Madonna

I love this woman. Her songs such as "Like a Virgin," "Material Girl," "Vogue," "Crazy for You," "Borderline," and "Lucky Star" among many others are constantly played on the radio and in any store, but take a look at the woman behind the elevator music and you'll see that she's a cliche for a reason, not to mention so perfectly 80s.

According to Madonna: An Intimate Biography by Randy Taraborrelli, at the start of her career, she told a journalist "People don't know how good I am yet. But they will soon. In a couple of years everyone will know. Actually, I plan on being one of this century's biggest stars." When they questioned her use of her first name alone as her stage name, she said "It's Madonna. Just like Cher. Remember it."

I read just a little of that biography. I learned some things about her I didn't know like the extent of her Catholic upbringing. She went to a Catholic elementary school and came from a large, very Catholic family where she learned that if she wanted attention, she had to shock people. Her religion is a major source of her rebellion. She would wear religious jewelery in videos like Like a Virgin as a way to satirize it and cause controversy.

It claims that her mother had multiple religious statues and paintings, and when a relative would come to the house in clothes she considered inappropriate, including jeans on women, she would turn the statues and paintings around to shield Jesus from the indecency. This reminds me of Lady Gaga who also had a strict Catholic upbringing and Katy Perry who was the daughter of two ministers.

In Taraborrelli's book, she's quoted saying "Catholicism screwed up many a catholic person. How many Catholics are in therapy, just trying to get over the idea of Original Sin. Do you know what it's like to be told from the day you walk into school for the first time that you are a sinner, that you were born that way, and that that's just the way it is? You'd have to be Catholic to understand it." I love that. I was also told that in Catholic school, and it made me think that if everyone's a sinner, than nobody is. It's relative.

She wore this to perform "Open your Heart" in 1990

In a documentary called Truth or Dare, she said "I know I'm not the best singer or dancer in the world. I know that. But I'm not interested in that, either. I'm interested in pushing buttons." She did push buttons, and crossing lines was one of her specialties.

"Crazy for You" (1985), my favorite Madonna song.



Borderline (1984) - I love this one for the clothes in the music video.



Like a Virgin (1984) is probably the most referenced song in pop culture and also the one with the goofiest lyrics. "Shiny and new" makes me laugh every time, along with the random lion in the music video. The lyrics aren't great, but something about it makes this song lovable.

Madonna - New Music - More Music Videos

She challenged tradition and forged her own path, creating some of the most known songs and trends of the 80s. Kickin ^_^

Love,
Juliana