• Source: Everybody (Madonna song)

"Everybody" is a song written and recorded by American singer Madonna and produced by DJ Mark Kamins. In 1982, the singer was living with her former Michigan boyfriend Stephen Bray in New York, and since dance music was in style, they created a demo with four dance tracks, one of which was "Everybody". Madonna, who was not signed to any record label at the time, pitched the tape on her own: she would go to local nightclubs and try to convince the DJs there to play it. She met and befriended DJ Mark Kamins at Danceteria nightclub, who played "Everybody" to a positive reception from the crowd. Afterwards, Kamins took the tape to Sire Records, where Seymour Stein, the label's president, signed Madonna for two twelve-inch singles.
Recorded in three days at the Bob Blank’s Blank Tape Recording Studios, "Everybody" was officially released as Madonna's debut single on October 6, 1982. It was then added to the singer's 1983 self-titled album. A post-disco dance song with R&B elements, its lyrics invite the listener to dance and lose inhibitions. Music critics reacted positively towards the song, singling out its sound. In retrospective reviews, it is now considered one of Madonna's best songs. It was the singer's first entry on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart, where it peaked at number three.
By incorporating R&B elements in its music and not including Madonna's image on the cover artwork, marketing for the song gave the impression that she was a black artist. That misconception was cleared with the song's music video, which was directed by Ed Steinberg; it shows the singer and two backup dancers performing at New York's Paradise Garage. The clip helped to further promote the song and Madonna in the dance scene. After a number of live performances throughout late 1982 and early 1983, "Everybody" was included on three of the singer's concert tours, with the Celebration Tour of 2023–2024 being the most recent.




Background



In 1979, Madonna was trying to establish her music career in New York City. She was the drummer of a band called Breakfast Club, which was headed by the Gilroy brothers, Dan and Ed. The following year, after a dispute with Dan, Madonna left the band. She then formed a new band called Emmy, with her former Michigan boyfriend Stephen Bray. In 1981, after attending one of Emmy's gigs at Max's Kansas City, Adam Alter and Camille Barbone from Gotham Records signed a contract with Madonna. However, the association was short-lived and dissolved the following year due to creative differences between the label and singer: Gotham was interested in rock and roll whereas Madonna wanted to pursue disco.
By 1982, the singer was living with Bray in an unused rehearsal studio. After coming to the realization that "funky dance records were in style on the radio and dance floor", they created a demo tape with four dance tracks, including "Everybody", "Burning Up", and "Ain't No Big Deal". With no record label to back her up, Madonna began pitching the tape on her own, visiting local nightclubs trying to get DJs to play it. She managed to get Mark Kamins, the resident DJ at Danceteria nightclub, to play "Everybody", which was met with a positive reception from the crowd. Kamins promised Madonna he would help her get a record deal on the condition that he would get to produce it. As he was also an A&R scout for Island Records, Kamins took the tape to his boss Chris Blackwell, but he wasn't impressed nor interested in signing Madonna.
Kamins then approached Sire Records president Seymour Stein, who at the time was at Lenox Hill Hospital recovering from a heart surgery. Stein had his secretary send the tape to the hospital so he could listen to it; "I liked the hook, I liked Madonna's voice, I liked the feel [...] I liked it all and played it again", the executive recalled. He signed the singer on for two twelve-inch singles; she would get $15,000 for each one, but would also have to pay for all recording costs. Sire A&E executive Michael Rosenblatt, who oversaw the entire process, wanted to release a double-sided single with "Ain't No Big Deal" as A-side and "Everybody" as B-side. "Ain't No Big Deal", however, "did not come out well", so Roseneblatt decided to put "Everybody" on both sides of the record: One version lasted 5:56, while the other was a dub form with a duration of 9:23. Since he had recorded the demo, Bray argued that he should be the producer for the single, but Stein decided to appoint Kamins, "for the sheer interest of seeing where it would go". Kamins, however, wasn't interested in producing, wanting to focus on A&R instead; he approached musician Kashif to see if he was interested in working on the song, but he turned down the offer.




