Songoftheday 5/17/13 - Everybody spread the word we're gonna have a celebration all across the world In every nation...

Madonna - "Holiday"
from the album Madonna (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #16 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 11

Today's Song of the Day was the first pop hit for who would become the absolute biggest music artist of our generation. Madonna Louise Ciccone came from the Detroit suburbs and eventually planted herself in New York, where after a few stalled attempts to start a career, she got signed to Sire Records in 1982, and released a club single "Everybody" in 1982. That record would become a big dance hit, reaching #3 on the Billboard club chart. She began to record her self-titled debut album, but after sessions with producer Reggie Lucas made her flat, she enlisted her live-in boyfriend "Jellybean" Benitez to remix the albums tracks, and produce what would be her first pop single "Holiday".

Written by Lisa Stevens and Curtis Hudson of the disco group Pure Energy ("Party On"), and piano work from Brooklyn NRG musician Fred Zarr, "Holiday" was the perfect blend of pop accessibility and club smack that made it a fit along side the new wave of the day...

"Holiday" became Madonna's first #1 dance hit, and made the top-20 on the pop chart, as well as #25 on the R&B chart (the original single didn't have her on the cover, to not arouse suspicion of her as a "white" singer). It would go to the top-10 in Britain, Australia, Germany, Holland, and Belgium. It would also be her last official single not to reach the pop top-10 until 1989's "Oh Father".

It's easy to forget how unassuming Madonna's initial success was. "Holiday"'s video wasn't widely played anywhere, and the single while having a rabid fanbase in the club world, didn't rock the pop world the way her future success would bring.

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In 1986, remixer Ben Liebrand produced a dance-rap group called MC Miker G & DJ Sven from the Netherlands on a record cribbing from "Holiday" called "Holiday Rap" which reached #1 in France, Germany and their home country...