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TL;DR:

  • Madonna’s “Material Girl” is a very 1980s song and so is the classic rock song that outperformed it.
  • Madonna said she enjoys material things while acknowledging their impermanence.
  • She once told Oprah Winfrey “I’m so not the Material Girl now.”

Madonna‘s “Material Girl” exemplified the materialism of the 1980s. During its time on the charts, “Material Girl” was overshadowed by a classic rock song. Later, Madonna said “Material Girl” didn’t represent her true feelings.

Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ was overshadowed on the charts by a classic rock power ballad

According to Rhino Entertainment, “Material Girl” merely hit No. 2 on the charts. It was blocked from the top of the Billboard Hot 100 by REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” On a surface level, “Material Girl” extolls the greed of the era. It also combines new-wave music with dance-pop in a way that was typical during the time. While it’s not Madonna’s best single, “Material Girl” works for the dancefloor.

On the other hand, “Can’t Fight This Feeling” exemplifies one of the biggest musical trends of the decade: the power ballad. So many bands realized they could have a crossover hit by combining hard-rock riffs with sentimental easy-listening lyrics. “Can’t Fight This Feeling” isn’t one of the best examples of the genre. Bon Jovi, Bonnie Tyler, and even Kiss produced power ballads that worked a lot better than “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” The tune might be most famous today for its quasi-ironic appearance in Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!

Madonna likes nice clothes but she told Oprah Winfrey they don’t make her truly happy

During a 2004 interview with O, The Oprah Magazine, the Queen of Pop told Oprah Winfrey she didn’t take the message of “Material Girl” seriously. “Shoes won’t make me happy,” she said. “Well, they do make me happy, but not really happy. 

“I’m not going to lie and say I don’t care about the way I look or dress,” she added. “I’m very jealous of your closet! But I know those things don’t last, and I know what does. I hope I can impart that to people.”

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The Queen of Pop said ‘I’m so not the Material Girl now’

Oprah asked Madonna how her personal philosophy fit with the lyrics of “Material Girl.” “That was meant to be ironic,” he said. “I’m so not the Material Girl now. There were many years when I thought fame, fortune, and public approval would bring me happiness. But one day you wake up and realize they don’t.”

Madonna discussed when she stopped feeling defined by external things. “The big turning point was when I was about to become a parent,” she said. “I wanted to understand what I would teach my daughter, and I didn’t really know where I stood on things. I wanted to know the meaning of true and lasting happiness and how I could go about finding it.”

“Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Material Girl” are both classic ’80s cheese — even if the latter doesn’t resonate with the Queen of Pop.

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