Who's That Girl (Madonna song)

Background and release

In October 1986, Madonna began filming her third motion picture, Who's That Girl. James Foley, who had worked with the singer on her music videos for "Papa Don't Preach" and "Live to Tell" (1986), was chosen at her own request to direct the film. Originally titled Slammer, in the movie Madonna plays Nikki Finn, a young woman accused of homicide who, after being released on parole, becomes determined to clear her name. Along with Loudon Trott (played by Griffin Dunne), she gets caught up in "36 hours of high adventure", culminating in a scene where she interrupts a wedding to reveal the identity of the real murderer. Madonna began working on the soundtrack in March 1987; having some specific ideas in her mind about the music of the film, the singer contacted Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray, who had helped to write and produce her third studio album True Blue. She wanted the soundtrack to "stand on its own as well as support and enhance what was happening on screen".

The singer asked Leonard to create an uptempo title song that captured the nature of her character, so the producer created a demo while she worked on the melody and lyrics. However, Madonna couldn't come up with a word that rhymed with "Slammer", so she changed the song and the film's title to "Who's That Girl", considering it to be a better name. Leonard, who supported the title change, recalled that it was recorded in one day, with the singer recording her vocals in one single take; the following day, additional instrumentation from guitars and percussions were added by both Leonard and Bray. In Europe, "Who's That Girl" was officially released as the soundtrack's lead single on June 29, 1987. The next day, it was released on the United States. Years later, it was included on Madonna's third compilation album, Celebration (2009).

Composition

"Who's That Girl" was written and produced by Madonna and Leonard, while Michael Barbiero and Steve Thompson were in charge of mixing. Its instrumentation includes a drum machine, trumpets, and a "bubbling bass synth line". Modulation is used on the verse, while the vocals are "wonderfully multi-tracked", specifically in the phrase She's smiling/an invitation to the dance. The bridge has Madonna singing the phrase What can help me now. Several lines are combined on its fade out, a technique that had already been used by artists like The Beach Boys and R.E.M.

According to the sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Inc., "Who's That Girl" is set in common time in the key of A minor with a medium tempo of 104 beats per minute. Madonna's vocals spans between G3 to B4. The song has a basic sequence of basic chord progression sequence of Am9–G–Csus2–Am9–G–Dm. The lyrics, which are sung in the third person, talk about "how you should be careful around this extremely hot girl because she'll break your heart", according to Stereogums Tom Breihan. "Who's That Girl" is one of Madonna's songs that reference her thoughts about "'girlhood' as powerfully productive", as noted by Santiago Fouz-Hernández and Freya Jarman-Ivens, authors of Madonna's Drowned Worlds.

Critical reception

Upon release, "Who's That Girl" received generally positive to mixed reviews. Daryl Easlea said it was, "by far and away, the best song of the soundtrack". Rikky Rooksby called it delightful, further adding that it was one of the singer's "best takes on her original music style". On Matthew Rettenmund 's Encyclopedia Madonnica, he classified "Who's That Girl" as a "laid-back, effortlessly haunting" song. On his biography of the singer, J. Randy Taraborrelli described it as "quintessential Madonna [...] funky, sassy and melodic". Stephen Holden, from The New York Times, opined that, "[the movie] may not have burned up the box office, but [...] Madonna's bilingual title song has the buoyant bounce of an acrobat doing somersaults on a trampoline". While Cashbox magazine named it "one of her most compelling musical efforts", Jim Zebora from the Record-Journal opined it was a "joy to hear". Robert Matthew-Walker wrote: "if 'light and airy' describes Madonna's performance [in Who's That Girl], such a phrase can also be aptly applied to the title song [...] a delightful mixture of English and Spanish/Puerto Rican [...] a generous compliment to mid-1980s New York".

The song's similarity to "La Isla Bonita", was both praised and criticized. Billboards Andrew Unterberger pointed out that both songs share a "contagious chorus and sparkling production". Rolling Stones Vince Aletti said that, "bobbing up in the wake of 'Isla', ['Who's That Girl'] grabs hold with its bright bilingual chant". An opinion that was shared by Joe Brown, from The Washington Post, who added that, "truth be told, her Berlitz treatment does render the repetitiveness of the lyrics more lilting". For Louis Virtel from The Backlot, "although [Madonna]'d give us a more timeless tune in that vein, 'Who’s That Girl?' is still a sexy little tribute to those minxes you just can’t catch up with". Similarly, Joe Morgan from Gay Star News said that, despite not being "the best time [Madonna] was influenced by Spain, it certainly [isn't] the worst [...] [it's] a great fun song". Both The Guardians Jude Rogers and Entertainment Weeklys Chuck Arnold deemed it inferior to "La Isla Bonita", nonetheless, the latter also deemed it a "tropical delight [...] pure enchantment". Writing for The A.V. Club, Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that, even though it lacks the "freshness" of "La Isla Bonita", "there’s a slightly haunted quality to the delivery of the titular phrase that lets 'Who’s That Girl' linger after it’s done playing".

