Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that answer the question.
Query: What was Madonna's first album?
Madonna (retitled Madonna: The First Album for the 1985 re-release) is the debut album by American singer Madonna, released on July 27, 1983 by Sire Records. After having established herself as a singer in downtown New York City, Madonna was signed by Sire president Seymour Stein, due to the success of her debut single, "Everybody" (1982). She became the sole writer for most of the album's tracks, and chose Reggie Lucas as its primary producer. Unhappy with Lucas's production outputs, she invited John "Jellybean" Benitez to complete the album, who remixed three tracks and produced "Holiday".
Vinyl– includes the 8-track album and the 4:57 version of "Everybody".[100] Cassette– includes the 8-track album and the 4:57 version of "Everybody".[100] CD– includes the 8-track album and the 4:57 version of "Everybody".[100] Longbox CD– includes the 8-track album and the 4:57 version of "Everybody".[100] Vinyl (1985)– Re-released in Europe with new artwork and renamed as Madonna: The First Album. This format includes the same tracks as the original but includes "Burning Up" (Alternate Album Version)– 4:48. Also released as a limited edition with fold-out poster of the cover minus typography.[103][104] Vinyl picture disc (1985)– Madonna: The First Album includes the same tracks as the original album.[105] Cassette (1985)– Madonna: The First Album includes the same tracks as the original album.[103] CD (1985)– Madonna: The First Album includes the same tracks as the original album.[103] CD (2001)– Remastered 10-track edition includes all tracks from the original album and two bonus remixes of "Burning Up" and "Lucky Star". This version was released by Warner Bros. and also includes a longer version of "Everybody"– 6:02. This version replaced the 1985 international re-release and reverted the album back to its original artwork and title in those territories.[106] Digital download (2005)– Same tracks as the 2001 remastered version, except for "Holiday" which is a 3:51 edited version.[107] Vinyl (2012)– 8-track European reissue of the original album which includes the 4:57 version of "Everybody". This version was released by Warner Bros. and Rhino Entertainment.[108]
In 2012, Madonna released her twelfth studio album, "MDNA". The lead single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'", and subsequent releases from the album were not added to the Radio 1 playlist, despite the former featuring rappers Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., two artists who receive regular rotation on the station. Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills defended their decision not to play Madonna saying, "I don't think we play Madonna any more. There is a lot of research, and if you ask a 17-year-old about her, they go 'don't care' [...] it's a sign of the times, things change, it's a generational thing. I like Madonna, does a 17-year-old? [She's] probably not at the top of their list. And that's horrible, but that is the way it is [...] and also youth audiences are so fickle in what they like and what they don't like, and they're quite opinionated, you just have got to keep on top of that."
Taraborrelli wrote that "Like a Prayer" was a turning point's in Madonna's career; "Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist's magic moment; for Madonna [...] "Like a Prayer" was. [Madonna] pushed onwards as an artist, using her creative wit to communicate on another level, musically." Kenneth G. Bielen, author of "The Lyrics of Civility: Biblical Images and Popular Music Lyrics in American Culture", wrote that with the album Madonna began to be seen as a serious artist; "Five years earlier, she was a dance-pop 'Boy-Toy'. With "Like a Prayer", she proved she was an artist who could think with more than her body". Thomas Harrison on the book "Music of the 1980s", documented that "Like a Prayer" pushed boundaries by addressing "uncomfortable song topics". Similarly, Annie Zaleski from "The A.V. Club", praised the album for "starting a conversation about religion—which remains one of the most incendiary topics a musician can address. [...] All of this pointed to Madonna establishing herself as a serious artist (emphasis on the "art") who had significant things to say". She also wrote:
The album's sustained run at No. 1 buoyed her self-assurance and bravery, and validated that people were willing to follow her even as she transitioned into adulthood. And even today, "Like a Prayer" remains provocative and progressive: The racial tension alluded to in the "Like A Prayer" video is striking, while the album's themes of religious and sexual oppression still feel all too relevant. Madonna dictated pop's future direction while also being firmly in control of her own fortunes.
