<p id=”par-1_46″>Pop <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>music</a> history is filled with roads not take. <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/madonna-once-responded-to-the-like-a-virgin-scene-in-quentin-tarantinos-reservoir-dogs.html/”>Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”</a> could have been recorded by one of many other artists. The musical geniuses who wrote the track revealed what they thought of Madonna’s take on “Like a Virgin” and why they believed in the song when nobody else did.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-madonna-s-like-a-virgin-has-an-interesting-connection-to-whitney-houston”>Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ has an interesting connection to Whitney Houston</h2>
<p id=”par-2_63″>While “Like a Virgin” is one of Madonna’s defining songs, she had no role in writing it. Instead, the track was co-written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. The songwriting duo also penned classic hits such as “So Emotional,” Divinyl’s “I Touch Myself,” and “True Colors” <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/1-madonna-song-written-cyndi-lauper.html/”>by Cyndi Lauper</a>. During an interview with <a href=”https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/virgin.htm” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Songwriter Universe</a>, the songwriters revealed that many artists turned down “Like a Virgin” before Madonna embraced it.</p>
<p id=”par-3_70″>“It was one of those moments in time and space when everything came together,” Kelly said. Steinberg had a positive view of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” as well. “When you’re songwriters [rather than self-contained artists], and you write a song like ‘Virgin,’ then you have to find the right singer to place the song with,” he said. “We were lucky that Madonna came along, because I don’t think anyone else could have put the song across quite like she did.”</p>
<p id=”par-4_96″>During a 2021 interview with <a href=”https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/billy-steinberg” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Songwriting</a>, Steinberg said the success of “Like a Virgin” illustrated a greater truth about songwriting. “There’s a lot of qualities that I think are important for a songwriter,” he said. “One of them is, you’ve got to really believe in what you’re doing, because with a song like ‘Like a Virgin,’ it was rejected by a lot of people and I could have easily thought, ‘Well, these guys don’t like it, so it must not be very good.’ But instead, I thought, ‘These guys are crazy. This is a great song.’ You’ve got to have that kind of confidence in what you’re creating.”</p>
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<iframe title=”Madonna – Like A Virgin (Official Video)” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/s__rX_WL100?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-madonna-added-layers-to-the-song-that-it-didn-t-have-before”>Madonna added layers to the song that it didn’t have before</h2>
<p id=”par-5_38″>“Like a Virgin” is an incredible song because it works on so many levels. It’s a tune about finding a partner so great they erase all of your previous romantic foibles. On the surface, the song is very sweet, in spite of its provocative title.</p>
<p id=”par-6_92″>On the other hand, Madonna is one of the most risque performers in the history of popular music. Giving “Like a Virgin” to her makes the track seem a lot more sexual, perhaps even ironic. <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/classic-rock-song-stopped-madonnas-material-girl-hitting-no-1.html/”>The Material Girl</a> has been quick to sexualize “Like a Virgin.” For example, in the tour documentary <em>Madonna: Truth or Dare </em>(also known as <em>In Bed With Madonna</em>), she performs the song while making highly suggestive <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/2-madonna-songs-feel-like-home-britney-spears.html/”>motions. She also kissed Britney Spears</a> and Christina Aguilera during an infamous performance of “Like a Virgin” and her lesser-known song “Hollywood” at the 2003 MTV VMAs. </p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Christina Aguilera Recalls Her Kiss with Madonna at the 2003 MTV VMAs” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/mDiGnAhtLi4?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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Michael Jackson: 1 of Madonna’s Songs Was Meant for His Album ‘Bad’ </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-queen-of-pop-was-right-to-take-like-a-virgin-in-a-new-direction”>The Queen of Pop was right to take ‘Like a Virgin’ in a new direction</h2>
<p id=”par-7_55″>Some fans night feel that Madonna has perverted “Like a Virgin.” Perhaps she has. Regardless, the Queen of Pop added layers of meaning and innuendo to “Like a Virgin” that it wouldn’t have had if Whitney Houston sang it. Madonna’s take on “Like a Virgin” showed that she was a masterful provocateur and that’s part of why fans love her.</p>