It was the record that made Madonna a superstar. Already with a slew of hits and a Top 10 debut album to her credit, the young singer took charge of her career with the decade-defining follow-up, Like a Virgin. When Madonna’s record label wouldn’t let her self-produce the album, she tapped Nile Rodgers to serve as producer, largely on the strength of his work with David Bowie’s Let’s Dance.
Madonna notoriously revealed the album’s title track with an iconic performance at the first MTV Music Video Awards in 1984. The song soared to the top of the charts, making it her first Number One single.
Released on November 12, 1984, Like a Virgin the album arrived with four hit singles, which was rolled out through the summer of 1985. Madonna followed “Like a Virgin” with second single “Material Girl” in January 1985. The song peaked at #2, blocked from #1 by REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”
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