marramark: Like a Virgin by Madonna

40 years ago today Madonna was FINALLY able to release her “Like A Virgin” single after waiting for months while “Borderline” and "Lucky Star" went top 10 in the U.S. and "Holiday" took off in Australia - along with her debut album still selling. She was supposed to drop this lead single in the spring / early summer of ‘84. It hit #1 in the U.S. on December 22nd and stayed there for 6 weeks. Her first #1! Fun fact: Madonna couldn’t hit the high note on “Like a Virgin” so Nile Rodgers had to slow the tape down (“A Luther Vandross trick” he told RuPaul in 2019) during recording so she could hit it. I rarely return to this song or album even though it holds a special place in my heart because I was 15 when it came out so it’s part of my formative years soundtrack. Her debut album the ‘Like A Virgin’ album were formative years for Madonna as well - she was still learning how to handle vocals and work in a studio with producers and musicians. ‘True Blue’ is where she utilized all she had learned and took the reins.

Like a Virgin

11/12/1984