Set inside Power Station studio in New York City, Madonna wanted to have more creative control over her second album Like a Virgin as a producer. Working with co-producers Nile Rodgers and Stephen Bray, the young artist had a vision for her 1984 album, one that would take her from a struggling artist living in New York City to a household name and ultimately a pop legend. On the album, the title track and her subsequent performance of it at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, cemented “Like a Virgin” in pop music history.

Madonna Never Wrote the Song

Written by the songwriting duo of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly—the duo also behind Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” Heart’s “Alone,” and The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You”—“Like a Virgin” initially came from a male perspective. Steinberg revealed that the idea for the song came from his own personal experience. “I was saying that I might not really be a virgin,” shared Steinberg. “I’ve been battered romantically and emotionally like many people, but I’m starting a new relationship, and … it’s healing all the wounds and making me feel like I’ve never done this before.”

Read full article at AmericanSongwriter.com