True Blue is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on June 30, 1986, by Sire Records. In early 1985, Madonna became romantically involved with actor Sean Penn, and married him six months later on her 27th birthday. Additionally, she met producer Patrick Leonard while on the Virgin Tour, and formed a professional relationship with him. The first songs they created together were "Love Makes the World Go Round", and the ballad "Live to Tell", which was featured on At Close Range, a film in which Penn starred. In late 1985, Madonna and Leonard began working on her third studio album; she also enlisted the help of former boyfriend Stephen Bray, with whom she had worked on her previous record Like a Virgin (1984). Titled True Blue, the record saw Madonna co-writing and co-producing for the first time in her career. Inspired by Madonna's love for Penn, to whom she dedicated it, True Blue is a dance-pop album that features influences of Motown sound, girl groups, and Latin pop.
Upon release, the album was well received by critics, who complimented Madonna's vocals and musical growth. It was an immediate global success, reaching number one in a record-breaking 28 countries across the world. With over 25 million copies sold worldwide, True Blue is the best-selling album of 1986, the best-selling of the 1980s by a female artist, and one of the best-selling albums of all time. Five singles were released from the album ―all reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, with three going to number one. The album was promoted on Madonna's second concert tour, 1987's Who's That Girl World Tour, which visited cities in Asia, North America, and Europe. True Blue is credited as the album that established Madonna's position as the biggest female artist of the 1980s, rivaling male musicians like Michael Jackson and Prince. It is also considered the album that made her an icon and artist.
Background
Madonna performing title track "True Blue" on 2015―2016's Rebel Heart Tour (left). Both the song and album take name after Sean Penn's (right) favorite expression, which signifies a "very pure vision of love", according to the singer; Penn was her husband at the time of the album's conception.[2]
In February 1985, Madonna began dating actor Sean Penn, whom she met in the set of the music video for her single "Material Girl".[3] She recalled that Penn was someone "whose work I’d admired, and I think he felt the same way [...] We have so much in common he is almost like my brother".[4] They dated casually and married six months later, on Madonna's 27th birthday.[4][5] Afterwards, the newlyweds starred together in a movie called Shanghai Surprise (1986), which was a critical and commercial failure.[5]
Madonna met producer Patrick Leonard while on the Virgin Tour, where he was hired as musical director.[6] After the tour was finished, Madonna asked Leonard if he wanted to work with her.[7] They met at a barbecue in his house, where he showed her a song he'd created in his studio called "Love Makes the World Go Round", which Madonna sang at the PhiladelphiaLive Aidbenefit concert on July 13, 1985.[6][8] Leonard and Madonna's next collaboration was a ballad called "Live to Tell", which was conceived as an instrumental for the score of Paramount's film Fire with Fire (1986).[9] Paramount, however, rejected the track; Leonard then asked Madonna if she could write the lyrics.[6] She complied, and decided to use the track on At Close Range, a movie starring Penn.[7]
On April 5, 1986, Billboard reported that Madonna's new album would be called Live to Tell, and released in the summer.[10] One month later, the title was confirmed to be True Blue, named after a favorite expression Penn's.[11][12] Described by the singer as her "most personal" work at the time, she wanted to reach a wider, more mature audience.[13][14] Pleased with the results of "Live to Tell", she chose to keep Leonard on the project, and also enlisted former boyfriend Stephen Bray, with whom she had worked on her second album Like a Virgin (1984), and felt could help her create "up-tempo songs with a classic Top 40 sensibility".[15]
Development
"I like to have control but I'm not a tyrant [...] I like to be surrounded by really talented, intelligent people who I trust, and ask them for their advice and get their input too".
