HAPPY 40th Birthday to **LIKE A VIRGIN** Discussion & Poll

[Erotico 576]

44 minutes ago, Josh Pinder said:

Thanks for the history lesson sir.

I was however aware haha I was merely saying ....

Exchanging opinions and facts. no history lesson really...

Glad you are aware 

[Josh Pinder 1,171]

16 minutes ago, Erotico said:

Exchanging opinions and facts. no history lesson really...

Glad you are aware 

Yeah like I was just saying with some hugs hits missing off it it's bizarre it sold that much with zero number 1s in the UK in its standard form it's just blew my mind is all ....like I know it was a phenomenon but True Blue was years her biggest album until recently with added in its crazy 

[Adonna 24,764]

4 hours ago, Josh Pinder said:

Yeah like I was just saying with some hugs hits missing off it it's bizarre it sold that much with zero number 1s in the UK in its standard form it's just blew my mind is all ....like I know it was a phenomenon but True Blue was years her biggest album until recently with added in its crazy 

1984 and 1985 was really a huge year for a lot of great music.  So anything in the top 10 was gold at the time. Her two soundtrack songs in 1985 was a huge concern at the time because her record company feared she would be over-saturating the market and that's why Warner wasn't interested in dolling out more money for music videos for her with Angel and Into The Groove. By that point, she will still riding high with Like A Virgin and Material Girl. Then came Crazy For You.  By then, she became a huge phenomenon, so it was a good time for them to back off in spending money on music videos and start making money from the tour and the singles being released. Madonna got the memo because she knew that making another MUSIC video would just be expensive and she was just as willing to rake in the millions with Warner.  I agree True Blue became even more successful, but there was a strong push as well. Madonna was also genius in changing up her image which made her look "shiny and new" once again. By then, she was gaining the gay fan base.

[Josh Pinder 1,171]

1 hour ago, Adonna said:

1984 and 1985 was really a huge year for a lot of great music.  So anything in the top 10 was gold at the time. Her two soundtrack songs in 1985 was a huge concern at the time because her record company feared she would be over-saturating the market and that's why Warner wasn't interested in dolling out more money for music videos for her with Angel and Into The Groove. By that point, she will still riding high with Like A Virgin and Material Girl. Then came Crazy For You.  By then, she became a huge phenomenon, so it was a good time for them to back off in spending money on music videos and start making money from the tour and the singles being released. Madonna got the memo because she knew that making another MUSIC video would just be expensive and she was just as willing to rake in the millions with Warner.  I agree True Blue became even more successful, but there was a strong push as well. Madonna was also genius in changing up her image which made her look "shiny and new" once again. By then, she was gaining the gay fan base.

Yeah , I know that but my head can't ever get around the fact it sold THAT much for my personal opinion it's one of her least great efforts and held by two singles really ...like it's surreal to me ITG and CFY aren't on it that would make more sense to me like how True Blue has 5 COLOSSAL songs on it ....LAV has two it's just ...I dunno I know the history of the Madonna wanna be era and stuff but it's just surreal as better things were still to come 

[Adonna 24,764]

Just now, Josh Pinder said:

Yeah , I know that but my head can't ever get around the fact it sold THAT much for my personal opinion it's one of her least great efforts and held by two singles really ...like it's surreal to me ITG and CFY aren't on it that would make more sense to me like how True Blue has 5 COLOSSAL songs on it ....LAV has two it's just ...I dunno I know the history of the Madonna wanna be era and stuff but it's just surreal as better things were still to come 

I wouldn't say just "two"... Dress You Up and Angel did pretty well at the time.  Both songs got really great radio airplay.  However with Angel, Into The Groove ended up eclipsing the song.  The album still did very well and even with "Material Girl" and "Like A Virgin" being the main phenomenal singles from it, that says a lot that those two really impacted that album. 

