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,...
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,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Madonna has many obvious predecessors but Smokey Robinson is not one of them. Despite that, Robinson influenced one of the key ingredients of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” The Queen of Pop revealed what she thought of “Like a Virgin” and some of her other early songs in retrospect.
Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ was inspired by Smokey Robinson and a bad relationship
Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly co-wrote “Like a Virgin.” When they wrote it, there was no way they could have known how important the song would become. During an interview with SongwriterUniverse, Steinberg explained how the magic happened.
“It was in 1983 that Tom and I wrote ‘Like a Virgin,'” he explained. “It started with the lyric first. I was driving around in my pickup truck and I got the idea for the song. The idea came out of a personal experience. I was in a devastating relationship,...
Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ was inspired by Smokey Robinson and a bad relationship
Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly co-wrote “Like a Virgin.” When they wrote it, there was no way they could have known how important the song would become. During an interview with SongwriterUniverse, Steinberg explained how the magic happened.
“It was in 1983 that Tom and I wrote ‘Like a Virgin,'” he explained. “It started with the lyric first. I was driving around in my pickup truck and I got the idea for the song. The idea came out of a personal experience. I was in a devastating relationship,...
- 5/3/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Madonna‘s “Like a Virgin” is one of the most important dance songs of the 1980s. You’d think every artist would have wanted to record it! However, other artists had major issues with the track. Things went differently when the song’s writers played it for Madonna.
Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ has a major connection to Cyndi Lauper
“Like a Virgin” was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. They also co-wrote Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional,” The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” and “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. During an interview with SongwriterUniverse, Steinberg revealed that many singers were resistant toward “Like a Virgin.”
“We tried to place ‘Like a Virgin,’ but everyone looked at us like we were nuts,” he said. “Some people even asked us to change the title. I knew that compared to most mainstream pop lyrics, the title and theme might seem a bit jolting and risque.
Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ has a major connection to Cyndi Lauper
“Like a Virgin” was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. They also co-wrote Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional,” The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” and “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. During an interview with SongwriterUniverse, Steinberg revealed that many singers were resistant toward “Like a Virgin.”
“We tried to place ‘Like a Virgin,’ but everyone looked at us like we were nuts,” he said. “Some people even asked us to change the title. I knew that compared to most mainstream pop lyrics, the title and theme might seem a bit jolting and risque.
- 5/2/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
A lot of the best music comes from dark places. Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors album includes a tribute to a friend who died tragically. Sadly, the song did not perform well. Then, Lauper managed to accomplish what she wanted to do with a different song.
Cyndi Lauper wrote a song for ‘True Colors’ inspired by Burt Bacharach
During a 2019 Interview article, Lauper discussed the origin of her song “Boy Blue.” “At that time, there was a popular song called ‘That’s What Friends Are For,’ and one of my closest friends, Gregory, was dying of AIDS,” she said. “He said to me, “Cyn, you gotta write a song like ‘That’s What Friends Are For’ for me.” I’m thinking, ‘Oh, great. Burt Bacharach, one of the greatest American songwriters, wrote that.'” Lauper felt the pressure to match Bacharach’s talent.
Lauper discussed her feelings on “Boy Blue.
Cyndi Lauper wrote a song for ‘True Colors’ inspired by Burt Bacharach
During a 2019 Interview article, Lauper discussed the origin of her song “Boy Blue.” “At that time, there was a popular song called ‘That’s What Friends Are For,’ and one of my closest friends, Gregory, was dying of AIDS,” she said. “He said to me, “Cyn, you gotta write a song like ‘That’s What Friends Are For’ for me.” I’m thinking, ‘Oh, great. Burt Bacharach, one of the greatest American songwriters, wrote that.'” Lauper felt the pressure to match Bacharach’s talent.
Lauper discussed her feelings on “Boy Blue.
- 12/25/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The bets music is honest. Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” is one of the best pop ballads ever written. Lauper didn’t write the song, but she said it came from an earnest place in her life. The tune was also covered by one of the biggest alternative artists of the past 10 years.
Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors’ was a tribute to her abused friend
“True Colors” was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, the same team behind Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” During a 2014 interview with The Denver Post, Lauper discussed what she was thinking when she sang her most famous ballad. “When I recorded that song, a very good friend of mine was dying from AIDS,” she said. “He had a horrific childhood. He had been abused.