According to Christopher Rosa from VH1, ""Like a Prayer" was the first pop album to evoke what female artists explore today: sexuality, religion, gender equality and independence. It was pioneering, and no woman in music has come close to doing something as groundbreaking." He believed that the album was her peak of cultural and musical influence, saying that "Madonna went from bubbly pop act to a serious artist who received her first bout of universal acclaim." Rosa also stated that "Like a Prayer" will be always more influential than the "definitive" albums of contemporary female artists, such as "Blackout" (2007), "The Fame Monster" (2009), and "Beyoncé" (2013). Madonna tried to experiment with different forms and styles with the videos and in the process constructed a new set of image and identity. With the release of "Like a Prayer", Madonna's impact culminated during the 1980s, and many publications named her the artist of the decade.
"LA Weekly"s Art Tavana opined that ""Like a Prayer" was the moment when Madonna went from being the voice of America's teenagers to the worldwide high priestess of pop". Singer Taylor Swift explained that with the album Madonna made "the most incredible, bold, risky, decisions as far as pop music goes", citing the title track as "legitimately one of the greatest pop songs of all time."
"Spin" said that the album "is a much-needed breath of fresh VapoRub." Danny Eccleston, in a review for "Q", called it a "brave, radical and punchy (at a refreshing 49 minutes in length) album". A retrospective review in "Blender" remarked: "Her first 'headphones album'... It's more playful and less pompous than "Ray of Light"." "Rolling Stone" stated that the album was a rough and improvised version of "Ray of Light", but lauded that Madonna had chosen to make a more "instinctive" record than her previous endeavours. "Mojo" magazine said that ""Music" is fitful and its charms aren't all immediate, but Madonna is still doing what she does best--giving a lick of pop genius to the unlikely genre of experimental dance music." "NME" said that "Music" is "vocodered, stretched, distorted, warped, deliberately upstaged by beats so showy they belong in a strip joint – quite simply, she's almost managed to make herself disappear. That bluntly explicit title isn't just pointless irony. This record is about the music, not Madonna; about the sounds, not the image." "Slant Magazine" criticised Madonna's collaborations with William Orbit, who had worked with her on "Ray of Light", calling them repetitive and uninteresting despite being catchy. In 2015, Rob Sheffield of "Rolling Stone" said that "Music" is "still [Madonna's] hardest-rocking and most seductive album."
Despite being originally written in English, a Spanish version of the song titled "Abre Tu Corazón" was recorded by Venezuelan rock singer Melissa, who released it in March 1986 on her "Melissa III" album. Considering Madonna first released the song on the "True Blue" album three months afterwards, Melissa's "Abre Tu Corazón" can be considered the first released version of the song, although it is possible that Madonna's version (for which she received a co-writer's credit) was recorded first. The Madonna tribute compilation "Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna, Vol. 2" contained a cover by the late Israeli singer Ofra Haza. A eurodance version was recorded by the group Mad'House for the album "Absolutely Mad". A hi-NRG dance version was recorded by Who's That Girl for the album "Exposed", released through Almighty Records. In 2004 "Platinum Blonde NRG, Vol. 2: Nrgised Madonna Classics", a hi-NRG cover is performed by In-Deep. The song appears in the opening of the 2002 film "Crossroads". Britney Spears' character lip syncs to the song in her room with a brush in her hand, pretending its a microphone. A Madonna poster is visible during the scene. In 2010, the TV show "Glee" covered it in the episode "The Power of Madonna" as a mash-up with the song "Borderline", performed by Cory Monteith and Lea Michele.
Preven's first big cut was "Sanctuary", which Madonna covered for her 1994 "Bedtime Stories". Madonna was introduced to the song by a friend of Preven and Cutler, who heard an early version of it and thought "Madonna would love this song!" Madonna's version came out before Ednaswap had even received a record deal, and the song deviated from Preven's idea. Preven originally thought Madonna had ruined the song, going so far as to meeting with Madonna to plead for changes. However, upon hearing the song as part of the whole album, Preven says she "understood what [Madonna] was going for." Preven and Cutler's most famous cover was the song, "Torn". The two co-wrote the song in 1993 with producer Phil Thornalley before they had a band. Preven claims that the lyrics were written quickly. The first album recording of the song came from Danish singer Lis Sørensen in 1995, who was introduced to the song by Thornalley. A second version arrived in 1996 by Trine Rein, who was also introduced to the song by Thornalley. Ednaswap released their first version of "Torn" on their self-titled album.
