Critical Response
Author Rikky Rooksby, in his book The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, commented that the song was noticeably weaker compared to other singles like "Lucky Star" and "Borderline". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine denoted the track as edgy and punk-infused. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic commented that "Burning Up" and B side "Physical Attraction" had a darker, carnal urgency in their composition. Don Shewey from Rolling Stone called the song "simple stuff" while complimenting the B side, saying: "'Physical Attraction' is practically a capsule history of high-school proms, with its sly references to The Association's "Cherish" and Olivia Newton-John's "Physical." Robert Christgau called the 12-inch pair of "Burning Up" and "Physical Attraction" electroporn. Santiago Fouz-Hernández in his book Madonna's drowned worlds complimented the song for having upbeat dance music. Jim Farber from Entertainment Weekly commented that "Burning Up" proved that Madonna could rock also.
Read more about this topic: Burning Up, Reception
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