Lucky Star (Madonna song)

"Lucky Star" is a song by American singer Madonna from her self-titled debut studio album (1983). Produced by Reggie Lucas, it was written by Madonna with the intention that her friend Mark Kamins would play it in his sets at Danceteria, where he was the resident DJ. In 1982, Madonna was signed on by Sire Records for the release of two 12" singles; after the success of first single "Everybody", the label approved the recording of an album, and the singer decided to work with Lucas. However, problems between Madonna and the producer arose and he ended up leaving the project; she then called John "Jellybean" Benitez, her boyfriend at the time, to work on the remaining songs.
A dance song with disco influences, the lyrics to "Lucky Star" are a double-entendre that compare a lover's body with the stars in the sky. It was first released as a double-A-side promotional single with "Holiday" in August 1983. One month later, it was published as a stand-alone single in Europe and the United Kingdom; in the United States, a release was issued on August 8, 1984. Critics reacted positively towards "Lucky Star", highlighting its optimistic sound; in retrospective reviews, it is now considered one of Madonna's best singles. It reached the fourth spot of the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Madonna her first top-five hit. It also peaked within the top-ten in Canada, and the top 20 in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The song's music video shows the singer dancing against a white backdrop with her brother Christopher and her friend Erika Belle. Some authors noted that in the video Madonna portrayed herself in a narcissistic way, that she was referring to herself as the titular lucky star. Additionally, after the visual's release, the singer's fashion became a trend among the younger generation. Madonna has performed "Lucky Star" in four of her concert tours, the last being 2015–2016's Rebel Heart Tour. The single has been referenced in movies like Pulp Fiction (1994), and covered and sampled by artists such as Chris Colfer and Carly Rae Jepsen.
In 1982, Madonna was living with her former Michigan boyfriend Stephen Bray in an unused rehearsal studio in New York City. Since "funky dance records were in style on the radio and dance floor", the singer and Bray created a demo tape with four dance tracks, including "Everybody", "Burning Up", and "Ain't No Big Deal". While pitching the tape, she met and befriended DJ Mark Kamins at Danceteria nightclub. After listening to "Everybody", Kamins took her to Sire Records, where Seymour Stein, the label's president, signed Madonna for two 12" singles. Released in October, "Everybody" became a hit in the dance scene. The single's success led to the label approving the recording of an album, but Madonna chose not to work with either Bray or Kamins, opting instead for Warner Bros. producer Reggie Lucas. Upon meeting her, Lucas wasn't impressed with the singer's "boho-punk style", and thought she was "the weirdest person I'd ever met".
"Lucky Star" was one of three songs Madonna wrote prior to entering the studio, along with "Think of Me" and "I Know It". According to Andrew Morton, the singer wrote the lyrics to "Lucky Star" on a yellow legal notepad, and created the music on a Casiotone keyboard with a cassette player Kamins had given to her. She wrote it as a thank you to him, and with the hope that he'd play it in his sets at Danceteria. One of the earliest recorded versions of "Lucky Star" Madonna and Lucas created was described as being very "R&B-leaning", while another one was heavy on guitars, but due to a negative experience involving Madonna and a rock guitarist, was quickly discarded. However, problems between Madonna and Lucas soon arose, as she felt he was "moving [the songs] away from the sparse form of the original demos", something she did not approve of; the producer ended up leaving the project without altering the tracks. The singer then invited John "Jellybean" Benitez, her boyfriend at the time, to work on the remaining songs. In the case of "Lucky Star", Benitez added additional guitars and vocals, a "synthesized disco beat with soulful flourishes", and elements of New Wave. Benitez would recall that Madonna was "overwhelmed by how great it all sounded [...] As much as she could be a bitch, when you were in groove with her, it was very cool, very creative".
"Lucky Star" was recorded at the Sigma Sound Studios in New York. Personnel working on the song included Fred Zarr on keyboard arrangement and synthesizers, alongside Dean Gant; Paul Pesco on guitars, Benitez was in charge of audio mixing, and Bobby Malach played tenor saxophone. It has been described as a "medium-paced" dance track with disco influences. The lyrics are a double-entendre and compare a lover's "heavenly body" with the stars in the sky, while the "simple" refrain refers the nursery rhyme "Star Light, Star Bright". The line Shine your heavenly body tonight is considered the closest the song has to a sexual innuendo.
The song begins with the sound of a "shimmering, programmed" glissando, which is followed by "clanging rhythm guitars, synth atmospherics, and [a] chugging bass". Madonna then sings the lines You must be my lucky star/Cause you shine on me wherever you are/I just think of you and I start to glow with a "youthful chirp". According to the sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Inc., "Lucky Star" is set in the time signature of common time with a moderate dance tempo of 108 beats per minute. It is set in the key of E minor, with Madonna's voice spanning from the tonal nodes of G3 to F♯5. The song has a basic sequence of Em7–D as its chord progression.
