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TL;DR:

  • A prominent Planned Parenthood activist said Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach” was “destructive.”
  • He said Madonna had as much influence on teens as The Beatles once did.
  • “Papa Don’t Preach” became a massive hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Madonna‘s “Papa Don’t Preach” sparked a lot of controversies. For example, Planned Parenthood condemned the track for setting teenagers on “a path to permanent poverty.” Subsequently, “Weird Al” Yankovic put his comedic spin on the song.

Planned Parenthood said Madonna’s ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ negatively influenced teens

“Papa Don’t Preach” is a song about teen pregnancy. Alfred Moran was the executive director of Planned Parenthood of New York City. During a 1986 interview with The New York Times, Moran condemned the song.
“The message is that getting pregnant is cool and having the baby is the right thing and a good thing and don’t listen to your parents, the school, anybody who tells you otherwise — don’t preach to me, Papa,” he said. “The reality is that what Madonna is suggesting to teenagers is a path to permanent poverty.”

“Papa Don’t Preach” upset Moran because of the Queen of Pop’s influence. “Everybody I’ve talked to believes she has more impact on young teenagers than any other single entertainer since The Beatles,” Moran said. “That’s what makes this particular song so destructive.”

Madonna’s spokesperson discussed whether or not the Queen of Pop was ‘taking a stand’

Madonna’s spokesperson, Liz Rosenberg, gave fans insight into Madonna’s decision to record “Papa Don’t Preach.” “She’s singing a song, not taking a stand,” Rosenberg said. “Her philosophy is people can think what they want to think.”

In a 1986 interview with The New York Times, Madonna dismissed the idea that she had a negative influence on her fans. “You didn’t see those girls going off and doing awful things because they bought my records,” she said. “But I’ve also learned that people eventually do catch on to what they didn’t get at first.” The Queen of Pop said it was satisfying when she saw her detractors become fans.

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“Papa Don’t Preach” became a massive hit. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. The tune spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart. Madonna included “Papa Don’t Preach” on her album True Blue. That record reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for five of its 82 weeks on the chart. It also produced numerous other hits, including its title track, “La Isla Bonita,” “Live to Tell,” and “Open Your Heart.”

“Papa Don’t Preach” impacted pop culture as well. For example, a character in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs says he liked Madonna’s early stuff like “Borderline” but he tuned out when she entered her “‘Papa Don’t Preach’ phase.” “Weird Al” Yankovic incorporated “Papa Don’t Preach” into the titular medley from his album Polka Party! Yankovic has a long history of turning pop hits into polka medleys.

“Papa Don’t Preach” sparked controversy but that didn’t stop it from becoming a hit.

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