Celebration (Madonna song)

"Celebration" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna from her third compilation album of the same name (2009). It was written by Madonna, Paul Oakenfold, Ian Green and Ciaran Gribbin, and was produced by Madonna and Oakenfold. A dance pop party song that recalls the singer's work from the 1980s and 90s, its lyrics invite the listener to come and join a party. It was released as the compilation's lead single on July 30 2009. Official Remixes for the track were created by Oakenfold, Benny Benassi, Johnny Vicious, and Akon.
Upon release, "Celebration" received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised its dance-oriented nature and similarity to Madonna's early hits, while others felt it was forgettable, generic, and were disappointed with its lyrical content. At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, it received a nomination in the Best Dance Recording category. "Celebration" had a weak commercial reception in the United States, peaking at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100; nonetheless, it became Madonna's 55th hit on the chart. It fared better in Europe, reaching the top spot in Bulgaria, Scotland, Italy, and Bulgaria. In other countries such as the United Kingdom, it reached the charts' top three.
Jonas Åkerlund directed the accompanying music video, which depicts Madonna dancing and doing provocative poses. Her daughter Lourdes Leon, and model Jesus Luz who was her boyfriend at the time, make appearances. Åkerlund directed an additional video containing fan footage. Madonna performed the song on her MDNA (2012) and Celebration (2023–2024) concert tours.
In March 2009, Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's publicist, confirmed that she would be releasing a new compilation album, with a planned release date of September. Two months later, Contactmusic.com announced that English producer and DJ Paul Oakenfold would collaborate with the singer on three new tracks for the album. Also in May, Attitude magazine reported in an interview with Oakenfold the titles of two of the songs: "Broken (I'm Sorry)" and "Celebrate". Oakenfold described the songs as, "lyrically classic Madonna with an edgy modern sound". "Celebrate" ―later renamed "Celebration"― was written by Madonna, Oakenfold, Ian Green and Ciaran Gribbin. Production was in charge of Madonna and Oakenfold.
While on the Sticky & Sweet Tour, Madonna approached Oakenfold and asked him what he was working on, and if he could send her some material that she could write lyrics to. Oakenfold, along with Green and Gribbin, had been working on new tracks for his upcoming album. They sent fifteen of those tracks to Madonna, "of these, she chose two I was working on, 'Celebration' and 'Broken'", recalled Gribbin. Oakenfold, Gribbin and Green developed the chord progression, arranged the backing track and added guitars, keyboards and drums. Madonna by her part, came up with the lyrics and melody. Official remixes were commissioned by Oakenfold, Benny Benassi, Johnny Vicious, and Akon.
Musically, "Celebration" is a dance pop song with EDM elements, and house and four-on-the-floor beats. It has been noted as being "slightly less Euro" than other Madonna singles from the time such as "Hung Up" (2005), instead recalling her work from the 1980s and 90s: "Holiday" (1983), "Into the Groove" (1985), "Vogue" (1990), "Deeper and Deeper" (1992), and "Ray of Light" (1998). It also echoes 2008's "4 Minutes", "in its urgency". Similarities to Calvin Harris' "I'm Not Alone" (2009) have also been perceived. According to the sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Inc., "Celebration" is set in the common time with a dance beat tempo of 126 beats per minute. It has a basic sequence of Em–F♯m–Bm–Bm as its chord progression, while Madonna's vocals span from F♯3 to B4.
An "unashamed party tune", the singer invites the listener to "the dance of life". She sings, Come join the party/'cause everybody wants to party with you. James Montgomery from MTV noted the refrain as being similar to a "truckload of Nintendo Entertainment Systems exploding in unison (only sexier)". Other lines like If it makes you feel good then I say do it/I don’t know what you’re waiting for are sung through "garish digital effects". Towards the bridge, the singer jokes that she doesn't recognize her dance partner without clothes on. On July 29, 2009, "Celebration" leaked to multiple file-sharing sites. The following days, it was made available for streaming and digital download. On August 3, it was sent to radio stations. Remixes released online on August 18, while physical releases were issued throughout September and October. The Akon remix was sent to radios on January 26, 2010, and the Benny Benassi remix was included on Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022), Madonna's third remix album.