The soundtrack album was not well received by music critics, some of whom went on comment that the title track is the record's highlight. Jim Farber from "Entertainment Weekly" gave a negative review, though Noah Robischon from the same magazine complimented the title track, saying that Madonna had "pushed synergy over the borderline." Bill Lamb from About.com said that the songs were not among Madonna's best music. Taraborrelli commented that "the soundtrack was once again the reminder of Madonna's power and status as one of the most important singers of the 80s, because it was only her songs which gained prominence, albeit not being her best, though 'The Look of Love' is an exotic ballad." Author Mary Cross, in her biography "Madonna: A Biography" said that "the soundtrack slips up because of the film." Allen Metz and Carol Benson, authors of "The Madonna Companion: Two Decades of Commentary", said that ""Who's That Girl" has done what it was released for, put money in Warner's pockets, but [adds] nothing in Madonna's catalogue". Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted in his review for Allmusic that "In the strictest sense [the record] isn't a Madonna album — it's a soundtrack album", adding that it features "competent but uninspiring dance-pop by [various artists]". David Denby from "New York" magazine commented that "there's nothing absolutely wrong with the soundtrack. But it's just that it has the misfortune of being associated with such an unfortunate movie, that the album actually does not hold up to you well." He added that "The Look of Love" was a hidden gem in Madonna's catalogue. Don Shewey from "Rolling Stone" commented that "although essentially a Madonna album, the soundtrack does not boast a truly memorable song, rather there is the inclusion of the failed Warner artist songs, like the Coati Mundi song 'El Coco Loco' and Duncan Faure's uncannily Beatles-esque "24 Hours". For most buyers though this album is the new Madonna album."
"Erotica" remains the most rampantly misrepresented Madonna album with the biggest backlash of her career. Taraborrelli commented that it is unfortunate that "Erotica" has to be historically linked to other less memorable ventures in Madonna's career at this time. However, he quipped that the album should be considered on its own merits, not only as one linked to the other two adult-oriented projects, because it has true value. When asked to name her biggest professional disappointment, Madonna answered, "The fact that my "Erotica" album was overlooked because of the whole thing with the "Sex" book. It just got lost in all that. I think there's some brilliant songs on it and people didn't give it a chance." Brian McNair observed that Madonna took a financial risk with the album and it was not until "Ray of Light" (1998) that her record sales recovered to pre-"Erotica" levels. He further asserted that "what she lost in royalty payments, however, Madonna more than made up for in iconic status and cultural influence."
New wave band Berlin covered the song for the 1999 album "Virgin Voices: A Tribute to Madonna, Vol. 1". In an interview with CNN, Berlin's lead vocalist Terri Nunn said that the tribute was necessary, commenting that "she [Madonna] has influenced a lot of people", adding that "Live to Tell" is the only song from Madonna that she would touch. Other covers of the song on tribute albums include Semi Moore on "The Material Girl: A Tribute to Madonna", released in 2000, an instrumental version on the 2002 album "The String Quartet Tribute to Madonna", a folk version by Winter Flowers on the 2007 album "Through the Wilderness", and a hi-NRG version by Melissa Totten on her 2008 album, "Forever Madonna". In the American police procedural television series "Cold Case", the song features in the finale of the first season episode "Churchgoing People".Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
She began working with Professor Green on the album. The pair had previously worked together on the rapper's albums "Alive Till I'm Dead" in 2010 on the track "Kids That Love to Dance" and "At Your Inconvenience" in 2011, on the track "Read All About It". This became Sandé's and Professor Green's first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart. The singer pointed out that she has set the song out like a story of her life. She said that the album is very different from the first two singles which she released from the album "Heaven" and "Daddy" and "Read All About It" with Professor Green and that fans should expect something a little different. Sandé also met Madonna after they were both guests on "The Graham Norton Show", and Madonna expressed interest in working with Sandé in the future. Madonna also spoke about her love for her track "Next to Me".
