It was on this day that the legendary Madonna released her 2nd album, the equally legendary Like A Virgin. It was this album that catapulted her on her path to superstardom and is one of the most culturally significant albums of the 1980s, selling over 21 million copies!

For Like A Virgin, Madonna worked with producer and Chic-frontman Nile Rodgers (who had just finished working with David Bowie on his hugely successful Let’s Dance LP a year earlier). This combination led to Madonna earning her first #1 hit (for the title track), as well as the creation of the ’80s anthem “Material Girl”.

This album was a bonafide worldwide smash and is one of a few select albums that have managed to sell over 1,000,000 units in Canada alone. In fact, this album paved the way for Madonna’s phenomenal success in Canada, where she is currently the #2 best-selling artist in Canadian history (behind only Celine Dion).

Fun fact: Another one of her popular songs from this era, “Into The Groove” is often assumed to have been released on Like A Virgin but it was only added to the European reissue and has never been added to a North American version. It was actually included on the 1985 soundtrack for Desperately Seeking Susan but her record label released it as a single to capitalize on her growing stardom.

Like A Virgin launched Madonna onto the world stage, a place where she still proudly reigns as one of Pop music’s great trendsetters.

Filed under: 1984, Like A Virgin, Madonna, OTD