—Madonna on working with Leonard and Bray on True Blue.[16]
True Blue was recorded at the Channel Studios in Los Angeles, from December 1985 to April 1986, the first year of Madonna and Penn's marriage.[13][17][18][19] For the first time in her career, Madonna co-wrote and co-produced all of the album's tracks.[20] According to Leonard, she was "very much in love" and in control when creating the record.[14][16] The singer worked with Bray and Leonard separately, with the three meeting together only once.[15] Leonard recalled the recording process: "I would put something together, usually just on piano, and then [Madonna] would come in, we'd mess around with whatever needed to be messed around with, she’d write a lyric, she’d sing it, and the next day we would do another song, one a day". On the other hand, Bray's job was to "shape things and [...] create arrangements to show off the song[s] better".[13] "Open Your Heart" was the first track recorded for the album; it was created as a rock and roll song titled "Follow Your Heart" by Gardner Cole and Peter Rafelson for singer Cyndi Lauper.[21] Madonna's team got a demo with songs from Cole's management, among them "Follow Your Heart"; she liked the track, changed the title, re-wrote some of the lyrics, and produced it alongside Leonard.[22] They added a bassline underneath, changing it from a rock song into a dance one.[21]
"Papa Don't Preach" was written by Brian Elliott for a singer named Cristina Dent. When Elliot played Dent's tracks for Warner's Michael Ostin, the same A&R executive who discovered "Like a Virgin", Ostin asked if he could play the track for Madonna;[23] Elliot had been working with Dent for six months and was reluctant to let the song go to another artist, but he eventually gave in, finding the idea of Madonna recording his song "hard to resist".[24] With lyrics that talk about teenage pregnancy, Madonna was attracted to the track because it "fit right in with my own personal zeitgeist of standing up to male authorities".[25][26] She only contributed with additional lyrics, making "Papa Don't Preach" the only song on the album that she did not have a strong hand in writing.[23] "La Isla Bonita" marked a "stylistic shift" for Madonna, as it was her first song to incorporate Latin motifs, and lyrics in Spanish.[27][28][29] It was created by Leonard as an instrumental and offered to Michael Jackson, who turned it down.[30] After meeting with the singer to start working on True Blue, Leonard presented her the demo and she wrote the lyrics while filming Shanghai Surprise.[30][31] To get the correct translations, him and Madonna talked over the phone with a Hispanic housekeeper.[28] It was described as a tribute to "the beauty and mystery of Latin American people".[2] "Where's the Party" is the only track that saw Madonna, Bray and Leonard working together.[13][28] Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens-Crowder, the authors of Madonna's 1983 hit "Holiday", wrote a song called "Spotlight" for the album, that was recorded but ultimately not included.[32][14] Madonna dedicated True Blue to Penn, "the coolest guy in the universe".[14]
Daryl Easlea, author of Madonna: Blond Ambition, described True Blue as a "girlish" album, "the sound of a woman in love".[18] Made up of "highly commercial dance-pop [with] lyrics [that] convey an upbeat message along with casual autobiographical references", it contains musical references to Motown sound and girl groups.[33] Her love for Penn "seep[s] into every song", as noted by author Lucy O'Brien.[34] Adam Sexton pointed out that, "[Madonna] transforms her own marital bliss into high-school accessible scenarios of a girl breaking down a bad boy's defense".[35] Opener "Papa Don't Preach" is a dance post-disco track, with lyrics that see a daughter telling her father she is pregnant and refuses to have an abortion or give up the baby for adoption, despite her friends' advice.[36] The strings in the introduction nod to classical and Baroque music.[37] The following track, "Open Your Heart", is a "simple" "dizzy, driving" dance-pop love song "brimming with sexual innuendo".[22][38][39] Lyrically, it is a "tale of an unrequited love for someone seen on the street", and begins with Madonna whispering watch out! just as the opening drums kick in.[14][22]
Third track "White Heat" was dedicated to actor James Cagney and named after the 1949 film of the same name. It is a "standard" uptempo dance track, with synth bass and doubletracked vocals; also present are two quotes from the original soundtrack, "with speech and gunshots", one at the beginning and one towards the end.[14] "Live to Tell" is a pop ballad whose background instrumentation features a keyboard, a synthesizer, electric guitar and a mix of synthesized and real drumming.[40] Lyrically, it talks about the complexity of deceit, mistrust, and "bearing the burden of some enigmatic secret and coping with a painful past".[40][41] Fifth track "Where's the Party" is a dance song described by Madonna herself as a statement about "what it's like to be in the middle of this press stuff with everybody on my back".[42] Inspired by Motown and girl groups from the 1960s, title track "True Blue" is Madonna's tribute to Penn.[2] The verse-and-chorus composition is reminiscent of that of The Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love" (1964), with backup singers Siedah Garrett and Edie Lehman accompanying Madonna's convincing "girly" vocals like a choir.[34]
