Madonna’s ‘Holiday’ Was a Gift From God, Say Writers

Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes religious music. Madonna’s “Holiday” probably wouldn’t make the cut for most people. Despite this, two musicians have claimed that the song was an act of God. You don’t get much more religious than that.

1 of the writers of Madonna’s ‘Holiday’ said every songwriter receives a song from God

“Holiday” was co-written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens. During a 2012 interview with Blogcritics, Hudson had an interesting explanation of the song’s origins. “There are certain songs that God gives you as a writer,” he said. “‘Holiday’ was a gift. From our hard work out of the hundreds of songs we worked on, he looked down and said, ‘I’m gonna bless you with this song.’ I think that happens to all writers at some point.”

Stevens had a similar view of the track. “We always felt like it was a blessing and still do to this day,” she said. “Every time she [the Material Girl] puts it on an album, it’s like, ‘Wow!'”

A writer of ‘Holiday’ said the song ‘blessed’ many people

Stevens explained how she wrote “Holiday.” “God woke me up that morning,” she recalled. “I woke up out of the blue, went straight to the keyboard, and started playing the chord changes. I believe it’s blessed a lot of people.”

Stevens said the song took time. “I woke up, got on the keyboard and started playing those beginning chords over and over for a day or two,” she remembered. “I couldn’t come up with anything else. I just kept hearing those chords. Curt said, ‘Lisa, I hear something with that.'” 

Subsequently, Hudson came up with the song’s “Holiday, celebrate” hook as well as the song’s bassline. In Stevens’ opinion, the song’s bassline was inspired by funk music. To modern ears, it sounds a lot more like post-disco.

How Madonna and the public reacted to the song

Madonna didn’t say that the Lord inspired “Holiday” but she seemed to have a positive view of the song. During a 2005 interview with CBS News, she was asked to name her favorites among of her hits. The first song she mentioned was “Holiday.” In addition, she gave shout-outs to her songs “Like a Virgin,” “Material Girl,” and “Like a Prayer.”

“Holiday” went on to become Madonna’s first hit on the charts in the United States, even though it was a modest hit. It reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 21 weeks in total. The track appeared on Madonna’s first album: Madonna. That record peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the Billboard 200 for 168 weeks. It might surprise fans to know that Madonna’s self-titled debut album spent more time on the Billboard 200 than any of her other records.

Madonna spawned two more hit singles: “Lucky Star” and “Borderline.” Each one has a great groove, bubblegum lyrics, and high-pitched vocals from the future Queen of Pop. Considering these catchy songs aren’t as sophisticated as some of the singer’s later work, they occupy the same place in her career that “Love Me Do” and “I Saw Her Standing There” occupy in The Beatles’.

Whether it came from God or some talented musicians, “Holiday” is here to stay.