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Like a Virgin

 
Album Review: Like a Virgin
 
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Like a Virgin

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  • Artist: Madonna
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: November 12, 1984
  • Total Time: 38:02
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Madonna had hits with her first album, even reaching the Top Ten twice with "Borderline" and "Lucky Star," but she didn't become a superstar, an icon, until her second album, Like a Virgin. She saw the opening for this kind of explosion and seized it, bringing in former Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers in as a producer, to help her expand her sound, and then carefully constructed her image as an ironic, ferociously sexy Boy Toy; the Steven Meisel-shot cover, capturing her as a buxom bride with a Boy Toy belt buckle on the front, and dressing after a night of passion, was as key to her reinvention as the music itself. Yet, there's no discounting the best songs on the record, the moments when her grand concepts are married to music that transcends the mere classification of dance-pop. These, of course, are "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin," the two songs that made her an icon, and the two songs that remain definitive statements. They overshadow the rest of the record, not just because they are a perfect match of theme and sound, but because the rest of the album vacillates wildly in terms of quality. The other two singles, "Angel" and "Dress You Up," are excellent standard-issue dance-pop, and there are other moments that work well ("Over and Over," "Stay," the earnest cover of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here"), but overall, it adds up to less than the sum of its parts -- partially because the singles are so good, but also because on the first album, she stunned with style and a certain joy. Here, the calculation is apparent, and while that's part of Madonna's essence -- even something that makes her fun -- it throws the record's balance off a little too much for it to be consistent, even if it justifiably made her a star. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Material Girl Robert Rans, Peter Brown Madonna (4:01)
Angel Stephen Bray, Madonna Madonna (3:55)
Like a Virgin Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg Madonna (3:39)
Over and Over Stephen Bray, Madonna Madonna (4:12)
Love Don't Live Here Anymore Miles Gregory Madonna (4:50)
Into the Groove Stephen Bray, Madonna Madonna (4:43)
Dress You Up Andrea LaRusso, Peggy Stanziale Madonna (4:01)
Shoo-Bee-Doo Madonna Madonna (5:17)
Pretender Madonna Madonna (4:30)
Stay Stephen Bray, Madonna Madonna (4:06)

Credits

Bernard Edwards (Bass), Nile Rodgers (Guitar), Nile Rodgers (Producer), Nile Rodgers (Synclavier), Jimmy Bralower (Programming), Jimmy Bralower (Drum Programming), Stephen Bray (Producer), Madonna (Vocals), Madonna (Vocals (Background)), Madonna (Producer), Madonna (Main Performer), Jason Corsaro (Engineer), Brenda King (Vocals (Background)), Curtis King (?), Lenny Pickett (Saxophone), Robert Sabino (Synthesizer), Frank Simms (Vocals (Background)), George Simms (Vocals (Background)), Budd Tunick (Production Manager), Jeri McManus (Design), Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff (Art Direction), Jeffrey Kent Ayer (Design), Steven Meisel (Photography), Tony Thompson (Drums)
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Wikipedia: Like a Virgin
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
This article is about the Madonna album. For the Madonna song, see Like a Virgin (song). For other uses, see Like a Virgin (disambiguation).
Like a Virgin
Like a Virgin cover
Studio album by Madonna
Released November 12, 1984
August 5, 1985 (Re-release)
May 21, 2001 (Remastered)
Recorded 1984, Power Station Studios, Manhattan, New York[1]
Genre Dance-Pop[2]
Length 43:10
Label Sire, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. (2001)
Producer Nile Rodgers, Madonna, Stephen Bray
Professional reviews
Madonna chronology
Madonna
(1983)		 Like a Virgin
(1984)		 True Blue
(1986)
Singles from Like a Virgin
  1. "Like a Virgin"
    Released: October 6, 1984
  2. "Material Girl"
    Released: January 30, 1985
  3. "Angel"
    Released: April 10, 1985
  4. "Into the Groove"
    Released: July 23, 1985
  5. "Dress You Up"
    Released: July 24, 1985
  6. "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"
    Released: March 10, 1986 (Japan only)

