Dress You Up
"Dress You Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984). It was released as the album's final single on July 24, 1985, by Sire Records. Written by Andrea LaRusso and Peggy Stanziale, and produced by Nile Rodgers, who also played guitar on the track, it was the final song to be added to the album. Rodgers had asked the writers to compose something similar to the work of his band Chic but, due to LaRusso and Stanziale being busy with other projects, the composition took time. When the lyrics were submitted, the producer initially rejected them, as he felt there was no time to compose a melody; Madonna, however, liked the lyrics and convinced him to include the song on Like a Virgin. Musically, "Dress You Up" is a dance-pop song whose lyrics are an extended metaphor for fashion and lust, comparing dressing up with passion.
"Dress You Up"
"Shoo-Bee-Doo"
July 24, 1985
1984
4:01
- Andrea LaRusso
- Peggy Stanziale
Upon release, the song was positively received by music critics, with some deeming it "irresistible"; in retrospective reviews, it is now considered one of Madonna's best singles. Despite positive feedback, "Dress You Up" was added to the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen" list due to the sexual innuendo on its lyrics. It fared well commercially, becoming the singer's sixth consecutive top-five single in the United States' Billboard Hot 100. Overseas, it peaked within the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. "Dress You Up" has been included in four of Madonna's concert tours, the last being 2015–2016's Rebel Heart Tour; the performance from the Virgin Tour (1985) was released as music video to promote its home video release. "Dress You Up" was used in a 1999 Gap TV spot, and covered by the cast of Glee in 2013.
Composition and controversy[edit]
Musically, "Dress You Up" is a "drum machine-driven" dance-pop song, consisting of a two-chord verse.[8][5] Personnel included Rodgers on guitars, Jimmy Bralower on drums, and Rob Sabino played piano and was in charge of the synthesizers.[9] According to the sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Inc., "Dress You Up" is set in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 136 beats per minute.[10] It is composed in the key of C minor, with Madonna's vocals ranging from a low-note of B♭3, to a high-note of F♯5; "Dress You Up" has a basic sequence of Cm–B♭–G7 in the verses, and A♭–B♭–Cm–Cm/G in the refrain as its chord progression.[10] The lyrics of the song are a metaphor for fashion and sex; Madonna sings about clothes she would like to drape over her lover, so that she can cover him with "velvet kisses", and caress his body with her hands.[5] According to Rikky Rooksby, author of Madonna: The Complete Guide to Her Music, the line "I'll create a look that's made for you", would go on to become synonymous with Madonna's re-invention of her image throughout her career.[11]
In the summer of 1985, a committee known as the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) included "Dress You Up" on its "Filthy Fifteen" list, which compiled fifteen songs by multiple artists, considered to be the "most offensive" of the time".[12] One of the committee's founders was Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore, who said that "popular culture is morally bankrupt, flagrantly licentious and utterly materialistic ― and Madonna is the worst of all".[13] Gore had allegedly heard her daughter listen to the song, and found the refrain an example of "vulgar music".[13] The PMRC called upon the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to give parents "consumer-friendly means" of identifying songs "unsuitable for minors", which resulted in a rating system based on lyrical content; in the case of "Dress You Up", it was given an "S" for "sex and obscenity".[14]
Commercial performance[edit]
On August 10, 1985, Billboard reported that "Dress You Up" was one of the most added songs to radio stations;[36] this caused it to debut at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100.[37] By September 21, the single had given Madonna her seventh consecutive top-ten hit, thus she became the fourth female artist with the most consecutive top-ten singles at the time, behind only Brenda Lee, Aretha Franklin, Connie Francis, and Donna Summer. "Dress You Up" was also the fourth single from Like a Virgin to peak within the Hot 100's top ten, making it, at the time, the second album by a female to generate four top-ten singles, the other being Cyndi Lauper's She's So Unusual (1983).[38] Ultimately, the single peaked at number five and was Madonna's sixth consecutive top-five hit.[39][40] "Dress You Up" reached the third position of both the Hot 100 Airplay and the Dance Club Songs chart.[40][41] It topped the Dance Singles Sales chart, where it spent four weeks.[40][42] On the Adult Contemporary chart, it came in at number 32.[43] "Dress You Up" was ranked at numbers 98 and 13 on the official Billboard year-end chart and the Dance year-end chart, respectively.[44][45] In Canada, it was less successful, coming in at number 14.[46]
In the United Kingdom, "Dress You Up" debuted at the 12th position of the UK Singles Chart on December 12, 1985, and, one week later, peaked at number five; it spent 11 weeks on the chart overall.[47] The song was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for shipments of 200,000 copies.[48] According to Music Week magazine, over 204,970 copies of the single have been sold in the United Kingdom as of 2008.[49] In Australia, "Dress You Up" reached the chart's fifth position in October 1985, becoming Madonna's sixth top-ten single in the country.[50] It entered the official New Zealand chart at number 28 on September 15, eventually peaking at number seven.[51] The single performed relatively well across Europe, reaching the top ten in Belgium,[52] Ireland,[53] and the Netherlands.[54][55] "Dress You Up" saw less success in West Germany, France, and Switzerland, where it barely cracked the charts' top 30.[56][57][58] In the European Hot 100 Singles 1986 year-end chart, it came in at number 91.[59]