Madonna
True Blue
Album · Pop · 1986 · Warner Records
A lot happened for Madonna between the years between her 1984 smash album Like a Virgin and its 1986 follow-up, True Blue. The singer appeared in her first two movies: The young-love drama Vision Quest— for which she recorded “Crazy for You,” her second No. 1 single—and the smartly fizzy comedy Desperately Seeking Susan, which produced an all-time classic with “Into the Groove.” As if that wasn’t enough, she delivered her third chart-topper, the ballad “Live to Tell,” for her then-husband Sean Penn’s bleak crime film At Close Range.
“Live to Tell,” which would become the first single off True Blue, was the first in a string of era-defining hits that Madonna would co-write and co-produce with Patrick Leonard. You can hear the singer maturing as both a lyricist and a vocalist on “Live to Tell”—but it’s hardly the only moment of artistic growth to be found on True Blue. The second single, “Papa Don’t Preach”—yet another No. 1 hit—found the Material Girl tackling social issues for the first time. And “Open Your Heart,” fittingly, finds Madonna at her most open-hearted, with one of her most vulnerable vocals. It’s also one of several True Blue tracks in which Madonna goes deeper into the 1960s girl-group groove, along with “Where’s the Party,” “Jimmy Jimmy,” and, of course, the title track. Elsewhere on the album, “White Heat”—one of a handful of tracks featuring her Like a Virgin collaborator Stephen Bray—feels like a precursor to Madonna’s role as Breathless Mahoney in the 1990 film Dick Tracy. Meanwhile, the Latin-flavored “La Isla Bonita” inspired everything from her 1987 song “Who’s That Girl” to Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro.”
“Live to Tell,” which would become the first single off True Blue, was the first in a string of era-defining hits that Madonna would co-write and co-produce with Patrick Leonard. You can hear the singer maturing as both a lyricist and a vocalist on “Live to Tell”—but it’s hardly the only moment of artistic growth to be found on True Blue. The second single, “Papa Don’t Preach”—yet another No. 1 hit—found the Material Girl tackling social issues for the first time. And “Open Your Heart,” fittingly, finds Madonna at her most open-hearted, with one of her most vulnerable vocals. It’s also one of several True Blue tracks in which Madonna goes deeper into the 1960s girl-group groove, along with “Where’s the Party,” “Jimmy Jimmy,” and, of course, the title track. Elsewhere on the album, “White Heat”—one of a handful of tracks featuring her Like a Virgin collaborator Stephen Bray—feels like a precursor to Madonna’s role as Breathless Mahoney in the 1990 film Dick Tracy. Meanwhile, the Latin-flavored “La Isla Bonita” inspired everything from her 1987 song “Who’s That Girl” to Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro.”
True Blue
Madonna
A lot happened for Madonna between the years between her 1984 smash album Like a Virgin and its 1986 follow-up, True Blue. The singer appeared in her first two movies: The young-love drama Vision Quest— for which she recorded “Crazy for You,” her second No. 1 single—and the smartly fizzy comedy Desperately Seeking Susan, which produced an all-time classic with “Into the Groove.” As if that wasn’t enough, she delivered her third chart-topper, the ballad “Live to Tell,” for her then-husband Sean Penn’s bleak crime film At Close Range.
“Live to Tell,” which would become the first single off True Blue, was the first in a string of era-defining hits that Madonna would co-write and co-produce with Patrick Leonard. You can hear the singer maturing as both a lyricist and a vocalist on “Live to Tell”—but it’s hardly the only moment of artistic growth to be found on True Blue. The second single, “Papa Don’t Preach”—yet another No. 1 hit—found the Material Girl tackling social issues for the first time. And “Open Your Heart,” fittingly, finds Madonna at her most open-hearted, with one of her most vulnerable vocals. It’s also one of several True Blue tracks in which Madonna goes deeper into the 1960s girl-group groove, along with “Where’s the Party,” “Jimmy Jimmy,” and, of course, the title track. Elsewhere on the album, “White Heat”—one of a handful of tracks featuring her Like a Virgin collaborator Stephen Bray—feels like a precursor to Madonna’s role as Breathless Mahoney in the 1990 film Dick Tracy. Meanwhile, the Latin-flavored “La Isla Bonita” inspired everything from her 1987 song “Who’s That Girl” to Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro.”
“Live to Tell,” which would become the first single off True Blue, was the first in a string of era-defining hits that Madonna would co-write and co-produce with Patrick Leonard. You can hear the singer maturing as both a lyricist and a vocalist on “Live to Tell”—but it’s hardly the only moment of artistic growth to be found on True Blue. The second single, “Papa Don’t Preach”—yet another No. 1 hit—found the Material Girl tackling social issues for the first time. And “Open Your Heart,” fittingly, finds Madonna at her most open-hearted, with one of her most vulnerable vocals. It’s also one of several True Blue tracks in which Madonna goes deeper into the 1960s girl-group groove, along with “Where’s the Party,” “Jimmy Jimmy,” and, of course, the title track. Elsewhere on the album, “White Heat”—one of a handful of tracks featuring her Like a Virgin collaborator Stephen Bray—feels like a precursor to Madonna’s role as Breathless Mahoney in the 1990 film Dick Tracy. Meanwhile, the Latin-flavored “La Isla Bonita” inspired everything from her 1987 song “Who’s That Girl” to Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro.”