A double-A-side single of "Holiday" and "Lucky Star" was first released to dance clubs on mid August 1983. According to Rikki Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, the label wanted to release "Lucky Star" as a stand-alone single, but changed their mind after "Holiday" began receiving heavy radio play and reached the first spot of Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. In Europe, "Lucky Star" was first published on September 9, 1983; in the United States, it was officially released almost one year later, on August 8, 1984. Music executive Jeff Ayeroff recalled that Madonna initially didn't want to release "Lucky Star" as a single; around that time, she was getting sued and needed money, so Ayeroff told her, "let me release 'Lucky Star', and I guarantee that you'll sell enough records to pay that off". According to the executive, he was right because, "['Lucky Star'] broke the first album wide open". Years later, the song was included on Madonna's compilation albums The Immaculate Collection (1990) and Celebration (2009).
"Lucky Star" has received positive reviews since its release; Billboard's Brian Chin named it the best song on the album, while the staff of Cash Box singled out the singer's "distinctive vocals and lyrical knack". NME described the single as, "half Stacy Lattisaw, half Marilyn Monroe", and applauded it for having a "stronger beat" than Madonna's previous single "Everybody". Mark Bego described it as a "bright, optimistic" song, while Rikky Rooksby compared Madonna's "cutesy" vocals to those of Cyndi Lauper. To Marc Andrews, it's "timeless, iconic, and funky". Simon Gage and Lisa Richards, on their book Queer, referred to "Lucky Star" as a "happy" number. Santiago Fouz-Hernández and Freya Jarman-Ivens, authors of Madonna's Drowned Worlds, noted that with songs like "Lucky Star" and "Burning Up", Madonna was introducing a "style of upbeat dance music that would prove particularly appealing to future gay audiences". Author J. Randy Taraborrelli praised the track's "simplicity", but felt it ultimately came off as "forgettable", an opinion that was shared by the Observer–Reporter's Terry Hazlett. English tenor and academic John Potter praised the song's sound, but criticized its reverb and double tracking, which he believed "de-personalized" it.
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine singled out "Lucky Star" as "effervescent", and as one of the "great songs" on his review of the Madonna album; for Stewart Mason, from the same portal, it's a "dead simple" track with an "absolutely bare-bones arrangement and antiseptically clean production, but for some reason, it works. It's near impossible to hear this song without dancing". Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani commented that "Lucky Star" had, "unknowingly prefaced [Madonna's] foray into the glittery halls of electronic-pop". From the same magazine, Eric Henderson said that, "['Lucky Star'] sets the tone [of the album] right off the bat", and named it a "sonic monster worthy of David Mancuso's fine-tuned system at the Loft". On the same vein, the staff of Rolling Stone called it the "perfect" album opener. While Pitchfork's Jill Mapes opined that, with songs like "Lucky Star", Madonna had "helped resituate electronic dance-pop at Top 40’s apex", it was described as an "enjoyable earworm" by The Advocate.
While reviewing the 2001 re-release of Madonna, Michael Paoletta from Billboard pointed out that, "such tracks as 'Lucky Star' [...] remain irresistible". On his review of The Immaculate Collection on its 25th anniversary, the Daily Review's James Rose opined "Lucky Star" was "perfect for the '80s dance floor", and while not "vastly different" from "Holiday", it "offers an incrementally more complex and interesting sound". Nayer Missim from PinkNews also compared the single to "Holiday", referring to both songs as "jagged slices of irresistible disco funk" that foreshadowed Madonna's work with Nile Rodgers; he named "Lucky Star" her 16th best song. Also from PinkNews, Marcus Wratten deemed "Lucky Star" the third best song on Madonna, calling it "fizzy, effortlessly cool and subtly sexy".
Matthew Jacobs from HuffPost placed the song at number 10 of his ranking of the singer's singles, calling it her "most '80s-sounding hit". Louis Virtel, writing for The Backlot, named "Lucky Star" the singer's 19th best, referring to it as "so determinedly chipper that you might forget its naughtiest element – the way Madonna croons". He further compared it to Prince's 1991 song "Gett Off", with the exception that, "['Lucky Star'] is softer [and] sexier". The Arizona Republic's Ed Masley noted how "young and innocent" the singer sounded, and concluded that, "sometimes a sassy delivery and a slinky post-Chic disco groove is all it takes to launch a proper pop sensation"; he named it Madonna's 9th greatest song. "Lucky Star" was considered the singer's 26th best song by Entertainment Weekly's Chuck Arnold, who described it as a "radiant twirler [that] feels as if it comes equipped with its own disco ball". In Billboard's ranking, where it was placed at number 16, Katie Write praised Madonna's composition and referred to "Lucky Star" as an "irresistible dance hit".
