Upon release, "Like a Virgin" received positive reviews from music critics, who frequently singled out Madonna's vocals. It became her first number-one in the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Australia and Canada, while reaching the top ten elsewhere; "Like a Virgin" has sold over six million copies worldwide. The accompanying music video was directed by Mary Lambert, and showed Madonna sailing down the canals of Venice in a gondola, as well as roaming around a castle wearing a white wedding dress. The video received positive feedback; authors singled out the expression of Venetian vitality and noted references to Saint Mark.
Madonna has performed "Like a Virgin" in seven of her concert tours, the last being 2015β2016's Rebel Heart Tour; the song's performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards has been deemed a defining moment in pop culture, as well as one of the best performances in the show's history. "Like a Virgin" has been covered and parodied by a number of artists, including Elton John and "Weird Al" Yankovic. It's also been sung or referenced in feature films and TV shows such as Reservoir Dogs, Moulin Rouge! and Glee, among others. "Like a Virgin" has been recognized as one of Madonna's best songs, as well as the one that turned her into a superstar; "Like a Virgin" has also been credited with encouraging women and female performers from the time to embrace their sexuality.
The song is a dance song with two hooks, produced by Nile Rodgers of the disco group Chic. Madonna's voice is heard in a high register while a continuous arrangement of synths are heard along the bassline. The song's lyrics are ambiguous, consisting of hidden innuendos and open to various interpretations.
On November 17, 1984, "Like a Virgin" debuted at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was the week's most added song to radio stations. One week later, the single entered the Dance Club Songs chart at number 26. On December 15, following the release of the Like a Virgin album, the song reached the Dance chart's first position, giving Madonna her second number one there after the "Holiday"/"Lucky Star" release from October 1983. Additionally, it was the sixth Dance Club number one produced by Nile Rodgers. After six weeks on the chart, "Like a Virgin" reached the Hot 100's top spot on December 22, tying Prince's "When Doves Cry" as the fastest-rising number-one single of the year. With this feat, Madonna became the year's fourth female artist to top the Hot 100, following Deniece Williams, Cyndi Lauper, and Tina Turner; "Like a Virgin" was the second number one by an act from Sire Records βthe other being "Pop Muzik" by M.
On January 10, 1985, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping a million copies across the United States. Nine days later, after having spent five consecutive weeks on the Hot 100's first spot, "Like a Virgin" became the longest-running number-one for a female since "Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara; it spent a total of six consecutive weeks at number one. "Like a Virgin" was also Madonna's first top-ten entry on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at 9. On Billboard's Hot 100 year-end chart for 1985, "Like a Virgin" was placed at two; on the Dance Club Songs year-end chart, it peaked at number three.
In Canada, the single debuted in the 71st position of RPM's Top Singles chart on the week of November 24, 1984; it reached the top spot on January 19, 1985, and was ranked 35 on the magazine's 1985 year-end chart. In the United Kingdom, "Like a Virgin" debuted at number 51 on the UK Singles Chart on November 17, 1984, and reached the third position almost two months later; it spent two weeks at number three, and eighteen on the chart overall. It was the fourth best-selling song of 1984 in the United Kingdom and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipment of 500,000 copies. According to Music Week magazine, over 768,129 copies of the single have been sold as of 2008. In Australia, "Like a Virgin" became Madonna's first number-one song on the Kent Music Report chart; in New Zealand, it entered the charts on December 9, 1984, and peaked at number two, remaining on that spot for two weeks. "Like a Virgin" proved to be a success across Europe as well, peaking within the top ten of the charts of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland. It came in at number one on the European Hot 100 Singles chart. It was less successful in Japan, where it barely reached the top 20. According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, "Like a Virgin" has sold over six million copies worldwide.
"Like a Virgin" has been recognized as one of Madonna's best songs, as well as the one that turned her into a superstar. Samuel Murrian named it the singer's third greatest song, which marked "the moment she went from being a big star to being an icon". It was also named her third best by Gay Star News' Joe Morgan. PopMatters's Enio Chola added that, "when ['Like a Virgin'] hit, [Madonna's] status was elevated to that of pop culture icon. The song that defined for us who Madonna was (at the time) and would be turning into (in the near future)". Harrison Brocklehurst for The Tab referred to the song as one that "defined the genre"; he named "Like a Virgin" the singer's 18th best single. Sal Cinquemani named it "iconic", as well as "the firstβif not theβsignature song of her career".
Entertainment Weekly's Chuck Arnold named it the second-best song of Madonna's catalog, as well as one of the best songs from the 1980s decade; a similar opinion was shared by Andrew Unterberger from Billboard, who named it one of the decade's "defining" tracks, and the singer's 10th best. Writing for Consequence, Allison Franks and Michael Roffman said it would always remain a "cultural artifact of the 1980s". Mike Wass from Idolator named it "one of the most iconic pop songs of all time". Matthew Jacobs added that it was the singer's most famous song, as well as a "staple at wedding receptions, on the airwaves, and on lists of controversial moments in popular culture". Nicole Hogsett deemed it an "undeniable classic". "Like a Virgin" is one of the songs that "have come to define our times, influenced trends and triggered a change in politics and culture", discussed in the 2003 documentary Impact: Songs That Changed The World.
