Madonna hit a rough patch between the release of the smash hit True Blue in 1986 and her next album, 1989’s Like a Prayer.
Her marriage to Sean Penn fell apart in ugly fashion, amid rumors of his jealousy driving him to acts of violence against Madonna and others. She has since denied those reports, though she provided the police with vivid details at the time and the stories were corroborated by witnesses.
Most iconic artists have the one album that cemented their status, breaking sales records and establishing their chokehold on the culture.
Michael Jackson had Thriller. U2 had The Joshua Tree. Prince had Purple Rain.
Madonna, arguably, had two such albums. Two years after Like a Virgin became a global smash and the top-selling album by a woman, she dropped True Blue in 1986 and managed to top herself.
Madonna’s sophomore album sat on the shelf for a few months because her debut was still selling so well. A month after its predecessor reached the top ten, selling more than two million copies in the process, Like a Virgin was released in November of 1984.
And just like that, she went from emerging star to superstar. Within a few months, Like a Virgin reached #1, where it spent a few weeks. By July of 1985, it had sold more than five million copies, making her the first woman to achieve that feat. It would eventually become her top-selling album in the U.S., achieving Diamond status with domestic sales of more than 10 million units.
Earlier this year, I started doing full-career retrospectives on artists I didn’t know as well as their reputations warranted. I kicked things off with Joni Mitchell and followed with Jackson Browne.
After deep dives into those artists, who made their biggest mark from the late 60s through the late 70s, I’ve decided to turn my attention to one of the most celebrated icons of the 80s: Madonna.
Last week I wrote about R.E.M.’s Murmur, arguably the most significant debut album of 1983. But giving it a run for its money is the self-titled release by Madonna.
The 25-year-old Madonna started her rise to superstardom with an album that took a full year to climb into Billboard’s Top Ten. That happened just in time for her sophomore release, Like a Virgin, to dominate the culture.
Meet Me In Montauk 