Lyrics

Holiday, celebrate

Holiday, celebrate

If we took a holiday

Took some time to celebrate

Just one day out of life

It would be

It would be so nice

Everybody spread the word

We're gonna have a celebration

All across the world

In every nation

It's time for the good times

Forget about the bad times, oh yeah

One day to come together

To release the pressure

We need a holiday

If we took a holiday

Took some time to celebrate (Common let's celebrate)

Just one day out of life (Holiday)

It would be

It would be so nice

If we took a holiday (Oh yeah, oh yeah)

Took some time to celebrate (Common let's celebrate)

Just one day out of life (Just one day out of life)

It would be

It would be so nice

You can turn this world around

And bring back all of those happy days

Put your trouble down

It's time to celebrate

Let love shine

And we will find

A way to come together

And make things better

We need a holiday

If we took a holiday (Holiday)

Took some time to celebrate (Common let's celebrate)

Just one day out of life (Just one day out of life)

It would be

It would be so nice

Oh yeah, oh yeah

Common let's celebrate

We have got to get together

Holiday, celebrate

Holiday, celebrate

If we took a holiday (Oh yeah, oh yeah)

Took some time to celebrate (Common let's celebrate)

Just one day out of life (Holiday)

It would be

It would be so nice

(Holiday)

Oh yeah oh yeah

(Celebrate)

Common let's celebrate

(Holiday)

Just one day out of life

(Celebrate)

It would be so nice

(Holiday)

Holiday, celebration

(Celebrate)

Come together in every nation

(Holiday)

Holiday, celebration

(Celebrate)

Come together in every nation

(Holiday, celebrate)

(Holiday, celebrate)

We've got to get together

Take some time to celebrate

(Holiday, celebrate)

(Holiday, celebrate)

Just one day out of life

It would be so nice

(Holiday)

Holiday, celebration

(Celebrate)

Come together in every nation

Credits

Written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens

Produced by John -Jellybean- Benitez

Drums, moog bass, synthesizer, fender rhodes and acoustic piano by Fred Zarr

Guitars by Curtis Hudson

Bass by Raymond Hudson

Percussion by Bashiri Johnson

Cowbelle by Madonna

Background vocals by Madonna, Tina B., Norma Jean Wright

For You Can Dance:

Additional production and remix by John -Jellybean- Benitez

Album

Madonna

You Can Dance

The Immaculate Collection

The Wedding Singer (OST)

Single

Holiday was the real first single from the first album, released in the fall of 1983. Although it's an anthem among fans, it didn't chart very well; it reached only #16 on the US Billboard chart. It did better in the UK (#6) and Australia (#4). It re-entered the UK chart in 1985 (when the debut album was re-issued), making it to the #2 spot (stuck behind her own smash hit Into The Groove). There was a UK re-release to promote The Immaculate Collection in 1991 (with a #5 peak). Charting together with Lucky Star, it became her first #1 on the Hot Dance / Club Play chart, holding the top spot for 5 weeks. But it's the live performances that made the song so well-known. Holiday was performed on Madonna's first 6 tours and except for the Virgin Tour, it was always used as one of the final songs to end the show with a dance classic.

Video

The original video for Holiday was reportedly so bad that it was never released. Instead the recording of a television performance was used. The performance of Holiday on the Blond Ambition Tour in Houston was taped by Alek Keshishian and released in 1991 (to promote the single re-release and the Truth or Dare documentary). Even the videos say so; you have to listen to Holiday live and dance along.

Tour

The Virgin Tour was the only tour that placed Holiday in the beginning of the show. It was the second song in the setlist. Still wearing the colourful jacket, Madonna does a light-hearted choreography with her two dancers to a version similar to the one on the album. She even takes a break during the performance to talk to the audience.

On the other tours it was always among the closing numbers. Same thing for the Who's That Girl Tour where Madonna ends the song twice, then continues for more. Finally, she asks the audience for a comb to fix her messy hair, so she can finish the song. This version was much more rock sounding featuring a lot of guitar. As it was performed after then-current megahit Who's That Girl, Madonna cemented the tradition of ending her shows with a combination of songs from both ends of her career.

On the Blond Ambition Tour, Holiday turns into a pyjama party, with Madonna in white pants and polkadot blouse and all the dancers in pyjamas dancing around on stage. The crowd goes wild, partying along, and Madonna asks to "do the bus stop". The performance is so energetic that it's used on music channels for the re-release of Holiday.

Holiday receives a very alternative remake for the Girlie Show. Dressed in long navy coats and with a large American flag in the background, Madonna and her dancers perform a military version of the song. The strict percussion soon has to give in to the dance tones. It gets total fun when they turn it into a jam, mixing in a military cadence. Madonna pauses the song for a military drill with the dancers and the audience. At the end of the song - which is also the end of the show, before the encores - they all start goofing around, jamming in a rain of confetti strings. As Madonna refuses to leave the stage in a kind of James Brown imitation, Niki & Donna end up chasing her and carrying her off stage.

The Drowned World Tour hardly featured any of Madonna's 80s classics, but what would a Madonna tour be without Holiday! Wearing a black shirt with 'mother' in front and 'f*ckers' on the back, and a white fur coat on top, Madonna chooses this 18-year old dance song to end her show. She, Niki and Donna rock on stage and the crowd goes hysteric. This ghetto-pimp version uses samples of Stardust's 'Music Sounds Better With You' (inspired by an unofficial mash-up of the songs).

The sixth tour performance was on the Re-Invention Tour where it was the final song of the show. 21 years after its initial release, Holiday is now re-invented into a tribal song, which features Madonna and her dancers in white shirts and a long Scottish kilt. They start off sitting down on stage doing moves to the tribal beat, which then gets them into a cool group dance. The catwalk comes down again and they jump and dance around on top of it while confetti is shot in the air. At the end the tribal beat turns into a fading heart beat as Madonna and her dancers disappear behind the big screens.