Recording and composition



"Everybody" was recorded at the Bob Blank's Blank Tape Recording Studios in April 1982, in a span of three days. Personnel working on the track included Fred Zarr and Dean Gant on keyboards, Ed Walsh on synthesizers, along with Butch Jones and Zarr; Bobby Malach played tenor saxophone, while background vocals were provided by Gwen Guthrie, Brenda White, and Chrissy Faith. Barry Eastmond had been hired as arranger, but left the project after getting into an argument with Madonna; she felt his work was "too slick", and lacked the "edge of the club-land grooves she was hankering after". Rosenblatt made the decision to replace Eastmond's keyboard parts, and it was Arthur Baker, an assistant to Kamins, who brought in Fred Zarr to redo all the keyboards.
Musically, "Everybody" is considered a post-disco dance and electro song with R&B elements. In Madonna's own words, the lyrics talk about "getting people to dance and lose their inhibitions". The singer's vocals, which were described by author Rikky Rooksby as being in "gum-chewing mode", were doubletracked. "Everybody" is written in the key of A minor, with the melody beginning in G and rising to the second scale degree on the syllable bo of Everybody, thus highlighting the refrain which follows in the chord progression of G–A–B–A. Just before the refrain, there is a "deft dab of reverb [that] sucks the listener in". A "funky Bernard Edwards-style bass" plays towards the song's breakdown, as Zarr's synthesisers whir around it.




Release and commercial performance



The twelve-inch single of "Everybody" was released on October 6, 1982. Lou Beach designed the sleeve's cover art, which did not show Madonna but rather a "hip hop–style NYC street scene". Beach cut out the images from different magazines and put them together forming a collage. Rosenblatt revealed that he did not want the cover to show the singer's face, as he felt it "could get a lot of R&B play [...] because a lot of people thought she was black". Matthew Lindsay from The Quietus found it ironic that the record sleeve did not depict Madonna on the cover, as she would go on to become "the face of the 80s".
The single debuted at number 40 of Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart one month after its release; it peaked at number three the week of January 8, 1983, remaining 17 weeks on the chart. On the Bubbling Under Hot 100, "Everybody" entered at number nine on December 25, 1982, peaking at number seven on January 22 of the following year. The first American radio station to embrace and play the song was WKTU. By September 2, 1983, according to a Warner Bros. Records advertisement in Radio & Records, the "Everybody" twelve-inch single had sold more than 150,000 copies.
To commemorate its 40th anniversary, a limited edition of the twelve-inch single was reissued on November 25, 2022; it included the original version, the dub version, and came with a new cover art. Following this release, "Everybody" reached the 22nd and second positions of the United Kingdom's Singles and Vinyl Sales charts, respectively. "Everybody" was included on Madonna's compilations You Can Dance (1987), Celebration (2009), and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022).