Despite pointing out its "slick and strong" beats, Tom Breihan called "Who's That Girl" mediocre and uninspired, adding that it sounded as if "[Madonna and Leonard] had taken everything they'd just done on 'La Isla Bonita' and hit[ting] repeat". The singer's vocals were criticized by Brown for being "electronically speeded up, smoothed, sweetened and split into Chipmunk harmonies [...] she comes out sounding like a computer-generated clone". Breihan added that she did not sound "comfortable or fluid" singing in Spanish. For AllMusic, Erlewine felt the song wasn't among Madonna's best work and called it forgettable. On a similar note, it was named Madonna's "least-remembered No. 1" by Matthew Jacobs from the HuffPost. The staff of The A.V. Club added that, "only hardcore fans [will] remember this lightweight [...] less ponderous sequel to 'La Isla Bonita'". "Who's That Girl" was nominated for Best Original Song at the 45th Golden Globe Awards, and for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 30th ceremony.

Commercial performance

"Who's That Girl" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 43 the week of July 11, 1987, becoming Madonna's 12th consecutive single to be named the week's top new entry. After it reached the chart's seventh spot on August 8, and gave the singer her 13th consecutive top 10 hit, it tied her with Lionel Richie as the singer with the longest string of consecutive top 10 hits in the 1980s decade up until that point. "Who's That Girl" reached the Hot 100's first position on August 22. As Madonna's sixth number one single, it gave her several records: She surpassed Lionel Richie, Hall & Oates, and Phill Collins as the artist with the most number one hits in the 1980s; she became one of only two female singers to score six number ones ―and the only one to do it as a solo artist, and achieved her third number one from a movie, following "Crazy for You" ―from Vision Quest (1985)― and "Live to Tell" ―from At Close Range. According to Warner Bros. Records executive Lou Dennis, "Who's That Girl" was the best-selling cassette single from the label up at that point. The single peaked within the top five positions of the Adult Contemporary chart. "Who's That Girl" came in at numbers 42 and 48 on the Hot 100 and 12-inch Singles Sales year-end charts, respectively. In Canada, "Who's That Girl" debuted on the 83rd position of RPMs 100 Singles chart on the week of July 11, 1987 and, one month later, it peaked at number one.

In Music & Medias European Airplay Top 50, "Who's That Girl" debuted at number 3 on July 18, 1987, the highest entry in the chart's history according to the magazine. It topped the chart by August 8, and remained on that position for two weeks, her seventh number one there and "another unique achievement". It peaked at number two, just behind Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett's "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", on the European Hot 100 Singles chart. "Who's That Girl" found success elsewhere: It reached the first position in Belgium, Denmark, In the United Kingdom, "Who's That Girl" debuted at the third position of the UK Singles Chart on July 18, and, one week later, reached the first spot, becoming Madonna's fifth number one there; it spent 10 weeks on the chart overall, and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). According to Music Week magazine, over 376,498 copies of the single have been sold in the United Kingdom as of 2008. It peaked within the top five of the charts in West Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and New Zealand. In Australia, "Who's That Girl" reached the top 10.

Music video

Background and synopsis

Peter Rosenthal directed the music video for "Who's That Girl", which was shot over two days at the A&M Soundstage in Hollywood, California. Production was in charge of James Foley and Joel Stillman for Broadcast Arts Inc. It alternates footage from Who's That Girl, with scenes of Madonna decked out as a "hip Latina", with an oversized grey jacket over a black bustier, short pants, fedora hat, and spiky brown hair.

It begins with Madonna entering a park, catching the attention of a man and a group of children. Interspersed footage of her singing the track, wandering around the park, and scenes of the movie, play next. The kids and the man then take her to a darkened room, where she meets a fortune teller; the woman shows Madonna the High Priestess tarot card, which displays a caricature of her character Nikki Finn. The singer looks up and discovers the woman's disappeared; she then finds a key to a chest containing a shiny white crystal, which reflects an animated sequence of the Nikki Finn caricature. The man and the children show up again, and the video ends with them dancing "adoringly" with Madonna.

