What the Writers of Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ Thought of Her Version
Pop music history is filled with roads not take. Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” could have been recorded by one of many other artists. The musical geniuses who wrote the track revealed what they thought of Madonna’s take on “Like a Virgin” and why they believed in the song when nobody else did.
Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ has an interesting connection to Whitney Houston
While “Like a Virgin” is one of Madonna’s defining songs, she had no role in writing it. Instead, the track was co-written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. The songwriting duo also penned classic hits such as “So Emotional,” Divinyl’s “I Touch Myself,” and “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. During an interview with Songwriter Universe, the songwriters revealed that many artists turned down “Like a Virgin” before Madonna embraced it.
“It was one of those moments in time and space when everything came together,” Kelly said. Steinberg had a positive view of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” as well. “When you’re songwriters [rather than self-contained artists], and you write a song like ‘Virgin,’ then you have to find the right singer to place the song with,” he said. “We were lucky that Madonna came along, because I don’t think anyone else could have put the song across quite like she did.”
During a 2021 interview with Songwriting, Steinberg said the success of “Like a Virgin” illustrated a greater truth about songwriting. “There’s a lot of qualities that I think are important for a songwriter,” he said. “One of them is, you’ve got to really believe in what you’re doing, because with a song like ‘Like a Virgin,’ it was rejected by a lot of people and I could have easily thought, ‘Well, these guys don’t like it, so it must not be very good.’ But instead, I thought, ‘These guys are crazy. This is a great song.’ You’ve got to have that kind of confidence in what you’re creating.”
Madonna added layers to the song that it didn’t have before
“Like a Virgin” is an incredible song because it works on so many levels. It’s a tune about finding a partner so great they erase all of your previous romantic foibles. On the surface, the song is very sweet, in spite of its provocative title.
On the other hand, Madonna is one of the most risque performers in the history of popular music. Giving “Like a Virgin” to her makes the track seem a lot more sexual, perhaps even ironic. The Material Girl has been quick to sexualize “Like a Virgin.” For example, in the tour documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare (also known as In Bed With Madonna), she performs the song while making highly suggestive motions. She also kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during an infamous performance of “Like a Virgin” and her lesser-known song “Hollywood” at the 2003 MTV VMAs.
The Queen of Pop was right to take ‘Like a Virgin’ in a new direction
Some fans night feel that Madonna has perverted “Like a Virgin.” Perhaps she has. Regardless, the Queen of Pop added layers of meaning and innuendo to “Like a Virgin” that it wouldn’t have had if Whitney Houston sang it. Madonna’s take on “Like a Virgin” showed that she was a masterful provocateur and that’s part of why fans love her.
