Lyrics

Something in the way you love me won't let me be

I don't want to be your prisoner

So baby won't you set me free

Stop playing with my heart

Finish what you start

When you make my love come down

If you want me let me know

Baby let it show

Honey don't you fool around

Just try to understand

I've given all I can

'Cause you got the best of me

Borderline

Feels like I'm going to lose my mind

You just keep on pushing my love

Over the borderline

Borderline

Feels like I'm going to lose my mind

You just keep on pushing my love

Over the borderline

Keep on pushing me baby

Don't you know you drive me crazy

You just keep on pushing my love

Over the borderline

Something in your eyes is makin' such a fool of me

When you hold me in your arms you love me til I just can't see

But then you let me down

When I look around

Baby you just can't be found

Stop driving me away

I just wanna stay

There's something I just got to say

Just try to understand

I've given all I can

'Cause you got the best of me

Borderline

Feels like I'm going to lose my mind

You just keep on pushing my love

Over the borderline

Borderline

Feels like I'm going to lose my mind

You just keep on pushing my love

Over the borderline

Keep on pushing me baby

Don't you know you drive me crazy

You just keep on pushing my love

Over the borderline

Look what your love has done to me

Come on baby set me free

You just keep on pushing my love

Over the borderline

You cause me so much pain

I think I'm going insane

What does it take to make you see

You just keep on pushing my love

Over the borderline

Keep pushing me, keep pushing me

Keep pushing my love

(You just keep on pushing my love)

Common baby

(Over the borderline)

Common darling

Yeah

Credits

Written by Reggie Lucas

Produced by Reggie Lucas

Synthesizers by Dean Gant, Fred Zarr and Ed Walsh

Electric and acoustic pianos by Dean Gant and Fred Zarr

Guitars by Reggie Lucas and Ira Siegal

Drum programming by Reggie Lucas and Leslie Ming

Tenor saxophone by Bobby Malach

Electric bass by Anthony Jackson

Background vocals by Gwen Guthrie, Norma Jean Wright, Madonna, Brenda White and Chrissy Faith

Album

Madonna

The Immaculate Collection

Single

In this love song Madonna asks her boyfriend to make up his mind, because she's crazy in love with him. The fans were crazy about the song too, because Madonna scored her first US top 10 hit when she released Borderline in 1984. It would also become her first Gold certification. In the UK at first it only got to #56, but after the first album was re-issued in 1985, Borderline re-entered the singles chart in January 1986 and made it to #2 (only to be blocked from #1 by Billy Ocean's 'When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going').

Video

This was the first video by Mary Lambert, who would later also direct Like A Virgin, Material Girl, La Isla Bonita and Like A Prayer. In this video we see Madonna as a colorful street girl, toying with one of the boys. Then a photographer gets interested in her and she lets him take pictures while she sips champagne. Later though she gets bored and tries to win back the heart of her boyfriend. Lambert creates a contrast with color scenes in the street (with the boyfriend) and black & white scenes during the photoshoots. It was the first Madonna video that got sustained play on MTV.

Tour

Performed for the first time on the Virgin Tour, Madonna certainly didn't do justice to this great single as she cut out the second verse and quickly ran through the song in only two minutes. The performance was uneventful with Madonna all alone onstage just walking around.

It took an incredible 23 years for Madonna to finally put Borderline back in a tour setlist. The Sticky & Sweet version got an early 80s rock makeover featuring Madonna, dressed in the Old School outfit, playing her colourful electric guitar, turning this sweet song into a rocking anthem.