Release and reception

"Who's That Girl" premiered on MTV the week of July 4, 1987, and was one of the year's most heavily rotated clips on European television. Years later, "Who's That Girl" was included on Madonna's 2009 compilation Celebration: The Video Collection. Nonetheless, he noted that it was "rarely played" the years following its release. From website This Is Dig!, Mark Elliot also compared the singer's look to Jackson's and praised the "charming, low-key" video. Elliot also noted nods to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a character he felt Madonna had already referenced on her music video for "Open Your Heart" (1986). In High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood, author Justin Wyatt pointed out that, throughout the clip, "Madonna, the singer, gazes longingly at Madonna, the comedienne/actress".

A less favorable review came from Vincent Canby, writing for The New York Times; according to him, the video's purpose was to promote the film, but ended up showcasing "everything that's least attractive about it". Canby was also critical of the persona Madonna adopted for the clip, comparing it negatively to her comedic performance in the movie: "It appeals neither to people who've never seen her before nor to anyone who's admired the sometimes brazenly erotic and funny performer [she] is in her best music videos", he concluded.

Live performances and covers

Madonna has performed the song on two of her concert tours: Who's That Girl (1987) and Rebel Heart (2015―2016). On the first one, it was sung as the concert's first encore. The singer wore a bright red flamenco dress, and sang the track assisted by her backup singers Niki Haris, Donna De Lory, and Debra Parson. At the end of the performance, she stepped out to the front of the darkened stage and sang the phrase Who's that girl repeatedly in a "sad chant that became increasingly self-absorbed and haunting". The number was deemed one of the concert's weaker moments by The Washington Posts Richard Harrington. Two different performances can be found on the videos Who's That Girl: Live in Japan and Ciao Italia: Live from Italy, filmed in Tokyo on June and in Turin on September, respectively.

An acoustic rendition of "Who's That Girl" was done on the singer's Rebel Heart Tour. The number featured Day of the Dead iconography and found Madonna playing guitar. After finishing the song, she said: "I'm still trying to figure out who I am after all these years [...] Does anyone ever really know?". For Rollling Stones Rob Sheffield, "Who's That Girl" was the evening's "emotional highlight".

In 1998, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra made an instrumental version of the song for Material Girl: RPO Plays Music of Madonna. One year later, a sound-alike cover was done by The Countdown Singers, which was included on Hit Parade of 80's, Vol. 2. American band The Bubonic Plague recorded a synth-pop rendition of "Who's That Girl" for the tribute album Through the Wilderness (2007); this cover was criticized by Pitchforks Stephen M. Deusner, who deemed it uninspired and felt was "beyond Bubonic Plague's ability to salvage it". In 2021, the song was sampled by Dutch DJs Joe Stone and Jack Wins on their song "Light Up My Life"; Madonna herself approved of the sampling.

Formats and track listing

• US and European 7-inch single

1. "Who's That Girl" (LP version) – 3:58
2. "White Heat" (LP version) – 4:40

• UK 12-inch single; limited edition 12-inch picture disc

1. "Who's That Girl" (extended version) – 6:29
2. "White Heat" (LP version) – 4:40

• US 12-inch single; UK limited edition 12-inch

1. "Who's That Girl" (extended version) – 6:29
2. "Who's That Girl" (dub version) – 5:07
3. "White Heat" (LP version) – 4:40

• German and UK CD maxi single (1995)

1. "Who's That Girl" (extended version) – 6:29
2. "White Heat" (LP version) – 4:40

• Digital single

1. "Who's That Girl" – 3:58
2. "Who's That Girl" (extended version) – 6:29
3. "Who's That Girl" (dub version) – 5:04

Personnel

Personnel are adapted from the Who's That Girl soundtrack liner notes.

• Madonna – lyrics, producer, vocals
• Patrick Leonard – lyrics, producer
• Michael Barbiero and Steve Thompson – additional production, audio mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

Bibliography

• {{Cite book
• {{Cite book |author-link=Mark Bego
• {{Cite book |author-link=Fred Bronson
• {{Cite book |author-link=Andrew Morton (writer)
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• {{Cite book |author-link=J. Randy Taraborrelli
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• {{Cite book |author-link=Matthew Rettenmund
• {{Cite book |author-link=Robert Matthew-Walker
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