The truth is; and I think most fans can agree 1985 was an impactful year for Madonna world-wide.  LAV was huge in the U.S. while Into The Groove took her global.  Anyone saying, that that INTO THE GROOVE wasn't a song that didn't help make her a global superstar, just wasn't alive or old enough to remember.  INTO THE GROOVE was huge and if the U.S. released it as a single, it would have been #1, but it ended up being a B-side to the 12 inch of Angel.  It's  a shame because it's the first time Madonna missed an opportunity to score a #1 in the U.S.  The second time was definitely with Beautiful Stranger. 

[Josh Pinder 1,171]

1 minute ago, Adonna said:

I wouldn't say just "two"... Dress You Up and Angel did pretty well at the time.  Both songs got really great radio airplay.  However with Angel, Into The Groove ended up eclipsing the song.  The album still did very well and even with "Material Girl" and "Like A Virgin" being the main phenomenal singles from it, that says a lot that those two really impacted that album. 

The truth is; and I think most fans can agree 1985 was an impactful year for Madonna world-wide.  LAV was huge in the U.S. while Into The Groove took her global.  Anyone saying, that that INTO THE GROOVE wasn't a song that didn't help make her a global superstar, just wasn't alive or old enough to remember.  INTO THE GROOVE was huge and if the U.S. released it as a single, it would have been #1, but it ended up being a B-side to the 12 inch of Angel.  It's  a shame because it's the first time Madonna missed an opportunity to score a #1 in the U.S.  The second time was definitely with Beautiful Stranger. 

I know I get it but my head being the way it is struggles with the concept of True Blue having the greater impact of hits and imagery....yet like a virgin outsold with two huge hits really it's just ....I can't like it's huge but in my head true blue and like a prayer should've been bigger than LAV that's all haha 

[Veronica-Electronica 719]

26 minutes ago, Josh Pinder said:

I know I get it but my head being the way it is struggles with the concept of True Blue having the greater impact of hits and imagery....yet like a virgin outsold with two huge hits really it's just ....I can't like it's huge but in my head true blue and like a prayer should've been bigger than LAV that's all haha 

It can be challenging to contextualize the impact of certain historical eras when assessing legacy artists. Sometimes the eras that leave a lasting impact feel like they were larger than life at the time, while other periods or campaigns that made significant cultural waves upon release might fade from memory or be overshadowed. This is especially true when examined retrospectively by someone who didn’t experience the moment firsthand—whether due to age, geographic distance, or simply a lack of exposure at the time. Even for those who were actively engaged in pop culture back then, the moments that resonated most personally can feel like they held the greatest cultural importance.

[Adonna 24,764]

12 hours ago, Josh Pinder said:

I know I get it but my head being the way it is struggles with the concept of True Blue having the greater impact of hits and imagery....yet like a virgin outsold with two huge hits really it's just ....I can't like it's huge but in my head true blue and like a prayer should've been bigger than LAV that's all haha 

Actually TRUE BLUE sold more World-Wide than LIKE A VIRGIN.  The difference is Madonna was far more famous in the U.S. first before going world-wide during the LAV era. So her album sales in the U.S. were bigger.  She appealed to a lot more girls back then as well.  By the time TRUE BLUE came along, the male fans grew especially among the gays.  Her female fan base started to fall off with each new album. 

By 1985, you would had to been living under a rock to not know of the Madonna phenomenon. Whether one was a fan or not, it was an imapacting year for her. Also, album sales (for most artists) were going through the roof and continued throughout the 80's, but the mid 80's were big years for album sales. LIKE A PRAYER may have only sold 15 Million copies, but that's still huge being the mid 80's albums sales for many artists were just far than just average.  Selling nearly 20 million or albums were just unheard of at the time and then mid 80's came along and music sales were more huge than they ever have been. People were buying music more than ever at that time. 

 

[Arckangel 326]

@Adonna Cyndi Lauper was also pretty big at the time; She's So Unusual was huge, and True Colors was also a big hit. Who would you say was the most successful at the time—say 1985?

Also, a music listener, on Reddit, when replying to a poll, said this: "I’d say Madonna because I like more of her music, but I have to add a caveat: I’m not sure that any Madonna song is as good as True Colors or Time After Time." Do you agree?

