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Hanky Panky (Madonna song)

November 27, 2023

"Hanky Panky" is a song by American singer Madonna from her soundtrack album I'm Breathless. It was released on June 12, 1990, by Sire Records as the album's second and final single. Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the song was developed from a line in the parent film, Dick Tracy, talking about a woman who enjoys being spanked by her partner. Performed in a playful, “tongue-in-cheek” style, "Hanky Panky" is a jazz and swing song, keeping with the film’s general theme of the 1920s and 1930s, with a changing bassline and minor to major key-shift in the chorus. It caused some controversy in Ireland because of its innuendo and racy lyrics, with women's groups deeming them as harmful; Madonna later clarified that the lyrics were intended as a joke.

"Hanky Panky"
Single by Madonna
from the album I'm Breathless
B-side"More"
ReleasedJune 12, 1990
Studio
  • Johnny Yuma Recording
  • Ocean Way Studios
  • (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length3:57
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Madonna
  • Leonard
Madonna singles chronology
"Vogue"
(1990) 		"Hanky Panky"
(1990) 		"Justify My Love"
(1990)
Licensed audio
"Hanky Panky" on YouTube

The song garnered positive response from music critics, many of them highlighting its lyrical content. It was a commercial success, becoming a top-ten hit in many countries including Australia, Ireland, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States while topping the chart in Finland. Madonna has performed the song on two of her concert tours: Blond Ambition (1990) and Re-Invention (2004). The song has been covered by several tribute acts and was also performed on the television series Ally McBeal (1997).

Background and release edit

In 1990, Madonna starred in the film Dick Tracy as Breathless Mahoney—a new role introduced for her—with Warren Beatty, her boyfriend at the time, playing the titular character.[1] After the shooting for Dick Tracy was over, Madonna started working on the soundtrack. She had begun recording three songs written by Stephen Sondheim for the film—"Sooner or Later", "More" and "What Can You Lose"—which would be part of the album, but also had to write and develop new songs comparable in style to her previous releases.[2] She produced the entire album, including the Sondheim songs. "I want people to think of me as a musical comedy actress. That's what this album is about for me. It's a stretch. Not just pop music, but songs that have a different feel to them, a theatrical feel", she said at the time.[3]

Madonna recruited producer Patrick Leonard and engineer Bill Bottrell to help her with the project. She and Leonard toiled to create music that would fit the style and production of the film, set in the days of the Untouchables law enforcement.[2] "Hanky Panky" was written and produced by Madonna and Leonard and was released as the second and final single from I'm Breathless on June 12, 1990.[4] The cassette and the 7-inch versions had "More", another song from the album as its B-side, while the 12-inch releases had two remixes of the song by Kevin Gilbert. Cover photograph for the single was done by Patrick Demarchelier with Jeri Heiden designing the sleeves.[5][6]

Recording and composition edit

 
'Hanky Panky'
A 22 second sample of "Hanky Panky". In the song, Madonna speaks about enjoying the pleasures a "good spanky" can bring.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Hanky Panky" was recorded within the three weeks time taken for the whole project.[7] Personnel working on the song included Leonard on keyboards, Jeff Porcaro on drums, Guy Pratt on bass and Donna De Lory, Niki Haris and N'Dea Davenport on background vocals.[8] Lyrically, the song deals with sadomasochistic themes and is centred around a girl who celebrates the pleasures of a "good spanking".[3] It is performed in an almost comical style and stemmed from a line in the film, where Breathless says to Tracy, "You don't know whether to hit me or kiss me". The track has a false introduction and starts slowly with piano, but changes after a few moments into a large jazz and swing song, with a changing bassline and minor to major key-shift in the chorus.[9] According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, the song is set in common time, with a tempo of 170 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of D minor, with Madonna's vocals spanning from B♭3 to D5. The song has a basic sequence of Dm–C–Bm–A7sus in the beginning and changes to Dm–A–B♭9–A7–Dm–C when the swing starts.[10] During an interview with Rolling Stone, Madonna explained:

The spanking thing started because I believed that my character in Dick Tracy liked to get smacked around and that's why she hung around with people like Al Pacino's character. Warren [Beatty] asked me to write some songs, and one of them—the hanky-panky song—was about that. I say in the song 'Nothing like a good spanky', and in the middle, I say, 'Ooh, my bottom hurts just thinking about it'. When it came out everybody started asking, 'Do you like to get spanked?' and I said: 'Yeah. Yeah, I do'.[11]

The singer had to tone down some of the suggestive lyrics to please the officers at Disney, the producers of Dick Tracy, who were worried about their image.[9] In Ireland, the song was subject to controversy after two women's organizations accused Madonna of glorifying violence against women, specifically on the line "I'll settle for the back of your hand"; one of the groups, the National Women's Council of Ireland, labelled the song "highly dangerous" while the other group, Ireland's Women's Aid, said the line was "extremely harmful".[12] Although initially approving of the idea of "getting spanked"—even admitting her fondness on The Arsenio Hall Show—Madonna later backed down from the theme of spanking, explaining that the lyrics were written as a joke and believed that it was instead her character Breathless Mahoney that liked to get spanked. She added that it should have been obvious that the song was humorous in nature since Madonna believed her image was more of a dominant person who took charge, contrary to the song's characterization.[9]

