Madonna Single: Holiday (1983)

Madonna
“Holiday”

Release: September 7, 1983

1. Holiday (Single Edit)
2. Lucky Star

Producer: John “Jellybean” Benitez
Writers: Curtis Hudson & Lisa Stevens

Billboard Hot 100: #16
UK Singles Chart: #2 (1 wk)

“Holiday” was Madonna’s first big breakthrough—the song that got her on the radio. While her first two singles had been club hits, this was her first to crack the Billboard top 40, ultimately peaking at #16 and spending 11 weeks in the top 40. It also spent 5 weeks at #1 on the dance chart—her first of many dance #1s. In Britain, the single was released in January 1984 and hit #6 in February; it was then re-released in the summer of 1985 and peaked at #2 in the same week that another Madonna single, “Into the Groove” held the #1 spot (she also had position #19 that week with “Crazy for You”).

The track was the last recorded for Madonna, having been added to the album after it turned out another song, “Ain’t No Big Deal,” couldn’t be used because it’s original producer, who had produced Madonna’s demo that included the song, had sold it to another act. Madonna brought in her boyfriend “Jellybean” Benitez, who suggested she record “Holiday,” which had been offered to former Supremes member Mary Wilson, who turned it down.

The breezy track has proven to be one of Madonna’s most enduring classics and still receives frequent airplay on adult top 40 stations. Madonna has also included “Holiday” in the setlist in all but the current concert tours, often as an encore number. The track is Madonna simply musing about how nice it would be to go on vacation. The instrumentation is the same as that on most of Madonna’s tracks—synthesizers and drum machines, although it also includes a great keyboard solo during the song’s bridge, which is the song’s best moment.

“Holiday” was remixed by Benitez in 1987 for inclusion on Madonna’s You Can Dance retrospective. This version was then edited down for inclusion on Madonna’s 1990 greatest hits collection, The Immaculate Collection. In 1991, the single was again re-released in Britain, as well as a maxi-single known as “The Holiday Collection,” which included the original version of “Holiday” plus three other hits.

There is no proper video for “Holiday,” however, many consider her performance of the track on the TV show “Solid Gold” to serve as a good stand-in.