35 Years Since The Release of the Monumental Album, ‘Like A Virgin’

Madonna’s known for making her mark in the music industry with her electro-pop dance numbers and her fantastic choreographies. So, how could we not celebrate ‘Like a Virgin’s’ 35th anniversary?

It’s strange, but the biggest hit off of a diamond-selling album by one of the biggest pop stars of all-time, took quite a long time to grow.

The song appeared on neither the NME’s or Slate’s recent respective Top 100 Songs of the ’80s — despite the latter featuring five other Madonna songs in its top 50. Most incredulously, “Virgin” only ranked as Rolling Stone’s 67th-best pop song of 1984 alone, falling far behind other numbers.

But in honor of the 35th anniversary, let’s not forget why this is such a monumental album, that continues to be a jam even today!

Unlike, some of her previous more frivolous numbers, this album has Madonna embracing female sexuality like never before! As with her first record, Madonna went into ‘Like a Virgin’ wrestling Warner Bros. for more artistic control. This time, she wanted to handle more of the production herself, and she found a winning collaborator in Chic guitarist, Nile Rodgers, who’d just worked on David Bowie’s, ‘Let’s Dance’.

Rodgers gave Madonna’s music some extra snap and sheen, ultimately getting her to the top of the Billboard 200 charts. And through this album, she most explicitly tackles sexual politics, creating a huge impact on young girls in the 80’s. From lace to fingerless gloves, young girls were bopping along to a cultural figure who could no longer be ignored.

And finally, “Like a Virgin” manages to be a song that’s sexy while also maintaining a core sweetness and never coming off the slightest bit exploitative. It’s a rare thing to deliver and it’s the primary reason why “Like a Virgin” is still such an enjoyable listen after all these years.