Critical response edit

 
Madonna and her backup singers, Donna De Lory (left) and Niki Haris (right), perform "Hanky Panky" during the Blond Ambition World Tour of 1990

J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of Madonna: An Intimate Biography, commented that "the steamrolling 'Hanky Panky' simply sounds like a silly innocent romp until you realize what she's going on and on is about ('Warren's favorite pastime')... being spanked!". The author also felt Madonna sang with "just a little too much authority".[13][14] Academic Georges Claude Guilbert, author of Madonna As Postmodern Myth, called it "a comic hymn to spanking".[15] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic described it as a "double entendre-laden hit".[16] Bill Coleman from Billboard called it a "steamy and suggestive jumpin' jive".[17] Music critic Robert Christgau highlighted "Hanky Panky" as one of the best tracks on I'm Breathless; calling it a "fake period piece" but praising its "risqué s&m-lite" sound as "all her".[18] Ernest Hardy from Cash Box said it "is a tribute to the pleasures of light S&M, done in a brassy '30s style. Madonna sings in a lower key than usual, tosses off risque lines, and heads for the top of the charts with barely an effort."[19] David Giles from Music Week stated that it "finds Madonna flirting in a big way with Forties swing music." He added, "Pure Hollywood stuff".[20] Rolling Stone's Mark Coleman wrote that the song, alongside "Cry Baby" and "I'm Going Bananas", was one of the "more-legitimate sounding and confidently sung show tunes without a trace of disco" on the album. He also noted that "its titles alone are enough to conjure up visions of the elaborate production numbers on Madonna's summer tour."[21] People magazine called it a "paean to kink".[22] Billboard's Keith Caulfield called it "goofy (but catchy!)".[23] In March 2023, Joel Lynch from the same magazine ranked it as the singer's 100th greatest song, calling it an "enjoyably (and cartoonishly) amorous big-band swing song" and comparing Madonna's vocals to Betty Boop.[24] Greg Sandow, from Entertainment Weekly, called it a "delightful challenge to censorship".[25] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine felt it was a "cheeky" song, also writing that it touched on themes Madonna would go on to explore more explicitly later in the 1990s.[26]

Stephen Holden of The New York Times described it as a "big-band blues [song] in which she endorses sexual spanking [...] a calculated bid for outrage".[27] Ray Boren from The Deseret News described "Hanky Panky" as "naughty", comparing it to the 1928 jazz song "Makin' Whoopee" by Eddie Cantor.[28] Dave Tianen from The Milwaukee Sentinel, while reviewing I'm Breathless noted that "one aspect of Madonna remains constant even when you push her back in time. 'Hanky Panky' is one of the few pop tunes to explore the erotic entertainment value in a good spanking."[29] For Medium's Richard LaBeau, "it gets points for its boldness and audacity. Yet it never truly rises above its novelty status".[30] Writing for The Pittsburgh Press, Peter B. King believed that the subject matter of "Hanky Panky" would surely receive "flank", but defended Madonna saying that she had been singing about such topics for years by then.[31]The Huffington Post ranked the song fifth on their list of "The 13 Most Underrated Madonna Songs"; author Pandora Boxx hailed it as "a great fusion of '90s pop and vintage '30s", but noted that "its 'scandalous' subject matter ruffled too many feathers to make it a big hit".[32] Also from The Huffington Post, Matthew Jacobs ranked it at number 55 on his list of "The Definitive Ranking of Madonna Singles", calling it "pure fun, '30s swing style [...] its lyrics are sillier than they ought to be, but the fabulous beat refuses to let your dancing shoes collect dust".[33] Writing for Gay Star News, Joe Morgan gave a mixed review, calling it "less sexual and feminist liberation and more corny and blatant [...] A forgettable number that sounds like track six of a musical theatre cast album".[34] A negative review came from Royal S. Brown, author of Film Musings: A Selected Anthology from Fanfare Magazine, who called it "ridiculous".[35] Also negative was The Guardian's Jude Rogers, who wrote that "even creators of brilliant pop can go wrong", calling it "over farty" and "Madonna's nadir".[36]