Like a Virgin is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on November 12, 1984 by Sire Records. The album was re-released in 1985 world wide (not in North America) with the bonus track "Into the Groove." In 2001, Warner Bros. released a remastered version with two bonus remix tracks (this version did not include "Into the Groove"). The RIAA certified it Diamond on May 21, 1998,[3] recognizing ten million shipments in the United States. Worldwide, the album has sold over 21 million copies.[4]

Contents

Album history

Nile Rodgers was chosen by Madonna as the producer of the album, mostly because of 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 album's title track was her first number one hit song. Madonna debuted the song at 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". The album's second single, "Material Girl", earned Madonna the nickname of "material girl" from the media. The song "Into the Groove" was included in the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan and due to its success - it hit #1 in various countries, becoming her first number one in the UK - was included in the re-release of the album.

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 Grammy award show largely snubbed Like a Virgin; although she did receive a few nominations at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards, she lost each of them.

The sleeve image was by Steven Meisel who would become a regular collaborator. In 1992 he shot all the photographs for the infamous book SEX.

She later performed "Material Girl", "Angel", "Like a Virgin", "Over and Over", "Into the Groove" and "Dress You Up" on her 1985 Virgin Tour.

The version of "Stay" that appears on the album borrows its lyrics from two early Madonna demo tracks titled "Stay" and "Don't You Know". An early version of "Stay" appeared on the demo cassette that landed Madonna her record deal with Sire/Warner in 1982.

The title song was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic in the song "Like a Surgeon" and was also covered by former Dead Boys frontman Stiv Bators with his later band, Lords Of The New Church.

Album charting and sales

Like A Virgin has been certified Diamond for selling more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone. The album sold 11 million copies when it was released and has sold over 21 million copies worldwide since.[5][6]

Track listing

# Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Material Girl"   Peter Brown, Robert Rans Nile Rodgers 4:01
2. "Angel"   Madonna, Stephen Bray Nile Rodgers 3:55
3. "Like a Virgin"   Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg Nile Rodgers 3:39
4. "Over and Over"   Madonna, S. Bray Nile Rodgers 4:12
5. "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"   Miles Gregory Nile Rodgers 4:50
6. "Dress You Up"   Andrea LaRusso, Peggy Stanziale Nile Rodgers 4:01
7. "Shoo-Bee-Doo"   Madonna Nile Rodgers 5:17
8. "Pretender"   Madonna, S. Bray Nile Rodgers 4:30
9. "Stay"   Madonna, S. Bray Nile Rodgers 4:06


1985 Re-issue bonus track

# Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
6. "Into the Groove"   Madonna, S. Bray Madonna, Stephen Bray 4:43


2001 Remastered version bonus tracks

# Title Writer(s) Remixer(s) Length
10. "Like a Virgin (Extended Dance Remix)"   T. Kelly, B. Steinberg John "Jellybean" Benitez 6:08
11. "Material Girl (Extended Dance Remix)"   P. Brown, R. Rans John "Jellybean" Benitez 6:07


Additional notes

  • "Into the Groove" is only available on the 1985 re-issue. It is not available on the U.S. version and is not included on the 2001 Remastered version. It became track number 6 on the 1985 version with all remaining tracks following suit.

