"Holiday" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her eponymous debut album, Madonna (1983). Sire Records released it as the album's third single on September 7, 1983.
Written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens of Pure Energy, the track was offered to Madonna by her producer John "Jellybean" Benitez when she was looking for a potential hit track to include on her debut album.
After accepting the song, she and Benitez worked on it and altered its composition by the addition of a piano solo performed by their friend, Fred Zarr. "Holiday" features instrumentation from guitars, electronic handclaps, a cowbell, and a synthesized string arrangement, while its lyrics speak about the universal sentiment of taking a holiday.
Receiving highly positive reviews from critics, the song became Madonna's first mainstream hit single in the United States, peaking at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Dance Club Songs chart. It also became her first top-ten single in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, West Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Madonna has performed "Holiday" on most of her tours and it is generally included as a part of the encore. Different performances of the song are included in the recorded releases of her tours. "Holiday" has been covered by several artists and appeared in multiple television shows. In 2003, Q Magazine ranked "Holiday" number 88 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".