Travel Back to the 80s Dance Floor With Madonna’s “Pretender”

Happy #SongLyricsSunday! Today’s prompt is about finding a song with the words “Fraud”, “Hypocrite”, “Phony”, “Pretender”, or “Snob” in the title or lyrics. Once I saw the prompt, one song immediately popped into my head: Madonna’s 1984 song “Pretender”. I am a big fan of Madonna’s material from the 80s, especially from Like a Virgin, in which “Pretender” appears. It is no coincidence that I picked “Pretender” today because I listened to it a lot during my week-long summer vacation a few weeks ago. Though an album filler, it is a great song that makes you want to sway along.

He’s A Pretender

“Pretender” was a track off Madonna’s 1984 Like a Virgin album. The song was also a b-side on the single “Material Girl”. The song was written by Madonna with her ex-boyfriend Stephen Bray. The two met in 1976 at the University of Michigan. Then, they became romantically link sometime after.

The two broke up and Madonna decided to move to New York City to become a musician, first in a couple of bands and then as a solo singer. She invited Bray to come to the Big Apple to come and help write some songs for her. He wrote a handful of songs for the Queen of Pop but also such acts as The Breakfast Club, Nick Kamen, The Party, E.G. Daily, and The Jets.

The 1984 song talks about a woman who feels that things are about moving too fast with her lover. It talks about her seduction with such lines as “And when he danced with me I knew he wanted more”. Yet, it also highlights her insecurities with “I know that I should take my friend’s advice” and “Why’d I fall in love?”. The song’s character is also bold yet auspicious as she calls her boyfriends a “pretender” and a “liar”. Though she saw true colors, the character ponders “what could have been” with him if she had the ability to change her lover’s personality to something likable.

Final Thoughts

Madonna’s “Pretender” details the struggle of a woman who wonders if she should be with her lover or leave him. It is a song that is filled with sugary synthesizers, funky guitar riffs by Nile Rodgers, Madonna’s dexterous vocals, and a lively dance-pop tempo. “Pretender” is a delectable track that brings you back to the 80s dance floor to get down.

Make sure to check out the track below and let me know what you think!

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Lyrics for Madonna’s *Pretender*

He’s a pretender, he knows just what to say
He’s a pretender, yeah, you meet him every day
He’s a pretender, that fish that got away
He’s a pretender, why’d I fall in love?

It was so strange the way he held my hand
I wanted more than just a one night stand
He had a way of makin’ me believe
That he was mine and that he’d never leave

I know that I should take my friend’s advice
‘Cause if it happened once, you know it happens twice
If there’s a chance then I know I’ve got to try
I’ll make him dance with me, I’ll make him tell me why

He’s a pretender
He’s a pretender

I’m not afraid to fall a hundred times
And I’ll believe in all your silly lies
I’d like to think that I could change your mind
Don’t say that I am blind, I know all about your kind

He’s a pretender, you meet him every day
He’s a pretender, that fish that got away
He’s a pretender, why’d I fall in love?

I like the way he moved across the floor
And when he danced with me I knew he wanted more
But in the dark things happened much too fast
I should’ve stopped him then I knew it wouldn’t last

I know that I should take my friend’s advice
‘Cause if it happened once, you know it happens twice
If there’s a chance then I know I’ve got to try
I’ll make him dance with me, I’ll make him tell me why

I’m not afraid to fall a hundred times
And I’ll believe in all your silly lies
I’d like to think that I could change your mind
Don’t say that I am blind

You lied you lied, you lied you lied
You lied you lied, you lied you lied
You lied you lied, you lied you lied
You lied you lied, I know all about your kind

He’s a pretender
He’s a pretender
He’s a pretender, why’d I fall in love?

He’s a pretender, yeah, he knows just what to say
He’s a pretender, yeah, you meet him every day
He’s a pretender, that fish that got away
He’s a pretender, don’t know how he got that way

He’s a pretender
He’s a pretender, he’s a pretender
He’s a pretender, that fish that got away
He’s a pretender, why’d I fall in love?

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The Rules for #SongLyricsSunday

(This challenge is currently hosted by the generous Jim Adams.)

Anyone can participate in #SongLyricsSunday, even if you aren’t a music blogger! If you want to participate, here are the rules:

• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Pingback to this post will eventually work, as long as you are being patient, but you can also place your link in the comments if you don’t like to wait.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

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