Chart performance edit

Following its release, "Hanky Panky" was initially blacklisted at some radio stations when they faced objections from audiences about the lyrical content.[37] Nevertheless, it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 40 the week of June 30, 1990, as "Vogue" was descending from the top ten.[38] The single quickly climbed up the chart, ultimately peaking at number ten the week of July 28, 1990.[39] It became Madonna’s 20th single to reach the Top 10, making her the first female artist to have this many Top 10 hits at the time. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 19, 1990, for shipments of 500,000 copies.[40] Billboard ranked it at number 36 on their list of "Madonna's 40 Biggest Hits" on the Hot 100.[23] In Canada, the song debuted at number 92 on the RPM Top Singles chart, and reached a peak of number 18 on the week of September 1, 1990.[41][42] It was present for a total of 13 weeks on the chart.[43]

In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and after two weeks, reached its peak of number two the week of July 27, 1990; spent a total of nine weeks within the top 100 of the chart.[44] It was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on August 1, 1990, for shipments of 200,000 copies.[45] According to the Official Charts Company, the single has sold over 210,000 copies as of October 2010.[46] In Australia, "Hanky Panky" debuted at number 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart the week of July 29, 1990, and peaked at number six four weeks later. It was ranked at number 45 on the ARIA year-end chart.[47][48] In New Zealand, the single debuted at number 23 on RIANZ Singles Chart and, after fluctuating for the next three weeks, reached a peak of number six, becoming Madonna's 18th top-ten single in the country.[49] In the European nations, "Hanky Panky" reached the top-ten of the charts in Ireland, as well as topping the charts in Finland.[50][51] In other countries such as Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands, it managed to peak within the top 20 of the charts.[47][52]

Live performances and covers edit

See also: List of Madonna tribute albums
 
Madonna performing "Hanky Panky" on the final concert of 2015-2016's Rebel Heart Tour in Sydney.

"Hanky Panky" was first performed on Madonna's third concert tour, the Blond Ambition World Tour of 1990. She performed the song dressed in a green and white striped vaudeville-style corset, playing the part of a nightclub singer, standing in front of a microphone. Near the end of the performance, Madonna joked: "You all know the pleasures of a good spanking, don't you? [...] When I hurt people, I feel better, you know what I mean?".[53][54] Regarding the "shameless promotion" of Dick Tracy in this segment, author Lucy O'Brien said that "along with her yen for artistic expression, Madonna has always had an eye on the bottom dollar... [But] the Dick Tracy section is the least dynamic part of the show".[55] Two different performances were released on video, the first was included in Blond Ambition Japan Tour 90, taped from the performance at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, on April 27, 1990,[56] and the other one included on Blond Ambition World Tour Live, taped at the Stade de l'Ouest in Nice, France, on August 5, 1990.[57]

Fourteen years later, Madonna performed an energetic showgirl themed version of "Hanky Panky" as part of her 2004 Re-Invention World Tour. She appeared onstage dressed in a circus themed outfit, consisting of black hot pants, red high heels, headband and a red and white striped 1920s flapper style bustier.[58] Sean Piccoli, from the Sun-Sentinel, praised the singer's ability to "summon the vampy humor of 'Hanky Panky'—a Bette Midler moment if ever [Madonna] had one".[59] Despite not being part of the official set list, Madonna sang "Hanky Panky" on the final concert of her Rebel Heart Tour, held in Sydney, Australia on March 2016.[60] In May 2000, the song was performed by actress Alicia Witt on the third-season finale of the American television series Ally McBeal, titled "The Musical, Almost".[61] An Indie cover version by the band Killer Nannies In America, was included on the 2000 tribute album The Material Girl: A Tribute to Madonna.[62] The Gary Tesca Orchestra included an instrumental version of the song on their album Who's That Girl: The Madonna Story, Vol. 1 (2006).[63]

Track listings and formats edit

Credits and personnel edit

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[8]

Charts edit

Certifications and sales edit

Certifications and sales for "Hanky Panky"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[80] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Silver 210,000[46]
United States (RIAA)[40] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Morton 2002, p. 98
  2. ^ a b Taraborrelli 2008, pp. 187–88
  3. ^ a b Taraborrelli 2008, p. 189
  4. ^ Smith, Liz (June 4, 1990). "Dancer Sizzles on Madonna Tour". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Hanky Panky (US single liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records. 1990. 543919789-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ a b Hanky Panky (European single liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records. 1990. 5439-19789-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Rooksby 2004, p. 70
  8. ^ a b I'm Breathless (Liner notes). Madonna. Santa Monica, California: Warner Bros. Records. 1990. 75992-62092.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ a b c Rooksby 2004, p. 72
  10. ^ "Madonna Ciccone: 'Hanky Panky'". Musicnotes.com. 5 August 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  11. ^ Fisher, Carrie (August 1991). "True Confessions: Carrie Fisher Interviews Madonna". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  12. ^ Rothman, Seymour (August 9, 1990). "Madonna Bashers". Toledo Blade: 23. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  13. ^ Taraborrelli 2008, p. 190
  14. ^ Taraborrelli 2008, p. 199
  15. ^ Guilbert 2002, p. 79
  16. ^ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "I'm Breathless > Madonna". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  17. ^ Coleman, Bill (June 23, 1990). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 71. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "CG: Madonna". Robert Christgau. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  19. ^ Hardy, Ernest (June 23, 1990). "Pop Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 32. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  20. ^ Giles, David (July 14, 1990). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 23. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
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  23. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (August 16, 2015). "Madonna's 40 Biggest Billboard Hits". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
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  29. ^ Tianen, Dave (June 1, 1990). . The Milwaukee Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
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  72. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 29, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Madonna".
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Bibliography edit