On August 27, 1983, the "Holiday" / "Lucky Star" release debuted on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart at number 31. Almost one month later, it reached the chart's top spot ―where it spent five weeks― becoming Madonna's very first number one on any Billboard chart. By the end of the year, "Holiday" / "Lucky Star" was ranked third on the Dance Club Songs chart. On August 25, 1984, Billboard reported that "Lucky Star" was the most added song on radio stations, which caused it to enter the Hot 100 at number 49. Almost two months later, it peaked at number four, becoming the singer's first top-five hit. The single also entered the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart, were it peaked at number 19. "Lucky Star" came in at number 66 of the Hot 100 year-end chart for 1984. In Canada, the single debuted in the 89th position of RPM's Top Singles chart on the week of September 22, 1984; two months later, it peaked at number eight. "Lucky Star" came in at number 72 on the official year-end chart.
In the United Kingdom, "Lucky Star" debuted at the 47th position of the UK Singles Chart on March 17, 1984, and, three weeks later, peaked at number 14; it spent 9 weeks on the chart overall. According to Music Week magazine, over 117,000 copies of the single have been sold in the United Kingdom as of 2008. On March 10, the single debuted at number 74 of the European Hot 100 Singles chart, where it eventually peaked at number 29. "Lucky Star" saw a moderate response across Europe, peaking within the top 30 and top 20 of Belgium and Ireland, respectively. In Australia, it reached the chart's 36th spot.
The music video for "Lucky Star" was directed by Arthur Pierson, and produced by Glenn Goodwin; Wayne Isham was in charge of photography. Initially, Mary Lambert was appointed director, but was soon replaced by Pierson. Warner Bros. gave Pierson a $14,000 budget for the shooting, which took place in Los Angeles in February 1984. Christopher Ciccone, the singer's brother, and Erika Belle appeared in the video as dancers; Ciccone recalled that, "[Madonna] asked us to dance in her 'Lucky Star' video [...] We shoot at the old Charlie Chaplin studio [...] I get paid just $200 and don't get any royalties either. However, at the time, I am happy just to be a part of it. The camaraderie between Madonna, Erika, Martin [Burgoyne], and me is enough for me".
In the video, Madonna wore a black outfit consisting of a mesh crop top, fingerless lace gloves, skirt over leggings, and stars and crucifixes dangling from her ears and around her waist. Although Belle was credited with coming up with the ensemble, biographer Mary Cross noted that Madonna was wearing her "day-to-day" clothing. At the time of the song's release, the singer's fashion was catching on as a statement among club kids and her fans, with the crucifixes she wore as earrings being the most prominent; Madonna herself commented that, "[wearing a crucifix] was kind of offbeat and interesting. I mean, everything I do is sort of tongue-in-cheek. Besides, [the crucifixes] seem to go with my name." Cross, however, wrote that the singer was trying to find a distinctive image for herself, and stand out among artists like Boy George, Cyndi Lauper, and David Bowie. "Lucky Star" was added to MTV the week of June 2, 1984; afterwards, it was added to Madonna's video compilations The Immaculate Collection (1990) and Celebration: The Video Collection (2009).
The visual starts with a black and white close-up of Madonna's face, as she slides her sunglasses down her nose. The image then fades to white and resumes in color. Scenes of Madonna, Ciccone and Belle dancing against a plain white background are interspersed with closeups of the singer's "mesmerized" gaze. The video ends with the initial black-and-white image repeated, but in retrograde, as Madonna puts back on the sunglasses.
Dance historian Sally Banes, one of the authors of Before, between, and beyond: three decades of dance writing, noted that the video portrayed Madonna as both the subject and the object of the song; the shot of her taking off her sunglasses depicted her as a movie star, thus creating an ambiguous characterization of herself, and giving the visual a narcissistic theme. Peter Goodwin commented that, although "Lucky Star" is not a narrative video, the singer played at least three characters ― the peeper in sunglasses, a break dancer, and a seductress. The juxtaposition of all these characterizations portrayed her, according to the author, as a narcissistic self-lover. Goodwin concluded that the images of Madonna's body writhing against the white background generated the question of whether she is addressing her lover or herself in the song. Adam Sexton, author of Desperately Seeking Madonna: In Search of the Meaning of the World's Most Famous Woman, noted that although the clip seems to be made for a "male fetishistic gaze", Madonna takes control of "what is to be looked at and how it is to be looked at" by mockingly opening her mouth and flicking her tongue. Time's John Skow noted that, "[s]he's sexy, but she doesn't need men [...] she's kind of there all by herself".