Certifications, peaks and sales
"Like a Virgin"
Madonna's first #1 in several countries, including Australia and the U.S.A.
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"Over and Over"
Lyrically, "Over and Over" deals with ambition and the drive to succeed.
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"Love Don't Live Here Anymore"
The last single from Like a Virgin was released only in Japan and reached the top 3.
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Country Peak position Certification (if any) Sales/shipments
Australia 2 7x Platinum[7] 490,000+
Canada 3 Diamond[8] 1,000,000+
Finland Gold[9] 35,000+
France 2 2x Platinum[10] 600,000+
Germany 1 3x Gold[11] 750,000+
New Zealand 5x Platinum[12] 75,000+
Spain 1 2x Platinum 200,000+
Switzerland 3 2x Platinum[13] 100,000+
United Kingdom 1 3x Platinum[14] 900,000+
United States 1 Diamond[15] 10,000,000+

Album credits

Personnel

Production

  • Producers: Madonna, Stephen Bray, Nile Rodgers
  • Engineer: Jason Corsaro
  • Production manager: Budd Tunick
  • Audio Mastering: Bob Ludwig
  • Drum programming: Jimmy Bralower

Design

  • Art Direction: Jeri McManus, Jeffrey Kent Ayer
  • Photography: Steven Meisel
  • Stylist: Maripol
  • Design: Jeffrey Kent Ayer, Jeri McManus

References

  1. ^ http://www.avatarstudios.net/aboutus/index.html#AlbumCredits
  2. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:lifjzfaheh3k
  3. ^ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS
  4. ^ Orange: Contrasting fortunes as Madonna and Jacko turn 50
  5. ^ Madonna charts and sale figures
  6. ^ Amazon.co.uk: Madonna Discography
  7. ^ ARIA
  8. ^ CRIA
  9. ^ IFPI Finland
  10. ^ Disque En France
  11. ^ IFPI Germany
  12. ^ [1]
  13. ^ IFPI Switzerland
  14. ^ BPI
  15. ^ Billboard – Ask Billboard
Preceded by
Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen		 Billboard 200 number-one album
February 9 - March 1, 1985		 Succeeded by
Make It Big by Wham!
Preceded by
Now That's What I Call Music 5 by Various Artists
Hounds of Love by Kate Bush		 UK number one album
September 21, 1985 – September 27, 1985
October 12, 1985 – October 18, 1985		 Succeeded by
Hounds of Love by Kate Bush
Hounds of Love by Kate Bush
v • d • e
Madonna
Studio albums
Madonna (1983) · Like a Virgin (1984) · True Blue (1986) · Like a Prayer (1989) · Erotica (1992) · Bedtime Stories (1994) · Ray of Light (1998) · Music (2000) · American Life (2003) · Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) · Hard Candy (2008)
Compilations
Soundtracks
Vision Quest (1985) · Who's That Girl (1987) · I'm Breathless - Music from and Inspired by the film Dick Tracy (1990)  · With Honors (1994) · Evita (1996) · Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) · The Next Best Thing (2000) · Die Another Day (2002)
Music videos
Madonna (1984) · It's That Girl (1987) · She's Breathless (1990) · The Immaculate Collection (1990) · "Justify My Love" (1990) · "Ray of Light" (1998) · Rays of Light (1999) · The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) · "Music" (2000) · The Madonna Collection (2000) · The Ultimate Collection (2000) · "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (2001)
Live Music releases
Concert tours
The Virgin Tour (1985) · Who's That Girl (1987) · Blond Ambition (1990)  · The Girlie Show (1993) · Drowned World (2001) · Re-Invention (2004) · Confessions (2006) · Sticky & Sweet (2008·2009)
Promo tours
Motion pictures
A Certain Sacrifice (1980) · Vision Quest (1985) · Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) · Shanghai Surprise (1986) · Who's That Girl (1987) · Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) · Dick Tracy (1990) · Shadows and Fog (1992) · A League of Their Own (1992) · Body of Evidence (1993) · Dangerous Game (1993) · Blue in the Face (1995) · Four Rooms (1995) · Girl 6 (1996) · Evita (1996) · The Next Best Thing (2000) · Swept Away (2002) · Die Another Day (2002) · Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) · Filth and Wisdom (2008)
Documentaries
Truth or Dare (aka In Bed with Madonna) (1991) · Sex (Launch Party Exclusive) (1992) · I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (2005) · I Am Because We Are (2008)
Exhibitions
Related topics

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Like a Virgin".  Read more

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