External links edit

November 27, 2023
hanky, panky, madonna, song, hanky, panky, song, american, singer, madonna, from, soundtrack, album, breathless, released, june, 1990, sire, records, album, second, final, single, written, produced, madonna, patrick, leonard, song, developed, from, line, paren. Hanky Panky is a song by American singer Madonna from her soundtrack album I m Breathless It was released on June 12 1990 by Sire Records as the album s second and final single Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard the song was developed from a line in the parent film Dick Tracy talking about a woman who enjoys being spanked by her partner Performed in a playful tongue in cheek style Hanky Panky is a jazz and swing song keeping with the film s general theme of the 1920s and 1930s with a changing bassline and minor to major key shift in the chorus It caused some controversy in Ireland because of its innuendo and racy lyrics with women s groups deeming them as harmful Madonna later clarified that the lyrics were intended as a joke Hanky Panky Single by Madonnafrom the album I m BreathlessB side More ReleasedJune 12 1990StudioJohnny Yuma RecordingOcean Way Studios Los Angeles California GenreJazz swingLength3 57LabelSire Warner Bros Songwriter s Madonna Patrick LeonardProducer s Madonna LeonardMadonna singles chronology Vogue 1990 Hanky Panky 1990 Justify My Love 1990 Licensed audio Hanky Panky on YouTubeThe song garnered positive response from music critics many of them highlighting its lyrical content It was a commercial success becoming a top ten hit in many countries including Australia Ireland Italy the United Kingdom and the United States while topping the chart in Finland Madonna has performed the song on two of her concert tours Blond Ambition 1990 and Re Invention 2004 The song has been covered by several tribute acts and was also performed on the television series Ally McBeal 1997 Contents 1 Background and release 2 Recording and composition 3 Critical response 4 Chart performance 5 Live performances and covers 6 Track listings and formats 7 Credits and personnel 8 Charts 8 1 Weekly charts 8 2 Year end charts 9 Certifications and sales 10 See also 11 References 12 Bibliography 13 External linksBackground and release editIn 1990 Madonna starred in the film Dick Tracy as Breathless Mahoney a new role introduced for her with Warren Beatty her boyfriend at the time playing the titular character 1 After the shooting for Dick Tracy was over Madonna started working on the soundtrack She had begun recording three songs written by Stephen Sondheim for the film Sooner or Later More and What Can You Lose which would be part of the album but also had to write and develop new songs comparable in style to her previous releases 2 She produced the entire album including the Sondheim songs I want people to think of me as a musical comedy actress That s what this album is about for me It s a stretch Not just pop music but songs that have a different feel to them a theatrical feel she said at the time 3 Madonna recruited producer Patrick Leonard and engineer Bill Bottrell to help her with the project She and Leonard toiled to create music that would fit the style and production of the film set in the days of the Untouchables law enforcement 2 Hanky Panky was written and produced by Madonna and Leonard and was released as the second and final single from I m Breathless on June 12 1990 4 The cassette and the 7 inch versions had More another song from the album as its B side while the 12 inch releases had two remixes of the song by Kevin Gilbert Cover photograph for the single was done by Patrick Demarchelier with Jeri Heiden designing the sleeves 5 6 Recording and composition edit nbsp Hanky Panky source source A 22 second sample of Hanky Panky In the song Madonna speaks about enjoying the pleasures a good spanky can bring Problems playing this file See media help Hanky Panky was recorded within the three weeks time taken for the whole project 7 Personnel working on the song included Leonard on keyboards Jeff Porcaro on drums Guy Pratt on bass and Donna De Lory Niki Haris and N Dea Davenport on background vocals 8 Lyrically the song deals with sadomasochistic themes and is centred around a girl who celebrates the pleasures of a good spanking 3 It is performed in an almost comical style and stemmed from a line in the film where Breathless says to Tracy You don t know whether to hit me or kiss me The track has a false introduction and starts slowly with piano but changes after a few moments into a large jazz and swing song with a changing bassline and minor to major key shift in the chorus 9 According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes com the song is set in common time with a tempo of 170 beats per minute It is composed in the key of D minor with Madonna s vocals spanning from B 3 to D5 The song has a basic sequence of Dm C Bm A7sus in the beginning and changes to Dm A B 9 A7 Dm C when the swing starts 10 During an interview with Rolling Stone Madonna explained The spanking thing started because I believed