Forty years ago today, the world was touched for the very first time by Madonna‘s landmark sophomore album, Like a Virgin. While her self-titled 1983 debut did well, Like a Virgin was the album that made her a superstar and cemented her reputation — still intact today — as a pop provocateur.
The album’s controversial title track was released at the beginning of November, but the world got its first introduction to the tune, and the album, at the very first MTV Video Music Awards in September of 1984. Wearing a wedding gown and a “BOY TOY” belt, Madonna sang the song while rolling around on stage, scandalizing viewers and making such moments standard for future VMAs.
“The plan was for her to do ‘Holiday,'” recalls Chic‘s Nile Rodgers , who produced the Like a Virgin album. “And she changed it up on ’em and said, ‘No, I wanna do ‘Like a Virgin.’ So … the world was hearing ‘Like a Virgin’ for the first time, and really getting an idea of how innovative Madonna is.”
After “Like a Virgin” hit #1, “Material Girl,” with its iconic Marilyn Monroe-inspired video, was next, reaching #2; “Dress You Up” and “Angel” followed. Madonna supported the album with her hugely successful debut tour.
Like a Virgin topped the chart and became the first album by a woman to sell over five million copies in the U.S. It’s since sold more than 21 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 2023, it was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
While Nile Rodgers also produced David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Diana Ross, Duran Duran, INXS, Sam Smith and countless others, he told ABC Audio, “The biggest-selling record of my life is Like a Virgin. That’s the biggest album I’ve ever produced.”
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