Celebrate "Madonna" The Debut Album's 40th Anniversary: Performances, Demos, Photos, Interviews, Remixes, and More!

[Adonna 20,956]

This photo was used as the Irish-only 7″ pressing that is considered among her fans to be the Holy Grail of the iconic singer’s back catalogue. The release is almost identical to the 12″ version in every way, right down to having the same B-side track, I Know It.

 

[Robertthenurse 3,372]

Yes. I enjoyed this thread. Can't wait for you to do LAV (if you ever so choose to)

[Adonna 20,956]

Recently Madonna released a 50 song box set of her #1 dance hits called "Finally Enough Love" that is part of the debut album.   Here is one of those tracks:

 

[Adonna 20,956]

A Naughty Brownie.  An interview in 1984, when Lucky Star is about to be released.  She speaks of Vision Quest which didn't come until later and only feature two songs by her.  This of course was all before the release of her sophomore album "Like A Virgin" which was supposed to be released by the summer of '84, but due to her debut album receiving more attention and success, LAV was pushed back to a later date in 1984: 

 

[Adonna 20,956]

What a "lucky star":

[Adonna 20,956]

A short article from ROLLING STONE magazine in Sept. 29, 1983, regarding Madonna's debut album:

Madonna

by Don Shewey

Madonna, who crashed onto the dance charts last year with “Everybody,” has a voice that takes some getting used to. At first, it doesn’t sound like much at all. Then you notice its one distinguishing feature, a girlish hiccup that the singer uses over and over until it’s irritating as hell. Finally, you get hooked, and you start looking forward to that silly little catch in her voice. It helps that she writes good tunes — catchy and bare to the bone. It helps even more that her album is pristinely produced by Reggie Lucas. Electric keyboards have the clarity of finger chimes. The bass slaps the backbeat like shoes on pavement. Mind you, it’s simple stuff: “I’m burnin’ up/Burnin’ up for your love,” or “Holiday/Celebrate.” But it’s clever at times, too. “Physical Attraction” is practically a capsule history of high-school proms, with its sly references to the Association’s “Cherish” and Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical.”

There are lots of blue-eyed soul belters with more generous voices and more intricate songs — Teena Marie comes quickly to mind. Still, without overstepping the modest ambitions of minimal funk, Madonna issues an irresistible invitation to the dance.

[Adonna 20,956]

An Article in Record Mirror from February 1983:

A very early interview originally published in Record Mirror dated February 26, 1983. Madonna was on to promote her debut single ‘Everybody’ and spoke about macho hunks, being a very sexual person, going to Paris and upcoming single ‘Burning Up.’ This article has been added to the press section of The First Album page.

A few excerpts from the interview:

‘I’m a very sexual person but I want my brain to be appreciated as well.’ says Madonna. “I look good on stage, very good but I don’t wear costumes that I’m going to fall out of. That would be rather cheap.”

‘I see myself as an entertainer to make people forget about the horrors of the world. I’m an escape route. I wrote ‘Everybody’ because we all need a lover and everybody wants to be loved.’

‘Madonna’s album will be out soon and her next single will be ‘Burning Up.’ “It’s about somebody being totally consumed with desire.” she sighs. “You know that feeling you get when you ache for somebody. Oh yes it’s happened to me and I hope a lot of people have ached for me. 

[Mden 2,252]

 

[Thecutefox 280]

The best version of Burning Up to me. Difficult describe but I can feel so much energy coming from her.

[Adonna 20,956]

 Here's a mash up of Britney Spears and Madonna singing "Burning Up". 

 

[arneros27 20]

Does anyone have news about Guatemala LP edition?

Side 1, track 5.... ???

thanks

https://www.discogs.com/it/release/22238179-Madonna-Madonna

[Adonna 20,956]

In 2009, Madonna performed Holiday on the Sticky and Sweet Tour. The following is a dress rehearsal of the performance.  Excerpts include Everybody and various songs from Michael Jackson, including Billie Jean.  The performance also included elements of a new song called "Celebration" which was released in Sept. 2009 on her GH's of her full career up to that point. 

(Video is courtesy of @Rebel Hugo)

 

[Adonna 20,956]

Thanks to @Prayerfor reminding me of this story in another thread.  I thought I'd share it here since it's fitting to one of her music videos from the first album:

 

“I Almost Killed Madonna”... Burning Up Director claims:

“We nearly killed her,” Steve Barron said. “We had this crane, which was a cherry picker-type thing, we had it out over a lake shooting her lying in a boat. I was asking for it to be directly over her, and the crane operator is pushing out over her, and when got directly over her, I look back , and the wheels had left the ground. We’re on the tipping point with this thing that’s basically eight tons of metal that’s sixteen feet above her face, and I yelled “Stop! Stop!” It stopped, it wobbled, and we slowly inched backward. Another move forward and it would have come crashing down. It definitely would have killed her.”

 

[Adonna 20,956]

An early (I think first with MTV) where Madonna talks about how she came to be in the music business, the success of her debut album, and her eagerness to release her follow up album:

 

[Adonna 20,956]

Thanks to @A. A. Aardvarkfor sharing this:

 

[Adonna 20,956]

"A slow burner"... a review of the album back in 2020:

 

[Brendanlovesu1 13,315]

 

[MPowered 7,767]

Something little I made for the anniversary.

Click for full resolution:

[Nowheretohide 312]

First TV appearances of Madonna on Italian TV:

1983 Everybody and Holiday

 

Possibly related to the promotion of the Italian double single Holiday/Everybody

 

[Nowheretohide 312]

The epic live version of Holiday during the WTG tour 1987...From "Ciao Italia", live from Italy (Turin and Florence)

 

[Mden 2,252]

 

A cute little movie. Just remembered it.  Borderline is one of her sweetest songs.

[Adonna 20,956]

Nice current remix of Everybody:

 

[Adonna 20,956]

Diving into some covers from the first album.  I found this nice version of "Lucky Star".  I can't imagine that song being covered well by a guy, but I think he did it justice with a very modern spin:

 

[Nowheretohide 312]

Maybe is better the Lucky star cover from "Fame" TV series

 

[Chris 1,102]

ill have to go back through everything in this thread at some point