Madonna Said She Wrote 1 Hit Song In a ‘Hyper-Positive State of Mind That I Knew Was Not Going to Last’

Madonna‘s “Cherish” sounds like a normal, if abnormally infectious, hit song. Notably, the Material Girl said she was not in a normal frame of mind when she wrote it. The track has an interesting connection to several other Madonna hits.

Madonna revealed what she thinks when she writes hit songs

In the late 1980s, Madonna’s image became even more provocative. With the release of her album Like a Prayer, the singer attacked the church with the album’s title track, embraced feminism with “Express Yourself,” and denounced her father in the tune “Oh Father.” One of the least inflammatory tracks on the album is the peppy love song “Cherish.” While much of Like a Prayer sounded current and hip, “Cherish” sounds like it’s from the 1950s or early 1960s.

During a 1991 interview with Rolling Stone, Carrie Fisher asked Madonna if she had ever written tunes during a manic high. “I have written songs in that state,” she replied. The Star Wars actor then asked Madonna if she wrote “Cherish” during such a state. “Yeah, in a super-hyper-positive state of mind that I knew was not going to last,” she said.

Interestingly, Madonna penned “Cherish” with Patrick Leonard. Leonard is the same unsung musical genius who co-wrote “Like a Prayer,”  “Frozen,” and “La Isla Bonita.” The Material Girl said she wrote all of her sad songs with Leonard. That’s an odd comment since “Cherish” is one of her sweetest bubblegum songs.

Fisher wanted to know if Madonna wrote songs while she was feeling angry. “Yeah, a lot,” she replied. “Words just come spewing forth. I’ve written my best things when I’m upset, but then who hasn’t? What’s the point of sitting down and notating your happiness?

The Queen of Pop revealed she was not a big fan of her own songs

The “Like a Virgin” singer was asked to name her favorite among her own songs. “That’s like saying which child do I like best in my large family,” she replied. “There are different things that are great about each one. There are certainly plenty that I don’t really give a s*** about.”

The Queen of Pop made a surprising admission. “I don’t like listening to my music,” she revealed. “I listen to all those weird tapes you get at Bodhi Tree [a New Age bookstore in Los Angeles]. Chimes. My masseuse has one amazing tape that just keeps playing Pachelbel’s Canon over and over.” 

Madonna’s ‘Cherish’ inspired a cool reggae cover

“Cherish” became a hit, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending 15 weeks on the chart. It appeared on Madonna’s album Like a Prayer, which topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks and spent 77 weeks on the chart.

The Prayers recorded a cover of “Cherish” that deserved more attention. The Prayers’ take on the song is a reggae/rock hybrid. It has a lot more energy than Madonna’s “Cherish.” The original song’s music video is set at a beach, so giving “Cherish” a reggae track was a fitting choice.

At a time when the Queen of Pop was shocking everyone, “Cherish” proved she knew how to write a good old-fashioned love song.