Born and raised in Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in the rock bands Breakfast Club and Emmy, she rose to solo stardom with her debut studio album, Madonna (1983). She followed it with a series of successful albums, including all-time bestsellers Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) as well as Grammy Award winners Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). Madonna has amassed many number-one singles throughout her career, including "Like a Virgin", "La Isla Bonita", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Take a Bow", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes".
Madonna's popularity was enhanced by roles in films such as Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996). While Evita won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, many of her other films received poor reviews. As a businesswoman, Madonna founded the company Maverick in 1992; it included Maverick Records, one of the most successful artist-run labels in history. Her other ventures include fashion brands, children's books, health clubs, and filmmaking. She contributes to various charities, having founded the Ray of Light Foundation in 1998 and Raising Malawi in 2006.
With sales of over 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is certified as the best-selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records. She is the most successful solo artist in the history of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and holds the record for the most number-one singles by a female artist in Australia, Canada, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. With a revenue of U.S. $1.5 billion from her concert tickets, she remains the highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time. Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, her first year of eligibility. She was ranked as the greatest woman in music by VH1 in 2012, and as the greatest music video artist of all time by MTV in 2003 and Billboard in 2020. Rolling Stone also listed Madonna among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.
Studio albums
Madonna (1983)
Like a Virgin (1984)
True Blue (1986)
Like a Prayer (1989)
Erotica (1992)
Bedtime Stories (1994)
Ray of Light (1998)
Music (2000)
American Life (2003)
Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
Hard Candy (2008)
MDNA (2012)
Rebel Heart (2015)
Madame X (2019)
Like a Flower
Madonna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one else can fill it
There's a feeling I have
No one can replace
There's a taste in my mouth
No one else can give me
There's a song that I hear
No one can erase
Why would I want them to?
I'm still looking back at you
Why would I want them to be you?
You'll always be a part of me
What you love can never let you go
You'll always be inside of me
Like a flower you grow
There's a strange melody
Sends me straight to heaven
There's a voice in my head
No one else can hear
There's a prayer that I say
Always brings me closer
To the presence of you
To always have you near
No one can take your place
I'm still looking at your face
No one can take the place of you
You'll always be a part of me
What you love can never let you go
You'll always be inside of me
Like a flower you grow
Like a flower you grow
Why would I want them to?
I'm still looking back at you
Why would I want them to be you?
You'll always be a part of me
What you love can never let you go
You'll always be inside of me
Like a flower you grow
You'll always be a part of me
What you love can never let you go
You'll always be inside of me
Like a flower you grow
Like a flower you grow
In "Like a Flower," Madonna laments a lost love that still haunts her, and she remembers the touch, taste and smell of that person, all the little things that made the relationship special. She acknowledges that no one else can fill the hole in her heart, deliver the same feelings or erase the memories. She questions why she would even want to try and replace them with someone else, and then moves on to expressing how that person will always be part of her life, like a flower that grows within her soul. Her heart is always full of the presence of that lost love through the melody, voice, and prayer that always bring her closer.
The lyrics of "Like a Flower" can be interpreted as a love song but also as a song about grief and loss. Madonna wrote the song at the time she was experiencing the end of her marriage to Sean Penn, so the lyrics might reflect that experience. The song's melody is simple and melancholic, and the soft and melancholy tone of the lyrics matches the slow and gentle rhythm of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a hole in my heart
Madonna feels incomplete and empty without the person she is referring to in this song
No one else can fill it
Others cannot replace the void left in Madonna's heart by this person
There's a feeling I have
Madonna has a strong emotion that she cannot describe or name
No one can replace
Nobody can take the place of this powerful feeling that Madonna has
There's a taste in my mouth
Madonna has a taste in her mouth that only this person can give her
No one else can give me
Others cannot produce this taste for Madonna
There's a song that I hear
Madonna has a melody in her mind that only applies to this person
No one can erase
The memory of this song cannot be wiped from Madonna's mind
I'm still looking back at you
Madonna is not over this person and continues to think of them often
Why would I want them to be you?
Madonna realizes that others cannot replace this person and that she should not try to make them do so
You'll always be a part of me
This individual has become an integral part of Madonna's identity and being
What you love can never let you go
Madonna believes that if this person loves her, they will always be with her in some way
You'll always be inside of me
This person will always be a part of Madonna emotionally and psychologically
Like a flower you grow
This person's impact on Madonna will continue to blossom over time, just like a flower grows
There's a strange melody
Madonna is experiencing a unique and unusual melody that is connected to this person
Sends me straight to heaven
This melody has an uplifting and heavenly effect on Madonna's spirit
There's a voice in my head
Madonna hears a voice in her mind that only applies to this person
No one else can hear
Others cannot understand this voice that Madonna is hearing
There's a prayer that I say
Madonna has a prayer that is connected to this person that brings her closer to them
Always brings me closer
This prayer has a powerful and direct impact on Madonna's connection to this person
To the presence of you
This prayer brings Madonna closer to the emotional presence of this person in her life
No one can take your place
Others cannot replace this person's emotional impact in Madonna's life
I'm still looking at your face
Madonna is still drawn to the image of this person's face, even though they may be apart
You'll always be a part of me
This person will continue to exist as a part of Madonna's identity
What you love can never let you go
Madonna believes that this person's love for her will keep their connection alive
You'll always be inside of me
This person will exist as an indelible part of Madonna's heart forever
Like a flower you grow
Madonna expects this person's impact to continue to blossom and evolve over time, much like a flower grows
Contributed by Savannah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@albertchaves
LYRICS:
There's a hole in my heart
No one else can fill it
There's a feeling I have
No one can replace
There's a taste in my mouth
No one else can give me
There's a song that I hear
No one can erase
Why would I want them to
I'm still looking back at you
Why would I want them to be you
[Chorus:]
You'll always be a part of me
What you love can never let you go
You'll always be inside of me
Like a flower you grow
There's a strange melody
Sends me straight to heaven
There's a voice in my head
No one else can hear
There's a prayer that I say
Always brings me closer
To the presence of you
Always to have you near
No one can take your place
I'm still looking at your face
No one can take the place of you
[Chorus]
Like a flower you grow
Why would I want them to
I'm still looking back at you
Why would I want them to be you
[Chorus]
Like a flower you grow
@kellyk_artist
I give this song to my dearest mother who passed away.....She adopted me when I was 2 years old from the orphanage...oh mom...😢💔I love you mom...always ..Like a flower...you grow...Thank you for everything mom...💔💔💔😢😢😢😢
@ZanyZonie_TheOriginal
Heart felt Greetings...as I at 2 1/2 months~
@bellosardo84
big hug
@asa8419
😭🥺❤
@rf6724
Bless your mama❤️
@Camille_Anderson
💯🙏🙏 bless your heart.
@jaybateman9944
She should release an album with unreleased material as she's got a lot of amazing songs that a lot of people ain't heard. Such as this one.
@marlonpatrick9774
I wrote the same thing a year ago! And titlling it Ray of Light II would give it even better attention.
@BrianCormackCarr
If would be kind of cool to call it Like A Flower (as a node to Like A Prayer and Like A Virgin...)
@trienseghers8619
Yes, , I agree 100%. There are so many masterpieces that you can find here. An album would be magic. Play everytime you want. I hope she consider it really hard. Many fans would be very happy! 🤞