Material Girl

by

Madonna

Album: Like A Virgin     Released: 1984

US Chart: 2      UK Chart: 3

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This was written by the songwriters Peter Brown and Robert Rans. The song is about a woman who craves the finer things in life and will manipulate men to get them. Like A Virgin was only Madonna's second album, and she was still developing her image. Much to her dismay, "Material Girl" became Madonna's nickname, but over the next few years she was able to dissociate from the song and establish many new looks. Later in her career, Madonna wrote and recorded many more substantive and personal songs, and adapted a lifestyle that stressed harmony and mindfulness over materialism and excess. This is apparent in her 2003 song "American Life."

The video recreated a classic scene from the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with Madonna as the Marilyn Monroe character. MTV played the video constantly, which associated Madonna closely with the song. Fortunately for her, "Like A Virgin" was an even bigger hit, and after she performed that song on the MTV Video Music Awards she became much more identified with that one.

Keith Carradine portrayed the director in the video. He is the son of actor John Carradine and half-brother of David, but despite his pedigree, this video may have been his biggest role. He did have a hit song called "I'm Easy" in 1976.

The characters on Sesame Street did a version of this called "Cereal Girl."

In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, Madonna was asked about her first impressions hearing the demos for this song and "Like A Virgin." She replied: "I liked them both because they were ironic and provocative at the same time but also unlike me. I'm not a materialistic person, and I certainly wasn't a virgin." Expanding on her "not materialistic" statement, she said, "I feel lucky to be able to afford a Frida Kahlo painting or live in a nice house, but I know that I can live without it. I'm resourceful, and if I ended up in a log cabin in the middle of the forest, that would work too. These things are not mandatory for my happiness."

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Comments:

I was sure this song was at number one for a few weeks. I always thought it was Madonnas second number oner after Like a Virgin!Material Girl and Like a Virgin are Madonnas best and after that came only inferior songs.
- john , Brisbane, United States

I heard Sesame Street's cereal girl before I heard Material Girl. Great parody for a great song :)
- Aya , NSW

This song quickly became Madonna's signature song and she personally earned the name "The Material Girl." Actually, Madonna herself dislikes that, but it stuck just the same.
- Mike , santa barbara, CA

This song is playable in Elite Beat Agents. It's a DESERTED ISLAND?!?
- Matthew , Milford, MA

Haha cereal girl. Anyway...the other day I forced my mom to drive down the street blasting this song. It only worked out that way cuz I plugged the iPod in and turned it to that song. Lawl. It was funny cuz we both ended up lip syncing with extreme expressions on our faces.
- Jailene , k-tOWN, WA

This song rocks so hard. Not everyone can pull off a Monroe impersonation, but Madonna did it and did it well.
- Amanda , Little Rock, AR

Madonna looks like a female player in the video.
- AJ , Cleveland, GA

I grew up to cereal girl.........
- Connor , Woodbridge, VA

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