Madonna Wrote the Best 1950s Doo-Wop Song Ever in the 1980s

Madonna‘s songs ruled the 1980s and the 1990s. However, one song proved that she could have been a 1950s goddess if she had been born at a different time. Interestingly, the track was inspired by a movie star.

Madonna wrote a love song inspired by Sean Penn

Madonna had a high-profile relationship with actor Sean Penn. During a 1986 interview with The New York Times, the Material Girl revealed that Penn inspired her to write “True Blue.” The track was supposed to represent Penn’s “pure vision of love.” She called the song “True Blue” because that was one of Penn’s favorite sayings.

“True Blue” is a 1950s/1960s style doo-wop love song. Part of what makes it better than its influences is the way it plays with tone. The track is bright and sunny in parts but it also acknowledges how the search for true love can be a struggle. 

Madonna explained how an earlier generation of singers inspired her. “I grew up loving innocent child voices like Diana Ross, while she was with The Supremes, and Stevie Wonder, when he was young, and I practically swooned when I heard Frankie Lymon’s records,” she said. “I don’t know why, but I was always instinctively drawn to those voices. I don’t think I sing like a woman. I sing like a girl, and it’s a quality I never want to lose.”

‘True Blue’ was a step back from the Queen of Pop’s more controversial songs

Before Madonna released “True Blue,” she had become known for controversy. The sexuality of her singles “Like a Virgin” and “Dress You Up” was too bold for some listeners, and “Papa Don’t Preach” ruffled feathers for its portrayal of abortion. The song “True Blue,” with its retro sound and innocuous lyrics, was a step back from all that provocation. The Queen of Pop reflected on how she seemed less scandalous to the public as time went on.

“The girls that dressed like me all got the joke — it was their parents who didn’t,” she said. “You didn’t see those girls going off and doing awful things because they bought my records. What I’ve learned from all the controversy is that you can’t expect everyone to get your sense of humor. But I’ve also learned that people eventually do catch on to what they didn’t get at first. It’s a nice surprise in the end when they, go, ‘Hey, well, you know … I like that.'”

Madonna’s ‘True Blue’ was part of a string of 5 hits from the same album

“True Blue” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. It appeared on the album of the same name. True Blue topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks and remained on the chart for 82 weeks in total.

True Blue became a hit machine. It produced three No. 1 singles: the exotic ballad “Live to Tell,” the yearning dance-pop track “Open Your Heart,” and the feminist tune “Papa Don’t Preach.” Perhaps the most lasting song from the record was “La Isla Bonita.” The sunny Latin tune remains a staple of oldies radio and includes one of the Queen of Pop’s most sensual vocal performances. 

“True Blue” showed that even though Madonna was one of th primary cultural forces of the 1980s, she still knew how to pay tribute to the past.