"La Isla Bonita" combines flamenco guitar, Latin percussion, electronic sounds, and maracas.[27][43] Lyrically, it talks about a "humble observer, captured by the rhythm of an imagined island" named San Pedro, with mentions of "tropical breeze" and "nature wild and free".[29][44][45] It starts with an introduction performed on bongos, before descending into castanets.[42] Madonna then utters the phrase ¿Cómo puede ser verdad? ("How can it be true?").[46] In one line, she specifically sings, Last night I dreamt of San Pedro/Just like I'd never gone, I knew the song.[44] One of the album's "happiest" cuts is "Jimmy Jimmy", which has influences of new wave music.[13] In the lyrics, Madonna commemorates her "youthful fascination" with actor James Dean; "I used to fantasize that we grew up in the same neighbourhood and that he moved away and became a big star", she recalled.[2][42] Closer "Love Makes the World Go Round" incorporates Latin drums and samba-influenced rhythms, and lyrics that talk about anti-war and anti-poverty.[42]
Artwork and release
Lucy O'Brien compared the album's cover art to the work of American artist Andy Warhol (picture)
The album cover was shot by photographer Herb Ritts.[47] It shows Madonna in profile, with her head thrown back and eyes closed against a sky-blue background; her skin is bleached-out, and her hair platinum blonde.[48] Jeri Heiden, who was working at the Warner Bros. art department, was given the task of editing the photos to adapt them into record covers.[49] The final photo was selected by Madonna, Heiden and Jeff Ayeroff, creative director of Warner Bros. at that time.[49] After the image was chosen, Heiden experimented with a variety of treatments of the original, which was shot in black and white, to go along with the album's title, and finally arrived at the final, blue toned, hand tinted version.[49] The album's inner sleeve did not feature any photographs, and instead was dedicated to album credits and song lyrics, since Madonna wanted to be represented by her work rather than her image.[15]
Lucy O'Brien described the cover as a "moment of Warholianpop art. A mixture of innocence [and] idealism [...] Our first glimpse of Madonna as a classic icon".[48] For J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of Madonna: An Intimate Biography, the artwork indicated how "[True Blue] was a vehicle of growth for [Madonna]"; the "washed out color photograph" cover was "understated", especially when compared to the "sexier poses" she had been associated with in the past.[15] For Joe Lynch from Billboard, it is one of the greatest album covers of all time.[50]
True Blue was released on June 30, 1986.[51][52] In the United States and Canada, the cover did not include the singer's name. Heiden explained in an interview with Aperture magazine that the record company thought it would be "cool" to use a shrink wrap on American releases, so that when the public took it off, they'd be left with the photograph of Madonna.[49] In Europe, Warner felt that the name was needed, as they did not want to risk messing with Madonna's popularity. The back sleeve and booklet feature the song titles in Heiden's own handwriting.[49] About cropping the image for the cassette and vinyl releases, Heiden said: "I think the image became more interesting cropped into a square—and at that time we always started with the album cover configuration. It was like she was floating—her clothing was not visible. She took on the appearance of a marble statue—Goddess like. In the vertical cropping you see her leather jacket and the wall, and it becomes more typical, editorial, earthly".[49] On May 22, 2001, Warner Bros. released a remastered edition of the album with two additional remixes of "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita".[53][54] Twenty years later, a 35th anniversary edition was released; it includes additional remixes, dub and instrumental versions.[55] It was reissued on crystal clear vinyl on November 8, 2019.[56]
True Blue was promoted on 1987's Who's That Girl World Tour, Madonna's second concert tour.[57] It was her first world tour, and marked her first visit to Europe and Asia.[57] Musically and technically superior to the Virgin Tour, with a larger stage and four huge video screens used as backdrops, it was described by Madonna herself as a "theatrical multimedia spectacular".[58][57] Collaborating with Marlene Stewart on the wardrobe, she expanded the idea of "bringing her popular video characters to life onstage", recreating scenes from "True Blue", "Papa Don't Preach" and "La Isla Bonita".[59] Who's That Girl was critically appreciated, with reviewers singling out the performances, Madonna's vocals and confidence as a performer.[58][60][61] The tour's performance of "Papa Don't Preach" marked her first conflict with the Vatican, as she dedicated it to Pope John Paul II, who urged Italian fans to boycott the concerts in the country.[62] With a total gross of US$25 million, Who's That Girl was the second most successful female tour of the year, behind Tina Turner's Break Every Rule World Tour.[63][64]
Singles
In the United States, "Live to Tell" was released on March 26, 1986, whereas in Europe, the release date was April 14.[65] It was acclaimed by critics, with some deeming it Madonna's best ballad, and singling out her vocal performance.[20][66] It was also commercially successful, becoming the singer's third number one in the US Billboard Hot 100, and her first number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.[67][68] The music video, directed by James Foley, shows the singer in a more demure, toned down appearance, inspired by actresses such as Grace Kelly, intercut with clips from At Close Range.[69]
