Maps of Music

Madonna (1983)

Where the lyrics of Madonna take you, and where it was really made.

Madonna rejected the album's first cover as not iconic enough, and the cover that was finally used came from a different photo shoot.

Key places

Where the rest of the album was recorded (1983)

Recording site Sigma Sound Studios — The remaining songs for the album were recorded at this studio in New York. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Official cover photo shoot (1983)

Album cover Record Plant Studios — The official cover was photographed at photographer Gary Heery's studio on Broadway in New York. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Madonna: debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna
• Released 27 July 1983 by Sire Records
• Mostly dance-pop and post-disco; uses LinnDrum, Moog bass and OB-X synthesizer
• Five singles: Everybody, Burning Up, Holiday, Lucky Star and Borderline
• Holiday was the breakout single; Lucky Star and Borderline followed
• Sold an estimated 10 million copies worldwide

Background

• Late 1970s: Madonna built a career in downtown New York with her former Michigan boyfriend Stephen Bray
• Demo tape with four dance tracks, pitched by Madonna to local nightclubs
• Mark Kamins, resident DJ at Danceteria, played Everybody and took her to Sire Records
• Seymour Stein signed her to a deal for three twelve-inch singles
• Everybody released 6 October 1982; it was more successful on the Dance Club Songs chart
• Label approved an album after the single found success in the dance scene

Recording

• Warner Bros. producer Reggie Lucas was the first producer; he had worked with Roberta Flack and Stephanie Mills
• Madonna was unhappy with Lucas's production; he left the project without altering the tracks
• John Jellybean Benitez, her boyfriend at the time, was then asked to work on and remix the rest of the album
• Benitez remixed three songs for the album, including Burning Up and Lucky Star
• Lucky Star was written before the studio sessions; Lucas wrote Physical Attraction and Borderline
• The remaining songs were recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in New York
• Holiday was written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens-Crowder, first for Pure Energy

Cover

• Original cover shot by photographer Edo Bertoglio; Madonna dismissed it
• Official cover shot by photographer Gary Heery and directed by Carin Goldberg
• Shoot took place at Heery's Broadway studio in New York
• 1985 re-release as Madonna: The First Album used a different cover by George Holy

Sources: en.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

• Madonna received generally positive reviews from critics, who highlighted its dance-oriented nature and sound.
• Billboard and Rolling Stone praised Madonna's voice, which critics found distinctive.
• Jeff Simon of The Buffalo News predicted Madonna would overtake Debbie Harry as blonde dance-rock queen.
• Marcia Smith of The Boston Globe opened her review by calling it a hot dance album.
• Dave Rimmer of Smash Hits argued the music suffered from trying to be Madonna Summer.
• Woody Wilson of The Arizona Republic gave a strongly unfavorable review.

Reappraisal

• Madonna has been referred to as one of the greatest debut albums of all time, and one of the best albums from the 1980s.
• Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it a perfect five-star review for AllMusic.
• Rikky Rooksby dismissed it as musical candyfloss, okay in the right spot at the right time.
• Critics have said it helped make dance music popular again and set the standard for dance-pop for decades afterwards.

Records

• In the United States, it peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
• It reached the top ten of the charts in Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
• In the United Kingdom it was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 300,000 copies.
• In Australia it received a Triple Platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
• In Hong Kong it was granted a Platinum certification for shipments of 20,000 copies.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was dedicated to her father, Tony Ciccone, with whom her relationship had not been good until its release.
• Mary Cross said Lucky Star was the album's original title, but Madonna changed it, sensing a single name could have more star power.
• Seymour Stein had his secretary send the tape to the hospital, where he was recovering from heart surgery, so he could listen to it.
• Holiday had been previously offered to Mary Wilson of The Supremes, and Phyllis Hyman.
• Madonna herself played the cowbell heard near the beginning of Holiday.
• In 1985 the album was re-released in Europe, Australasia and certain Asian and Latin American territories as Madonna: The First Album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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