How Madonna Hurt the Producer of Her 1st Album

Madonna‘s first album included several of the most important songs of her career. One of the producers of the album was hurt by the way the Material Girl treated him. He had plenty to say about the character of the Queen of Pop. Notably, Madonna’s brother had a lot to say about that era of his sister’s career.

The producer of Madonna’s 1st album said she belittled his contributions

Reggie Lucas was one of the producers of Madonna’s self-titled debut album. He served as the producer of the two songs from the album that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100: “Borderline” and “Lucky Star.” During a 2013 interview with The Atlantic, Lucas felt that Madonna had not given him sufficient credit for his role in her career.

“Just for the record, one tires in a lifetime of hearing someone taking credit for something that you’ve done,” he said. “The bottom line is that, I think, the kind way that Madonna has always tried to refer to me is that I was just an R&B producer. There are two things that I dislike about that. First thing is, that it treats being an R&B producer as pejorative, as if it were something less than being a pop or rock producer. 

“Second thing is, that I didn’t make an R&B record for her,” he added. “I made a crossover pop record of the highest order. So the notion that she similarly dismissed me because I was just an R&B producer is offensive on multiple levels to me.”

Reggie Lucas used an instrument on the album that was integral to the Queen of Pop’s sound

Lucas said it was his job to craft a sound for Madonna. He created a musical style for her based around the Minimoog synthesizer. He said she used that as her trademark instrument for years. 

Lucas elaborated on the lack of credit he received from the Queen of Pop. “It’s hurtful because I didn’t understand it,” he said. “I did the same thing I always did. I came in and worked my a** off to support the artist and cast them in a good light.” In addition, Lucas said that Madonna would never mention another person if it were up to her.

Madonna gave her brother no royalties for dancing in a video from that time period

Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, had plenty to say about her as well. In his 2008 book Life with My Sister Madonna, Ciccone said that he knew his sister was destined for superstardom when she released her first album. It wasn’t long before the record received a gold certification. That album would not have been the same without Lucas’ contributions.

Ciccone recalled dancing in the music video for “Lucky Star.” That was one of Madonna’s first videos and it became so famous that Bruce Willis discussed it in a scene from the Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction. Ciccone was paid $200 for his role in the clip and received no royalties. Ciccone felt his sister had become more businesslike around this time, and that her manager, Freddy DeMann, had become one of the most significant figures in her life.

The Queen of Pop is a great businesswoman — even if her behavior has faced some criticism.