A place to discuss Madonna's 2nd studio album 'Like A Virgin'. Released in 1984.
1. Material Girl
2. Angel
3. Like a Virgin
4. Over and Over
5. Love Don't Live Here Anymore
6. Dress You Up
7. Shoo-Bee-Doo
8. Pretender
9. Stay
What are your thoughts on this album? Share any opinions, memories, favourite songs, or just discuss it anytime you're re-listening!
I don't return to this album much tbh. I appreciate it as one of the most iconic albums she's ever released but it doesn't have many (any?) of my favourite songs. It seems very of its time, which most of her albums avoid being!
Favourite song is probably 'Material Girl'!
I think this album is utter drivel to be honest. I've never returned to it, possibly Dress You Up would be my favourite track but I'm not mad about any of them.
Not really, no. It’s passable but I’d never choose to put it on. The album is too old for me to remember it at the time but I’m baffled as to why it was so successful, although other mid 80s albums I’ve heard since are equally dodgy so maybe the whole time period was just below average for albums.
I can see why it was so successful given the Madonna-mania of 1985 and the music being so cheery and catchy, although I don't quite understand why it gets retroactively regarded as one of her best when you consider all her work since. Tbf, the album only really took off at the time of 'Into the Groove' and Live Aid (I assume the re-issue came at the same time) and remained high in the chart throughout Christmas and into the start of 1986, so that's where a great deal of its sales come from. It also has the benefit of gaining decent trickle sales from subsequent releases.
Listening to the album now, I feel like I might have judged the album too harshly. It's still low ranking on her discography but I can enjoy it for what it is: catchy, feel-good pop. I think the album benefits a lot with 'Into the Groove' as the centerpiece and it would have been good if 'Crazy For You' could be placed in there somewhere.
Highlights from the main album: 'Angel', 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore', 'Dress You Up'. Oh I also have a soft spot for 'Shoo Bee Doo', the part where the music gets going reminds me of something used in a John Hughes film or something. Probably doesn't need to be 5 minutes long though.
It’s quite a cute album in some ways. It has potential and she’s definitely released worse than this but it’s also far from her best as well.
Easy to see why it was so successful though.
I too can see why it was a big success: easy to digest pop, with killer visuals and the rise of a new superstar, and i'm glad it was as big as it was because it helped cement her as a force to be reckoned with. She had so much to say, and this was just the start.
Moving onto this album. Reading through this thread is interesting... but I think I agree with the general consensus. The highs seem to be higher (the singles more or less - although I really like 'Over and Over' too), but everything else is just a bit... boring and plodding (or grating in the case of 'Angel'). 'Into The Groove' isn't on this on Spotify, but ofc I know it, I've just never been into this as much as I perhaps should be, similarly to 'Holiday' actually (but better than that). A step up in production quality though and the vocal mixing is improving
My ranking:
1. Material Girl
2. Like a Virgin
3. Dress You Up
4. Over and Over
5. Into The Groove
6. Pretender
7. Stay
8. Shoo-Bee-Doo
9. Angel
10. Love Don't Live Here Anymore > I actually had this above 'Angel'... but then it decided to never end... so... <
Apart from the singles and 'Over and Over', I'm not sure I'm going to be bothered about any of the others. 'Pretender' & 'Stay' are cute enough though. But the rest are just inessential, imo.
Album Ranking:
01. Madonna
02. Like A Virgin
'Over and Over' is growing on me a lot as I listen to it more on the 'You Can Dance' remix album! 'Into The Groove' is a stonecold classic and never fails to put me in a good mood
'Shoo-Bee-Doo' is probably my least fave on this - I really need to do relistens and rankings tbh. 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore' too low for you!
This is definitely another album that is of its time, but I promise it all gets much better after this
Absolutely - you're through the worst now Jonjo!
Will be interesting to see your thoughts on True Blue, I loved it as a little kid but I can't imagine whether it sounds just as dated or not to newer ears...