Critical reception



Since its release, critical reviews towards "Everybody" have been generally positive. Billboard's Brian Chin referred to it as a "spare, bright cut [that] has a relaxing quality at home listening levels, but sounds much harder-edged in the club". Barbara O'Dair, one of the authors of Madonna: The Rolling Stones Files, called "Everybody" a "moody, hiccuping" song. On his biography of the singer, J. Randy Taraborrelli described it as a "rhythmic call-to-party", while Matthew Rettenmund —author of Encyclopedia Madonnica— deemed it "one of her enduring chestnuts" that "immediately established [her] as a Disco Queen". Santiago Fouz-Hernández, one of the authors of Madonna's Drowned Worlds, wrote that "Everybody", alongside "Music" (2000), are the two singles that define Madonna's artistic credo – that music has the power to overcome divisions of race, gender, and sexuality.
From Rolling Stone, Don Shewey commented: "At first, ['Everybody'] doesn't sound like much at all. Then you notice its one distinguishing feature, a girlish hiccup that [Madonna] uses over and over until it's irritating as hell. Finally, you get hooked, and you start looking forward to that silly little catch in her voice". Mark Lore from the Portland Mercury referred to "Everybody" and "Burning Up" as "true gems, gritty New York anthems", that were overshadowed by the more known "Holiday" (1983) and "Borderline" (1984). The Arizona Republic's Ed Masley described "Everybody" as an example of "classic early '80s dance pop", singling out Madonna's "youthful exuberance". Idolator's Mike Was concluded that, although "everything [Madonna] touched in the '80s turned to gold, and ['Everybody'] is no exception, it’s just not in the same league as classic bops like 'Lucky Star' or 'Borderline'. Also mixed was Marcus Wratten from PinkNews, who said the song is "not bad by any means", but it's not among the singer's best, and its message has been replaced by "far greater singles" such as "Music" and "Into the Groove" (1985). A negative review came from Rikky Rooksby, who felt the single came off as "artificial, repetitive and uninspired".
In 2006, Slant Magazine placed the song at number 18 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Dance Songs"; "['Everybody'] sparkles with shiny-and-new-for-'82 synths, while Madge offers a preview for the world-as-a-dance-floor motif she'd never stop revisiting throughout the next 23 years", wrote Rich Juzwiak. Six years later, "Everybody" was included on the Dallas Observer's list of the "20 best Madonna songs you won't hear at the Super Bowl"; Hunter Hauk noted that, "after all these years, [it] remains one of her purest, most groove-addled dance tracks". Joe Morgan from Gay Star News placed the song at number 48 of his ranking of Madonna's singles, writing: "It sounds at first listen like a typical song of the decade. But there is something special to it, something that proves there's a Queen of Pop to come". Jude Rogers, from The Guardian, compared "Everybody" to the work of Tom Tom Club and placed it at number 31 of her ranking of Madonna singles.
Writing for The A.V. Club, Stephen Thomas Erlewine named it the singer's 17th best song; "all these years later, ['Everybody'] still sounds simultaneously tentative and vibrant [...] [It] does seem like a relic of the early 1980s, yet it hasn’t lost its potency". Matthew Jacobs from HuffPost considered "Everybody" to be Madonna's 24th best, writing that it "ushered in what she would inspire us to do for the next 32 years (and counting)". "Everybody" was considered a precursor to "Music", as well as the 23rd best single in Madonna's discography, by Entertainment Weekly's Chuck Arnold, who also added it was "ahead of its time". It was named one of the greatest debut singles of all time by Rolling Stone: "[Madonna'd] quickly go on to bigger things, and sharper material, but this song patterned the ebullient electro-pop sound of her early classic hits".




Music video



Ed Steinberg directed the music video for "Everybody", which was filmed on December of 1982 at New York's Paradise Garage, and shows Madonna performing onstage with dancers Erika Belle and Bags Rilez. Madonna had previously invited some Sire executives ―including Stein and Rosenblatt― to watch one of her performances at Danceteria; the video was approved after they realized "what a visual knockout" she was in person. Rosenblatt contacted Steinberg, who ran the Rock America video company, and gave him a $1,500 budget to work on the "strictly in-house production".
Intended to be filmed during Madonna's next live performance at Danceteria, the director opted to shoot at Paradise Garage, as he could use the venue for free. Actress Debi Mazar, a personal friend of the singer's, was in charge of makeup, and even brought a few of her own friends to act as audience in the video. Steinberg was impressed with the singer's "incredible work ethic". He recalled that one of the hired dancers hadn't shown up, which meant the choreography would need to be altered; "without missing a beat, [Madonna] had Erika and Bags restaged with precision and the show went on", the director recalled. He sent copies of the visual to nightclubs across the United States that used to play dance music videos as entertainment; according to Andrew Morton, this promotion helped the song go from local New York dance song, to nationwide hit. Regarding the importance of a music video, Madonna explained: "If I didn't [have a video], I don't think all the kids in the Midwest would know about me. It takes the place of touring. Everybody sees them everywhere".
Matthew Rettenmund felt Madonna looked "very early-80s butchy. Like a Go-Go gone bad", and opined that, "[the video] is mesmerizing, even sans all the glam and lighting and editing and stuff". Carol Gnojewski referred to the clip as a "low-budget, promotional affair primarily focusing on disco". By his part, Fab Five Freddy reminisced that it helped the singer appeal to "those who were more street, more savvy, more flavorful". Mark Elliott from website This is Dig! noted that it has become a "fan favourite that has now enjoyed millions of streams online".