She said that there will be moments on the album that are a lot more intimate and a lot more stripped back to other tracks on the album, but these tracks show and stand out. Sandé said people didn't know what do with her, it was just her and her piano, which was very stripped, it was completely different from what everyone was used to and different from everything that was currently out. However, she stressed that it is good to be different and not predictable.
"Open Your Heart" was the first cut recorded for the album, as early as December 1985 and ultimately made it to the final released tracklist; it was originally intended for Cyndi Lauper. The third track "White Heat" was dedicated to actor James Cagney and named after the film of the same name from 1949. Two quotes from the original soundtrack were included in the song. The fourth track "Live to Tell" was written by Patrick Leonard for the soundtrack of Paramount's romantic drama film "Fire with Fire" but, after the company declined it, Leonard showed the song to Madonna. She decided to use it for "At Close Range", the new film of her husband Penn. Madonna made a demo of the song; when the film's director, James Foley, heard it, he asked Leonard to write the score for the film, as suggested by Madonna. "True Blue" was the first album where Madonna included Spanish themes as evident in the song "La Isla Bonita". The song was written for Michael Jackson's "Bad" album, but he had turned it down. While working with Leonard, Madonna accepted it in Jackson's place and re-wrote the lyrics, earning herself a co-writing credit. Madonna described it as her tribute to the "beauty and mystery of Latin American people". Originally intended as the first single, "Love Makes the World Go Round" – first performed at Live Aid a year earlier, in July 1985 – closes the album. The song recalled the antiwar music of the sixties.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that ""True Blue" is the album where Madonna truly became 'Madonna the Superstar'—the endlessly ambitious, fearlessly provocative entertainer that knew how to outrage, spark debates, get good reviews—and make good music while she's at it." Mark Savage from BBC stated that "True Blue" is the album which cemented Madonna's reputation as the 'First Lady of Pop'. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine said that with the album "Madonna made the transition from pop tart to consummate artist, joining the ranks of '80s icons like Michael Jackson and Prince." Similarly, Robert C. Sickels, the author of "100 Entertainers Who Changed America: An Encyclopedia of Pop Culture Luminaries", wrote that the album "cemented Madonna's place as the most popular female musical star of the 1980s, shining alongside male pop icons like Prince and Michael Jackson."
When Madonna had started working on her third studio album, "True Blue" in 1985, she was already in a relationship with actor Sean Penn whom she married by the year-end. It was the first album that the singer acted in the role of a record producer and wanted to add her own "sophistication" to it. Her optimism assimilated in the songs created, including the title track, which she co-wrote and co-produced the song with Stephen Bray. According to Madonna, "True Blue" takes its title from a favorite expression of Penn and to his very pure vision of love. The song and the album was inspired by Madonna's "unabashed valentine" for Penn. In an interview, Bray said, "She [Madonna] was very much in love. It was obvious if she's in love she'll write love songs. If she's not in love she definitely won't be writing love songs." In 2015, Madonna said that "True Blue" is "a song about true love. I didn't know what I was talking about when I wrote it."
A former dancer and fixture on the New York club scene, Madonna Louise Ciccone became known to the world simply as Madonna, with the release of her 1983 self-titled debut album "Madonna". Fueled by hit songs like "Holiday", "Borderline" and "Lucky Star", the album was one of the best selling of the year and helped Madonna become one of the most exciting new artists of the 1980s. When she started work on her second album, Madonna felt that her first album had succeeded in introducing her "street-smart dance queen" persona, and she wanted to solidify and build upon that concept. According to her, "My work, my dedication—the stubbornness for getting "Madonna" released—had paid off. Now it was time to solidify my future."
Sigsworth co-produced the 1998 Mandalay album Empathy, which attracted the attention of Madonna. This in turn led to him co-writing the song "What It Feels Like for a Girl" with Madonna, for her 2000 album Music. Sigsworth also wrote the song "Nothing Fails" with Jem for Madonna's 2003 album American Life.