This and Mdna are my least favourite albums.
The inclusion of ITG was needed. Her debut is so much better .
I guess this album only needed those two huge singles to make it sell. The album cover is stunning.
The queen of MTV at the time and the world. She could have released anything and it would have been a hit.
I do have a soft spot for Angel and Over and Over.
LDLHA I only adored after going to the rebel heart gig .
Oh that's true... MDNA doesn't exist in my world so I always forget about it
Looking at the True Blue tracklist and it already looks 10x stronger based on the songs I know. I actually adore the title track, I think that was the first ever Madonna track I heard and realised it was her (my dad put it onto a video tape of a whole load of music videos and live performances etc.. and that was on it ) so I'm excited to hear the album in full!
This era is more about visuals and themes and Madonna doubling-down on her playful, provocative attitude than it is about the music itself, for me. As I said earlier in the thread, I do appreciate the care-free, feel-good nature of the music but Madonna has bettered it many times since. Knowing that Nile Rodgers produced the album, I'd have expected the music to hold up better than it has.
Continuing my listening of Madonna albums with this one today.
1. Dress You Up
2. Material Girl
3. Like a Virgin
4. Over and Over
5. Pretender
6. Angel
7. Love Don't Live Here Anymore
8. Stay
9. Shoo-Bee-Doo
This album, similarly to the debut, is very much an album of its time steeped in nostalgia and I think the difference with this is that it helped to establish that nostalgia and it became synonymous with the sounds of the time. A truly iconic album in every sense of the word, but with her standard of albums that followed, it still ranks fairly low for me because of the amount of filler it racks up. The singles are all varying degress of fantastic and make up the top 3 songs on the albums for me even though Angel is considerably weaker then the others. Over and Over is the best album track for me - insanely catchy and high-octane! Pretender is decent because it's fairly bold and stands out amongst the rest of the album tracks that can verge on the repetitive/annoying side. I also really like the instrumental production in it. Shoo-Bee-Doo is my least favourite on here and one of my least liked songs from her overall too! Overall the album doesn't have the dizzying heights or the consistency of many of her other albums, but it has some really cute, quaint, retro moments that mean I can return to it and enjoy it.
Albums ranking
1. Madonna
2. Like A Virgin
I really like this album it amazing. I'm favourite song from this album would be Over and Over . I really love that song.
for the over and over fans watch the live version from the Virgin Tour on youtube !!!
wow some of you guys are very mean to this album. It's not a great album cos like most Madonna early albums has amazing singles + the album tracks are really filler and not that great but the singles are all amazing, especially Into the Groove, personally Madonna's best song ever
but Dress You Up is fantastic too and I love Material Girl and Like a Virgin, both incredible iconic singles
Count me in the mean camp on this one, it's just not a very good album. The singles are okay but very much of their time and not ones that I'd choose to listen to very often. The album tracks are among her worst in my opinion, it's the worst kind of pop album where the singles draw you in to buy it but there's very little of quality outside of them.
but I think that except Like a Prayer, you can say the same for most Madonna albums, ie album tracks being filler
maybe I'm biased cos Like a Virgin is the 1st Madonna album I got and when I discovered Madonna as a kid, so maybe I see it with different eyes
NJG Studio have been teasing some Madonna photoshoots, shot in Tokyo in January 1985, on their instagram page. They're set to be available in a 200 page book titled 'Adore' that features 318 previously unseen photos!
amazing pics
WOW! Love those images. Can't wait to see more!
The last 3 tracks certainly weaken this album.
ITG was certainly a bonus addition.
The pitching up of Madonna's vocals on 'Material Girl' and 'Like a Virgin' lose them a point for me. I know some of the songs on her debut were the same, like 'Borderline', but it doesn't seem to bother me as much as it does with these two tracks. If you listen to pitch-corrected versions, they sound much more pleasant whilst still having that girlish quality.
Unpopular opinions: I don't understand why 'Shoo-Bee-Doo' is so hated and I don't find 'Over and Over' particularly great like others do.