Live performances


Madonna first performed "Everybody" as part of Haoui Montaug's No Entiendes cabaret revue on December 18, 1982, on the second-floor stage of Danceteria. In 1983, she travelled to the United Kingdom and sang the single at London's Camden Palace, and Manchester's The Haçienda. According to Andrew Morton, however, these performances were not well received by the British audience. Afterwards, "Everybody" was included on three of the singer's concert tours: Virgin (1985), the Girlie Show (1993), and Celebration (2023–2024). On the first one, Madonna played tambourine and was joined by two male dancers; her outfit consisted of matching fringed micro-top and skirt, a trilby hat, and multiple sized crucifixes. Halfway through the performance, she would straddle a boombox and address the audience: "Every lady has a box. But mine makes music". The performance of the song at Detroit's Cobo Arena was included on the Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour video release (1985).
On 1990's Blond Ambition World Tour, the song's line Dance and sing/Get up and do your thing was sampled at the beginning of opening number "Express Yourself" (1989). "Everybody" was the final song of the Girlie Show, where it was mashed up with Sly and the Family Stone's "Everybody Is a Star" (1969). The number saw the singer and dancers in denim and white tops, inviting the audience to dance and sing along. From The Vindicator, Gary Graff noted that Madonna displayed a "joy and innocence that hasn't been evident in [her] performances since the early days". The performance recorded on November 19, 1993, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, was included on The Girlie Show: Live Down Under home video release (1994).

On November 15, 2005, while promoting her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madonna sang the single at a concert on London's Koko Club; dressed in velvet culottes, leather jacket and boots, with her hair done in a Farrah Fawcett-style, she "held nothing back" during the performance, according to The Daily Telegraph's David Cheal. The next year, on April 30, Madonna performed "Everybody" during her appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, wearing a feather boa. Samples of "Everybody" were incorporated to the performance of "Holiday" on 2009's Sticky & Sweet Tour.
To commemorate the single's 30th anniversary, Madonna sang it at the San Jose concert of the MDNA Tour (2012). Reviewing the concert, Aidin Vaziri from the San Francisco Chronicle wrote it was "an off-script moment that inadvertently became the highlight of the show". On the Washington, D.C. concert of 2015―2016's Rebel Heart Tour, "Everybody" was included in a slow, Latin-infused medley, along with "Dress You Up" (1985), "Into the Groove", and "Lucky Star"; the number was referred to as a "delightful surprise" by the Washington Blade's Joey DiGuglielmo.
On the Celebration Tour of 2023–2024, "Everybody" was the second song of the setlist. The number sees Madonna and her troupe, who are dressed as "punk rock clubgoers of [her] early NYC days", dancing under a New York City skyline. She wore a "punky" tailcoat designed by Dilara Fındıkoğlu —inspired by one she wore for a performance in Japan in the 1980s. The number was one of many that "harkened back to a more buttoned-down era guided by conservative taboos", according to the Chicago Tribune's Bob Gendron.




Track listings and formats






Credits and personnel


Credits adapted from the album and twelve-inch single liner notes.

Madonna – vocals, writer
Mark Kamins – producer
Butch Jones – synthesizer, engineering
Reggie Lucas – guitar, drum programming
Fred Zarr – synthesizer, electric and acoustic piano
Dean Gant – electric and acoustic piano
Bobby Malach – tenor saxophone
Ed Walsh – synthesizer
Gwen Guthrie – background vocals
Brenda White – background vocals
Chrissy Faith – background vocals
Christine Sauers – art direction, design
Lou Beach – artwork




Charts






References






Bibliography






External links


"Everybody" at Discogs (list of releases)

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