"Live to Tell," "Like a Prayer," "Express Yourself," and "Keep It Together" can definitely rival those. Maybe even "Borderline."

[Erotico 576]

13 hours ago, Josh Pinder said:

I know I get it but my head being the way it is struggles with the concept of True Blue having the greater impact of hits and imagery....yet like a virgin outsold with two huge hits really it's just ....I can't like it's huge but in my head true blue and like a prayer should've been bigger than LAV that's all haha 

I would not undervalue the fact that Warner gave her green light to get the best producer of the time (Nile Rodgers from Chic was also producing Bowie, Diana Ross and later more like Duran Duran) and create the imagery through the lens of Steven Meisel... I'd say they invested a lot driven by the success of Holiday, Borderline and Lucky Star. After 1985 Madonna could have sold anything and that made it very very easy for True Blue to get more sales and hits ... 

[Arckangel 326]

On 10/30/2024 at 1:18 AM, BLUE JEAN said:

How come Angel isn’t an option in the music video section? That had an official video.

I'd also add the music video for "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," even though it only came out twelve years later. By the way, the "Love Don't" MV is similar to the "Like a Virgin" one; I'm referring to the chair(s) covered with a white sheet.  

[BLUE JEAN 19,508]

7 minutes ago, Arckangel said:

I'd also add the music video for "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," even though it only came out twelve years later.

Interesting. I never think of that as part of LAV. I suppose because it’s a remix and made later on. To me it would be like thinking of the Frozen on Fire video as being part of Ray of Light.

[Arckangel 326]

On 11/1/2024 at 8:15 AM, BLUE JEAN said:

The edition with Into the Groove is not the real album as far as I’m concerned

 

On 11/1/2024 at 8:38 AM, Aiwa08 said:

Fine. To me, the original album feels incomplete without Into the Groove. I've never actually listened to the album without it.

 

On 11/1/2024 at 10:08 AM, BLUE JEAN said:

Thats interesting. I guess it depends which version you had and is familiar to you.

I did always wonder why ITG wasn’t a bonus on the remaster, even if at the end before the remixes.

The 2001 remaster should have had "Into the Groove" on it as the sixth track (like the international 1985 re-issue). I guess they wanted to follow the original tracklist, but then again, the two bonus tracks weren't part of the original tracklist…

Like a Virgin is strong enough of an album without "Into the Groove," but this song surely elevates it even more!

 

[Arckangel 326]

8 minutes ago, BLUE JEAN said:

Interesting. I never think of that as part of LAV. I suppose because it’s a remix and made later on. To me it would be like thinking of the Frozen on Fire video as being part of Ray of Light.

Since Like a Virgin only had two proper studio music videos, I feel that "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" gave it some "closure." I see it as an MV to promote "Something to Remember," but also a third studio Like a Virgin MV.

Besides, the version of "Love Don't" used in the MV isn't featured on either albums, so the MV truly belongs to both albums in that sense.

[BLUE JEAN 19,508]

8 minutes ago, Arckangel said:

Since Like a Virgin only had two proper studio music videos, I feel that "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" gave it some "closure." I see it as an MV to promote "Something to Remember," but also a third studio Like a Virgin MV.

Besides, the version of "Love Don't" used in the MV isn't featured on either albums, so the MV truly belongs to both albums in that sense.

I’d be interested to see how it works with the original version. I wonder if someone has made a fan edit of that ?

[Adonna 24,764]

34 minutes ago, Arckangel said:

@Adonna Cyndi Lauper was also pretty big at the time; She's So Unusual was huge, and True Colors was also a big hit. Who would you say was the most successful at the time—say 1985?

Also, a music listener, on Reddit, when replying to a poll, said this: "I’d say Madonna because I like more of her music, but I have to add a caveat: I’m not sure that any Madonna song is as good as True Colors or Time After Time." Do you agree?

"Live to Tell," "Like a Prayer," "Express Yourself," and "Keep It Together" can definitely rival those. Maybe even "Borderline."

