Madonna is one of the giants in the music industry and is considered by many to be the founder of modern female pop music as we know it today. Over the years, she’s had a number of hit songs, and one that stands out as a fan favorite is the song “Vogue,” which was released in 1990. The song is often associated with the fashion industry, as it’s considered the greatest modeling songs of all time (with all due respect to “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred). The song reached number one in over 30 countries worldwide, and the single sold over two million copies, becoming double platinum-certified that same year.
The story behind the song is pretty impressive. Warner Music executive Craig Kostich approached producer Shep Pettibone about collaborating with Madonna on a new dance song. Pettibone recalls that “Vogue” was a song he made very quickly and cheaply, writing and recording the backing track within two weeks while only using a budget of $5,000. After he was finished, he sent the song to Madonna, who wrote the lyrics and thought up the title. The artist had recently finished working on the soundtrack for the movie “Dick Tracey” and flew to New York to record her vocals in a tiny 24-track basement studio in a booth which they had converted from a closet. In this video, we see Madonna perform “Vogue” before a live audience during her 2012 MDNA tour.
Pettibone said that Madona was a very efficient worker in the studio, as she finished all the chorus and verse vocals in order, only needing one take. Pettibone was the one who suggested that she use a rap to fill the middle eight portion of the song, and also recommended name-dropping a couple of her favorite stars. So Madonna wrote down a few names and recorded the rap right away. Pettibone was also the one who came up with the lyric, “Ooooh, you’ve got to, let your body move to the music.” After the song was finished and submitted to Warner Bros music executives, they were so impressed by it that they decided to make it the next single instead of “Keep It Together.”
Watch Madonna strike a pose as she performs one of her most incredible dance songs.