Born and raised in Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in the rock bands Breakfast Club and Emmy, she rose to solo stardom with her debut studio album, Madonna (1983). She followed it with a series of successful albums, including all-time bestsellers Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) as well as Grammy Award winners Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). Madonna has amassed many number-one singles throughout her career, including "Like a Virgin", "La Isla Bonita", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Take a Bow", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes".
Madonna's popularity was enhanced by roles in films such as Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996). While Evita won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, many of her other films received poor reviews. As a businesswoman, Madonna founded the company Maverick in 1992; it included Maverick Records, one of the most successful artist-run labels in history. Her other ventures include fashion brands, children's books, health clubs, and filmmaking. She contributes to various charities, having founded the Ray of Light Foundation in 1998 and Raising Malawi in 2006.
With sales of over 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is certified as the best-selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records. She is the most successful solo artist in the history of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and holds the record for the most number-one singles by a female artist in Australia, Canada, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. With a revenue of U.S. $1.5 billion from her concert tickets, she remains the highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time. Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, her first year of eligibility. She was ranked as the greatest woman in music by VH1 in 2012, and as the greatest music video artist of all time by MTV in 2003 and Billboard in 2020. Rolling Stone also listed Madonna among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.
Studio albums
Madonna (1983)
Like a Virgin (1984)
True Blue (1986)
Like a Prayer (1989)
Erotica (1992)
Bedtime Stories (1994)
Ray of Light (1998)
Music (2000)
American Life (2003)
Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
Hard Candy (2008)
MDNA (2012)
Rebel Heart (2015)
Madame X (2019)
Girls Gone Wild
Madonna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I detest all my sins
Because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pain of hell
But most of all, because I love thee
And I want so badly to be good
It's so hypnotic
The way he pulls on me
Right up under my feet
It's so erotic
This feeling can't be beat
It's coursing through my whole body
Feel the heat
I got that burnin' hot desire
And no one can put out my fire
It's coming right down through the wire
Here it comes
When I hear them 808 drums
It's got me singing
Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
I'm like, hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
Girls, they just wanna have some fun
Get fired up like a smokin' gun
On the floor 'til the daylight comes
Girls, they just wanna have some fun
Like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
I'm like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
The room is spinning
It must be the Tanqueray
I'm about to go astray
My inhibition's gone away
I feel like sinning
You got me in the zone
DJ play my favorite song
Turn me on
I got that burnin' hot desire
And no one can put out my fire
It's coming right down through the wire
Here it comes
When I hear them 808 drums
It's got me singing
Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
I'm like, hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
Girls, they just wanna have some fun
Get fired up like a smokin' gun
On the floor 'til the daylight comes
Girls, they just wanna have some fun
I know, I know, I know
I shouldn't act this way
I know, I know, I know
Good girls don't misbehave
Misbehave
But I'm a bad girl anyway
Forgive me
Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
I'm like, hey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
Girls, they just wanna have some fun
Get fired up like a smokin' gun
On the floor 'til the daylight comes
Girls, they just wanna have some fun
Like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
I'm like a girl gone wild
A good girl gone wild
The first few lines of the song are a prayer called Act of Contrition, which is a Catholic prayer said during confession. It talks about repentance and the fear of consequences but also the love for God, which is juxtaposed with the following lyrics about being pulled towards temptation. The song talks about the feeling of being entranced and seduced by someone, like they have a gravitational pull that is impossible to resist. Madonna compares this feeling to the force of gravity, which is a strong scientific concept, but also an idea of physics representing the pull of this person on the singer's heart.
