The original Immaculate Collection tracklisting

[BoyToyMark 338]

1 hour ago, Blue Jean said:

Borderline was her first top 10 hit in the US and her first big exposure on MTV. It’s a Madonna classic far more than Who’s That Girl let alone Oh Father which was her first flop.

Exactly, Borderline is essential.

[LongIslandTea 1,584]

On 11/29/2020 at 2:03 PM, Guest DeeperDeeper said:

Cherish fits perfectly in IC. 

 

I'm glad WTG AND CFY were omitted. 

???

[LongIslandTea 1,584]

Remove Borderline and add WTG.

[steady75 9,566]

A greatest hits really needs to house tracks for the basic bitches. Borderline is that track for so many wronged girlfriends / suffering wives etc. It’s absolute pap that robbed Dress You Up  of its slot. Imagine having three tracks from your debut and only two from the absolute behemoth album like Like A Virgin. Such an odd decision for me. As a result Dress You Up really was robbed of its rightful historic status. 
but we have to consider that Madonna was a visual artist and the DVD would always been a consideration for Warner in the height of the MTV generation. 
This is also likely why songs like  Angel, Dress You Up,  Who’s That Girl, Causing A Commotion, Keep It Together, Hanky Panky etc were passed up in favour of songs that had videos that were hammered on MTV. Borderline was one such song. 

[chaosmen1984mk 793]

On 4/1/2024 at 5:12 AM, Blue Jean said:

Borderline was her first top 10 hit in the US and her first big exposure on MTV. It’s a Madonna classic far more than Who’s That Girl let alone Oh Father which was her first flop.

Of course my opinion of Borderline was entirely subjective. It was not my intention to ignore the achievements and success of this song. However, I don't know if I share the same opinion that a successful song necessarily makes it a classic. At least in my country Borderline is the song that is played the least on the radio compared to Crazy for You or Live to Tell. Let's also remember that Madonna only sang it on the Virgin Tour (it didn't even make it to the final edition) and on the S&S Tour in a totally unrecognizable and reductive version that did not do justice to the original version. And it didn't even appear on the Something To Remember compilation. It is not the treatment that should be given to a "true classic" I think.

On the other hand, I am sure that Oh Father would have been better received in Latin America if it had been lucky enough to occupy a place in The Inmaculate Collection and enjoy all that overexposure that all the songs on the tracklist enjoyed. Especially on the black market where you never saw Madonna's previous albums like True Blue or Like A Prayer but rather pirated versions of The Immaculate Collection, which was certainly the most requested by the public.

[Donna 16,100]

On 4/1/2024 at 5:35 AM, Prayer said:

Plus "Borderline" was the song - and video - that made the big suits at Warner realize they had something there and roll on the big money to promote her and help to made her what she became later. Up until then she was this little dance act no one cared about at Warner.

Seymour Stein words:

On signing Madonna:

"I was shocked that I had a lot of opposition at Warner Bros. from the very top -- from Mo Ostin, who was the chairman of the company, and also from their head lawyer at the time, David Berman -- they didn't hear it at all. Fortunately, I reached out for support from the head of international at Warner's, Nesuhi Ertegun... and he said, whatever it costs, we'll pay it. I knew right away that Madonna not only would be big in America, but probably even bigger outside of America. "

On "Borderline":

"I remember when we put out "Borderline"... listening to that record, it sent shivers up my spine. I knew from that day on there was no turning back. If you can believe this, some people ask me... when I met her in the hospital room, that I knew that young woman would be the Madonna that she became. And of course I didn't. I knew she was great. I knew that she had drive and great talent. But it was "Borderline," that song, the fourth single, that I knew there was no looking back. Just clear the decks."

Source: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/soundcheck/segments/madonna-week-seymour-stein-signing-madonna

Luckily she had him believing in her since day one.

On "Who's That Girl" not making "The Immaculate Collection" despite being a #1, I think I said this before but I totally believe it was her not wanting to remind anyone of the movie flop, since she just had a movie hit with "Dick Tracy" and was still pursuing a real actress career at that point.