I feel Cyndi was more successful than Madonna at first.  She was far more popular and successful than Madonna was in 1983 and early 1984.  Though, I feel Madonna suddenly became so popular she eclipsed Cyndi Lauper.  Madonna went on to be far more commericially successful for years after, while Cyndi became more low key.  At that point, she didn't want the same popularity and attention Madonna did.  She said that would be too much for her.  I respect that. 

I love Cyndi and True Colors and TIme After Time are really beautiful songs.  She had some other great songs too.  I would have a hard time comparing Madonna's greatest with Cyndi's because they are equally as great, but in different ways.  Madonna's music just seem to become far more impactful and timeless.   Not that Cyndi's aren't, but I would have a hard time trying to compare those certain songs.  At the end of the day, I try to make it a contest between Madonna and whomever.  I see huge differences between the artists usually and both tend to have equally great qualities, but not always the same. For instance, I always thought Cyndi had the better voice.  However, Madonna has this way of emoting so well with her songs. 

[Ayham 6,660]

This album deserves a HUGE 40th anniversary reissue… unfortunately won’t happen. 😔

[Adonna 24,764]

1 minute ago, Ayham said:

This album deserves a HUGE 40th anniversary reissue… unfortunately won’t happen. 😔

Yep, if there was a landmark album to celebrate for it's 40th, LAV would be it.  This is the album that made her a world star.  I must admit I got wrapped up in the Warner deal, hoping this would be among the Expanded Re-issues that was mentioned.  It's a shame!  While we still have a couple more weeks before it truly hits the 40th Anniversay, but I'd think if something big was planned, we'd know by now. 

[Adonna 24,764]

31 minutes ago, Arckangel said:

 

 

The 2001 remaster should have had "Into the Groove" on it as the sixth track (like the international 1985 re-issue). I guess they wanted to follow the original tracklist, but then again, the two bonus tracks weren't part of the original tracklist…

Like a Virgin is strong enough of an album without "Into the Groove," but this song surely elevates it even more!

 

Not only that.. INTO THE GROOVE is the song that really made her a #1 success internationally.  It's a banger of a song, so I can see it being equally deserving on the LAV album at the time.  If Warner just released it as a SINGLE in the U.S., she would have definitely had another #1 hit.  I truly feel the same for Beautiful Stranger (if not another top 5 hit).

[Ayham 6,660]

24 minutes ago, Adonna said:

Yep, if there was a landmark album to celebrate for it's 40th, LAV would be it.  This is the album that made her a world star.  I must admit I got wrapped up in the Warner deal, hoping this would be among the Expanded Re-issues that was mentioned.  It's a shame!  While we still have a couple more weeks before it truly hits the 40th Anniversay, but I'd think if something big was planned, we'd know by now. 

I’m disappointed, they literally abandoned her debut album and now this one?!!! Why? At least they can release a brand new CD/LP with bunch of unreleased remixes. 

[Adonna 24,764]

2 minutes ago, Ayham said:

I’m disappointed, they literally abandoned her debut album and now this one?!!! Why? At least they can release a brand new CD/LP with bunch of unreleased remixes. 

I agree.  Again, we do have a couple weeks before the album's true anniversary, so there might be a surprise thrown out to us, but I won't hold my breath.  Like I mentioned above, I'd think we'd heard something by now. 

[BLUE JEAN 19,508]

Plus with vinyls they announce it months beforehand.

Unless they do like Mariah did and announce on its anniversary to be released 3 months later?

Not that I’m expecting that you happen but you never know 

[Adonna 24,764]

Of course, definitely this version is tops for me!!

 

[Erotico 576]

this one is my fave  she is still very Susan since she had just wrapped filming it

 

 

[ChrisK 9,663]

It's interesting that apart from the Celebration tour - there's not been really any major reissue (since FEL) to celebrate such big milestones (although, BS might come?!? #soon).

I wonder what the hesitation is - is it Madonna, or is it cost/demand ? There's 151 copies of FEL Rainbow edition still available at Warner Australia - so maybe they created to many lol