The chorus "Like a girl gone wild / A good girl gone wild" suggests that the singer is unconventional or acting out of character. She has a "burnin' hot desi-i-i-re" which no one can put out, and the song also speaks of feeling like sinning and dancing all night long. It implies that the singer is exploring herself and her desires in a more uninhibited way than society expects her to. The song ends with a plea for forgiveness for the singer's supposedly bad behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
It's so hypnotic
The sensation is so alluring and captivating
The way he pulls on me
The way he influences me is captivating
It's like the force of gravity
It's like an irresistible magnetic pull
Right up under my feet
It's all around and affects me deeply
It's so erotic
It's intensely sexual
This feeling can't be beat
Nothing else can compare to this sensation
It's coursing through my whole body
It's spreading and affecting every part of me
Feel the heat
I feel the sexual energy strongly
I got that burnin' hot desi-i-i-re
I have an intense and passionate desire
And no one can put out my fi-i-i-re
Nobody can extinguish my passion
It's coming right down through the wi-i-i-re
The passion and desire is being transmitted through the music
Here it comes
The intense feeling is about to overwhelm me
When I hear them eight o eight drums
The beat of the drums evokes an intense and sexual feeling
Hey, ey, ey, ey
Expressing the wild and playful feeling of the moment
Like a girl gone wild
Acting impulsively and without inhibitions, driven by passion
A good girl gone wild
Even though I know I shouldn't act this way
Girls they just wanna have some fun
Girls want to enjoy themselves and experience pleasure
Get fired up like smokin' gun
Getting energized and passionate like a fired up gun
On the floor til the daylight comes
Dancing and enjoying the moment until the morning arrives
The room is spinning
The feeling is so intense that it's disorienting
It must be the tanqueray
Alcohol is affecting my judgment and inhibitions
I'm about to go astray
I'm about to indulge in forbidden behavior
My inhibition's gone away
I'm acting without restraint or limitations
I feel like sinning
I'm inclined to engage in morally questionable behavior
You got me in the zone
You have me under your control and influence
DJ play my favorite song
I want to be immersed in the moment with music I enjoy
I know, I know, I know
I'm aware that I shouldn't act this way
I shouldn't act this way
I know what I'm doing is wrong and goes against societal norms
Good girls don't misbehave
Society expects good girls to act responsibly and morally
Misbehave
I'm willing to break society's expectations and norms
But i'm a bad girl, anyway
I'm willing to own and embrace my wild and impulsive desires
Forgive me
Asking for forgiveness for my sins and indulgences
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jenson Vaughan, Alessandro Benassi, Marco Benassi, Madonna L. Ciccone
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lstarr4266
In 2012, which was seven years ago, I was 16 going on 17. I was struggling from relative poverty, a loss of social status, ostracism because of my sexual orientation, problems at school, and to top it all off, I was caught in the throes of depression. I remember crying in the back of a public bus on the way back from school in early 2012 because it'd been a particularly rough day for me. I then decided to browse through YouTube on my phone to find a song to listen to and distract me from my problems. I was on the home page, and I saw that YouTube had recommended me Madonna's Girl Gone Wild lyric video, which was released in February 2012.
I'd never listened to a Madonna song prior to that because she was from a different generation than mine, so I wasn't familiar with her discography. The aesthetic of the thumbnail drew me in, nonetheless, so I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't know what to expect at first - but then as I listened to it, I became completely, utterly enthralled.
To say that I loved it would be an understatement. I was captivated beyond belief. I loved the beat. I loved the lyrics, which were suggestive, yet not excessively so. I loved the way the song was an unabashed affirmation of her sexuality - it spoke really powerfully to me, as a confused, upset, depressed gay boy that felt like he had no-one in the world - not a shoulder to cry on. I then discovered this music video shortly afterwards, and it was at that very moment that I knew that I'd become a Madonna fan for life.
MDNA single-handedly got me through some of my worst years in life. It was the first physical album that I'd ever purchased. I listened to and memorized every single song. There were times when things got so bleak for me that I legitimately felt like just ending it all, but then I'd listen to 'Falling Free' to soothe me and put those dark thoughts to rest. Whenever I wanted to mentally escape... when I was desperate to feel a sense of hope for my future... I'd listen to 'Superstar', 'Turn Up The Radio', and 'Give Me All Your Luvin'. Whenever I wanted to feel a sense of confidence in my own sexuality, I'd listen to 'Girl Gone Wild' and 'Beautiful Killer'. Of course, it wasn't just MDNA alone - my discovery of that album served as a gateway to the rest of Madonna's discography, which helped me as well - but MDNA remains the closest to my heart because its release coincided with one of the bleakest phases in my life.
My life has stabilized since then and is now back on track. I still have some unresolved trauma from the past, and I still have my bad days, but they're nowhere as bad as they were a couple of years back. Madonna, thank you for being you. You don't know who I am, for I'm just another face in your sea of fans, but you've impacted my life in ways that are incomprehensible. I regret not being able to go to her MDNA tour or see her live, but that's okay. Maybe one day I'll be able to see her performing live.
To anyone out there who feels like they aren't going to make it... trust me, you will. It really does get better. It may not seem that way right now, but that's only because it can be hard to have a sense of foresight when there are stumbling blocks in your way. It may take a few years, but it will get better. Stay strong, and you do you. Never, ever let anybody bring you down or tell you you aren't worthy.
@vasman8391
Director: "How gay?"
Madonna: "Yes"
@suzawilo
Yeeeeessss 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈
@carybeweary7209
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
@BurningQuranDay
So it's gay when a woman lust after men???
@cain_cundapi
Yaaaaaaaaasssssss 🥴🌈
@BurningQuranDay
@Caín Cundapí Surprising. Anyway I strongly suspect the guys from Kazaky of being bi. Like, they very often have women watching them in their video, and more explicitly taking part in Milk-Choc, but they also have an explicit message of support for the LGBT community in Push that imply that they themselves are part of it.
@petrhaisman8645
Yeah, this is one of her most underrated songs. That ringing sound. The whole song feels like the tornado and hurricane are just coming over. Pumpy and groovy, love it.
@huy3519
Stfu. Bad Romance isn't underrated. Stans need to get proper education in order to gain knowledge in proper usage of words.
@DJWixel
@huy Nobody talked about Bad Romance lmaooo
@ginasousabranco5637
@huy Madonna is the greatest visual recording artist. Ask Lady Gaga