On June 11, "Papa Don't Preach" was released as True Blue's second single in the United States; in Europe, it was issued five days later.[70] It was lauded by critics, who applauded its hook, maturity, and referred to it as a milestone in Madonna's career.[71][72][73] It reached the top spot of the Hot 100 ―her fourth number one there― the United Kingdom, and Australia.[67][74][75] The clip, also directed by Foley, shows the singer in her first "head-to-toe" image makeover, with a leaner, more toned body, and cropped platinum blonde hair.[76] Its main storyline has Madonna trying to tell her father, about her pregnancy; these scenes are juxtaposed with shots of her dancing and singing in a small, darkened studio, and spending a romantic evening with her boyfriend.[77][78] Shortly after its release, the song caused heated discussions about its lyrical content. Women's organizations and others in the family planning field criticized Madonna for encouraging teenage pregnancy, while groups opposed to abortion saw the song as having a positive anti-abortion message.[79]
Title track "True Blue" was released as third single; first on Europe on September 29, and then in the United States on October 9.[80] It was generally well received by music critics, who praised its retro-inspired sound and felt it was a throwback to girl groups.[81][72] "True Blue" topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and reached the third position of the Hot 100.[74][67] Two music videos were shot for the single: the official one was directed by Foley and shows Madonna with three dancers and a 1950s car in an all-blue diner.[82] An alternate video was made through MTV's "Make My Video" contest; the three entries selected portrayed a fifties-style production, and made allusion to the song's theme.[83]
Released in the US on November 12, 1986, and in Europe on December 1, fourth single "Open Your Heart" gave Madonna her fifth number one in Hot 100;[84][67] she became the second female artist – behind Whitney Houston – to score three number ones from one album.[85] The song received positive reviews from critics and was deemed a highlight from the album.[1] Its accompanying music video, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, depicts Madonna as an exotic dancer at a peep show who befriends a little boy. Critical reception towards the clip was generally positive: the singer was praised for presenting women as the dominant sex, but the plot of a child entering a strip club received criticism.[86][87]
The last single from the album was "La Isla Bonita", released on February 25, 1987.[88] Critics reacted positively to the song and applauded its Latin-influenced sound.[89][90] Peaking at number 4, it was Madonna's eleventh top five hit on the Hot 100, a feat surpassed at the time only by the Beatles and Elvis Presley.[67] "La Isla Bonita" also gave the singer her second Adult Contemporary number one.[68]Mary Lambert directed the music video, which shows Madonna as two opposite characters – a young Catholic woman, and a flamenco dancer.[91][92] Despite not being released as a single, "Where's The Party" received airplay on radio station WKSI "Kiss FM" due to demand from the public.[93]
True Blue was generally well received by critics.[101][102]AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said it was "one of the great dance-pop albums", that showcases Madonna's skills as a "songwriter, record-maker, provocateur, and entertainer through its wide reach, accomplishment, and sheer sense of fun".[1] This opinion was echoed by the staff of Billboard, who were impressed with the "confident" album, and the singer's growth as writer and producer.[103] Erika Wexler from Spin wrote: "Madonna knows her days as the chanteuse for teenage romance are numbered. With perfect timing, [she] gently distanced herself from that role, and although some of the songs [on True Blue] have the sophistication of a training bra, there are glowing moments".[25]The New York Times'Stephen Holden noted that, despite lacking the "gleaming ultra-sleek aural surfaces" of Like a Virgin, True Blue's made up of "shrewdly crafted teen-age and pre-teen-age ditties that reveal Madonna's unfailing commercial instincts", and find her singing with "a lot more heart".[33] This opinion was shared by Rolling Stone, where Davitt Sigerson referred to True Blue as a "sturdy, dependable, lovable" album, and singled out the singer's voice for sounding "better than ever".[71]
Robert Hilburn from the Los Angeles Times, pointed out that the "most obvious growth" was Madonna's voice, which is "so finely tailored that she actually extends the punch and appeal of the production touches". He went on to say: "True Blue isn't revolutionary music, but it is imaginative, highly energized pop that recognizes the limitations and pleasures of Top 40 fare".[104]PopMatters' Peter Piatkowski also applauded the singer's more mature vocals, and deemed the record "brilliant, one that speaks to its time but also celebrates the disparate cultures that influence [Madonna's] sound at the moment".[52]True Blue is the "most polished" of Madonna's first three albums, according to El Hunt from the Evening Standard.[105] In the same vein, Mary Von Aue from Stereogum said it has "more vocal range and lyrical complexities" than Like a Virgin and Madonna.[106]True Blue was hailed "nine tracks of 80s pop perfection [...] Madonna’s strongest effort from that decade" by the staff of Gay Times.[107] For Joseph Earp from Australian website Junkee, "with its era-defining production, and sweaty sheen of subversion, [True Blue is] the singer's way of understanding everything that came afterwards [...] most pop singers never release a record this good in their whole career".[108]
