Holiday was Madonna’s first hit. It propelled her into the American Top 20, and even higher up the charts around the world. A quarter of a century later, it’s still a favourite, featuring in many of her concert encores.
The song’s bubbliness is infectious, from the squelchy beats of “Jellybean” Benitez’s production to its utopian call for world peace, or “a way to come together and make things better”, at the very least. “Put your troubles down,” Madonna urges. “It’s time to celebrate.” Go on, you know you want to. “It would be so nice.”
She sang Holiday at Live Aid, and used the track to promote In Bed With Madonna, a blockbuster behind-the-scenes tour documentary, known to Americans as Truth or Dare? When Michael Jackson died, she dedicated it to him, and segued into a medley of his greatest hits. If he was the King of Pop, Madonna is its Queen.