that my character in Dick Tracy liked to get smacked around and that s why she hung around with people like Al Pacino s character Warren Beatty asked me to write some songs and one of them the hanky panky song was about that I say in the song Nothing like a good spanky and in the middle I say Ooh my bottom hurts just thinking about it When it came out everybody started asking Do you like to get spanked and I said Yeah Yeah I do 11 The singer had to tone down some of the suggestive lyrics to please the officers at Disney the producers of Dick Tracy who were worried about their image 9 In Ireland the song was subject to controversy after two women s organizations accused Madonna of glorifying violence against women specifically on the line I ll settle for the back of your hand one of the groups the National Women s Council of Ireland labelled the song highly dangerous while the other group Ireland s Women s Aid said the line was extremely harmful 12 Although initially approving of the idea of getting spanked even admitting her fondness on The Arsenio Hall Show Madonna later backed down from the theme of spanking explaining that the lyrics were written as a joke and believed that it was instead her character Breathless Mahoney that liked to get spanked She added that it should have been obvious that the song was humorous in nature since Madonna believed her image was more of a dominant person who took charge contrary to the song s characterization 9 Critical response edit nbsp Madonna and her backup singers Donna De Lory left and Niki Haris right perform Hanky Panky during the Blond Ambition World Tour of 1990J Randy Taraborrelli author of Madonna An Intimate Biography commented that the steamrolling Hanky Panky simply sounds like a silly innocent romp until you realize what she s going on and on is about Warren s favorite pastime being spanked The author also felt Madonna sang with just a little too much authority 13 14 Academic Georges Claude Guilbert author of Madonna As Postmodern Myth called it a comic hymn to spanking 15 Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic described it as a double entendre laden hit 16 Bill Coleman from Billboard called it a steamy and suggestive jumpin jive 17 Music critic Robert Christgau highlighted Hanky Panky as one of the best tracks on I m Breathless calling it a fake period piece but praising its risque s amp m lite sound as all her 18 Ernest Hardy from Cash Box said it is a tribute to the pleasures of light S amp M done in a brassy 30s style Madonna sings in a lower key than usual tosses off risque lines and heads for the top of the charts with barely an effort 19 David Giles from Music Week stated that it finds Madonna flirting in a big way with Forties swing music He added Pure Hollywood stuff 20 Rolling Stone s Mark Coleman wrote that the song alongside Cry Baby and I m Going Bananas was one of the more legitimate sounding and confidently sung show tunes without a trace of disco on the album He also noted that its titles alone are enough to conjure up visions of the elaborate production numbers on Madonna s summer tour 21 People magazine called it a paean to kink 22 Billboard s Keith Caulfield called it goofy but catchy 23 In March 2023 Joel Lynch from the same magazine ranked it as the singer s 100th greatest song calling it an enjoyably and cartoonishly amorous big band swing song and comparing Madonna s vocals to Betty Boop 24 Greg Sandow from Entertainment Weekly called it a delightful challenge to censorship 25 Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine felt it was a cheeky song also writing that it touched on themes Madonna would go on to explore more explicitly later in the 1990s 26 Stephen Holden of The New York Times described it as a big band blues song in which she endorses sexual spanking a calculated bid for outrage 27 Ray Boren from The Deseret News described Hanky Panky as naughty comparing it to the 1928 jazz song Makin Whoopee by Eddie Cantor 28 Dave Tianen from The Milwaukee Sentinel while reviewing I m Breathless noted that one aspect of Madonna remains constant even when you push her back in time Hanky Panky is one of the few pop tunes to explore the erotic entertainment value in a good spanking 29 For Medium s Richard LaBeau it gets points for its boldness and audacity Yet it never truly rises above its novelty status 30 Writing for The Pittsburgh Press Peter B King believed that the subject matter of Hanky Panky would surely receive flank but defended Madonna saying that she had been singing about such topics for years by then 31 The Huffington Post ranked the song fifth on their list of The 13 Most Underrated Madonna Songs author Pandora Boxx hailed it as a great fusion of 90s pop and vintage 30s but noted that its scandalous subject matter ruffled too many feathers to make it a big hit 32 Also from The Huffington Post Matthew Jacobs ranked it at number 55 on his list of The Definitive Ranking of Madonna Singles calling it pure fun 30s swing style its lyrics are sillier than they ought to be but the fabulous beat refuses to let your