What Prevented Madonna’s ‘Holiday’ From Hitting No. 1

Madonna’s “Holiday” was a success, but it never managed to become a No. 1 hit in the United States. One of the writers of the track has a theory why the tune didn’t perform better. “Holiday” appeared on two different hit albums that helped define Madonna’s career.

There was never a music video for Madonna’s ‘Holiday’

Madonna co-wrote many of her hits, but “Holiday” was not one of them. The track was co-written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens. During a 2013 interview with Blogcritics, Hudson discussed why the song was not a huge hit on the chart. “Warner Bros. didn’t produce a music video for it at a time when music videos really started to make songs,” he opined. “Had they done a video, then ‘Holiday’ probably would’ve been a much bigger song than it was at the time; probably No. 1 pop.”

While Hudson didn’t get a No. 1 hit with “Holiday,” he looked back on the song fondly. He felt the track was a gift that God gave him. “A lot of songwriters that I admire say to me, ‘I haven’t written a ‘Holiday!'” he said. “I was told even Babyface made that comment. Some songs are just magic.” For context, Babyface is an R&B producer who worked with Madonna on the hit song “Take a Bow.”

Why Madonna never worked with the song’s writers again

Hudson explained why he and Stevens didn’t work with the Queen of Pop again. “I went to Madonna’s place in the Village when ‘Holiday’ was still climbing the charts,” he recalled. “We’d present ideas to her. She was pretty open. 

“But I think once the song really took off and took her to the next level, she was focused on the next production,” he added. “After that, I think she tied in with people with whom she had prior relationships and felt comfortable working with. We lost contact, and she went into a whole different direction when she did ‘Like a Virgin.'” When Madonna put out “Holiday” her style was arguably bubblegum pop. With “Like a Virgin,” her image became far more risque.

‘Holiday’ appeared on 2 hit records

“Holiday” reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending a total of 21 weeks on the chart. The song wasn’t a phenomenon at the time, but it definitely set Madonna down the path to becoming the Queen of Pop. The tune appeared on her self-titled debut album. The album Madonna peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, lasting on the chart for 168 weeks. Madonna lasted longer on the chart than any of the Material Girl’s other albums.

“Holiday” later became the opening track on Madonna’s most famous greatest hits compilation: The Immaculate Collection. The fact that “Holiday” opens The Immaculate Collection speaks to its importance in her career. That record reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, lasting on the chart for 148 weeks. Notably, The Immaculate Collection produced two new tracks: the steamy “Justify My Love” and the peak house song “Rescue Me.”

Madonna never worked with Hudson and Stevens again, but the song they made together stood the test of time.