Some Girls (Madonna song)

"Some Girls" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Madonna for her twelfth studio album MDNA (2012). It was written by Madonna, William Orbit and Klas Åhlund, while production was handled by Madonna and Orbit, and co-production was done by Åhlund. An electronic song, "Some Girls" also features synthpop influences.

Lyrically, the female empowerment song finds Madonna declaring how she is different from many other women. In one part of the song, she makes a reference to her 1989 hit "Express Yourself". The song received mixed reception from music critics. Most critics praised Orbit's production, which resembles his production on Ray of Light, but others felt it was weak and criticized Madonna's processed vocals. Although not released as a single, the song has charted on the Gaon Chart due to strong digital downloads of the parent album.

Writing and recording
"Some Girls" was written and produced by Madonna, William Orbit, and Klas Åhlund. Madonna spoke about working with Orbit at the New York premiere of "W.E.," stating, "With William, I didn't really have a discussion. We've worked on stuff for so many years that we kind of finish each other's sentences. He knows my taste and what I like. [...] Magic happens when we get into a recording studio together."

Orbit explained that the "light and experimental" recording session for "Some Girls" led to "a fierce kind of electro track. ... 'Here I am. I am awesome,' That's what it communicates to anyone, I am sure. She is just like queen bitch. ... We love her for that and she knows how to rule." He believes that the song really speaks to her biggest fans, stating, "She certainly knows how to get [to] her subjects [and get] the most devotion out of them. I love to see that relationship between fans and Madonna. It's a rare thing, so proactive and that song really sums it up. It's got great lyrics. We had fun with the lyrics."

Composition
"Some Girls" is an EDM and synthpop song, with a length of three minutes and fifty-two seconds. It features "a mid-tempo groove, a deep electro bass line and stabbing synths". It also has William Orbit's "trademark swirly, cosmic-like flourishes that zig-zag out of the speakers," as noted by Keith Caulfield from Billboard. The track contains "a-melodic chant" that lists off the current trend of a "rich party girl". It includes the line "put your loving to the test," where Madonna makes a reference to her own single "Express Yourself (1989)" whilst elsewhere singing "I never wanna be like some girls."

For Brad Stern of MTV Buzzworthy, the song recalls Norwegian duo Royksopp's "Vision One"—or even Britney Spears's "Piece of Me," also produced by Klas Åhlund. Stern also thought that "Some Girls" "is Hard Candy's 'She's Not Me' injected with a gallon of battery acid." Emily Mackay of The Quietus agreed, naming it "a return to the theme of Hard Candy's 'She's Not Me' (essentially: step off, little girl, I invented this shit), but with "less attitude, more platitude by now." Enio Chinola of PopMatters pointed out that it "is more reminiscent of Robyn's 'Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do'."

Critical response
"Some Girls" received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Brad Stern of MTV Buzzworthy called it, "the darkest cut on the record, apart from 'Gang Bang'." Amy Sciarretto of Pop Crush named it "a beat-heavy, synth pop gem with processed vocals, like many of the songs on ‘MDNA.’" He also praised "the ’80s nu wave thread," calling it "a prime example of the album’s laptop pop sound." Dean Piper of Daily Mirror was also positive, calling it "the most cosmic of Orbit tracks he's done with Madonna," writing that "her vocal is almost tinny and echoes." Piper finished the review stating that 'Some Girls', "it's an exciting introduction to a new wave Orbit." Nick Bond of Star Observer agreed, calling it "a solid electro-glam stomper," praising the "VERY William Orbit bridge that could’ve been lifted straight off the Ray of Light album." Joel Meares of Time Out wrote the producers "squeeze Madge into android mode here." He also stated, "How they manage to remove even more personality from her voice, we don’t know, but hearing it float characterless above their rich and infectious looping beats, we’re glad they did. It works."

Jeremy Thomas of 411 Mania called it "a good old-fashioned club single and adequate, but unremarkable." Michael Cragg of The Guardian labeled it "the album's weakest moment," due to "Madonna's vocals pulled, processed and buried deep in the mix, acting more like another instrument within a deluge of filtered beats." He also added that, "It could have easily been a leftover from her Music album." Virgin Media gave the song 2 out of 5 stars, writing that the song "inevitably triggers memories of the Ray of Light album, but it is one of MDNA's most underwhelming offerings." Her vocals were also criticized, for being "altered, processed and buried deep in the mix."

Credits and personnel

 * Songwriting – Madonna, William Orbit, Klas Ahlund
 * Production - Madonna, William Orbit
 * Co-Production - Klas Ahlund
 * Mixing - Demacio “Demo” Castello
 * Protools Editing - Ron Taylor
 * Additional Editing - Stephen “The Koz” Kozmeniuk
 * Instrumentation - William Orbit & Klas Ahlund

Credits adapted from the liner notes of MDNA, Interscope Records, Live Nation.

Charts
In South Korea, the song debuted at number 144 on the Gaon International Downloads Chart.