dancing shoes collect dust 33 Writing for Gay Star News Joe Morgan gave a mixed review calling it less sexual and feminist liberation and more corny and blatant A forgettable number that sounds like track six of a musical theatre cast album 34 A negative review came from Royal S Brown author of Film Musings A Selected Anthology from Fanfare Magazine who called it ridiculous 35 Also negative was The Guardian s Jude Rogers who wrote that even creators of brilliant pop can go wrong calling it over farty and Madonna s nadir 36 Chart performance editFollowing its release Hanky Panky was initially blacklisted at some radio stations when they faced objections from audiences about the lyrical content 37 Nevertheless it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 40 the week of June 30 1990 as Vogue was descending from the top ten 38 The single quickly climbed up the chart ultimately peaking at number ten the week of July 28 1990 39 It became Madonna s 20th single to reach the Top 10 making her the first female artist to have this many Top 10 hits at the time It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA on September 19 1990 for shipments of 500 000 copies 40 Billboard ranked it at number 36 on their list of Madonna s 40 Biggest Hits on the Hot 100 23 In Canada the song debuted at number 92 on the RPM Top Singles chart and reached a peak of number 18 on the week of September 1 1990 41 42 It was present for a total of 13 weeks on the chart 43 In the United Kingdom the song debuted at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and after two weeks reached its peak of number two the week of July 27 1990 spent a total of nine weeks within the top 100 of the chart 44 It was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry BPI on August 1 1990 for shipments of 200 000 copies 45 According to the Official Charts Company the single has sold over 210 000 copies as of October 2010 46 In Australia Hanky Panky debuted at number 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart the week of July 29 1990 and peaked at number six four weeks later It was ranked at number 45 on the ARIA year end chart 47 48 In New Zealand the single debuted at number 23 on RIANZ Singles Chart and after fluctuating for the next three weeks reached a peak of number six becoming Madonna s 18th top ten single in the country 49 In the European nations Hanky Panky reached the top ten of the charts in Ireland as well as topping the charts in Finland 50 51 In other countries such as Austria Belgium Germany Spain Switzerland and the Netherlands it managed to peak within the top 20 of the charts 47 52 Live performances and covers editSee also List of Madonna tribute albums nbsp Madonna performing Hanky Panky on the final concert of 2015 2016 s Rebel Heart Tour in Sydney Hanky Panky was first performed on Madonna s third concert tour the Blond Ambition World Tour of 1990 She performed the song dressed in a green and white striped vaudeville style corset playing the part of a nightclub singer standing in front of a microphone Near the end of the performance Madonna joked You all know the pleasures of a good spanking don t you When I hurt people I feel better you know what I mean 53 54 Regarding the shameless promotion of Dick Tracy in this segment author Lucy O Brien said that along with her yen for artistic expression Madonna has always had an eye on the bottom dollar But the Dick Tracy section is the least dynamic part of the show 55 Two different performances were released on video the first was included in Blond Ambition Japan Tour 90 taped from the performance at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama Japan on April 27 1990 56 and the other one included on Blond Ambition World Tour Live taped at the Stade de l Ouest in Nice France on August 5 1990 57 Fourteen years later Madonna performed an energetic showgirl themed version of Hanky Panky as part of her 2004 Re Invention World Tour She appeared onstage dressed in a circus themed outfit consisting of black hot pants red high heels headband and a red and white striped 1920s flapper style bustier 58 Sean Piccoli from the Sun Sentinel praised the singer s ability to summon the vampy humor of Hanky Panky a Bette Midler moment if ever Madonna had one 59 Despite not being part of the official set list Madonna sang Hanky Panky on the final concert of her Rebel Heart Tour held in Sydney Australia on March 2016 60 In May 2000 the song was performed by actress Alicia Witt on the third season finale of the American television series Ally McBeal titled The Musical Almost 61 An Indie cover version by the band Killer Nannies In America was included on the 2000 tribute album The Material Girl A Tribute to Madonna 62 The Gary Tesca Orchestra included an instrumental version of the song on their album Who s That Girl The Madonna Story Vol 1 2006 63 Track listings and formats editUS and European 7 inch single Japanese 3 inch CD single 5 Hanky Panky LP version 3 57 More LP version 4 59Australian European and US 12 inch single and CD maxi single 6 Hanky Panky Bare Bottom 12 inch mix 6 34 