Lucy O'Brien pointed out that, whereas her debut and Like a Virgin were a "sound in development", True Blue sees Madonna "nail[ing] her signature style - rhythmic, dramatic, danceable, and distinctively melodic".[34] Replacing Nile Rodgers with Leonard and Bray resulted in a "less polished, but more varied" album, according to The Sunday Telegraph's Larry Nager.[109] The review ended on a somewhat critical note: True Blue is "classic pop [...] an entertaining album's worth of catchy, danceable tunes", despite "not much content beneath the candy-coating", concluded Nager.[109] Even though he called it a "supreme archetype of '80s pop music", with its tracks being "undeniably more mature" than her previous endeavors, Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani felt True Blue is home to "some of [Madonna's] biggest clunkers", and is "undeniably of its time".[72] To Karen Cooke from Australian newspaper The Age, even though it includes a couple of "tedious" tracks, "this record is full of songs to make you tap the steering wheel [and] dance in the loungeroom".[110]True Blue's main flaw is that its five singles are "so strong they overshadow" the rest of the tracks, which seem "slight by comparison", wrote Daryl Easlea.[111]
In less favorable reviews, John Quayle from the Observer–Reporter dismissed the record as "warmed over Go-Gos material", but applauded the singles for being "strong enough to convince even her worst critics that Madonna does have talent - and lots of it".[112] Mary Von Aue noted that the album experiments with "different sounds that are well executed as singles", but as a whole sounds "disjointed", concluding that, "[True Blue] doesn’t live up to the strength of [its singles]".[106] For Don McLeese from the Chicago Sun-Times, although it represents a "valiant -and necessary- attempt on Madonna's part to expand her artistic range, True Blue just isn't as much fun" as her previous records.[95] The Record-Journal's Jim Zebora was also negative: "[True Blue] contains one absolutely marvelous torch song called 'Live To Tell' [...] Unfortunately, the rest is barely competent post-disco [...] So let's call it a C plus and program the CD player to ignore eight out of [its] nine songs".[113] Finally, Larry Kilman, writing for American newspaper The Evening News, compared it negatively to the work of girl groups such as the Ronettes and the Shangri-Las, dismissing it as "mindless, inspid [and] air-headed", adding that, "[its] slick production and arrangements disguise much of the tininess of [Madonna's] voice [...] But that's as good as [True Blue] gets".[114]
Commercial performance
On July 19, 1986, True Blue entered the Billboard 200 at number 29.[115] Five weeks later, it reached the first spot; it was Madonna's second number one album after Like a Virgin, thus she became one of five female artists in the rock era to reach the top spot with back-to-back releases.[116] It stayed on the top position for five consecutive weeks, and on the chart for a total of 82 weeks.[117][118]True Blue was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of over seven million units, making it Madonna's third best-selling album in the United States, behind Like a Virgin and The Immaculate Collection (1990).[119] With the advent of the Nielsen SoundScan era in 1991, the album sold a further 404,000 copies as of August 2010.[120] 301,000 additional copies were sold through BMG Music Clubs, which are not counted by the Nielsen SoundScan.[121] In Canada, True Blue debuted on the 73rd spot of the RPM Albums Chart on July 5, 1986; it quickly climbed up the chart and reached the top on August 9.[122][123] By July, it had surpassed the 10-times-platinum mark for 1 million sales Canadian, and was eventually certified diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of one million copies.[124][125] Madonna became the second female artist to achieve this behind Whitney Houston.[124]
Across Europe, True Blue sold 5 million copies by July 1987, and reached the top of the European Top 100 Albums chart.[139][140] It spent a total of 31 weeks at number one, from July 19, 1986, to March 7, 1987, the longest number one album runner in the history of the European charts.[140] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on July 12, 1986, making it the first album by an American artist to debut at number one in British chart history.[141][74] It spent six weeks at the top, shifting just shy of two million by the end of the year, and was 1986's best selling album.[74]True Blue was certified seven times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipment of 2.1 million copies and, as of June 2019, has sold over two million copies.[142][143]True Blue also topped the albums chart in France and received a diamond certification by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) for shipment of one million copies.[144][145] Actual sales of the album in the country stand at 1,300,000 copies as of March 2012.[146] Similarly, in Germany True Blue also reached the first spot in Germany, and was certified two times platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) for shipment of one million copies.[147][148] It reached the first spot of the charts in Italy, Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland.[149][150][151][152] According to biographer Christopher Andersen, True Blue went gold in countries where it didn't even reached number one.[153] By August 1987, True Blue had sold over five million copies;[154] worldwide, it has sold more than 25 million copies.[155]
Legacy
"True Blue launched Madonna to global superstardom, yes, but its impact on music and culture helped keep her at the top of her game for the next three decades, and it might well be the record she is remembered for for many more decades to come".