Critical reviews towards "Celebration" were mostly mixed. Positive feedback came from the Los Angeles Times, where Todd Martens called it an "effective reboot of [Madonna's] late '80s hits [...] But rather than instill[ing] a sense of nostalgia, everything feels a bit obligatory. The sound of an artist, hopefully, ready for the next chapter". The sentiment was echoed by Yahoo! Voices' Chris A. Sosa, who also added: "Unlike the icy faux hip-hop of Hard Candy, [Madonna's] latest track takes on the character of the 80's dance queen audiences fell head-over-heels in love with [...] [It] doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the equation [...] just good fun". BBC's Fraser McAlpine said it was a "decent dance track [...] the kind of dance track that you could conceivably make by smashing buttons on a Casio home keyboard with your face". Stephen M. Deusner from Pitchfork saw "Celebration" as a "perfect filler", and as an example of "personality-driven pop: What's important isn't Madonna's singing, but the fact that it's Madonna singing. It doesn't matter if the beat merely suffices or if the lyrics are lamely uplifting".
In more critical reviews, Billboard's Chris Williams said the track wouldn't start any new trends, and Sarah Crompton from The Daily Telegraph said it was forgettable. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Slezak praised its dance nature but was disappointed with the lyrics; "[Madonna] seems to be revisiting the Party! Get on the floor! theme for the umpteenth time without even the slightest bit of linguistic flair". From Digital Spy, Nick Levine referred to "Celebration" as a "relatively unadventurous single" with lyrics that are, "as deep and meaningful as [Madonna's] yoga mat". For The Guardian's Jude Rogers, "['Celebration' has] shadows of [Madonna's] old selves, but more light is required". Both "Celebration" and "Revolver" ―another new song created for the compilation― were compared negatively to "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me", songs recorded for 1990's The Immaculate Collection, Madonna's first compilation album. Douglas Wolk from Pitchfork opined that, "whereas the new songs on Immaculate pointed [Madonna's] way forward for the next decade, ['Celebration' and 'Revolver'] just sound like throwaways". For Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine, "Celebration" is a "zero-traction dance track that’s as shallow lyrically [...] as it is musically", and not fit to "kiss the feet of 'Justify My Love'". Also from Slant Magazine, Paul Schrodt panned the track as a generic "embarrassing failure", and dismissed Madonna's vocals: "[she] [comes off] like a Real Housewife too sauced on rosé to actually care one way or another".
"Celebration" was considered Madonna's 65th and 59th greatest song by The Backlot's Louis Virtel and Parade's Samuel R. Murrian, respectively. The staff of Popjustice placed it among the best songs of 2009. Shape magazine's Chris Lawhorn considered "Celebration" to be one of the "Top 10 Madonna songs for the gym". At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, "Celebration" was nominated for Best Dance Recording, but lost to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" (2008). It was also nominated for Best Pop Dance Track at the 32nd International Dance Music Awards, where it lost to "When Love Takes Over" (2009) by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland.
In the United States, "Celebration" debuted and peaked at the 71st position of the Billboard Hot 100, the week of August 22, 2009. It was Madonna's 55th entry on the chart. It debuted on the Hot Dance Club Songs and Hot Dance Airplay charts at numbers 29 and seven, respectively. The entry extended Madonna's record as the artist with the most hits on the latter chart. On the issue dated September 26, 2009, "Celebration" became Madonna's 40th number-one song on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart, the most for an artist. By the end of 2009, it ranked 17th on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. "Celebration" peaked at number 33 on Billboard's Adult Pop Airplay, which made Madonna the artist with the most hits on this chart. In April 2010, Billboard reported that the song had sold 192,000 digital units, making it one of Madonna's best-selling singles since 2005. In Canada, the song debuted at number 56 on the Canadian Hot 100 and reached a peak of five the next week.
