. Her lover, the man driving the car in the video, was played by her real boyfriend at that time, Kenny Compton.

[edit] Chart performance

"Burning Up", like "Everybody", failed to break into the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but this time "Burning Up" even failed to chart in the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The song did manage to peak at number 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart, staying on the chart for 16 weeks.

The song was a moderate hit in Australia, peaking at number 13 in June 1984; due in part to the Top 10 success of "Holiday" and an interview on the Australian music show Countdown with Molly Meldrum which drew attention to the talent that would dominate pop music for the rest of the decade.

Despite the song being less successful than its predecessor, its still respectable performance in the club/dance charts prompted Sire Records to greenlight Madonna's debut album. It was released as a double A-side single in some countries with "Physical Attraction", which did not have a video shot for it. It has been reported that after this single, "Lucky Star" was released in some countries.

[edit] Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Australia AMR Sales Chart	13
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart	3

[edit] Credits

• Written by Madonna
• Produced by Reggie Lucas
• Remixed by John "Jellybean" Benitez
• Synthesizers by Dean Gant, Fred Zarr and Ed Walsh
• Electric and acoustic pianos by Dean Gant and Fred Zarr
• Guitars by Reggie Lucas, Ira Siegal and Paul Pesco
• Drum programming by Reggie Lucas and Leslie Ming
• Tenorsaxophone by Bobby Malach
• Background vocals by Gwen Guthrie, Norma Jean Wright, Madonna, Brenda White and Chrissy Faith

[edit] Official versions

• Original versions

1. Main Album Version/New Album Version 3:45
2. Alternate Album Version/Original Album Version 4:50
3. Madonna First Album Sessions - Demo 11/17/82 3:46
4. Madonna First Album Sessions - Demo 11/17/82 5:59
5. Madonna First Album Sessions - Demo 11/17/82 5:42
6. 1981 Version/Pre-Madonna Version 4:06

• Remixes

1. 12 Version 5:59
2. Remix Edit 3:55
3. Re-Invention Tour Studio Demo 3:48
4. Re-Invention Tour Rehearsal 3:48

• Live Versions

1. "Hacienda" (Manchester, UK. No TV recording) February 1983
2. "Uncle Sams" (Levittown, New York. No TV recording) September 24, 1983
3. "The Virgin Tour" (Not included on the official video release) 1985
4. "The Re-Invention Tour" 2004

[edit] Included on

• Madonna
• Pre-Madonna
• In The Beginning
• Wildlife Soundtrack

[edit] References

• "Chart Performance of Madonna Records - A Compiled History" (2004). MLVC.ORG: Charts. Retrieved from http://charts.mlvc.org
• Mad-Eyes.net - "Burning Up" Single Page