"Burning Up" is a song written and recorded by American singer Madonna included on her debut studio album Madonna (1983). Written by the singer and produced by Reggie Lucas, the song was released as a double-sided single with "Physical Attraction" on March 9, 1983. In early 1980, Madonna was beginning her music career as a member of band the Breakfast Club; together with band drummer Stephen Bray, they formed a new band, Emmy and the Emmys, but shortly after, she decided to pursue a solo career. She and Bray created demos for three songs: "Everybody", "Ain't No Big Deal", and "Burning Up".

In 1982, Madonna met and befriended DJ Mark Kamins at Danceteria nightclub, who took her to Sire Records, where she signed a deal for two singles. Following the success of first single "Everybody" on the dance scene, Sire Records green-lighted the recording of an album. Madonna chose to work with Lucas, who created two new songs for the album: "Physical Attraction" and "Borderline". However, problems soon arose between Madonna and the producer, who ended up leaving the project. She then called in John "Jellybean" Benitez, her boyfriend at the time, to remix some of the album tracks. A dance pop song with new wave influences, the lyrics to "Burning Up" juxtapose sex and ambition, with the singer proclaiming she "has no shame" and would do anything for her lover.

Upon release, both "Burning Up" was generally well received by critics and has been named one of Madonna's best singles in retrospective reviews. Chart performance was moderate: it charted at number 13 in Australia and at number three on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in the United States. The accompanying music video for "Burning Up" was directed by Steve Barron, and depicts the singer in a white dress, writhing on an empty road waiting for her lover. Many authors noted that the visual was the beginning of Madonna's subversion of power through sex. After a number of live appearances in nightclubs and television programs, the singer included the song on four of her concert tours, the most recent being 2023–2024's The Celebration Tour. "Burning Up" has been covered by artists such as Iggy Pop and Britney Spears.

Background

In early 1980, Madonna was living in New York City and establishing her music career as a member of rock band the Breakfast Club, alongside her boyfriend Dan Gilroy; soon after, she was joined by Stephen Bray, her former boyfriend from Michigan, who became the band's drummer. Bray and Madonna left the Breakfast Club and, together, formed a new band, Emmy and the Emmys. They were soon signed by Gotham Records, but short after, Madonna quit the band and decided to pursue a solo career. She carried with her three of the demos she had created with Bray: "Everybody", "Ain't No Big Deal", and "Burning Up". In 1982, she met and befriended DJ Mark Kamins at Danceteria nightclub. After listening to "Everybody", Kamins took her to Sire Records, where Seymour Stein, the label's president, signed Madonna for two 12" singles.

Released in October 1982, "Everybody" became a hit in the dance scene. The song's success led to the label approving the recording of an album, but the singer chose not to work with either Bray or Kamins, opting instead for Warner Bros. producer Reggie Lucas. Lucas brought two new songs to the project: "Physical Attraction" and "Borderline". While working on the album, problems arose between Madonna and the producer, as she felt he was "moving [the songs] away from the sparse form of the original demos", something she did not approve of; Lucas ended up leaving the project without altering the songs. She then brought in John "Jellybean" Benitez to remix the remaining tracks. In the case of "Burning Up", Benitez added extra guitar riffs and additional vocals.

Recording and composition

"Burning Up" was written by Madonna and produced by Reggie Lucas. Recording took place at New York's Sigma Sound Studios; personnel working on the song included Bray on programming and guitars, alongside Paul Pesco; Butch Jones, Fred Zarr, and Ed Walsh were in charge of the synthesizers, while Bobby Malach played tenor saxophone. Background vocals were provided by Gwen Guthrie, Brenda White, and Chrissy Faith. The artwork used for the 12" single was designed by the singer's friend Martin Burgoyne. According to Billboard's Chris Malone Méndez, unlike "Everybody", which had mostly a post-disco sound, "Burning Up" saw Madonna moving in a more pop-oriented path. The singer herself described it as her "foray into electric guitars, Rock and roll [and] hair music".

