Lyrics

Don't put me off

'Cause I'm on fire

And I can't quench my desire

Don't you know that

I'm burning up for your love

You're not convinced that that is enough

I put myself in this position

And I deserve the imposition

But you don't even know I'm alive

And this pounding in my heart

Just won't die

I'm burning up

I'm burning up, burning up for your love

I'm burning up, burning up for your love

I'm burning up, burning up for your love

For your love

You're always closing your door

Well that only makes me want you more

And day and night

I cry for your love

You're not convinced that that is enough

To justify my wanting you

Now tell me what you want me to do

I'm not blind and I know

That you want to want me but you can't let go

Come on let go

I'm burning up, burning up for your love

I'm burning up, burning up for your love

I'm burning up, burning up for your love

For your love

Do you wanna see me down on my knees

Or bending over backwards now

Would you be pleased

Unlike the others

I'd do anything

I'm not the same

I have no shame

I'm on fire

Come on let go

Do you wanna see me down on my knees

Or bending over backwards now

Would you be pleased

Unlike the others

I'd do anything

I'm not the same

I have no shame

I'm on fire

Oh yeah, I'm burning up

Oh yeah, I'm burning up

Common common, I'm burning up

Uh uh uh, I'm burning up

Oh yeah, I'm burning up

Common common, I'm burning up

Oh yeah, I'm burning up

You know you got me burning up baby

You know you got me burning up baby

Burning up for your love

Burning up for your love

Credits

Written by Madonna

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, Ira Siegal and Paul Pesco

Drum programming by Reggie Lucas and Leslie Ming

Tenor saxophone by Bobby Malach

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

Album

Madonna

Pre-Madonna

In The Beginning

Single

After Everybody, Madonna released Burning Up as her second single. The single didn't make it into the charts, except for a #3 spot in the Club Play. This gave people the impression Madonna was another disco one-hit-wonder.

Video

Steve Baron, famous for directing Michael Jackson's Billie Jean video, directed the video for Burning Up. It shows a young and wild Madonna crawling on the street, 'burning up' for the love of her boyfriend. Her lover - the guy driving the car - was played by her real boyfriend at that time, Norris Burroughs.

Tour

This song was premiered on the Virgin Tour. Madonna sang it as the last number before the encore, still in her black outfit. She gave a steamy performance as she got physical with her dancers, got down on her knees, bent backwards and then rocked around with the guitarist while the stage got covered by smoke.

Burning Up became completely forgotten until it was picked up again 2 decades later on the Re-Invention Tour. Still wearing her American Life military gear, Madonna strapped on her electric guitar and turned this into a great punk-rock song. At the end her guitarist Monte Pittman joins her and she even kneels down and licks his fingers!