After Lourdes's birth, Madonna became involved in Eastern mysticism and Kabbalah, introduced to her by actress Sandra Bernhard. Her seventh studio album, "Ray of Light", (1998) reflected this change in her perception and image. She collaborated with electronica producer William Orbit and wanted to create a sound that could blend dance music with pop and British rock. American music critic Ann Powers explained that what Madonna searched for with Orbit "was a kind of a lushness that she wanted for this record. Techno and rave were happening in the 90s and had a lot of different forms. There was very experimental, more hard stuff like Aphex Twin. There was party stuff like Fatboy Slim. That's not what Madonna wanted for this. She wanted something more like a singer-songwriter, really. And William Orbit provided her with that."
The album garnered critical acclaim, with "Slant Magazine" calling it "one of the great pop masterpieces of the '90s" "Ray of Light" was honored with four Grammy Awards—including Best Pop Album and Best Dance Recording—and was nominated for both Album of the Year and Record of the Year. "Rolling Stone" listed it among "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Commercially, the album peaked at number-one in numerous countries and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. The album's lead single, "Frozen", became Madonna's first single to debut at number one in the UK, while in the U.S. it became her sixth number-two single, setting another record for Madonna as the artist with the most number two hits. The second single, "Ray of Light", debuted at number five on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The 1998 edition of "Guinness Book of World Records" documented that "no female artist has sold more records than Madonna around the world".
Regarding the controversial period of her career, Madonna said, "I feel I've been misunderstood. I tried to make a statement about feeling good about yourself and exploring your sexuality, but people took it to mean that everyone should go out and have sex with everyone, and that I was going to be the leader of that. So I decided to leave it alone because that's what everyone ended up concentrating on. Sex is such a taboo subject and it's such a distraction that I'd rather not even offer it up." During 1994, Madonna started recording her sixth studio album. She collaborated with R&B producers such as Dallas Austin, Dave "Jam" Hall, and Babyface, and also enlisting British producer Nellee Hooper to the project. It became one of the very few occasions where she collaborated with well-known producers, the first since Nile Rodgers on "Like a Virgin" (1984). When asked about the record, Madonna said she wanted people to concentrate on the musical aspects of it, and would like the songs to speak for themselves. She also commented that it was because she was not interested in giving many interviews and being on the cover of magazines. She described the album as "a combination of pop, R&B, hip-hop and a Madonna record. It's very, very romantic". In an interview with "The Face" magazine, Madonna explained her inspirations behind "Bedtime Stories" as well as the reason for teaming up with R&B song producers.
It was then that French producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï was introduced by Madonna's partner Guy Oseary. In an interview with CNN, she stated, "Guy Oseary, my partner at Maverick [Records], was given a demo by a French artist called Mirwais. [He] slipped it to me and said, 'What do you think [of him] as an artist to sign at Maverick?' [...] I just said 'Oh my God, this is what I want.' I just flipped over it and said, 'Please find out if he wants to work with me.'" Ahmadzaï spoke little English, and Madonna commented: "The first couple of days we were recording, I wanted to rip my hair out. [...] It didn't seem like there was any way for us to communicate. His manager had to come in and translate everything at first."
Madonna's first concert tour, The Virgin Tour, promoted her first two studio albums, "Madonna" and "Like a Virgin". The tour was a commercial success, with "Billboard" Boxscore reporting a gross of US $3.3 million. After the tour was over, Madonna started recording her third studio album, "True Blue". Film director Daniel Kleinman, who presided over the shooting of the tour on video, submitted the footage to Warner Bros. Records, who decided to release it as a video album. "Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour" chronicled The Virgin Tour as shot at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on May 25, 1985.
Madonna released her eighth studio album, "Music", in September 2000. It featured elements from the electronica-inspired "Ray of Light" era, and like its predecessor, received acclaim from critics. Collaborating with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Madonna commented: "I love to work with the weirdos that no one knows about—the people who have raw talent and who are making music unlike anyone else out there. "Music" is the future of sound." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic felt that ""Music" blows by in a kaleidoscopic rush of color, technique, style and substance. It has so many depth and layers that it's easily as self-aware and earnest as "Ray of Light"." The album took the number-one position in more than 20 countries worldwide and sold four million copies in the first ten days. In the U.S., "Music" debuted at the top, and became her first number-one album in eleven years since "Like a Prayer". It produced three singles: the Hot 100 number-one "Music", "Don't Tell Me", and "What It Feels Like for a Girl". The music video of "What It Feels Like for a Girl" depicted Madonna committing acts of crime and vandalism, and was banned by MTV and VH1.