AllMusic's Stewart Mason deemed the video "powerfully effective [...] about 500 times sexier than the entire Sex book". The Quietus' Matthew Lindsay referred to it as a "showcase for Madonna as auto-erotic magnet", and noted that at one point, the singer did a pose similar to Keith Haring's Radiant Baby. Matthew Jacobs highlighted the singer's "seminal look", and said that, "['Lucky Star'] spawned the bulk of the copycat costumes still seen at Halloween parties far and wide", and made her a fashion icon. In retrospective reviews, Idolator's Mike Nied considered "Lucky Star" to be Madonna's 19th greatest music video, praising its "classic '80s vibes", and saying it was "evidence of the then-rising star’s undeniable appeal". It came in at the same spot of The Backlot's ranking; Louis Virtel wrote that, "even on a stark white backdrop, Madonna is a resplendent shooting star", highlighting her "hungry stare" and dance moves.
On October 13, 1983, Madonna sang "Lucky Star" at the Camden Palace in London; she wore a black top, black skirt, leggings, her hair in ringlets, and sang in a "husky, black-sounding voice", according to The Guardian's Bart Mills. The single was then included on four of the singer's concert tours: Virgin (1985), Who's That Girl (1987), Confessions (2006), and Rebel Heart (2015–2016). On the first one, Madonna wore a black crop top beneath a vest with a silver cross pattée, matching fringed gloves and miniskirt, leggings, low-heeled leather boots, and a crucifix earring in one ear. The performance of the song at Detroit's Cobo Arena was included on the Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour video release (1985).
The song's performance at the Who's That Girl World Tour found the artist singing underneath a disco ball hung from above the stage. She wore the same black bustier from her "Open Your Heart" (1987) video, with her platinum blonde hair done in a big bushy style. From the Chicago Tribune, Scott A. Zamost and Elizabeth Snead felt that, although Madonna's voice sounded strong, she was "drowned out frequently and annoyingly by an overpowering back-up band" in numbers such as "Lucky Star". Two different performances can be found on the videos Who's That Girl: Live in Japan and Ciao Italia: Live from Italy, filmed in Tokyo on June and in Turin on September, respectively.
A "modernized" "Lucky Star" with a techno beat was sung on the Confessions Tour. Following the performance of "La Isla Bonita" (1987), Madonna lies face-down on the stage; afterwards, two backup singers wrap an illuminated white cape with "Dancing Queen" embroidered on the back around her and, together, proceed to perform "Lucky Star". Towards the end, the original beat of the song slowly begins to morph into "Hung Up" (2005), the concert's final number. From The Providence Journal, Rick Massimo opined the song was given "even more dance thump". The performance from the August 15-16 London concerts was included on the singer's second live album, The Confessions Tour (2007).
On the MDNA Tour (2012), the song was sampled on a video that led to "Turn Up the Radio". A slow, cumbia and salsa-fueled medley of "Dress You Up", "Into the Groove" (1985) and "Lucky Star", was included on the Rebel Heart Tour. The number featured Day of the Dead iconography and found Madonna, decked out in a long dress with a black shawl and a black hat, joined by a Mexican-themed dance crew. Billboard's Joe Lynch felt that, "the maracas might have been a little much, but the crisp Spanish guitar successfully made the songs sound newly organic". On July 27, 2023, Madonna posted an Instagram video of herself dancing to "Lucky Star" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her debut album.
"Lucky Star" was featured in the film Running on Empty (1988), in a scene where River Phoenix's character is attending music class. Six years later, the song's music video was mentioned in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction; the character Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros) tells her boyfriend Butch (Bruce Willis) that she wants a stomach "like Madonna when she did 'Lucky Star'". The song also plays in a scene of Snatch (2000), directed by Guy Ritchie, who was married to Madonna from 2000 to 2008. "Lucky Star" was mentioned on American television series Modern Family: Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) reveals that when he was 12, his father caught him dancing to the song, which he refers to as "the most embarrassing thing that a boy can do". In 2019, "Lucky Star" was used in the fifth episode of the first season of Euphoria.
Michael Hedges did a "decidedly rock'n'roll" rendition of "Lucky Star" during a 1993 concert. The 2000 tribute album Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna, Vol. 2 included a trip hop cover of the song by Switchblade Symphony; AllMusic's Heather Phares highlighted it as one of the album's finest moments. Seven years later, a folk music cover by Alexandra Hope was included on Through the Wilderness. In 2014, "Lucky Star" was sung by Chris Colfer on "Old Dog, New Tricks", the nineteenth episode of the fifth season of American musical television series Glee. Carly Rae Jepsen sampled the track on her 2017 single "Cut to the Feeling" and, five years later, a cover by Eva Noblezada was included on the soundtrack for the film Luck.
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.