Like a Virgin
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| Like a Virgin | ||
 |
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| Studio album by Madonna | ||
| Released | November 14, 1984 | |
| Recorded | 1984 | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 43:10 | |
| Label | Sire/Warner Bros. | |
| Producer(s) | Nile Rodgers | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Madonna chronology | ||
| Madonna (1983) |
Like a Virgin (1984) |
True Blue (1986) |
- For the Veronica Mars episode, see Like a Virgin (Veronica Mars).
Like a Virgin (1984) is the second studio album by singer Madonna. The album peaked at number one on Billboard Music Chart's pop albums chart and number ten on the R&B charts. A remastered version of the album was released in 2001.
Two of Madonna's most enduring and famous songs, "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl", are found on this album. Upon release in 1984, the song "Like a Virgin" became somewhat controversial for its theme and for Madonna's performances of it. Madonna debuted the song "Like a Virgin" on the first annual MTV Video Music Awards. In this performance, Madonna rolled on the floor in a white wedding dress, exposing her panties and garter belt, all the while wearing a belt that read "Boy Toy". (This "Boy Toy" belt is partly visible on the "Like a Virgin" album cover.)
Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine did a parody of this album called "I'd Like a Virgin". It shows Richard Cheese trying to have sex with Madonna.
The Horribly Awfuls recorded a cover of this song on their 2003 release, "We Fight Like the Crips and Bloods."
Contents |
[edit] Release history
By the time Madonna's debut album was released in 1983, she already had enough material to put together another album; because of the success of Madonna, however, it was not until November 12, 1984 that Sire Records released her second album Like A Virgin. Nile Rodgers was chosen by Madonna as the producer of the album, mostly due to his work with David Bowie on his album Let's Dance. Like A Virgin built on the sound and image that Madonna had created in her debut album, which was very much disco and pop-oriented. Madonna dedicated the album to "all the virgins of the world".
The albums title track was her first number one hit song. The album's second single, "Material Girl", earned Madonna her nickname of "Material Girl" from the media. Originally, "Into The Groove" was not included on the album. The song was an early recording slated to appear on her debut album, but was dropped at the last minute. It later resurfaced in Madonna's 1985 film, Desperately Seeking Susan and became a worldwide hit. Subsequently, Warner Bros. Records included it on Virgin's UK tracklisting.
The album was a huge success on the charts, but the critics were not really convinced of Madonna's skills and described her as an "unimportant annoying one-hit-wonder" with a voice similar to "Minnie Mouse on helium". The award shows largely snubbed Like A Virgin; although she did receive a few nominations at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost each one of them.
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Material Girl" (Brown, Rans) | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Angel" (Bray, Madonna) | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Like a Virgin" (Kelly, Steinberg) | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Over and Over" (Bray, Madonna) | 4:12 |
| 5. | "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (Gregory) | 4:37 |
| 6. | "Into the Groove" (Bray, Madonna) [not included in the American release] | 4:40 |
| 7. | "Dress You Up" (LaRusso, Stanziale, Madonna) | 4:01 |
| 8. | "Shoo-Bee-Doo" (Madonna) | 5:16 |
| 9. | "Pretender" (Bray, Madonna) | 4:30 |
| 10. | "Stay" (Bray, Madonna) | 4:07 |
| 11. | "Like a Virgin" [extended dance remix]* (Kelly, Steinberg) | 6:09 |
| 12. | "Material Girl" [extended dance remix]* (Brown, Rans) | 6:07 |
* bonus tracks on remastered version
[edit] Singles
| # | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Like a Virgin" | November 1984 |
| 2. | "Material Girl" | January 1985 |
| 3. | "Angel" | April 1985 |
| 4. | "Into the Groove" | July 1985 (not US) |
| 5. | "Dress You Up" | July 1985 |
[edit] Album credits
[edit] Personnel
- Madonna - vocals, background vocals
- Bernard Edwards - bass
- Brenda King - background vocals
- Curtis King
- Lenny Pickett - saxophone
- Nile Rodgers - guitar, synclavier
- Robert Sabino - synthesizer
- Frank Simms - background vocals
- George Simms - background vocals
- Tony Thompson - drums
[edit] Production
- Producers: Madonna, Stephen Bray, Nile Rodgers
- Engineer: Jason Corsaro
- Production manager: Budd Tunick
- Audio Mastering: Bob Ludwig
- Drum programming: Jimmy Bralower
- Art direction: Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff
- Design: Jeffrey Kent Ayer, Jeri McManus
- Photography: Steven Meisel
[edit] Design
- Art Direction: Jeri McManus
- Photography: Steven Meisel
- Stylist: Maripol
[edit] Chart performance
Like a Virgin became Madonna's first multi-platinum hit album. It reached number one in Germany, the UK, USA and multiple other countries, selling 21 million copies worldwide.
In 1998, the album was certified Diamond (the highest certification given by the RIAA) in the US for shipments of 10 million US copies. Only The Immaculate Collection has equaled this success (in the United States).
| Chart (1984) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia albums chart | 2 |
| Austria albums chart | 3 |
| Brazil albums chart | 1 |
| Canada albums chart | 3 |
| Finland albums chart | 8 |
| France albums chart | 2 |
| Germany albums chart | 1 |
| Ireland (Éire) albums chart | 1 |
| Italy albums chart | 1 |
| Mexico albums chart | 1 |
| Norway albums chart | 6 |
| Portugal albums chart | 2 |
| Spain albums chart | 1 |
| Switzerland albums chart | 3 |
| UK albums chart | 1 |
| USA Billboard 200 | 1 |
| USA Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 10 |
[edit] Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia | 7x Platinum |
| Brazil | Platinum |
| Canada | 10x Platinum (Diamond) |
| France | 2x Platinum |
| Germany | Platinum |
| Hong Kong | Platinum |
| Italy | 6x Platinum |
| Mexico | 3x Platinum |
| Nederlands | Platinum |
| Singapore | 2x Platinum |
| Spain | Platinum |
| Switzerland | 2x Platinum |
| UK | 3x Platinum |
| USA | 10x Platinum (Diamond) |
[edit] References
- "Chart Performance of Madonna Records - A Compiled History". MLVC.ORG - Charts. link - last accessed on December 24, 2005.
- "Madonna Tribe News: Pier Pinto's Charts Updates". Madonna Tribe News. link - last accessed on December 11, 2005.
- "Like A Virgin". Mad-Eyes. link - last accessed on November 25, 2006.