—Classic Pop's Andy Jones commenting on the impact of True Blue.[13]
True Blue has been noted as the album that made Madonna an icon and a "credible" artist.[156][157] Stephen Thomas Erlewine deemed it the point where she "truly became 'Madonna the superstar'—the endlessly ambitious, fearlessly provocative entertainer that knew how to outrage, spark debates, get good reviews—and make good music while she's at it".[1] From the BBC, Mark Savage wrote that it established her as "the first lady of pop", an opinion that was shared by Peter Piatkowski, who added that it made her the "dominant face on the Mount Rushmore of 1980s pop", along with Michael Jackson, Prince, and Bruce Springsteen.[158][52] In a similar note, Sal Cinquemani said that with True Blue, Madonna joined the ranks of Jackson and Prince and made the transition from "pop tart to consummate artist".[72] According to Lucy O'Brien, "with its sophisticated sheen, [True Blue] took Madonna firmly out of the dance-diva category into a global pop market".[34] Jack White from the Official Charts Company wrote: "True Blue, her third album, saw Madonna shoot into the realms of superstardom that her previous album Like A Virgin had cemented".[159] To Matthew Rettenmund, author of Encyclopedia Madonnica, it was the first "solid proof" of her artistic and musical talents.[160] Patrick Leonard himself explained: "The music got more serious, so I think she got taken more seriously [...] [Madonna] took some chances that I don’t know most people would have. There were things [in True Blue] that weren’t normal in pop music at the time".[28]
Slant Magazine considered True Blue one of the best albums from the 1980s; Jonathan Keefe wrote that it marked the point where, "it became readily apparent that Madonna was more than just a flash-in-the-pan pop star. It's when she began manipulating her image —and her audience— with a real sense of clarity and purpose".[161] Piatkowski wrote that it "set the stage for the exponential ascent of Madonna's brilliance", that began with 1989's Like a Prayer and reached its peak on 1998's Ray of Light.[52] From music portal Albumism, Justin Chadwick conlcuded that, "[True Blue] solidified [Madonna's] blonde ambition, cemented her worldwide superstardom, and, once and for all, extinguished any remaining doubts about her potential career longevity".[162] The album also helped popularize marketing singles, according to Billboard's Paul Grein: "10 or 20 years ago you would have had two singles from an album at the most. Now we’re in an era where Madonna is on her fifth [from True Blue]".[163]
True Blue was 1986's best-selling album, and the best-selling of the 1980s decade by a female artist, with Madonna being 1986's most successful female.[164][165][166] The album held the record for being number one in a total of 28 countries around the world.[167] With over 17 million copies sold, it was named the highest-seller of all time by a female in the 1991 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records;[168]True Blue has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, and is one of the best-selling albums of all time.[155]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Notes
↑ First-day sales for True Blue in Singapore.[227]
True Colors is the second studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released on September 15, 1986, by Portrait Records. The album spawned several commercially successful singles as "True Colors", "Change of Heart", and "What's Going On" reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, with the first two charting within the top five. The album was produced by Lauper herself together with Lennie Petze.
Like a Virgin is the second studio album by American singer Madonna, released on November 12, 1984, by Sire Records. Following the success of her 1983 eponymous debut album, Madonna was eager to start working on its follow-up. She selected Nile Rodgers to produce the album due to his work on Let's Dance (1983) by David Bowie, which she was a fan of. To ensure it be exactly as she envisaged it, Madonna chose all the songs for the album: she penned five of her own, four of which were co-written with former boyfriend and collaborator Stephen Bray, and four were written by other artists. Recording sessions took place at Power Station studio in New York City. Rodgers enlisted the help of his former Chic bandmates Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson.
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Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on March 21, 1989, by Sire Records. It saw the singer reunited with Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray, with whom she had collaborated on her previous studio album True Blue (1986), and the soundtrack to the 1987 film Who's That Girl; artist Prince also collaborated on the record, co-writing and co-producing one of the tracks alongside Madonna. Her most introspective release at the time, Like a Prayer is a pop record with elements of rock and dance pop. Its lyrics deal with personal themes she had been too afraid to approach up at that point: her Catholic upbringing, her troubled marriage to actor Sean Penn, the death of her mother, and her relationship with her father.
