You Can Dance

After its release, You Can Dance received generally positive reviews from critics, some of whom noted how the already known songs appeared to them in a complete new structure, calling it an essential album to be played at parties.You Can Dance was a commercial success, earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of a million copies, and reaching the top twenty of the Billboard 200.It went on to sell five million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling remix album of all time, behind only Blood on the Dance Floor from Michael Jackson.You Can Dance has been credited for setting the standard with remix albums afterward, both in terms of concept and commercial success on record charts.[4] Billboard also confirmed which remixes would be featured on the release and added that a non-remixed song from Madonna (1983) would also be included, which was "likely" to be "Physical Attraction".You Can Dance was also the first North American-released Madonna album that contained "Into the Groove", which was only included on international reissues of Like a Virgin in 1985."[13] The album sleeve included a free poster and the gold wrap-around liner notes contained approximate running time to indicate the difference between the length of the remix and the original track.Brian Chin, a Rolling Stone journalist, wrote the liner notes for the album, explaining the process of remix and why the songs were chosen for the track list.[10] According to Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, "Improvements in studio technology meant that possibilities for shaping the sound after it has been recorded are almost limitless.[15] The lyrics deal with Madonna making the listener remember that "everybody is a star" and that if one wants to be famous and be under the "spotlight", the person should sing about it and reality may catch up with him or her.At the very end, the drums are pulled out, leaving Madonna repeating the "get up and do your thing" phrase, which hovers over to the intro of the next song "Physical Attraction".In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau considered that "the effects, repeats, breaks, and segues added by a star crew of remixers [...] amount to new music—this time the songs don't surface, they reach out and grab you"."[5] Richard Harrington from The Washington Post called the album "an energetic collection of extended dance remixes, that will surely be the highlight of the party crowds flocking around the town."[39] John Milward from USA Today felt that "although the remixes sound a little exhaustive, its nevertheless party time with Madonna's album.[46] The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of one million copies across the United States.[58][59] An oh-so 80s phenomenon, [You Can Dance] had its genesis in the club scene, and had been particularly popular among new-wave artists such as The B-52s, Soft Cell, The Cure, and Pet Shop Boys.[61] Jon O'Brien from Billboard noted Madonna became "the first major pop artist" to release a hits collection with its extended 12" versions.[68] Kelefa Sanneh in Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres (2021) describes how she "released a type of record that many of her fans had probably never previously encountered".[66] Commercially, Easlea wrote that while the record missed out on the US top 10, it still managed to sell more than a million copies—"no mean feat" for a material that had "largely been previously released elsewhere".[60] Its worldwide results led to it becoming the best-selling remix album for nearly ten years until the release of Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix by Michael Jackson.[72] You Can Dance made appearances on a number of year-end and best-of lists by publications such as Cash Box, Los Angeles Times and The Village Voice.