Hanky Panky Bare Bones single mix 3 50 More album version 4 59 Digital single 2020 64 Hanky Panky Bare Bones single mix 3 50 Hanky Panky Bare Bottom 12 inch mix 6 36 More LP version 4 59Credits and personnel editCredits are adapted from the album s liner notes 8 Madonna writer vocals producer Patrick Leonard writer producer keyboard Jeff Porcaro drums Guy Pratt bass Donna De Lory background vocals Niki Haris background vocals N Dea Davenport background vocals Kevin McGuilbert remix and additional production Patrick Demarchelier cover photographer Jeri Heiden designerCharts editWeekly charts edit Weekly chart performance for Hanky Panky Chart 1990 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 47 6Austria O3 Austria Top 40 65 20Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 66 15Canada Retail Singles The Record 67 2Canada Top Singles RPM 42 18Canada Contemporary Hit Radio The Record 67 3European Airplay Top 50 Music amp Media 68 1European Hot 100 Singles Music amp Media 69 4Finland Suomen virallinen lista 51 70 1Germany Official German Charts 71 21Italy Musica e dischi 72 4Ireland IRMA 50 3Netherlands Dutch Top 40 73 13Netherlands Single Top 100 74 21New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 49 6Spain PROMUSICAE 52 13Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 75 15UK Singles OCC 44 2US Billboard Hot 100 76 10US Cash Box Top 100 77 8US Radio amp Records CHR amp Pop Charts 78 10 Year end charts edit Year end chart performance for Hanky Panky Chart 1990 PositionAustralia ARIA 48 45European Airplay Top 50 Music amp Media 79 24European Hot 100 Singles Music amp Media 79 89Spain PROMUSICAE 52 90Certifications and sales editCertifications and sales for Hanky Panky Region Certification Certified units salesAustralia ARIA 80 Gold 35 000 United Kingdom BPI 45 Silver 210 000 46 United States RIAA 40 Gold 500 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone See also editList of European number one airplay songs of the 1990sReferences edit Morton 2002 p 98 a b Taraborrelli 2008 pp 187 88 a b Taraborrelli 2008 p 189 Smith Liz June 4 1990 Dancer Sizzles on Madonna Tour Sarasota Herald Tribune Retrieved May 10 2015 a b Hanky Panky US single liner notes Madonna Maverick Records 1990 543919789 7 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link a b Hanky Panky European single liner notes Madonna Maverick Records 1990 5439 19789 4 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Rooksby 2004 p 70 a b I m Breathless Liner notes Madonna Santa Monica California Warner Bros Records 1990 75992 62092 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link a b c Rooksby 2004 p 72 Madonna Ciccone Hanky Panky Musicnotes com 5 August 2008 Retrieved May 9 2015 Fisher Carrie August 1991 True Confessions Carrie Fisher Interviews Madonna Rolling Stone Retrieved December 27 2016 Rothman Seymour August 9 1990 Madonna Bashers Toledo Blade 23 Retrieved May 3 2015 Taraborrelli 2008 p 190 Taraborrelli 2008 p 199 Guilbert 2002 p 79 Thomas Erlewine Stephen I m Breathless gt Madonna AllMusic Retrieved February 14 2014 Coleman Bill June 23 1990 Single Reviews PDF Billboard p 71 Retrieved October 28 2020 CG Madonna Robert Christgau Retrieved February 14 2014 Hardy Ernest June 23 1990 Pop Reviews Singles PDF Cash Box p 32 Retrieved October 27 2020 Giles David July 14 1990 Singles PDF Music Week p 23 Retrieved October 30 2020 Coleman Mark June 14 1990 I m Breathless Album Reviews Rolling Stone Retrieved May 2 2015 Picks and Pans Review I m Breathless People June 18 1990 Archived from the original on 22 December 2015 Retrieved 13 December 2015 a b Caulfield Keith August 16 2015 Madonna s 40 Biggest Billboard Hits Billboard Retrieved March 21 2016 Lynch Joel March 8 2023 The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs Critics Picks Billboard Retrieved March 13 2023 Sandow Greg May 25 1990 I m Breathless review Entertainment Weekly Retrieved May 23 2015 Cinequemani Sal March 9 2003 Madonna I m Breathless Music Review Slant Magazine Retrieved May 2 2015 Holden Stephen May 20 1990 Recordings Madonna saunters down tin pan alley The New York Times p 1 Retrieved May 2 2015 Boren Ray May 31 1990 Quick Dick Tracy Try To Find Real Madonna On Breathless The Deseret News Retrieved May 10 2015 Tianen Dave June 1 1990 Madonna Just A Flash In The Past The Milwaukee Sentinel Archived from the original on April 28 2016 Retrieved May 10 2015 LeBeau Richard August 16 2018 Ranking All 57 of Madonna s Billboard Hits in Honor of Her 60th Birthday Medium Retrieved 2 June 2019 B King Peter July 1 1990 Madonna s LAtest Naughty And Mostly Nice The Pittsburgh Press Retrieved May 10 2015 Boxx Pandora January 3 2015 The 13 Most Underrated Madonna Songs HuffPost Retrieved May 3 2015 Jacobs Matthew March 10 2015 The Definitive Ranking Of Madonna Singles HuffPost Retrieved December 30 2017 Morgan Joe August 9 2018 The Definitive Ranking of Madonna s Top 60 Singles Gay Star News Archived from the original on 15 August 2018 Retrieved 14 May 2019 Brown 2007 p 83 Rogers Jude August 16 2018 Every one of Madonna s 78 singles ranked The