A "yearning" New wave-influenced dance track, with lyrics that conflate sex with ambition, it has a "starker" arrangement brought about by bass, single guitar and drum machine. Also present are tom-tom drum beats ―similar to the ones used on the work of Phil Collins―, electric guitars, and the "most state-of-the-art" synthesizers of the time. The refrain is a repetition of the same three lines of the lyrics, while the bridge consists of a series of double entendres that describe what she is prepared to do for her lover, showcasing that she "has no shame" and is "not like the others" According to the sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Inc., "Burning Up" is set in the time signature of common time with a dance beat tempo of 138 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of B minor, with Madonna's vocals ranging from the tonal nodes of A₃ to B₄. The song follows a basic sequence of Bm–Bm–A–E as its chord progression.

Release and reception

The double-sided single of "Burning Up" and "Physical Attraction" was released on March 9, 1983. "Burning Up" was later included on the compilations Celebration (2009), while a demo of the song was included on the compilation Pre-Madonna (1997). Upon release, critical reception was generally positive. Billboard's Brian Chin described "Burning Up" as a "fast [...] terrific one-two punch". To Rikki Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, "Burning Up" sounds like "the disco end of new romanticism", comparing it to something Gary Numan would do; nonetheless, he pointed out that the song was "noticeably weaker" than others from the Madonna album. Santiago Fouz-Hernández, one of the authors of Madonna's Drowned Worlds, complimented it for having upbeat dance music. Don Shewey from Rolling Stone named it simple but clever. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine singled "Burning Up" and "Physical Attraction" as two "great songs" from the album, and applauded their "darker, carnal urgency". Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Jim Farber said that "Burning Up" proved that Madonna could also "rock". From Pitchfork, Jill Mapes named it a "striking" second single. A mixed review came from the Observer–Reporter's Terry Hazlett, who named it "inoffensive, danceable [but] ultimately forgettable". The staff of The Washington Times was also dismissive of "Burning Up", writing that it wasn't among the singer's best, and called it a "nugget better left buried".

Retrospective reviews towards "Burning Up" have also been positive; for BBC News' Mark Savage, it's one of the singer's "overlooked gems". A similar opinion was shared by Adam Graham from The Detroit News, who deemed it "underappreciated". The Portland Mercury's Mark Lore referred to "Burning Up" and previous single "Everybody" as "true gems, gritty New York anthems", that were overshadowed by the more known "Holiday" and "Borderline". On his ranking of Madonna's singles, Matthew Jacobs from HuffPost placed "Burning Up" at number 41, and added that it sounds like an "outtake from the punk persona [Madonna] never fully embraced". PinkNews' Mayer Nissim added that it "wouldn't sound out of place on an early New Order or late Joy Division record". "Burning Up" came in at number 21 on rankings done by The Backlot and The Arizona Republic; writing for the former, Louis Virtel held that, "as much as Madonna was something of a tartier Pat Benatar when she first arrived, she was also inspired by the punks of NYC – and this barebones, breathy war cry proves it", while Ed Masley ―from the latter publication― compared it to Michael Jackson's "Beat It", and said it had "the personality that would go on to help define the decade fully formed — playful, assertive and sexy".

The staff from The Advocate referred to "Burning Up" as "one of the sexiest songs of the [1980s] decade". Samuel R. Murrian from Parade placed it at number 32 of his ranking of Madonna songs, highlighting its production. It figured on the same position of Slant Magazine's list; Paul Schroeder called it one of Madonna's corniest yet "most aggressive" songs. Billboard deemed it Madonna's eleventh greatest: "No early '80s pop album was complete without one song that threw a scorching rock riff into the synth-dance mix, and on her self-titled debut, that was the irrepressible 'Burning Up' [...] [she] sounds less like a doormat and more like a pioneer of female Big Dick Energy", wrote Joe Lynch. Idolator's Robbie Daw considered "Burning Up" to be one of Madonna's "10 best songs that radio forgot". Finally, The National Student's Emily D'Souza hailed it her third most underrated song, calling it an "irresistibly catchy, quintessentially 80s" track.

