She's Madonna

Album: Rudebox (2006)
Charted: 16
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Songfacts®:

  • "She's Madonna" was reportedly inspired by a conversation Robbie Williams had with his Danish ex-girlfriend Tania Strecker, who told him about how her boyfriend, the British film director Guy Ritchie, had left her for the American singer Madonna. According to Strecker, Ritchie said: "Look, you know I really love you, but she's Madonna."

    Williams subsequently transformed this into a song about "unrealistic, unattainable desires," explaining on his website: "Well, I was lying in my bed with a very attractive female watching TV, and a very attractive actress came on to be interviewed. I instantly wanted her and not the person I was with. It's a man thing. Madonna became the focal point for the bigger, better offer and ultimately the futility of endless want and lust. Never seeing what you've got because of unrealistic, unobtainable desires."
  • According to the British tabloid the Daily Mirror, Madonna gave this song her seal of approval after Williams played it for her at her London home.
  • This song references a number of hits by Madonna, including 1998's "Frozen" ("You're frozen now, I've done the freezing") and 1985's "Into the Groove" ("You're younger too, but she's got her groove on"). It also namechecks several celebrities who were a part of Madonna's friend circle at the time, such as British supermodel Kate Moss, British fashion designer Stella McCartney, American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and her husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin:

    We're having drinks
    With Kate and Stella
    Gwyneth's here
    She's brought her fella
  • "She's Madonna" is a collaboration with British electronic-pop legends Pet Shop Boys. Speaking to GX Magazine in 2006, Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Tennant explained: "We worked on this the same time as remixing Madonna's 'Sorry,' but the song was totally Robbie's idea, based on a true story. We were impressed how quickly he came up with the words."

    Tennant and Chris Lowe also duetted with Williams on the Rudebox song "We're the Pet Shop Boys."
  • During the Making of Rudebox feature, Williams revealed "She's Madonna" is musically based on the German electronic outfit Kraftwerk's 1983 hit single "Tour de France."
  • As this song fades out, Williams can be heard speaking in gibberish. The voiceover begins with the words "bono estente" – a phrase made popular by the British comedy series The Fast Show as part of their signature sketch "Chanel 9 Neus," which impersonated a foreign news channel.
  • Ashley Hamilton, an American musician who is Rod Stewart's stepson, claims he helped Williams write this song. Hamilton had previously worked with Williams on "Come Undone," and he told the Daily Mirror in 2006 that he also came up with the idea for "She's Madonna." Despite threatening to sue Williams, Hamilton's case never made it to court. He remains uncredited.
  • The music video for "She's Madonna" opens with Williams being interviewed while dressed in drag, with the singer discussing the difference between his "private person" and his "artist persona." It then cuts to Williams taking off his dress and putting on a suit to perform, ironically, for a room full of drag queens. This suggests his "private person" is, in fact, the drag queen he left behind backstage. Directed by Johan Renck and shot in Los Angeles, the video stars some of the city's most iconic drag queens, including the late Alexis Arquette (sister to Rosanna, Patricia, and David Arquette) and RuPaul's Drag Race star Tammie Brown.
  • "She's Madonna" was the fifth and final single released from Williams' seventh studio album, Rudebox. The song peaked at #16 in the UK – Williams' lowest-charting single since "Sin Sin Sin" peaked at #22 in 2006. The song did relatively better in Europe, reaching the Top 5 in Italy, Spain, and Germany, among others. "She's Madonna" also peaked at #12 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs.

Comments: 1

  • Fulu from Limpopo, South Africai've read an article where it is claimed that the song is about madonna (a singer). is she aware? i like it.
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