"Papa Don't Preach" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album, True Blue (1986). Written by Brian Elliot, it was produced by the singer and her collaborator Stephen Bray. In the United States, the song was released as the album's second single on June 11, 1986, whereas in most European countries, the release was five days later. A dance-pop track with that mixes elements of baroque, post-disco and classical music, its lyrics deal with teenage pregnancy. Elliot wrote it inspired by teen gossip he'd hear outside his recording studio. Originally intended for a singer named Christina Dent, Warner Bros. Records A&R executive Michael Ostin convinced Elliot he let Madonna record it instead. The singer then added and altered a few of the lyrics, and got a songwriting credit.
You Can Dance is the first remix album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 17, 1987, by Sire Records. The album contains remixes of tracks from her first three studio albums—Madonna (1983), Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986)—and a new track, "Spotlight". In the 1980s, remixing was still a new concept. The mixes on You Can Dance exhibited a number of typical mixing techniques. Instrumental passages were lengthened to increase the time for dancing and vocal phrases were repeated and subjected to multiple echoes. The album cover denoted Madonna's continuous fascination with Hispanic culture.
Erotica is the fifth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on October 20, 1992, by Maverick and Sire Records. The album was released simultaneously with Madonna's first book publication Sex, a coffee table book containing explicit photographs of the singer, and marked her first release under Maverick, her own multimedia entertainment company. For the album, the singer enlisted Shep Pettibone and André Betts, with whom she had collaborated on 1990's "Vogue" and The Immaculate Collection.
Music is the eighth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on September 18, 2000, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. Following the success of her previous album Ray of Light (1998), Madonna found herself in a music scene increasingly influenced by a younger generation of singers such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. This led her to seek a distinctive sound that would set her apart in the evolving musical landscape. Her collaborations with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and William Orbit resulted in a more experimental direction for the album. Music incorporates many different genres into its overall dance-pop and electronica vibe, taking influences from funk, house, rock, country and folk. With the album embracing a western motif, Madonna reimagined her image in the role of a cowgirl.
"Dress You Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984). It was released as the album's final single on July 24, 1985, by Sire Records. Composed by Andrea LaRusso with lyrics by Peggy Stanziale, and produced by Nile Rodgers, who also played guitar on the track, it was the final song to be added to the album. Rodgers had asked the writers to compose something similar to the work of his band Chic but, due to LaRusso and Stanziale being busy with other projects, the composition took time. When the lyrics were submitted, the producer initially rejected them, as he felt there was no time to compose a melody; Madonna, however, liked the lyrics and convinced him to include the song on Like a Virgin. Musically, "Dress You Up" is a dance-pop song whose lyrics are an extended metaphor for fashion and lust, comparing dressing up with passion.
"Holiday" is a song by American singer Madonna from her self-titled debut album (1983). It was written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens-Crowder for their own musical act Pure Energy, and produced by John "Jellybean" Benitez. Hudson came up with the lyrics of the song while watching negative news on television, and together with Stevens-Crowder worked on the music. They recorded a demo, which was turned down by their label Prism Records. Afterwards, Benitez pitched the track and offered it to several artists, including former the Supremes singer Mary Wilson, but it was rejected. Around the same time, Benitez was working with Madonna on her album; after realizing they needed a song for the project, Benitez thought of "Holiday" and approached Hudson and Stevens-Crowder.
"Live to Tell" is a song by American singer Madonna included on her third studio album True Blue (1986), and in the 1986 film At Close Range. A pop ballad with torch influences, its lyrics talk about deceit, mistrust and childhood scars. Originally conceived as an instrumental by producer Patrick Leonard for the score of Paramount's film Fire with Fire (1986), it was rejected by the studio, who deemed it unfit for the movie. Leonard then presented the track to Madonna, who decided to use it for At Close Range, which stars her then-husband Sean Penn. She wrote the lyrics, came up with a bridge and a few melodies of her own, and co-produced the track alongside Leonard.
"Open Your Heart" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna from her third studio album True Blue (1986). Written by Gardner Cole and Peter Rafelson, it was conceived as a rock and roll song titled "Follow Your Heart" for singer Cyndi Lauper, although it was never played for her. At the time, Cole's management was working with Madonna's, who were looking for material for True Blue. "Follow Your Heart" was among the songs offered to the singer. She liked it and, alongside producer Patrick Leonard, turned it into a dance song, changed its title and re-wrote some of the lyrics, thus receiving a songwriting credit.
