“Like a Virgin” is a song recorded by the pop diva Madonna in her second studio album “Like a Virgin.” It was released in 1984 and is still recognized as one of her most iconic work in her music career. Unlike some of today’s influencing feminist songs, such as “Single Ladies” or “Anaconda”, “Like a Virgin” does not have a clear gender perspective or hyper-sexuality. In fact, the song was originally written by male composers Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, while Steinberg claimed that the lyrics come from his personal experience. The demo was sung by Kelly before the song was brought to Madonna’s attention.
This well explains why the lyrics do not contain gender pronouns or a specific focus on heterosexual relationships. Madonna sings:
I was beat, incomplete
I‘ve been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Shiny and new
Like a virgin, touched for the very first time…
When “you” is addressed, their gender identity is nearly erased. Therefore, the song could be performed to anyone. Even the narrator “I” is not necessarily a 26-year-old blonde white woman. The song exile most class, race, gender advantages that may happen, and only stresses on one privilege most people, regardless of their identities, can strive for: love.
In addition, the song has a clever play on the word “virgin.” Taking it out, the song looks like a normal dance-ballad with lyrics like:
Yeah your love thaw out
What was scary and cold
But when Madonna comes back to the central phrase “like a virgin” with her sweet, teenage-girl-like voice, (80s and 90s teenager, not Olivia Rodrigo-type teenager) a bold and liberated sexuality is attached to the song. As Madonna commented on it: “I liked the play on words; I thought they were clever. They’re so geeky, they’re cool.” Placing “like a virgin” with other cliché love expressions makes this song seem intriguing. The character is presumable NOT a virgin, they only feels like they becomes a virgin once again because a brand new love has entered the life. When a woman, especially a woman like Madonna with her ultra-femininity performs this song, the claim of it correlates well with women’s bodily autonomy and an effort to normalize speeches of sexuality. Here, Madonna claims that her emotional life is ultimately the same as her sex life, that she could determine for herself she could be a virgin if she feels like it and her body feels like it. Therefore, the sensation of “unfit”, as a racy (in 80s standards) term is used, in this song is one of the factors that inevitably makes “Like a Virgin” a proud feminist song. The idea of virginity is dismissed, and sex does not shame her. Furthermore, the song could represent anyone, thus encouraging anyone to feel “like a virgin” anytime they want.
Works Cited:
Madonna, “Like a Virgin.” Like a Virgin, Sire Records.
I love that you chose to write about this song and I love your interpretation of the “like a virgin” line. I like that Madonna was able to give her perspective on feminist relationships with sexuality in such a male dominated industry (especially during the 80s). I didn’t know that it was originally written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, so I think it would be interesting to hear their version of it in comparison to Madonna’s. I like the freedom granted by this song in such a simple way and you did a great job of highlighting it.
I love your analysis on Like a Virgin! I chose a song with a similar message (God is a Woman by Arianna Grande) and both are about female bodily autonomy and sexual freedom. They differer however, in the gendered perspective Arianna Grande used in her song. I love how you pointed out the universality of gender in Madonna’s song and how it adds another layer of empowerment to the song!