What Prevented Madonna’s ‘Holiday’ From Hitting No. 1

<p id=”par-1_38″>Madonna’s “Holiday” was a success, but it never managed to become <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/12-madonna-songs-reached-no-1.html/”>a No. 1 hit</a> in the United States. One of the writers of the track has a theory why the tune didn’t perform better. “Holiday” appeared on two different hit albums that helped define Madonna’s career.</p>

<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-there-was-never-a-music-video-for-madonna-s-holiday”>There was never a music video for Madonna’s ‘Holiday’ </h2>

<p id=”par-2_76″>Madonna co-wrote many of her hits, but “Holiday” was not one of them. The track was co-written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens. During a 2013 interview with <a href=”https://blogcritics.org/interview-curtis-hudson-lisa-stevens-songwriters/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Blogcritics</a>, Hudson discussed why the song was not a huge hit on the chart. “Warner Bros. didn’t produce a music video for it at a time when music videos really started to make songs,” he opined. “Had they done a video, then ‘Holiday’ probably would’ve been a much bigger song than it was at the time; probably No. 1 pop.”</p>

<p id=”par-3_71″>While Hudson didn’t get a No. 1 hit with “Holiday,” he looked back on the song fondly. He felt the track <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/madonna-said-like-a-prayer-girl-love-god.html/”>was a gift that God gave him</a>. “A lot of songwriters that I admire say to me, ‘I haven’t written a ‘Holiday!’” he said. “I was told even Babyface made that comment. Some songs are just magic.” For context, Babyface is an R&B producer who worked with Madonna on <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/madonna-rihanna-no-1-songs-same-title.html/”>the hit song “Take a Bow.”</a></p>

<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-1″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Holiday” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/h4bP9tj_0Zk?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>

<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-madonna-never-worked-with-the-song-s-writers-again”>Why Madonna never worked with the song’s writers again</h2>

<p id=”par-4_38″>Hudson explained why he and Stevens didn’t work with the Queen of Pop again. “I went to Madonna’s place in the Village when ‘Holiday’ was still climbing the charts,” he recalled. “We’d present ideas to her. She was pretty open. </p>

  Wendy Williams Hated Calling ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ a ‘Woman’s Show’

<p id=”par-5_73″>“But I think once the song really took off and took her to the next level, she was focused on the next production,” he added. “After that, I think she tied in with people with whom she had prior relationships and felt comfortable working with. We lost contact, and she went into a whole different direction <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/like-a-virgin-line-from-trains-hey-soul-sister-isnt-madonna.html/”>when she did ‘Like a Virgin.’”</a> When Madonna put out “Holiday” her style was arguably bubblegum pop. With “Like a Virgin,” her image became far more risque.</p>

<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-2″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Madonna – Like A Virgin (Official Video)” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/s__rX_WL100?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>

<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/madonnas-holiday-accidentally-inspired-jessica-simpson-song.html/”>
Madonna’s ‘Holiday’ Accidentally Inspired a Jessica Simpson Song </a>
</p>
</div>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-holiday-appeared-on-2-hit-records”>‘Holiday’ appeared on 2 hit records</h2>

<p id=”par-6_74″>“Holiday” reached No. 16 on the <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/madonna/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a>, spending a total of 21 weeks on the chart. The song wasn’t a phenomenon at the time, but it definitely set Madonna down the path to becoming the Queen of Pop. The tune appeared on her self-titled debut album. The album <em>Madonna </em>peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, lasting on the chart for 168 weeks. <em>Madonna </em>lasted longer on the chart than any of the Material Girl’s other albums.</p>

<p id=”par-7_64″>“Holiday” later became the opening track on Madonna’s most famous greatest hits compilation: <em>The Immaculate Collection</em>. The fact that “Holiday” opens <em>The Immaculate Collection</em> speaks to its importance in her career. That record reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, lasting on the chart for 148 weeks. Notably,<em> The Immaculate Collection</em> produced two new tracks: <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-hot-hit-song-madonna-wrote-with-lenny-kravitz.html/”>the steamy “Justify My Love”</a> and the peak house song “Rescue Me.”</p>

  This Lady Gaga Song Sounds Way Too Much Like Madonna

<p id=”par-8_19″>Madonna never worked with Hudson and Stevens again, but the song they made together stood the test of time.</p>

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *