Borderline (song)
Encyclopedia
"Borderline" is a song by American
pop singer Madonna
from her self-titled debut album. It was released on February 15, 1984 as the fifth single from the album, by Sire Records
. Written and composed by producer Reggie Lucas
, the song received remix treatment from Madonna's then boyfriend John "Jellybean" Benitez
. She used a refined and expressive voice for the song. Its lyrics dealt with the subject of a love that is never fulfilled and was written as a rebellion against male chauvinism.
Contemporary critics and authors applauded the song, calling it harmonically the most complex song from the Madonna album and complimenting the dance-pop
nature of the song. "Borderline" became Madonna's first top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100
, peaking at ten. Elsewhere, the song reached the top twenty of a number of European nations while peaking the singles chart of Ireland. In 2009, the song was placed at eighty-four on Blender
magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" article. Time Magazine named it one of the 100 Greatest Popular Songs on its "ALL-TIME 100 Songs" list. http://entertainment.time.com/2011/10/24/the-all-time-100-songs/?hpt=hp_c2#borderline-madonna
The accompanying music video portrayed Madonna with a Latin-American man as her boyfriend. She was enticed by a British photographer to pose and model for him, but later returned to her original boyfriend. The video generated interest amongst academics, who noted the use of power as symbolism in it. With the video, Madonna was credited for breaking the taboo of interracial relationships and was considered one of her career-making moments. The release of the video on MTV
increased Madonna's popularity further. Madonna has performed the song on her Virgin Tour
(1985) and the Sticky & Sweet Tour
(2008), where a punk-rock version of the song was performed. "Borderline" has been covered by a number of artists, including Duffy
, Jody Watley
, and Counting Crows
.
on her debut album. She had already composed three songs, when Lucas brought one of his own composition to the project and called it "Borderline". However, after recording the song, Madonna was unhappy with the way the final version turned out. According to her, Lucas used too many instruments and did not consider her ideas for the song. This led to a dispute between the two. After finishing the album, Lucas left the project without altering the songs to Madonna's specifications. Hence, Madonna brought her then boyfriend John "Jellybean" Benitez
to remix "Borderline" and some of the other recorded tracks.
is contemporary in style and the vocal range for this song, was later used by Madonna as her own personal range through her whole music career. It opens with an intro
provided by keyboards. The bass
player Anthony Jackson provided the synths for the song. The chords in the song were inspired by Seventies disco sound in Philadelphia as well as Elton John
's musical style during the mid-seventies. The chord sequences cite from Bachman-Turner Overdrive's song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
" while the synth phases display her typical musical style. The song is set in common time with a moderate tempo
of 120 beats per minute
. Madonna's vocal range spans from F3 to B4. The song follows in the chord progression of D–C–G in the first verse to Bm–Em–A–F in the pre-chorus, changes to A–F–Bm–A–E and G–D–A in the chorus.
Author J. Randy Taraborrelli
, in his biography of Madonna, called "Borderline" along with "Holiday
" the two key records which helped in establishing Madonna's base in the music industry. He added that Madonna's sober voice made the track "as close to an old Motown production as a hit could get in the dance-music-driven eighties." Author Maury Dean
in his book Rock 'n' Roll Gold Rush called the song "echoey boogie
" with "saucy-style and come-hither magnetism." Author Rikky Rooksby in his book, The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna called it harmonically the most complex track of her debut album. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
from Allmusic called the song effervescent. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
called the song soulful. Bill Lamb of About.com
called the song, along with "Lucky Star" and "Holiday
" state of the art dance-pop. Commentator Dave Marsh
in his book The Heart of Rock & Soul said that the "music's too damn good to be denied, no matter whose value system it disrupts." Roxanne Orgill in her book Shout, Sister, Shout! commented that "Borderline" was the song which made Madonna the star she is. Thom Duffy of Orlando Sentinel
commented that "Borderline" was a song "introduced Madonna, the helium-induced pop star, and a siren kitten."
on June 16, 1984. The song reached a peak of two on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It also became a cross over success by charting on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart at twenty-three. On October 22, 1998, the song was certified gold
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) for shipment of 500,000 copies. In Canada the song debuted at number fifty-six on the RPM
issue dated August 4, 1984 and reached a peak of twenty-five on September 15, 1984. The song was on the chart for fourteen weeks.
In the United Kingdom, with the original release of the song on June 2, 1984, it was able to reach a peak of only fifty-six. However, upon re-releasing the song on January 1, 1986, it reached a new peak of two on the chart and was present for a total of nine weeks. The song was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
(BPI) on February 1986. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 310,000 copies there. Across Europe the song topped the chart in Ireland and entered the top ten of Belgium and Netherlands. It also peaked at twenty-three in Switzerland and twelve in Australia. In 2009, the song was placed at eighty-four on Blender
Magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born."
from January 30 to February 2, 1984 and was the first video that Madonna made with director Mary Lambert, who would later also direct the videos "Like a Virgin
", "Material Girl
", "La Isla Bonita
" and "Like a Prayer
". The video portrayed Madonna's then burgeoning star quality. It is regarded as one of her career-making moments when the video was started to be shown on MTV
. She acted as the girlfriend of a Hispanic street guy who is picked up by a British photographer who publishes her picture on a magazine cover. The portrayal of the street life and high-fashion scene in the video was a reference to Madonna's life in the gritty, multiracial streets and clubs that she used to haunt while her career was beginning as well as the world of popularity and success she was experiencing at that moment. The storyline involved her being emotionally torn between the photographer and her boyfriend. Madonna's boyfriend in the video is portrayed as Latino and her struggles with this relationship depicted the struggle Hispanic women faced with their men. In the January 1997 issue of Rolling Stone
, Mary Lambert described the video and its plot as, "Boy and girl enjoy simple pleasures of barrio
love, girl is tempted by fame, boy gets huffy, girl gets famous, but her new beau's out-of-line reaction to a behavioral trifle (all she did was to spray-paint his expensive sports car) drives her back to her true love."
The video narrative weaved the two relationship stories in color and black and white. In the color sequence, Madonna sings, flirts and seduces the Hispanic guy who becomes her boyfriend. In the black-and-white sequence she poses for the photographer, who also courts her. The video had Madonna in her usual sense of style in those years and wore her hair in a haystack, lace gloves, high heeled boots with thick socks and her trademark boy-toy belt. She changes from one shot to another in color as well as black and white while wearing an unusual array of clothes including crop-tops, T-shits, vests and sweaters coupled with cut-off pants and jeans as well as a couple of evening gowns. Posing for the photographer, Madonna looks towards the camera with challenge in her eyes thus depicting sexual aggression. At one moment in the video, she starts spraying graffiti
over some lifeless classical statues thus portraying herself as a transgressor who breaks rules and attempts at innovation. With the video Madonna broke the taboo of interracial relationships. Although at first it seems that Madonna denies the Hispanic guy in favour of the photographer, later she rejects him thus implying her desire to control her own sexual pleasures or going over the established pop borderlines with lyrics like "You just keep on pushing my love, over the borderline". The contrasting image of Madonna, first as a messy blonde in the Hispanic sequence and later as a fashioned glamorous blonde, suggested that one can construct one's own image and identity. Portraying herself as a Hispanic also had the clever marketing strategy of appealing herself to Hispanic and black youths thus breaking down racial barriers.
After its airing "Borderline" attracted early attention from academics. They noted the symbolism of power in the two contrasting scenes of the video. The British photographer and his studio is decorated with the classical sculptures and nude statues holding spears in a phallic symbol. In contrast, phallic symbols portrayed in the Hispanic neighbourhood included a street lamp which Madonna embraces and a pool cue held erect by Madonna's boyfriend. Author Andrew Metz commented that with these scenes, Madonna displayed her sophisticated views on the fabrications of feminity as a supreme power rather than the normal views of oppression. Author Carol Clerk said that the videos of "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" established Madonna not as the girl-next-door, but as a sassy and smart, tough funny woman. Her clothes worn in the video were later used by designers like Karl Lagerfeld
and Christian Lacroix
in Paris Fashion week of the same year. Professor Douglas Kellner
in his book Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity, and Politics Between the Modern and the Postmodern commented that the video depicted motifs and strategies which helped Madonna in her journey to become a star.
The song has been performed by Madonna on The Virgin Tour
(1985) and the Sticky & Sweet Tour
(2008). In the Virgin Tour, Madonna performed the song wearing a black, fringed micro-top and similar skirt, with her belly-button exposed, and a number of crucifixes in different sizes, hanging from different parts of her body. Madonna performed the song in its original version. She appeared from behind a silhouette, and descended down the steps, while waving her hands and singing. The performance was not included in the Live – The Virgin Tour VHS in 1985.
"Borderline" was added to the set list of the first leg of her Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2008 during the Old School section of the performance. Madonna wore a pair of gym shorts in this section while wearing sneakers and long socks on her feet. The dress was designed by Jeremy Scott
and was a reference to Madonna's old days in New York. A punk-pop version of the song was performed by Madonna while strapping on a purple electric guitar
on a microphone as the backdrops displayed Keith Harring's cartoons and graphical imagery. Jon Pareles of The New York Times
called the performance enthusiastic and punk-pop. Nekesa Mumbi Moody of USA today
called it a "rocked out performance". Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone
called it a "cheap trick-style power-pop song [performance]." The song was not included in the 2009 leg of the tour and was replaced by a rock version of Madonna's other song "Dress You Up
."
cover of the song by Nivek Ogre
of OhGr
was included on the tribute compilation album, Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna, Vol. 2. Heather Phares of Allmusic said that Ogre's version "missed the mark." Chicago pop punk
band Showoff
recorded a cover for the 2002 compilation album Punk Goes Pop
. In 2006 singer Jody Watley
covered the song for her album The Makeover. Watley's downtempo version attained UK release as a single in October 2009. An acoustic folk cover of the song by The Chapin Sisters
was included on the 2007 Madonna tribute album Through the Wilderness
. In 2008, singer Duffy
performed "Borderline" at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent, England. The Flaming Lips
and Stardeath and White Dwarfs
recorded a cover of the song for the 2009 Warner Bros. Records compilation, Covered, A Revolution in Sound
. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic described the cover recording as turning Madonna's version "inside out." Counting Crows
performed the song at the Royal Albert Hall in 2003, an MP3 of the song was released on the band's official website on March 17, 2009. The performance was criticised by ABC News
, calling it anticlimatic. In 2010, the TV show Glee
covered it in the episode "The Power of Madonna
" as a mash-up
with the song "Open Your Heart
", performed by Cory Monteith
and Lea Michele
.
Credits adapted from the album liner notes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop singer Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
from her self-titled debut album. It was released on February 15, 1984 as the fifth single from the album, by Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
. Written and composed by producer Reggie Lucas
Reggie Lucas
Reginald "Reggie" Lucas is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Lucas is most famous for his production work with percussionist Mtume and for producing the majority of Madonna's 1983 self-titled debut album.-Biography:...
, the song received remix treatment from Madonna's then boyfriend John "Jellybean" Benitez
John Benitez
John Benitez, better known as "Jellybean Benitez" is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, DJ, remixer and music producer of Puerto Rican descent...
. She used a refined and expressive voice for the song. Its lyrics dealt with the subject of a love that is never fulfilled and was written as a rebellion against male chauvinism.
Contemporary critics and authors applauded the song, calling it harmonically the most complex song from the Madonna album and complimenting the dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
nature of the song. "Borderline" became Madonna's first top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, peaking at ten. Elsewhere, the song reached the top twenty of a number of European nations while peaking the singles chart of Ireland. In 2009, the song was placed at eighty-four on Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" article. Time Magazine named it one of the 100 Greatest Popular Songs on its "ALL-TIME 100 Songs" list. http://entertainment.time.com/2011/10/24/the-all-time-100-songs/?hpt=hp_c2#borderline-madonna
The accompanying music video portrayed Madonna with a Latin-American man as her boyfriend. She was enticed by a British photographer to pose and model for him, but later returned to her original boyfriend. The video generated interest amongst academics, who noted the use of power as symbolism in it. With the video, Madonna was credited for breaking the taboo of interracial relationships and was considered one of her career-making moments. The release of the video on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
increased Madonna's popularity further. Madonna has performed the song on her Virgin Tour
The Virgin Tour
The Virgin Tour is the debut concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. The tour supported her first two studio albums, Madonna and Like a Virgin . Although, initially planned for an international audience, the tour was restricted within United States and Canada only. Warner Bros. decided...
(1985) and the Sticky & Sweet Tour
Sticky & Sweet Tour
The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth worldwide concert tour by American singer Madonna to promote her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It began in August 2008 and was Madonna's first tour from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation. The tour was announced in February 2008, with...
(2008), where a punk-rock version of the song was performed. "Borderline" has been covered by a number of artists, including Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
, Jody Watley
Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
, and Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
.
Background
In 1982, Madonna was working with producer Reggie LucasReggie Lucas
Reginald "Reggie" Lucas is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Lucas is most famous for his production work with percussionist Mtume and for producing the majority of Madonna's 1983 self-titled debut album.-Biography:...
on her debut album. She had already composed three songs, when Lucas brought one of his own composition to the project and called it "Borderline". However, after recording the song, Madonna was unhappy with the way the final version turned out. According to her, Lucas used too many instruments and did not consider her ideas for the song. This led to a dispute between the two. After finishing the album, Lucas left the project without altering the songs to Madonna's specifications. Hence, Madonna brought her then boyfriend John "Jellybean" Benitez
John Benitez
John Benitez, better known as "Jellybean Benitez" is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, DJ, remixer and music producer of Puerto Rican descent...
to remix "Borderline" and some of the other recorded tracks.
Composition
"Borderline" ushered a change from the normal vocal tone expressed by Madonna in her songs. A sentimental track, the song talks about a love that is never quite fulfilled. According to author Santiago Fouz-Hernández in his book Madonna's drowned worlds, the lyrics of the song like "Something in way you love me won't let me be/I don't want to be your prisoner so baby won't you set me free" depicted a rebellion against male chauvinism. Madonna used a refined and expressive voice to sing the song, backed by Lucas's instrumentations. Considered as the best example of the working relationship between Lucas and Madonna, he pushed her to find emotional depth in the song. Although sounding icy, the chorusChorus effect
In music, a chorus effect occurs when individual sounds with roughly the same timbre and nearly the same pitch converge and are perceived as one...
is contemporary in style and the vocal range for this song, was later used by Madonna as her own personal range through her whole music career. It opens with an intro
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
provided by keyboards. The bass
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
player Anthony Jackson provided the synths for the song. The chords in the song were inspired by Seventies disco sound in Philadelphia as well as Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's musical style during the mid-seventies. The chord sequences cite from Bachman-Turner Overdrive's song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
"You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" is a rock song written by Randy Bachman and performed by Bachman–Turner Overdrive on the album Not Fragile. It was released as a single in 1974 with an instrumental track "Free Wheelin'" as the B-side...
" while the synth phases display her typical musical style. The song is set in common time with a moderate tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 120 beats per minute
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. Madonna's vocal range spans from F3 to B4. The song follows in the chord progression of D–C–G in the first verse to Bm–Em–A–F in the pre-chorus, changes to A–F–Bm–A–E and G–D–A in the chorus.
Critical response
J. Randy Taraborrelli
John Randall Taraborrelli is an American journalist and biographer.Taraborrelli is an author known for biographies of contemporary entertainers and political figures. He is a featured writer in several entertainment magazines in Canada, England, and Australia...
, in his biography of Madonna, called "Borderline" along with "Holiday
Holiday (Madonna song)
"Holiday" is a song by American singer Madonna from her self-titled debut album. Released on September 7, 1983 by Sire Records, it later appeared remixed on the 1987 remix compilation You Can Dance and the 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection, and in its original form on the...
" the two key records which helped in establishing Madonna's base in the music industry. He added that Madonna's sober voice made the track "as close to an old Motown production as a hit could get in the dance-music-driven eighties." Author Maury Dean
Maury Dean
Maury Dean is an American musician, professor and author, whose book "The Rock Revolution" is in the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame and the Smithsonian.-Music:...
in his book Rock 'n' Roll Gold Rush called the song "echoey boogie
Boogie
Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm, "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie music. The characteristic rhythm and feel of the boogie was then adapted to guitar, double bass, and other instruments. The earliest recorded...
" with "saucy-style and come-hither magnetism." Author Rikky Rooksby in his book, The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna called it harmonically the most complex track of her debut album. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
from Allmusic called the song effervescent. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
called the song soulful. Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
called the song, along with "Lucky Star" and "Holiday
Holiday (Madonna song)
"Holiday" is a song by American singer Madonna from her self-titled debut album. Released on September 7, 1983 by Sire Records, it later appeared remixed on the 1987 remix compilation You Can Dance and the 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection, and in its original form on the...
" state of the art dance-pop. Commentator Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh is an American music critic, author, editor and radio talk show host. He was a formative editor of Creem magazine, has written for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on...
in his book The Heart of Rock & Soul said that the "music's too damn good to be denied, no matter whose value system it disrupts." Roxanne Orgill in her book Shout, Sister, Shout! commented that "Borderline" was the song which made Madonna the star she is. Thom Duffy of Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
commented that "Borderline" was a song "introduced Madonna, the helium-induced pop star, and a siren kitten."
Commercial response
In the United States, the song became Madonna's first top ten hit when it reached position ten on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on June 16, 1984. The song reached a peak of two on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It also became a cross over success by charting on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart at twenty-three. On October 22, 1998, the song was certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) for shipment of 500,000 copies. In Canada the song debuted at number fifty-six on the RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
issue dated August 4, 1984 and reached a peak of twenty-five on September 15, 1984. The song was on the chart for fourteen weeks.
In the United Kingdom, with the original release of the song on June 2, 1984, it was able to reach a peak of only fifty-six. However, upon re-releasing the song on January 1, 1986, it reached a new peak of two on the chart and was present for a total of nine weeks. The song was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
(BPI) on February 1986. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 310,000 copies there. Across Europe the song topped the chart in Ireland and entered the top ten of Belgium and Netherlands. It also peaked at twenty-three in Switzerland and twelve in Australia. In 2009, the song was placed at eighty-four on Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
Magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born."
Music video
"Borderline" was filmed on location in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
from January 30 to February 2, 1984 and was the first video that Madonna made with director Mary Lambert, who would later also direct the videos "Like a Virgin
Like a Virgin (song)
"Like a Virgin" is a song by American singer Madonna from her second album of the same name. It was released on November 6, 1984 by Sire Records, as the first single from the album. The song appears on the greatest hits compilation albums The Immaculate Collection and Celebration...
", "Material Girl
Material Girl
"Material Girl" is a song performed by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on January 30, 1985, by Sire Records, as the second single from her second album Like a Virgin. It also appears slightly remixed on the 1990 greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection, and in its...
", "La Isla Bonita
La Isla Bonita
"La Isla Bonita" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released as the fifth and final single from her third studio album, True Blue, on February 25, 1987, by Sire Records. Originally written as a lament, the song was first offered to Michael Jackson before Madonna accepted it...
" and "Like a Prayer
Like a Prayer (song)
"Like a Prayer" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna on her fourth studio album of the same name . It was released on March 21, 1989, by Sire Records as the album's lead single...
". The video portrayed Madonna's then burgeoning star quality. It is regarded as one of her career-making moments when the video was started to be shown on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. She acted as the girlfriend of a Hispanic street guy who is picked up by a British photographer who publishes her picture on a magazine cover. The portrayal of the street life and high-fashion scene in the video was a reference to Madonna's life in the gritty, multiracial streets and clubs that she used to haunt while her career was beginning as well as the world of popularity and success she was experiencing at that moment. The storyline involved her being emotionally torn between the photographer and her boyfriend. Madonna's boyfriend in the video is portrayed as Latino and her struggles with this relationship depicted the struggle Hispanic women faced with their men. In the January 1997 issue of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Mary Lambert described the video and its plot as, "Boy and girl enjoy simple pleasures of barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
love, girl is tempted by fame, boy gets huffy, girl gets famous, but her new beau's out-of-line reaction to a behavioral trifle (all she did was to spray-paint his expensive sports car) drives her back to her true love."
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
over some lifeless classical statues thus portraying herself as a transgressor who breaks rules and attempts at innovation. With the video Madonna broke the taboo of interracial relationships. Although at first it seems that Madonna denies the Hispanic guy in favour of the photographer, later she rejects him thus implying her desire to control her own sexual pleasures or going over the established pop borderlines with lyrics like "You just keep on pushing my love, over the borderline". The contrasting image of Madonna, first as a messy blonde in the Hispanic sequence and later as a fashioned glamorous blonde, suggested that one can construct one's own image and identity. Portraying herself as a Hispanic also had the clever marketing strategy of appealing herself to Hispanic and black youths thus breaking down racial barriers.
After its airing "Borderline" attracted early attention from academics. They noted the symbolism of power in the two contrasting scenes of the video. The British photographer and his studio is decorated with the classical sculptures and nude statues holding spears in a phallic symbol. In contrast, phallic symbols portrayed in the Hispanic neighbourhood included a street lamp which Madonna embraces and a pool cue held erect by Madonna's boyfriend. Author Andrew Metz commented that with these scenes, Madonna displayed her sophisticated views on the fabrications of feminity as a supreme power rather than the normal views of oppression. Author Carol Clerk said that the videos of "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" established Madonna not as the girl-next-door, but as a sassy and smart, tough funny woman. Her clothes worn in the video were later used by designers like Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...
and Christian Lacroix
Christian Lacroix
Christian Marie Marc Lacroix is a French fashion designer. The name may also refer to the company he founded.-Early life:Lacroix was born in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône in southern France. At a young age he began sketching historical costumes and fashions. Lacroix graduated from high school in 1969...
in Paris Fashion week of the same year. Professor Douglas Kellner
Douglas Kellner
Douglas Kellner is a “third generation” critical theorist in the tradition of the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, or Frankfurt School. Kellner was an early theorist of the field of critical media literacy and has been a leading theorist of media culture generally...
in his book Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity, and Politics Between the Modern and the Postmodern commented that the video depicted motifs and strategies which helped Madonna in her journey to become a star.
Live performances
The Virgin Tour
The Virgin Tour is the debut concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. The tour supported her first two studio albums, Madonna and Like a Virgin . Although, initially planned for an international audience, the tour was restricted within United States and Canada only. Warner Bros. decided...
(1985) and the Sticky & Sweet Tour
Sticky & Sweet Tour
The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth worldwide concert tour by American singer Madonna to promote her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It began in August 2008 and was Madonna's first tour from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation. The tour was announced in February 2008, with...
(2008). In the Virgin Tour, Madonna performed the song wearing a black, fringed micro-top and similar skirt, with her belly-button exposed, and a number of crucifixes in different sizes, hanging from different parts of her body. Madonna performed the song in its original version. She appeared from behind a silhouette, and descended down the steps, while waving her hands and singing. The performance was not included in the Live – The Virgin Tour VHS in 1985.
"Borderline" was added to the set list of the first leg of her Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2008 during the Old School section of the performance. Madonna wore a pair of gym shorts in this section while wearing sneakers and long socks on her feet. The dress was designed by Jeremy Scott
Jeremy Scott
Jeremy Scott is an American fashion designer born in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, for fashion design...
and was a reference to Madonna's old days in New York. A punk-pop version of the song was performed by Madonna while strapping on a purple electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
on a microphone as the backdrops displayed Keith Harring's cartoons and graphical imagery. Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the performance enthusiastic and punk-pop. Nekesa Mumbi Moody of USA today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
called it a "rocked out performance". Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
called it a "cheap trick-style power-pop song [performance]." The song was not included in the 2009 leg of the tour and was replaced by a rock version of Madonna's other song "Dress You Up
Dress You Up
"Dress You Up" is a song by American singer Madonna. It was released as the final single from her second studio album, Like a Virgin, on July 24, 1985, by Sire Records. The song was the last track to be added to the album as it was submitted late by songwriters Andrea LaRusso and Peggy Stanziale...
."
Cover versions
In 2000, an electro-industrialElectro-industrial
Electro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and post-industrial that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep, complex and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups,...
cover of the song by Nivek Ogre
Nivek Ogre
Nivek Ogre is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor best known as a founding member of the industrial band Skinny Puppy. Since that band featured another Kevin and was produced by another Ogilvie Nivek Ogre (born Kevin Graham Ogilvie December 5, 1962) is a Canadian musician,...
of OhGr
OhGr
ohGr is a band formed by Nivek Ogre, of Skinny Puppy, and musician/engineer Mark Walk. Although the pedigree of the group's members might suggest otherwise, early ohGr releases differed in sound to its related industrial bands, drawing more on hip-hop and electro-pop influences, incorporating more...
was included on the tribute compilation album, Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna, Vol. 2. Heather Phares of Allmusic said that Ogre's version "missed the mark." Chicago pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band Showoff
Showoff (band)
Showoff was a pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois led by vocalist Chris Envy.-History:Showoff was formed in 1997 in Villa Park, Illinois. The band consisted of Chris Envy , Daniel Castady , Graham Jordan , and Dave Envy...
recorded a cover for the 2002 compilation album Punk Goes Pop
Punk Goes Pop
Punk Goes Pop is a compilation album part of the Punk Goes... series created by Fearless Records. It contains a collection of songs by various artists performing covers of pop songs. It was released on April 3, 2002.-Track listing:...
. In 2006 singer Jody Watley
Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
covered the song for her album The Makeover. Watley's downtempo version attained UK release as a single in October 2009. An acoustic folk cover of the song by The Chapin Sisters
Chapin Sisters
The Chapin Sisters are an American folk pop musical group consisting of sisters Abigail Chapin and Lily Chapin, and formerly their half-sister Jessica Craven. Abigail and Lily are daughters of folk singer Tom Chapin and nieces of the late singer-songwriter Harry Chapin...
was included on the 2007 Madonna tribute album Through the Wilderness
Through the Wilderness
Through the Wilderness is a tribute album to Madonna by various folk artists, released on November 27, 2007 on Manimal Vinyl Records.*7 out of 10- Pitchforkmedia.com*3.5 Stars - Spin Magazine-Tracks included:...
. In 2008, singer Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
performed "Borderline" at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent, England. The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
and Stardeath and White Dwarfs
Stardeath and White Dwarfs
Stardeath and White Dwarfs is an experimental rock band from Norman, Oklahoma, formed in late 2004. The band has released one album, one single and an EP, as well as contributing to The Flaming Lips' 2009 remake of The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.The band consists of Dennis Coyne, Casey...
recorded a cover of the song for the 2009 Warner Bros. Records compilation, Covered, A Revolution in Sound
Covered, A Revolution in Sound
Covered, A Revolution in Sound is a tribute album produced and released by Warner Bros. Records to commemorate its 50th anniversary as a record label. The album consists of some of the greatest hits from previous and current artists from the late 20th century, while the songs featured on the album...
. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic described the cover recording as turning Madonna's version "inside out." Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
performed the song at the Royal Albert Hall in 2003, an MP3 of the song was released on the band's official website on March 17, 2009. The performance was criticised by ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, calling it anticlimatic. In 2010, the TV show Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
covered it in the episode "The Power of Madonna
The Power of Madonna
"The Power of Madonna" is the 15th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on April 20, 2010...
" as a mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
with the song "Open Your Heart
Open Your Heart (Madonna song)
"Open Your Heart" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released as the fourth single from her third studio album True Blue on November 12, 1986, by Sire Records. It has since appeared remixed on the compilation albums The Immaculate Collection and Celebration...
", performed by Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
and Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
.
Track listings and formats
- US 7" single
- "Borderline" (edit) – 4:02
- "Think of Me" – 4:14
- UK 7" & Limited Edition picture disc
- "Borderline" (edit) – 4:02
- "Physical Attraction" (edit) – 3:16
- UK 12" single
- "Borderline" (US remix) – 5:29
- "Borderline" (dub remix) – 5:56
- "Physical Attraction" (full-length version) – 6:01
- European 5" CD single re-issue
- "Borderline" (dub version) – 4:02
- "Borderline" (US remix) – 5:29
- "Physical Attraction" (LP version) – 6:35
- US 12" maxi single
- "Borderline" (new mix) – 5:29
- "Lucky Star" (new mix) – 6:19
- US 12" promotional maxi single
- "Borderline" (new mix) – 5:29
- "Borderline" (instrumental) – 4:47
- Australian 12" single
- "Borderline" (new extended mix) – 6:56
- "Borderline" (edit) – 4:02
- "Borderline" (instrumental)
- German 12" single
- "Borderline" (US remix) – 4:02
- "Borderline" (dub remix) – 5:29
- "Physical Attraction" (full-length version) – 6:02
Credits and personnel
- MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
– lead vocals - Reggie LucasReggie LucasReginald "Reggie" Lucas is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Lucas is most famous for his production work with percussionist Mtume and for producing the majority of Madonna's 1983 self-titled debut album.-Biography:...
– writer, producer, guitars, drum programming - Fred ZarrFred ZarrFred Zarr is an American musician, songwriter and song producer based in Brooklyn, NY. CEO of BiZarr Music, Inc., he works alongside numerous singers and songwriters at his Brooklyn studio....
– synthesizers, electric and acoustic piano - Dean Gant – synthesizers, electric and acoustic piano
- Ed WalshEd WalshEdward Augustine Walsh was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He holds the record for lowest career ERA, 1.82.-Baseball career:Born in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, Walsh had a brief though remarkable major league career...
– synthesizers - Anthony Jackson – electric bass
- Ira Siegal – guitars
- Bobby Malach – tenor saxophone
- Gwen Guthrie – background vocals
- Brenda White – background vocals
- Chrissy Faith – background vocals
Credits adapted from the album liner notes.
Charts
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
12 |
| Belgian VRT Top 30 VRT Top 30 The VRT Top 30 or Radio 2 Top 30 is a Belgian record chart that runs on the VRT, more specifically on Radio 2. The list is the new version of the old BRT Top 30, that changed along with the media group's name in 1992.... |
4 |
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
25 |
| Dutch Top 40 MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
3 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
47 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
23 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
2 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
10 |
| US Hot Adult Contemporary | 23 |
| US Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 2 |
External links
- Madonna "Borderline" lyrics at MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
- Madonna "Borderline" music video at MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....