Over and Over on the virgin tour is a 10 !
Oh that's going to be a visual FEAST! Can't wait
My rate : S (Masterpiece)
Top 5 songs :
1. Material Girl
2. Like A Virgin
3. Dress You Up
4. Angel
5. Love Don't Live Here Anymore
Best Madonna album and true pure pop classic. It's very rare time, when I totally agree with singles selection.
Four singles were # 1s in my retrospective chart :
- Like A Virgin (7 weeks at # 1) (Best single of 1984)
- Material Girl (7 weeks at # 1) (Best single of 1985 and her best song)
- Angel (3 weeks at # 1)
- Dress You Up (5 weeks at # 1)
HD video for 'Material Girl' is up. It's... terrible.
Actually it’s better on second watch, it’s mainly the beginning that’s bad and some dodgy bits throughout. It’s not what I’d call HD but the colour is a lot better.
doesnt look too different to me .
My favourite Madonna album by far.
Was thinking now, why were Crazy for You and Gambler not on the album and placed on that Vision Quest soundtrack instead?
Crazy for you sure would have elevated the album... less sure about Gambler but at least it's better than any of the last 3 tracks on the album
ALBUM RANKINGS:
8. LIKE A VIRGIN
9. HARD CANDY
10. REBEL HEART
11. MADONNA/THE FIRST ALBUM
12. AMERICAN LIFE
13. MDNA
14. MADAME X
Memories, eh? They've got a lot to answer for when you're ranking your Madonna albums.
This was the first Madonna record I ever owned and my brother bought it for me for Christmas and said it was because I had said I had wanted it for ages. I remember seeing the Material Girl video and just thinking this "new" singer was beautiful and talented and her presence was just... there.
Is the album great... no, not really... but it has Material Girl on it... and Angel... and Dress You Up, which has gone on to be one of my favourite Madonna songs. Over and Over is another firm favourite and I've grown to really like Love Don't Live Here Anymore. The last three (album) tracks are the weak points here, but they are still better than the filler on The First Album.
We also have Into The Groove, despite in not being on the original version, and that song just catapulted Madonna into another league for me. The song, the movie.
The Virgin Tour I watched over and again on VHS.
Yes... Madonna has definitely arrived in my life with this album.
So which song have I not mentioned...? Oh yes, the title track. Hmm... like Holiday before it, I do sometimes wish this song wasn't such a staple in her discography and that it hadn't become one of her signature tracks. It was great at the time, but those opening bars do leave me reaching for the skip button. (no comment from the Peanut Gallery!)
It may not be her best album... but as an era it cemented her as a superstar and my new favourite pop star!
Indeed memories play a part in any ranking... and I don't remember Like a Virgin at all from its release so I'd rank it last among her output, the singles are okay but none are ones I'd choose to play (the addition of Into The Groove aside)... however I get the concept of why you like it as my first Madonna album was I'm Breathless which most think is awful but I have such fond memories of it that I still love it now
memories and emotion attachment definitely factor in rankings.
Just a sublime album, full of perfect pop songs. A lot of these songs are nearly 40 years old, but I still listen to many of them. Not my favorite M album, but some of the tracks on here are just sublime.
1. Stay ( I love the '81 version from Pre-Madonna much much better)
2. Shoo-Bee-Doo
3. Angel
4. Over And Over
5. Love Don't Live Here Anymore
6. Pretender
7. Dress You Up
8. Like A Virgin
9. Material Girl
^ are u joking ? 😲
43 on ITunes single chart!
I'm wondering what the point of a 2024 Remaster of Material Girl is, given that there was a 2022 Remaster of it on Finally Enough Love?
^ marketing ploy for sure
if so! The only album I wouldn’t be bothered about getting
‘Angel’ EP out tonight!
what is the quality like?
The Angel artwork could possible be my favourite!!!
Number 8 on ITUNES !
Wow angel is such a amazing song.
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