Madonna‘s Like a Virgin album, with its iconic cover art lensed by fashion photographer Steven Meisel, came out and it still makes us feel shiny and new.Released 16 months after her self-titled debut album and delayed for months due to the sudden success of “Borderline” and “Lucky Star”, Like a Virgin solidified Madonna’s superstar status becoming a worldwide sensation and a blueprint for female pop stars for decades to come.Promotion for the album started two months earlier when Madonna tore the roof off of the inaugural MTV VMAs with a legendary performance of the title track writhing on the floor in wedding dress and “boy toy” belt.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.An icon is born.“Like a Virgin” was released as the lead single two weeks before the album dropped and quickly became controversial simply for including the word virgin and being “touched for the first time.” The accompanying music video, directed by Mary Lambert, continued the wedding theme interspersing images of Madonna in a bridal gown with clips of her dancing suggestively on a gondola through the Venice canals.
There’s also a lion and a man in a lion mask because why not?On May 16, 1984, Madonna performed ‘Dress You Up’ & ‘Like a Virgin’ live for the very first time at Keith Haring’s 26th bday party.Reports claim Madonna selected Nile Rodgers, who had worked with everyone from Diana Ross to Duran Duran and Blondie, to produce her sophomore album following his success with David Bowie’s 1983 album Let’s Dance.
Although they collaborated, Madonna exercised her creative control by choosing all the songs and writing or co-writing six of the nine tracks on the original issue of the record.“Like a Virgin” was Madonna’s first #1 single and the album would soon follow by topping the album charts in February 1985.