Madonna has released her 1985 hit Dress You Up on digital platforms to celebrate the song’s 40th anniversary.
The digital release includes the single remix of the song, alongside the extended version and an instrumental mix.
The song was the final single from the singer’s Like a Virgin album which saw her achieve international success.
Madonna dedicated the re-release to Barbie designers Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi, who died in a car crash in Italy earlier this week. The Italian couple met Madonna in 2012 on the Graham Norton show and presented her a part of their Madonna doll collection.
“With the tragic news this week of the passing of the doll designers and Madonna superfans Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi, we dedicate this release to them,” the press released noted. “Thank you for dressing up so many of your creations in Madonna iconic looks over the years.”
The track was first released on 31st July 1985 and served as the fourth single from the Like a Virgin album following the title track, Material Girl and Angel.
At the same time tracks from Madonna’s debut album were also charting around the globe, and she also had additional songs from film soundtracks that were hits including Into the Groove, Gambler and Crazy For You.
The song was written by Andrea LaRusso and Peggy Stanziale and was the final track added to the Like a Virgin record. The video for the song was a live performance from Madonna’s debut tour.
The song was a number 5 hit in Australia, the United Kingdom and in the singer’s homeland. While it was a massive hit for the singer, she’s rarely included it her tours.
When Madonna undertook her first world tour in 1987 it was presented as a medley with Like a Virgin and Material Girl. During her Confessions tour in 2006 the song was sampled briefly in an introduction to Music, and while she’s occasionally done a brief acoustic rendition as a fan request on subsequent tours it’s not been a favourite of the singer’s to perform.
During some shows on the Sticky and Sweet tour in 2008 the song was performed as a guitar driven rock number with the singer mashing it together with samples of The Knack’s My Sharona and the Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen. The song also got a brief outing during the Rebel Heart Tour when it was performed as a latin themed medley alongside Lucky Star and Get Into the Groove.
