5 STORIES
1984 · 80S
"Like a Virgin" was written by a man about the relief of finding real love after heartbreak, and it was never really about sex at all. Madon…
1984 · 80S
"Material Girl" is not Madonna's confession of greed. It is a wink, a piece of role-play written by two men and performed by a woman who und…
1986 · 80S
NEW YORK CITY, USA
It sounds like a bouncy pop anthem, but "Papa Don't Preach" is a teenage girl telling her father she's pregnant and that, against everyone's…
1989 · 80S
"Like a Prayer" is a song that deliberately blurs the line between spiritual ecstasy and physical desire, written by a lapsed Catholic who h…
1990 · 90S
HARLEM, NEW YORK CITY, USA
"Vogue" sounds like a glossy invitation to strike a pose, but underneath it is a tribute to the Black and Latino queer ballroom scene of Har…