Maps of Music

Like a Virgin (1984)

Where the lyrics of Like a Virgin take you, and where it was really made.

Madonna's second album was delayed because her first album had already sold two million copies in the United States, which frustrated her.

Key places

Where Like a Virgin was recorded (1984)

Recording site Power Station Studio — The album was recorded at Power Station Studio in New York in a short time. Producer Nile Rodgers and former Chic members took part in the sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Like a Virgin: second studio album by American artist Madonna
• Released November 1984 on Sire Records
• Reissued worldwide in 1985 with the bonus track Into the Groove
• A 2001 remixed edition by Warner Bros. included two remixed tracks
• Dance-pop songs with synthpop and new wave elements

Background

• Followed the success of her first album, Madonna (1983)
• Madonna chose to act as one of the producers to control the varied aspects of her music
• Nile Rodgers was chosen as the album's first producer
• Stephen Bray, her former boyfriend, co-produced most of the songs
• The album had a larger budget than her first album

Recording

• Recorded quickly at Power Station Studio in New York
• Former Chic members Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson appear on several tracks
• Rodgers played guitar in return for Edwards's help
• Engineer Jason Corsaro persuaded Rodgers to use digital recording
• Madonna was present throughout the recording and mixing sessions

Cover

• Photographs and cover by Steven Meisel, who became a regular collaborator
• The shoot took place in a suite at the Hotel St. Regis
• Madonna wanted the title and cover to link her religious name with the concept of virginal birth

Sources: fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Madonna Louise Ciccone, born August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress.
• Raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township; moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue dance.
• Performed as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in the rock bands Breakfast Club and Emmy before signing with Sire Records.
• Debut album Madonna (1983) brought her fame.

Career

• Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), and The Immaculate Collection (1990) are among the best-selling albums of all time.
• Rolling Stone ranked Like a Prayer (1989), Ray of Light (1998), and Music (2000) among the greatest albums of all time.
• Known for continual reinvention and for works addressing social, political, sexual, and religious themes.
• Acting credits include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996), for which she won a Golden Globe.
• Founded the entertainment company Maverick (1992–2009), including Maverick Records.
• Is the best-selling female music artist of all time and the first female performer to accumulate US$1 billion from concerts.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, in her first year of eligibility.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Mixed reviews from the press, but a commercial success
• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine: overall the album adds up to less than the sum of its parts, partly because of the strong singles
• Blender's Tony Power gave a negative review
• Rolling Stone's Debby Bull preferred Madonna's first album to Like a Virgin
• Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani gave a positive review, saying the album is not as innovative as the first
• The New York Times' Stephen Holden linked Madonna's singing to the girl groups that preceded the Beatles

Reappraisal

• Taraborrelli: the album shows Madonna as a more versatile and artistic singer than in her early work
• Taraborrelli: the album is a defining moment in the artist's career

Records

• Became Madonna's first number one on the Billboard 200
• Debuted at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart and reached number one in September 1985
• Number one in New Zealand, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands
• Australia: 7x platinum for 490,000 copies
• France: double platinum for 600,000 copies
• In July 1985 became the first album by a female artist to sell more than five million copies in the United States
• RIAA diamond certification for ten million copies in the United States
• Sold between 21 and 25 million copies worldwide
• Added to the US National Recording Registry in 2023

Sources: fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Into the Groove is included only on the 1985 reissue, not on the US version or the 2001 remastered edition.
• Madonna regrets recording Material Girl, because the song became her nickname and stuck with her for decades.
• Dress You Up was included on the PMRC's Filthy Fifteen list for its sexual lyrics and received an 'S' rating from the RIAA.
• The Virgin Tour, her first tour, took place only in the United States and Canada and earned 5 million US dollars.
• Stephen Bray, her former boyfriend, co-produced most of the album's songs.

Sources: fr.wikipedia.org

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