Guardian Retrieved 26 August 2018 Horovitz Bruce July 18 1990 Madonna Gets The Boot From Reebok The Pittsburgh Press Retrieved May 10 2015 The Billboard Hot 100 Week of June 30 1990 Billboard Retrieved May 2 2015 The Billboard Hot 100 Week of July 28 1990 Billboard Retrieved May 2 2015 a b American single certifications Madonna Hanky Panky Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved May 10 2015 Top RPM Singles Issue 1268 RPM Library and Archives Canada Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved May 10 2015 a b Top RPM Singles Issue 1327 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved May 10 2015 Top RPM Singles Issue 1286 RPM Library and Archives Canada Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved May 10 2015 a b Madonna Artist Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved May 10 2015 a b British single certifications Madonna Hanky Panky British Phonographic Industry Retrieved May 10 2015 a b Madonna The Official Top 40 MTV Archived from the original on October 10 2010 a b c Madonna Hanky Panky ARIA Top 50 Singles Retrieved May 10 2015 a b ARIA Charts End Of Year Charts Top 50 Singles 1990 ARIA Charts Retrieved May 2 2015 a b Madonna Hanky Panky Top 40 Singles Retrieved May 10 2015 a b The Irish Charts Search Results Hanky Panky Irish Singles Chart Retrieved May 10 2015 a b Nyman 2005 p 90 a b c Salaverri 2005 p 130 Taraborrelli 2008 p 186 Wurtzel Elizabeth May 14 1990 Heavy Breathing New York Retrieved May 11 2015 O Brien 2008 p 225 Madonna 1990 Blond Ambition Japan Tour 90 VHS Yokohama Warner Pioneer Japan ASIN B0001NYIDQ WPVP 9044 Madonna 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour Live Laserdisc Nice Pioneer Artists OCLC 798256234 PLMPB 00041 Halleck Audra July 7 2004 Madonna expresses herself The Beaver County Times Retrieved May 3 2015 Piccoli Sean July 29 2004 Madonna Reinvented Evolved Sun Sentinel Archived from the original on March 2 2016 Retrieved May 3 2015 Giuffre Liz March 21 2016 Live Review Madonna The Music Archived from the original on February 27 2023 Retrieved February 28 2023 Ally McBeal The Musical Almost TV com May 22 2000 Archived from the original on March 9 2016 Retrieved May 3 2015 Various Artists gt The Material Girl A Tribute to Madonna AllMusic November 14 2000 Retrieved May 3 2015 The Gary Tesca Orchestra Who s That Girl The Madonna Story Vol 1 iTunes Store March 28 2006 Retrieved May 9 2015 Hanky Panky Single by Madonna on Apple Music Apple Music Retrieved 20 September 2020 Madonna Hanky Panky in German O3 Austria Top 40 Retrieved May 10 2015 Madonna Hanky Panky in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved May 10 2015 a b Lwin Nanda 2000 Top 40 Hits The Essential Chart Guide Music Data Canada p 173 ISBN 1 896594 13 1 European Airplay Top 50 PDF Music amp Media 11 August 1990 p III Retrieved 31 July 2019 Hits of the World PDF Billboard 1990 08 11 Retrieved July 3 2019 Pennanen Timo 2021 Sisaltaa hitin 1 1 1960 30 6 2021 PDF in Finnish Musiikkiarkisto pp 156 157 Retrieved September 5 2022 Madonna Hanky Panky in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved May 10 2015 Classifiche Musica e Dischi in Italian Retrieved May 29 2022 Set Tipo on Singoli Then in the Artista field search Madonna Nederlandse Top 40 Madonna in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved May 10 2015 Madonna Hanky Panky in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved May 10 2015 Madonna Hanky Panky Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved May 10 2015 Madonna Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved May 10 2015 Cash Box Top 100 Singles August 4 1990 Cash Box Retrieved February 2 2021 Madonna Radio amp Records Retrieved December 16 2022 a b Bakker Machgiel December 22 1990 1990 REVIEW Music amp Media Year End Awards Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1990 European Airplay Top 50 PDF Music amp Media Vol 7 no 51 pp 29 36 40 Retrieved May 20 2021 ARIA Charts Accreditations 1990 Singles PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved July 14 2021 Bibliography editBrown Royal S 2007 Film Musings A Selected Anthology from Fanfare Magazine Rowman amp Littlefield ISBN 978 0 8108 5856 5 Guilbert Georges Claude 2002 Madonna As Postmodern Myth McFarland ISBN 0 7864 1408 1 Morton Andrew 2002 Madonna Macmillan Publishers ISBN 0 312 98310 7 Nyman Jake 2005 Suomi soi 4 Suuri suomalainen listakirja in Finnish Helsinki Tammi Publishers ISBN 951 31 2503 3 O Brien Lucy 2008 Madonna Like an Icon Bantam Press ISBN 9780552153614 Rooksby Rikky 2004 The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna Omnibus Press ISBN 0 7119 9883 3 Salaverri Fernando 2005 Solo exitos ano a ano 1959 2002 in Spanish Fundacion Autor SGAE ISBN 84 8048 639 2 Taraborrelli Randy J 2008 Madonna An Intimate Biography Simon amp Schuster ISBN 9780330454469 External links edit Hanky Panky on Spotify Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hanky Panky Madonna song amp oldid 1186772507, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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