"Burning Up" / "Physical Attraction" debuted on Billboard's Dance Club Songs charts at number 66 the week of April 9, 1983, peaking at number three one month later. By September 1983, according to a Warner Bros. Records advertisement in Radio & Records, the "Burning Up" / "Physical Attraction" 12" single had sold more than 150,000 copies. The song entered Australia's Kent Music Report in November 1983 and, almost eight months later, peaked at number 13.

Music video

Background and release

The music video for "Burning Up" was directed by Steve Barron, who had previously worked on Toto's "Africa" (1982), Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", and Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue" (1983). The director was on vacation when he got a call from Sire Records producer Simon Fields, asking him to direct the video. Barron initially refused, as the song "didn't have the atmosphere" he was looking for. However, Madonna, who was "really keen on the 'Billie Jean' video", insisted until Barron begrudgingly agreed. He went to meet the singer and was impressed with her confidence. He would later recall:

I went to New York to meet with [Madonna], begrudgingly, and showed up at an address at SoHo, which turned out to be a squat basically. Madonna was scantily clad, working out to a massive disco track. She was charismatic. She kept putting her head down on the table and talking to me, very flirtatious, and that gave me the idea for the scene in "Burning Up", where her face is on the road, and the camera's really low and close.

Filming took places for two nights in Los Angeles. The "mish-mash" concept of the video was based on Barron's own ideas as opposed to the song's lyrics and theme, as he still "didn't connect with it too much". According to him, Madonna was "very much in charge" of her look and clothes; she wore a white mini-dress, crucifix earrings, and black typewriter belts as bracelets. Actress Debi Mazar, a personal friend of the singer, was hired as make-up artist, while her then boyfriend Ken Compton played the role of her onscreen lover. During a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Barron recalled that a seven-ton crane that stretched out and had a camera placed on it, was used to shoot scenes of the singer lying in a boat at night; he also revealed that, at one point, the crane almost fell right on top of her. The video was added to MTV on October 8, 1983; years later, it was included on Madonna's 2009 compilation, Celebration: The Video Collection.

Analysis and reception

The video was described as a juxtaposition of "disparate images of illuminated busts and cars driving on water with Madonna writhing in the middle of the road", by the staff of Rolling Stone. It shows Madonna as a "helpless victim" proclaiming her passion for her lover. Robert Clyde Allen, author of Channels of Discourse, wrote that although lyrics such as "Do you want to see me down on my knees?" portray female helplessness, the video acts as a counter-text. When the fore-mentioned line is sung, Madonna is shown kneeling on the road in front of the advancing Amphicar, which is driven by Compton; she then turns her head back while exposing her throat back in a posture of submission. The tone of her voice and the look she gives at the camera, however, portray a hardness and defiance that contradict the submissiveness of her body posture, turning the question of the line into a challenge. The video ends with Madonna driving the car; she has a "knowing, defiant" smile on her lips, thereby giving the message that she is now in charge.

Author Andrew Morton, in his biography on Madonna, commented that the video was America's "first introduction" to the singer's "sexual politics". Allen compared it to "Material Girl" (1985), as both videos have an undermining ending, employ a consistent series of puns, and exhibit a parodic amount of excess associated with Madonna's style. The author also noted discourses of sexuality and religion: Madonna, knelt down and singing about "Burning in love", depicted the traditional ideological work of using women's subordination and powerlessness in Christianity to naturalize their equally submissive position in patriarchy. Georges-Claude Guilbert, author of Madonna as postmodern myth, commented that, as the video plays on, the male character becomes irrelevant. Her utterance of having "no shame" was interpreted by author James B. Twitchell as an attempt to separate herself from contemporary female artists of the era.

Jon Pareles, writing for The New York Times, compared Madonna's poses to those of Marilyn Monroe. In retrospective reviews, the staff of Rolling Stone said it's a "great testament to the anything-goes era of early MTV". Jill Mapes wrote that it was Madonna's "first great wink to her signature subversion of power through sex"; adding that, although her 1984 MTV Video Music Awards performance is considered "erotic lore on the level of Elvis' censored hips, that writhing set to 'Like a Virgin' would have had little context without the slow, sensual burn of ['Burning Up']". In the same vein, Louis Virtel, who deemed it Madonna's 18th greatest video, wrote: "Before [she] humped the stage of the MTV Video Music Awards in a wedding dress, she thrusted away at pavement in a chintzier white ensemble". It was ranked her 13th best by Nerdist News' Eric Diaz, who called it "iconic" and a "classic". He further wrote that "there is something [about 'Burning Up'] that is just so '80s, and so Madonna - the rubber bracelets, the chains, the bleach blonde hair with the terrible roots. When girls today dress up like '80s Madonna' for Halloween, it's the look from this video they're emulating".