“The main reason he was abused was because he was gay,” she added. “He became homeless really young. When he was dying,...
Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors’ was a tribute to her abused friend
“True Colors” was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, the same team behind Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” During a 2014 interview with The Denver Post, Lauper discussed what she was thinking when she sang her most famous ballad. “When I recorded that song, a very good friend of mine was dying from AIDS,” she said. “He had a horrific childhood. He had been abused.
“The main reason he was abused was because he was gay,” she added. “He became homeless really young. When he was dying,...
- 12/24/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Naomi Ackie gives audiences a glimpse into the life of Whitney Houston in director Kasi Lemmons’ new biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” and the new film is packed with a number of Houston’s hits.
Working with movement coach Polly Bennett and vocal coaches Tangela Large, Bridgette Jackson and Denise Woods, Ackie also underwent physical transformation with the help of numerous wigs and false teeth to cover the natural gap in her two front teeth.
Ackie doesn’t sing most songs in the film — she lip syncs to Houston’s perfect tracks instead — but she mimics Houston’s style of singing with great detail. She steps in for performances by Houston that were not recorded, such as “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah” and “Jesus Loves Me” from her choir-singing days. Ackie also portrays a nervous Whitney who is thrust onstage by her mother, who knows Clive Davis is in attendance,...
Working with movement coach Polly Bennett and vocal coaches Tangela Large, Bridgette Jackson and Denise Woods, Ackie also underwent physical transformation with the help of numerous wigs and false teeth to cover the natural gap in her two front teeth.
Ackie doesn’t sing most songs in the film — she lip syncs to Houston’s perfect tracks instead — but she mimics Houston’s style of singing with great detail. She steps in for performances by Houston that were not recorded, such as “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah” and “Jesus Loves Me” from her choir-singing days. Ackie also portrays a nervous Whitney who is thrust onstage by her mother, who knows Clive Davis is in attendance,...
- 12/28/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
When rising music star Layne Price heads home to Nashville for New Year’s Eve to break her writer’s block, she discovers that sometimes you find inspiration—and love, with a little mystical intervention—where you least expect it, in the charming, holiday RomCom, I Hate New Year’s.
Available for streaming Dec. 4, “I Hate New Year’s” will be avaible on demand everywhere, as well as on the Tello Network.
Filmed in Nashville, I Hate New Year’s stars actress/singers Dia Frampton (runner up in the inaugural season of The Voice and lead singer of the band Meg & Dia) and Ashley Argota (The Fosters, Lab Rats, Broadway’s The Lion King), as well as groundbreaking actress Candis Cayne (The Magicians, Grey’s Anatomy, I Am Cait, Elementary, Dirty Sexy Money) in a magical, dual role.
Featuring a soulful, high-energy, original soundtrack from award-winning composer Emer Kinsella, with five...
Available for streaming Dec. 4, “I Hate New Year’s” will be avaible on demand everywhere, as well as on the Tello Network.
Filmed in Nashville, I Hate New Year’s stars actress/singers Dia Frampton (runner up in the inaugural season of The Voice and lead singer of the band Meg & Dia) and Ashley Argota (The Fosters, Lab Rats, Broadway’s The Lion King), as well as groundbreaking actress Candis Cayne (The Magicians, Grey’s Anatomy, I Am Cait, Elementary, Dirty Sexy Money) in a magical, dual role.
Featuring a soulful, high-energy, original soundtrack from award-winning composer Emer Kinsella, with five...
- 10/28/2020
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Happy birthday to Linda Ronstadt’s New Wave album Mad Love, released 40 years ago, in March 1980. It’s the weirdest oddity in her catalog, with three Elvis Costello covers. Mad Love is forgotten by time, written out of her official history. Not even Linda has a kind word for this album. In the acclaimed 2019 documentary, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice — which treats every one of her career moves as a stroke of brilliance — Mad Love doesn’t get mentioned much. But for some of us, it’s one...
- 3/23/2020
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
Several generations of female musicians were center stage on day two of the Ascap I Create Music Expo at Loews Hollywood Hotel, with a mix of relative veterans like JoJo, Lindsey Stirling, the Go-Go’s Charlotte Caffey and that dog’s Anna Waronker as well as fresh newcomers like Billie Eilish and Gizzle.