"Celebration" found success across Europe. In the United Kingdom, it debuted and peaked at the third position of the singles chart on September 20, 2009, spending a total of seven weeks there. "Celebration" was Madonna's 63rd UK top ten hit, and her last for fifteen years until the release of The Weeknd's "Popular", which co-featured her and Playboi Carti. "Celebration" further reached the first spot in Scotland, Italy, and Bulgaria. In Italy, the single was certified platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry (FIMI) for shipment of 60,000 copies. The single entered the Swedish charts at number 31 before leaping all the way to number one. In Finland, it had a top-five debut and spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one. "Celebration" was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Furthermore, the song reached the top five of the charts in France and Germany, as well as the top ten in Ireland, Austria, and Iceland. It was slightly less successful in Spain, as it barely cracked the top 20. "Celebration" peaked at number two of the European Hot 100 Singles chart, behind David Guetta's "Sexy Chick". In Australia and Japan, the single reached the 40th and fifth spot of the charts, respectively.
The music video for "Celebration" was filmed in between dates of the Sticky & Sweet Tour, under the direction of Jonas Åkerlund, with whom Madonna had worked in the past. The singer's "die hard" fans were given a chance to be featured. Ads were posted on her website calling on fans to show up to the Milan and Barcelona shootings, "dressed to impress [...] ready to perform, dance or just be yoursel[ves]". The video features appearances by Madonna's daughter Lourdes Leon ―who does a backbend in an 1980s-inspired gear― and her then-boyfriend Jesus Luz playing a DJ. Pierre Balmain provided a "gynecologically cut" black mini-dress encrusted with crystals. From Rolling Stone, Daniel Krepps described the visual as being "pretty much what's advertised in the title: a 'celebration' of Madonna's career". It uses the Benny Benassi remix instead of the original album version, and opens with the singer asking, "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?". Throughout the clip, she dances and strikes a series of provocative poses among a group of male dancers, "groping and grinding guiltlessly" on Luz. At one point, she takes off his jacket and brushes her lips against his, before pushing him away.
"Celebration" was released simultaneously on music channels worldwide, and on American iTunes on September 1, 2009. Teasers prior to the release showed Oakenfold doing "wacky dance moves", but these shots were ultimately cut. It was also included on the video compilation of the same name. Of the video, Krepps wrote: "[On 'Celebration'], the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer prove[s] her dance moves are still razor-sharp as she turns 51". James Montgomery said it echoed Madonna's "dark era, a period that runs roughly from the release of The Immaculate Collection, to her disastrous appearance on Late Night With David Letterman in 1994. For Olivia Smith from the New York Daily News, even though Madonna has toned down her appearance, "[she']s still her pelvis-swirling overtly sexual self in her new video". Smith, nonetheless, pointed out that that the scenes between Madonna and Luz weren't as overtly sexual as those of her dancing alone, "[when she's] either grabbing her crotch in a demonstration after Michael Jackson's heart or on all fours". A second version of the video, featuring fan footage and scenes of Leon wearing her mother's bridal getup from 1984's Like a Virgin, premiered through Madonna's official MySpace page on September 17.
Elements of "Celebration" were incorporated to the performance of "Holiday" on 2009's Sticky & Sweet Tour. Three years later, "Celebration" was the closing number of the MDNA Tour. Following the sound of church bells, Madonna and her troupe came on stage and performed the song amidst "colored cubes, lights and lasers", as noted by the staff or Argentina's Canal 26. At one point, they put on Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and mimicked DJ moves. Jim Harrington from The Oakland Tribune gave the overall concert a negative review but stated that, "it wasn't until the last two songs —'Like a Prayer' and 'Celebration'— that the whole deal finally clicked". The performance of the song at the November 19–20, 2012, shows in Miami's American Airlines Arena were recorded and released in Madonna's fourth live album, MDNA World Tour (2013).
In June 2022, to promote the release of Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, Madonna performed the song at Pride at the Women of the World Party, which took place at New York's Terminal 5. She wore a yellow and pink Adidas hoodie with matching shorts over a black bustier and sheer tights. A medley of "Bitch I'm Madonna" (2015) and "Celebration" was the closing number of 2023–2024's the Celebration Tour. The performance included a tribute to Michael Jackson, dancers dressed like Madonna throughout time, and photographs of "fairly random dead icons, crowing 'Bitch I’m Madonna' over and over", as noted by Kate Solomon from British news paper i, who also pointed out that, "the energy was so intense it felt like a riot could break out at any second".
Credits adapted from the Celebration album liner notes.