Madonna Album: Madonna (1983)

Madonna
Madonna

Release: July 27, 1983

1. Lucky Star
2. Borderline
3. Burning Up
4. I Know It
5. Holiday
6. Think of Me
7. Physical Attraction
8. Everybody

Producer: Reggie Lucas (also John “Jellybean” Benitez and Mark Kamins)
Writer: Madonna, Reggie Lucas (“Borderline” and “Physical Attraction”) and Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens (“Holiday”)

Having released two singles that became decent dance hits, Madonna got the go-ahead to produce her first album. Working with Reggie Lucas, who had produced second single “Burning Up,” Madonna began work on the R&B-flavored dance pop collection. With Lucas, they crafted “Lucky Star,” “Borderline,” “I Know It,” and “Think of Me.” An additional song, “Ain’t No Big Deal,” written by her demo producer Stephen Bray, was recorded but couldn’t be used. Madonna found working with Lucas frustrating; being a seasoned record producer, he had his own way of doing things. Madonna being Madonna, she had her way too. After the completion of the album’s first seven songs, she was unhappy with the results and felt like Lucas had over-produced the songs. She solicited her then boyfriend John “Jellybean” Benitez to remix the completed tracks, and worked with him to record one more song, “Holiday.” Although Benitez didn’t get a producer credit, he polished the work to Madonna’s satisfaction.

Madonna has aged gracefully and still sounds fresh today owing to the current trend of pop songs being inspired by early ’80s dance music. At the time, the album fit prominently into the current keyboard and bass ‘80s dance sound, which developed out of the rejection of the ‘70s dance sound, disco. The album received mostly positive reviews from critics—the Rolling Stone remarked that her “girlish hiccup” distinguished her from the crowd. The cover features Gary Heery’s provocative black-and-white, head-on shot of Madonna, decked out in punkish ‘80s chains and rubber bracelets with her trademark (fake) mole above her lip. The album only peaked at #8 on the Billboard albums chart, but being Madonna’s first album, has sold well over time; to date it has been certified 5 x platinum.

I would rate this album a 4 out of 5. It’s solid work, although not very revealing. It’s also a bit short, but a good start for what would come.