Like a Virgin
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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.)
Release history
By the time Madonna released her debut album in 1983 she already had enough material to put together another album. But because of the success of her debut album it was not until November 12, 1984 that she 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 on her debut album, which was very much disco and pop-oriented. Madonna dedicated the album to "all the virgins of the world".The album would go on to produce two of Madonna's biggest singles, "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl". "Like a Virgin" was her first number 1 hit song. The albums second single, "Material Girl", earned Madonna her nickname the "Material Girl" from the media.
Originally "Into the Groove" was not included on the album. Released from the movie "Desperately Seeking Susan" it became a huge hit and was included on the re-release of the album in 1985. In 2001 the album was remastered and included the album’s original track listing (minus "Into the Groove") as well as two dance mixes of "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl".
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". Some diehard Madonna fans feel that the album is one of her weaker efforts as well. Also, at the award shows Madonna was left in the cold; although she did get a few nominations at the MTV Awards, she lost out on each one of them.
Track listing
- "Material Girl" (Brown, Rans) – 4:00
- "Angel" (Bray, Madonna) – 3:56
- "Like a Virgin" (Kelly, Steinberg) – 3:38
- "Over and Over" (Bray, Madonna) – 4:12
- "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (Gregory) – 4:47
- "Into the Groove" (Bray, Madonna) [From the Film Desperately Seeking Susan, not included in the American release] – 4:40
- "Dress You Up" (LaRusso, Stanziale, Madonna) – 4:01
- "Shoo-Bee-Doo" (Madonna) – 5:16
- "Pretender" (Bray, Madonna) – 4:30
- "Stay" (Bray, Madonna) – 4:07
Album credits
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
Production
- Producers: Madonna, Stephen Bray, Nile Rodgers
- Engineer: Jason Corsaro
- Production manager: Budd Tunick
- Drum programming: Jimmy Bralower
- Art direction: Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff
- Design: Jeffrey Kent Ayer, Jeri McManus
- Photography: Steven Meisel
Design
- Art Direction: Jeri McManus
- Photography: Steven Meisel
- Stylist: Maripol
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 in the USA the album was declared Diamond Platinum (the highest certification given by the RIAA) for sales of 10 million US copies. Only “The Immaculate Collection” equaled this success in the United States.
| Chart (1984) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia albums chart | 2 |
| Austria albums chart | 3 (4 wks) |
| Brazil albums chart | 1 (2 wks) |
| Canada albums chart | 3 (5 wks) |
| Finland albums chart | 8 |
| France albums chart | 2 (4 wks) |
| Germany albums chart | 1 (1wk) |
| Italy albums chart | 1 |
| Mexico albums chart | 1 |
| Norway albums chart | 6 |
| Portugal albums chart | 2 |
| Spain albums chart | 1 (5 wks) |
| Switzerland albums chart | 3 (3 wks) |
| UK albums chart | 1 (2 wks) |
| USA Billboard Top 200 | 1 (3 wks) |
| USA Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 10 |
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 | 6x Platinum |
| USA | 10x Platinum (Diamond) |
References
For charts and certifications:- "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.
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