Live performances

To promote the single, Madonna appeared on several television programs and nightclubs in Europe and the United Kingdom, such as Discoring, The Tube, and Manchester's The Haçienda. According to Andrew Morton, however, these performances were not well received by the European audience. "Burning Up" was then included on four of the singer's concert tours: Virgin (1985), Re-Invention (2004), Rebel Heart (2015–2016), and Celebration (2023–2024). On the first one, it was performed before the encore and found Madonna, decked in a black outfit of matching fringed top and mini-skirt, suggestively posing around her band; orange lights bathed the stage. The Dallas Morning News' Mikel Longoria praised the performance for being "crisp and energetic". "Burning Up" was one of three performances not included on the Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour video release.

Madonna played a black Gibson Les Paul electric guitar and sang a rock-style version of the track on the Re-Invention World Tour. She was dressed in military fatigues while the screens behind her depicted scenes of war and sex which, according to The New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh, looked like they were filmed with a camcorder and were reminiscent of the prisons in Abu Ghraib. The Daily Herald's Mark Guarino praised Madonna's ability to "transform the song's original adolescent whine into adult certitude".

On the Rebel Heart Tour, "Burning Up" was performed as the third number; similar to Re-Invention, the artist sang a rock rendition of the track and played a Gibson Flying V electric guitar. During the number, she knelt down for the guitar solo, and then ripped off her skirt to reveal a "barely there" nun's outfit. Rappler's Nicole Reyes opined that the singer "oozed attitude and charisma" during the number. The performance of the song at the March 19–20, 2016 shows in Sydney's Allphones Arena was recorded and released on the artist's fifth live album, Rebel Heart Tour (2017).

It was also performed on guitar during the Celebration Tour. Dressed in a "punky" tailcoat designed by Dilara Fındıkoğlu —inspired by one she wore for a performance in Japan— Madonna sang as "VHS-style projections that recalled her days bouncing off the walls at CBGB" played on the backdrops. From The Guardian, Laura Snapes singled out the "brilliant" rendition.

Usage and covers

In 1984, "Burning Up" was featured in a scene of the film The Wild Life. It was then covered by singer Isadar on his 2006 compilation album, Scratching The Surface: Vol 2 Electro-Voice Sampler. During Madonna's induction at the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Iggy Pop and The Stooges performed "punked-up" renditions of "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light" (1998). Two years later, it was covered by Jonathan Groff for American television show Glee; his version was included in an extended play titled Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna. Britney Spears covered the song on her 2011 Femme Fatale Tour. The performance found Spears straddling a giant, glittering guitar; it received a mixed review from Rolling Stone's Barry Walters, who felt it "lacked Madge's authority". A studio recording of the cover, described by Billboard's Sarah Maloy as "glammed-up without a hint of the '80s to be found", leaked on June 10 of that year. Finally, in a 2020 episode of the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, Brita Filter and Heidi N Closet performed "Burning Up" in a lip sync challenge, which was won by Heidi.

Track listings and formats

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album and 12" single liner notes.

• Madonna – lead vocals, background vocals, writer
• Reggie Lucas – producer, guitars, drum programming
• Butch Jones – synthesizer
• John "Jellybean" Benitez – remixing
• Fred Zarr – synthesizer, electric and acoustic piano
• Dean Gant – electric and acoustic piano
• Bobby Malach – tenor saxophone
• Paul Pesco – guitar
• Ed Walsh – synthesizer
• Gwen Guthrie – background vocals
• Brenda White – background vocals
• Chrissy Faith – background vocals
• Martin Burgoyne – artwork

Charts