"True Blue" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album of the same name (1986). Written and produced by the singer and her collaborator Stephen Bray, in Australia, New Zealand, and most European countries, it was released as the album's third single on September 29, 1986. In the United States, it was published on October 9. A dance-pop song that takes influence from Motown and girl groups from the 1950s and 60s, its lyrics address Madonna's feelings for her then-husband Sean Penn.
"La Isla Bonita" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album True Blue (1986). Patrick Leonard and Bruce Gaitsch created it as an instrumental demo and offered it to singer Michael Jackson, who turned it down. When Leonard met Madonna to start working on True Blue, he played the demo for her. Madonna came up with the title, wrote the lyrics and produced the song with Leonard. It is her first song with Latin influences. Its instrumentation features flamenco guitar, Latin percussion, maracas, and includes four lines sung in Spanish. The lyrics talk of an island named San Pedro, whose location has been debated. Madonna said the song was her tribute to Latin Americans.
The Virgin Tour was the debut concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. The tour supported her first two studio albums, Madonna (1983) and Like a Virgin (1984). It started on April 10, 1985, at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, United States, and ended on June 11 of the same year at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. Although initially planned for an international audience, the tour was restricted to the United States and Canada. Warner Bros. Records decided to send Madonna on tour after Like a Virgin became a success. After an official announcement on March 15, 1985, Madonna and her team began production plans. She wanted the tour to be a reflection of her own self and collaborated with designer Maripol for the costumes.
"Rain" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992). Written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, in Australia and most European countries, "Rain" was released as single on July 17, 1993. In the United Kingdom and the United States, it was issued on July 19 and August 5, respectively. It was then included on Madonna's 1995 compilation, Something to Remember. A pop ballad with elements of R&B, trip-hop, and New-age music, "Rain" has lyrics that liken water and rainfall to the power of love.
"You'll See" is a song by American singer Madonna from her ballads compilation, Something to Remember (1995). She wrote and produced the song with Canadian musician David Foster. "You'll See" was released on October 23, 1995, by Maverick Records as the lead single from the album. An acoustic pop ballad, "You'll See" features instrumentation from percussion, tremolo guitar and piano, while lyrically it speaks of independence after the end of a love affair.
American singer Madonna has released 14 studio albums, three soundtrack albums, six live albums, seven compilation albums, and 39 other limited releases. Recognized as the world's best-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records, Madonna has accumulated a total record sales of more than 300 million units worldwide, with the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) confirming in 2006, that Madonna's albums alone had sold over 200 million copies worldwide. She is ranked by the RIAA as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and third highest-certified female artist in the United States, with 65.5 million album units. She holds the all-time record for the most number-one albums by a female artist in major music markets such as Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour is the second video album and the first live release by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released by Warner Music Video and Sire Records on November 13, 1985 and contains the concert footage from The Virgin Tour, filmed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on May 25, 1985. Director Daniel Kleinman, who presided over the shooting of the tour on video, submitted the footage to Warner Bros. Records, who decided to release it as a video album. Madonna wanted to have a proper introduction added before the concert footage and asked director James Foley to shoot one, which portrayed her with her first image makeover, reciting lines related to how she became famous.
"Each Time You Break My Heart" is a song recorded by British singer Nick Kamen, for his eponymous debut studio album (1987). It was released by Sire Records on 2 November 1986 as his debut single in 7-inch and 12-inch maxi formats. Kamen had gained popularity by starring in a 1985 Levi's television commercial, later deciding to delve into the music business and signed a record deal with Sire. "Each Time You Break My Heart" was the lead single from his album, written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray. It was originally set to be included on Madonna's third studio album, True Blue (1986), but failed to make the final tracklist. Madonna also provided background vocals on the track.
↑ Hilburn, Robert (July 6, 1986). "Madonna is nobody's toy". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
↑ "WEA". Exame (in Portuguese). No.366. Editora Abril. 1986. p.62. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2023– via Google Books. Quando a gravadora WEA lançou o primeiro long-play da roqueira Madonna (Like a Virgin) no Brasil, no ano passado, precisou de 14 meses para vender 410 mil cópias. O segundo, True Blue, lançado em julho último, alcançou 205 mil em duas semanas.
↑ "Top 100 albums of '86". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 27, 1986. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
↑ "Top 100 albums of '87". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 26, 1987. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
↑ "Ekonomi Araştırma". Milliyet (in Turkish). September 17, 1987. p.5. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2024.(subscription required)
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