While questioners asked whether they should post their music on YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud or wait for someone who’ll pay to release it, there wasn’t much question where the panelists stood: The Diy mentality held sway, and most said the ease of streaming and the lack of record label interference allows them the freedom to pursue their creativity in any number of ways.
On the morning’s Renaissance Women in Music panel, Priscilla Renea, who has been an outspoken enthusiast during several discussions, talked openly to Ascap Svp Membership Nicole George-Middleton about being dropped by...
While questioners asked whether they should post their music on YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud or wait for someone who’ll pay to release it, there wasn’t much question where the panelists stood: The Diy mentality held sway, and most said the ease of streaming and the lack of record label interference allows them the freedom to pursue their creativity in any number of ways.
On the morning’s Renaissance Women in Music panel, Priscilla Renea, who has been an outspoken enthusiast during several discussions, talked openly to Ascap Svp Membership Nicole George-Middleton about being dropped by...
- 5/9/2018
- by Roy Trakin
- Variety Film + TV
It was 25 years ago that an Australian rock band had fans proudly singing a song in which they boasted about touching themselves. Yes, the Divinyls' biggest hit, "I Touch Myself," arrived on the band's self-titled album on Jan. 29, 1991. The single had dropped the previous December, but as the full album hit the shelves, the track was slowly climbing the charts to become the band's biggest hit in the U.S. - and quite an unlikely one, when you consider the subject matter. Prudishness about … well, you know, that notwithstanding, the song received major radio play around the world (it landed at no.
- 1/28/2016
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
It was 25 years ago that an Australian rock band had fans proudly singing a song in which they boasted about touching themselves. Yes, the Divinyls' biggest hit, "I Touch Myself," arrived on the band's self-titled album on Jan. 29, 1991. The single had dropped the previous December, but as the full album hit the shelves, the track was slowly climbing the charts to become the band's biggest hit in the U.S. - and quite an unlikely one, when you consider the subject matter. Prudishness about … well, you know, that notwithstanding, the song received major radio play around the world (it landed at no.
- 1/28/2016
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
The Songwriters Hall of Fame has honored the likes of Garth Brooks, Leon Russell and Allen Toussaint at its annual gala in New York City. Amid the famous faces, some of Thursday night's inductees weren't so familiar — that is, until you heard the songs they penned. Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly might be able to walk the streets in anonymity, but they've written some famously catchy hits, including Madonna's "Like a Virgin," Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," Whitney Houston's "So Emotional," and The Pretenders "I'll Stand By You." "It was pretty risque at the time," Kelly said...
- 6/17/2011
- by John Carucci (AP)
- Hitfix
Blues icon Leon Russell has landed another top accolade - he will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June, a month after he is immortalized in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Russell has seen his popularity soar since teaming up with Sir Elton John for their joint album, "The Union", last year, and the Rocket Man will introduce his pal at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gala in New York in March.
And now the "Tight Rope" singer has been lauded by the Songwriters Hall of Fame - he will be part of the Class of 2011 when the honorees are inducted in New York in June.
Country superstar Garth Brooks will also go down in songwriting history, alongside Allen Toussaint, John Bettis and duo Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who wrote Madonna's "Like a Virgin".
Russell has seen his popularity soar since teaming up with Sir Elton John for their joint album, "The Union", last year, and the Rocket Man will introduce his pal at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gala in New York in March.
And now the "Tight Rope" singer has been lauded by the Songwriters Hall of Fame - he will be part of the Class of 2011 when the honorees are inducted in New York in June.
Country superstar Garth Brooks will also go down in songwriting history, alongside Allen Toussaint, John Bettis and duo Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who wrote Madonna's "Like a Virgin".
- 2/23/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Country crooner Garth Brooks and rock musician Leon Russell are being recognized for their talents as tunesmiths with Tuesday's announcement that they -- along with the team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, John Bettis, and Allen Toussaint -- are being inducted into the Songwriting Hall of Fame. The six men will be feted in a June 16 ceremony in New York City. Brooks reigns as the top-selling solo artist, with eight No. 1 albums in the Us. Among his best known songs are "If Tomorrow Never Comes," and "She's Every Woman." Russell is enjoying a renaissance with his recent record with Elton John, "The Union." He is to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month for crafting such classics as "A Song for You" and "Superstar." Steinberg and Kelly have co-written five No. 1 singles including "Like a Virgin" for Madonna and "True Colors" for Cyndi Lauper...
- 2/22/2011
- Gold Derby
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