At the time, Madonna’s meteoric rise to fame at the box office spawned a No. 1 hit that continues to climb the charts 37 years later!

Who is this girl who keeps climbing the charts with songs she released decades ago? Bitch, it’s Madonna!

That’s right, last week the Queen of Pop made a surprise return to the Billboard charts with her 1987 hit “Who’s That Girl.” The track had already topped the chart at the time, but now debuts at No. 9 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart, her eighth Top 10 on those specific charts.

Is it Really But is it any wonder? We’re talking about Madonna here, her hits are timeless! And this song’s second life can probably be attributed to the fact that earlier this month, she revealed that her self-directed biopic was back with a new title: (you guessed it) Who is this girl.

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The funny thing is, there’s already a Madonna movie with that name, and it’s the same one that gave birth to the song “Who’s That Girl.” Are you following the who’s who of “Who’s That Girl”? Let’s take a trip down memory lane to dissect the song’s legacy…

By the mid-80s, Madonna was already a true music superstar, cemented by her second studio album Like a virgin becoming a huge hit in 1984. Never shy about her big screen dreams, she used this success to land her first real leading film role in the 1985 comedy Desperately searching for Susanwhich actually solidified it as a THE It Girl of her generation.

However, his next film, the ambitious 1986 romantic adventure Shanghai Surprisestruggled to connect with audiences in the same way. So when it came time to find her next film project, Madonna knew she wanted to return to a traditional comedy, and with a role a little more within her reach.

Excited about a script that came to her, she then called PrisonMadonna was heavily involved in the project, eager to craft her next box-office hit. To do so, she hired her friend John Foley as director, who had previously helmed her videos for “Live to Tell” and “Papa Don’t Preach” but had not yet tackled a production of this magnitude.

This also meant she would be the lead vocalist on the film’s soundtrack, tapping screenwriters Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray, with whom she collaborated on the 1986 album. True Blue—to write original songs both fast and slow for the film.

Leonard was specifically tasked with writing a more uptempo track that would capture the spirit of Madonna’s character, Nikki Finn. While working on a demo, she focused on the melody and lyrics, but hit a wall trying to find the right words to rhyme with the title “Slammer.”

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When that didn’t work, she changed course, changing the title of the song to “Who’s That Girl” – and thus changing the title of the film to Who is this girlalso. That’s just Madonna’s power!

A synth-driven pop track that incorporates some Latin music and even a few Spanish verses (like “señorita más fina” – the finest lady), elements she had previously explored on the 1986 hit “La Isla Bonita.” The lyrics aptly paint a picture of a seductive woman whose appeal is impossible to ignore.

Suffice it to say, Who is this girl—the movie!—was a complete flop. Hated by critics, it grossed just over $7 million at the box office. It was nominated for several Golden Raspberry Awards (aka The Razzies), and Madonna was even named Worst Actress that year, a title she had just won for Shanghai Surpriseand would go on to win five times in total (the record, by the way).

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But Madonna had the last laugh, and then some, as “Who’s That Girl” (the song!) became her sixth single to reach number one on the Billboard charts, breaking several records. It was also nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and was also nominated for “Best Song Written for a Visual Medium” at the Grammy Awards.

As for Who is this girl (the soundtrack!), received mixed reviews from critics, but also became a commercial success, reaching the Top 10 on the US album charts. Although many fans do not consider it a “Madonna album” (given that she only sings four of its nine songs), Warner Bros. Records technically classifies it as such.

“Who’s That Girl” lives on, in some way, 37 years later. Its return to the Billboard charts this summer only confirms the influence Madonna has on her loyal fans, and the song will likely have some real staying power as anticipation for her long-awaited autobiography continues to grow.

The decision to give her film the same title as her cult classic from the ’80s might suggest she’s ready to sweep that failure under the rug, and so be it! But when it comes to Madonna, we’ll never forget: “Who’s That Girl.”

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