Like a Virgin
Madonna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somehow I made it through
Didn't know how lost I was
Until I found you
I was beat
Incomplete
I'd been had, I was sad and blue
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new
Hoo, like a virgin
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
When your heart beats
Next to mine
Gonna give you all my love, boy
My fear is fading fast
Been saving it all for you
'Cause only love can last
You're so fine
And you're mine
Make me strong, yeah you make me bold
For your love thawed out
Yeah, your love thawed out
What was scared and cold
Like a virgin, hey
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
With your heartbeat
Next to mine
Whoa
Whoa, ah
Whoa
You're so fine
And you're mine
I'll be yours
'Til the end of time
'Cause you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
I've nothing to hide
Like a virgin, hey
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
With your heartbeat
Next to mine
Like a virgin, ooh ooh
Like a virgin
Feels so good inside
When you hold me
And your heart beats
And you love me
Oh oh, ooh whoa
Oh oh oh oh
Whoa ho, ho, ho
Ooh baby
Yeah
Can't you hear my heart beat
For the very first time?
In Madonna's song Like a Virgin, the lyrics tell a story of a girl who has been lost in the wilderness but is now found by someone who makes her feel new again. She had been incomplete, had her heart broken, and was feeling sad and blue, but when she found this person, they made her feel shiny and new. This metamorphosis is compared to being touched for the very first time, and her fear of giving love is fading fast. She's been saving it all for this one person because she knows that only love can last.
The chorus of the song repeats "Like a virgin, touched for the very first time," over and over again, emphasizing the newfound life she's experiencing. Madonna is using a metaphorical description of physical coming-of-age, and it is somewhat controversial that this is what this song has been associated with when it is simply a song about liberation from the constraints of a broken relationship through new love.
Line by Line Meaning
I made it through the wilderness
I overcame a tough and difficult time in my life.
Somehow I made it through
I don't know how I made it through, but I did.
Didn't know how lost I was
I wasn't aware of how lost and confused I was in life.
Until I found you
Until I met you, I didn't realize how much I needed someone like you in my life.
I was beat
I was emotionally defeated.
Incomplete
I felt like something was missing in my life.
I'd been had, I was sad and blue
I had been deceived or tricked, and as a result, I was feeling sad and depressed.
But you made me feel
But you were able to make me experience a certain way that nobody else could.
Yeah, you made me feel
Yes, you made me experience an emotion or feeling.
Shiny and new
I felt like I was a new person - like I had a fresh start.
Hoo, like a virgin
I felt pure and untouched, as if experiencing things for the first time.
Touched for the very first time
I had a new and exciting experience.
Gonna give you all my love, boy
I am going to love you completely and wholeheartedly.
My fear is fading fast
I am becoming less afraid of what may come.
Been saving it all for you
I have been holding back my love, saving it for someone special - you.
'Cause only love can last
Love is the only thing that can truly endure.
You're so fine
You are incredibly attractive.
And you're mine
You belong to me, and I to you.
Make me strong, yeah you make me bold
You give me the strength and courage to be myself.
For your love thawed out
Your love defrosted or melted my cold heart.
What was scared and cold
I was once afraid and emotionally detached, but you changed that.
With your heartbeat next to mine
Feeling your heartbeat so close to mine is incredibly intimate and special.
I'll be yours 'til the end of time
I am committed to you for as long as we live.
I've nothing to hide
I feel completely comfortable and honest with you.
Like a virgin, ooh ooh
I feel pure and brand new, like a virgin.
Feels so good inside
These feelings are so pleasurable to experience.
When you hold me
Feeling you wrap your arms around me makes me feel safe and secure.
And your heart beats and you love me
Feeling your heart beat and experiencing your love is incredibly special and precious to me.
Oh oh, ooh whoa
Expressing surprise or excitement.
Oh oh oh oh
Expressing surprise or excitement.
Can't you hear my heart beat
My heart beats faster and stronger because of you.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@StingrayKaraoke
This song never gets old!
@TyeArtisik
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@mary4368
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@andrexito5059
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@lowcost2420
Yupπ
@sanemanstudio9235
Neither do the dead babies in my basement
@DJaySplitSecond
Madonna is definitely the Queen of the 80βs!!!
@Altervise
she still is and forever will be the queen of pop
@DJaySplitSecond
@@Altervise agreed!!!!
@MillennialAngst
This song was released nearly 40 years ago, and people still go crazy for it. Proof that music, especially good music, is timeless and brings people together.
Madonna kills it in this video. Very seductive.