"The New York Times" writer Stephen Holden considered "Bedtime Stories" as "easily Madonna's best album", and concluded that it was a "seductive mixture of soft-focus hip-hop and bittersweet ballads". Peter Galvin from "The Advocate" magazine gave a positive review, describing the album as "a gorgeously produced R&B album with lots of funky beats lush keyboards, and soaring Love Unlimited-style string arrangements". Barry Walters from "The San Francisco Examiner" praised the album as Madonna's most low-key album and her best work at the date. J.D. Considine, while writing his review for the album for "The Baltimore Sun", declared that "Bedtime Stories" was more listener-friendly than Madonna's previous albums. He added that it "seems remarkably close in spirit to the singer's first album, emphasizing dance grooves and pop melodies over genre exercises and conceptual statements", while praising Madonna's vocal performance. Linda L. Labin from the "Bangor Daily News", noted that "[Madonna] isn't taking any chances. This time around, her daring has more to do with music than lyrics", while also praising her vocals; "If anything, her singing is the album's greatest strength. Madonna uses every trick from her repertoire. [...] "Bedtime Stories" turns in some of the strongest performances of her career. 'Madonna sings well' — bet you don't see that headline in the tabloids anytime soon". Chris Willman of the "Los Angeles Times" gave it two-stars-and-a-half out of four, writing that the album "seems the least remarkable of all Madonna's albums. But it's not necessarily the least of them. [...] It has a nice, consistently relaxed feel, its slow jams hip-hop-inflected but not as self-consciously as last time".
According to journalist Mary von Aue from "Vice" magazine, "Bedtime Stories" is the "most important" album released by Madonna. For months leading up to its release, the promotion associated cited the record as an apology for the singer's sexually provocative imagery. Critics had also hoped for a return to more innocent form of music. However Madonna instead chose to portray herself as unapologetic for her imagery, as well as talking about scrutiny that female musicians faced. Madonna went opposite to what was being portrayed as the theme of the album in the promotional campaigns, and continued addressing her critics and people who had tried to shame her for being provocative. Von Aue added that "Today, "Bedtime Stories" is not the first album that comes to mind in Madonna's legacy. It is, however, the most relevant to many of the cultural conversations that are still happening. Had she acquiesced to the public's call for apology, it could have set a dangerous standard for how the public can decree an artist's silence, and it would have allowed the categories for female singers to remain in place".
In early 2007, it was reported that Madonna was recording songs with American singer Justin Timberlake for her upcoming eighth studio album. Later, it was also announced that record producers Timbaland and Pharrell Williams were working with her on the album, and Timbaland confirmed that a song titled "Candy Shop" was being produced by Williams. On July 2007, a demo of the song, titled "Candy Store", leaked online, but was quickly removed following copyright issues. "Candy Shop" was the first song Madonna and Williams worked on together. The latter recalled, "we were just in a studio, [...] and [Madonna] was like, 'Look, give me some hot shit.' I was looking at her like, 'She's saying hot shit?' She was like, 'What?' And I'm like, 'OK.' So we just worked and made it." Madonna stated during an interview with "Q" magazine that "Candy Shop", along with album track "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You", was among her favorite songs, "I love 'Candy Shop' cos it's cheeky and fun, and I feel it sort of represents the sassy side of me; the fun, sassy side of me. And I just love the way it sounds. And I love candy!".
Daryl Deino from Inquisitr gave a positive review for the live album of the release, but criticized its DVD and Blu-ray versions for poor editing. He named "Rebel Heart Tour" Madonna's best live album to date and found it superior to the DVD and Blu-ray. He also complimented Madonna's live, unprocessed vocals on the album, praising in particular her cover of "La Vie en rose", calling it "the best vocal performance of her career so far [...] this is a song nobody could imagine [Madonna] covering at the beginning of her career. Now, it sounds natural". Although the singer's voice sounded "strained" to Deino during the dance sequences, it was not noticeable in the video versions since "Madonna's dancing is the key element in these performances". He ended his review saying that the "whole album makes you want to run to a Madonna concert, and that's exactly what a live album is supposed to do."