Imagine having so many hits you can afford the luxury of leaving out a #1 single on your greatest hits compilation.

Love this.  Most definitely Borderline very much deserves inclusion on Immaculate then what was left off. 

[Robertthenurse 2,894]

11 minutes ago, chaosmen1984mk said:

Of course my opinion of Borderline was entirely subjective. It was not my intention to ignore the achievements and success of this song. However, I don't know if I share the same opinion that a successful song necessarily makes it a classic. At least in my country Borderline is the song that is played the least on the radio compared to Crazy for You or Live to Tell. Let's also remember that Madonna only sang it on the Virgin Tour (it didn't even make it to the final edition) and on the S&S Tour in a totally unrecognizable and reductive version that did not do justice to the original version. And it didn't even appear on the Something To Remember compilation. It is not the treatment that should be given to a "true classic" I think.

On the other hand, I am sure that Oh Father would have been better received in Latin America if it had been lucky enough to occupy a place in The Inmaculate Collection and enjoy all that overexposure that all the songs on the tracklist enjoyed. Especially on the black market where you never saw Madonna's previous albums like True Blue or Like A Prayer but rather pirated versions of The Immaculate Collection, which was certainly the most requested by the public.

In my humble opinion, Borderline, is just rad-tastic 

[Blue Jean 15,105]

2 hours ago, chaosmen1984mk said:

Of course my opinion of Borderline was entirely subjective. It was not my intention to ignore the achievements and success of this song. However, I don't know if I share the same opinion that a successful song necessarily makes it a classic. At least in my country Borderline is the song that is played the least on the radio compared to Crazy for You or Live to Tell. Let's also remember that Madonna only sang it on the Virgin Tour (it didn't even make it to the final edition) and on the S&S Tour in a totally unrecognizable and reductive version that did not do justice to the original version. And it didn't even appear on the Something To Remember compilation. It is not the treatment that should be given to a "true classic" I think.

On the other hand, I am sure that Oh Father would have been better received in Latin America if it had been lucky enough to occupy a place in The Inmaculate Collection and enjoy all that overexposure that all the songs on the tracklist enjoyed. Especially on the black market where you never saw Madonna's previous albums like True Blue or Like A Prayer but rather pirated versions of The Immaculate Collection, which was certainly the most requested by the public.

How interesting. Here in Australia Borderline is a much loved classic , probably moreso than Live to Tell. Which is interesting because it didn’t even make top 10. You are probably right, the inclusion on TIC probably helped elevate it because I remember it being played on the radio all the time in the 90’s. I do believe in some other countries it is a bonafide classic especially in the uk where it was re-released during her peak. I think a lot of people just love those early, fun loving songs that they associate with her early look and the 80’s in general. The video along with Lucky Star is also noted for being the place many people first saw Madonna. I know my Mum recalls “the video where she’s dancing in the street” as the first time everyone saw her and asked “who is this slut?” (Her words not mine.) Although being Australia it could have been Burning Up she is recalling.

[BoyToyMark 338]

Definitely all 17 singles deserved to be on there. You could really only add to it. The most obvious choices were Dress You Up or Who's That Girl; maybe Causing A Commotion. But I do think the right decision was made

[prunejuicehugo 5]

7 hours ago, BoyToyMark said:

Definitely all 17 singles deserved to be on there. You could really only add to it. The most obvious choices were Dress You Up or Who's That Girl; maybe Causing A Commotion. But I do think the right decision was made

Dress You Up definitely deserved a spot on TIC.

[Drownedboy 1,657]

I don´t think the first albums singles are so well known in Spain for the GP, she became a name with LAV and a lot with True Blue, those singles yes.

[BoyToyMark 338]

9 hours ago, prunejuicehugo said:

Dress You Up definitely deserved a spot on TIC.

Definitely. Dress You Up is the single that stood the test of time. The fact its a well known classic without being on there shows its staying power.