About The Song
“Like a Virgin” is a song recorded by American singer Madonna from her second album of the same name. The song was written and composed by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, and it was released as the album’s lead single on October 31, 1984. A dance song with two hooks, Madonna sings in a high register while a continuous arrangement of synths are heard along the bassline. The song’s lyrics are ambiguous, consisting of hidden innuendos and open to various interpretations.
Upon release, “Like a Virgin” received positive reviews from music critics, who frequently singled out Madonna’s vocals. It became her first number-one in the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Australia and Canada, while reaching the top ten elsewhere; “Like a Virgin” has sold over six million copies worldwide. The accompanying music video was directed by Mary Lambert, and showed Madonna sailing down the canals of Venice in a gondola, as well as roaming around a castle wearing a white wedding dress. The video received positive feedback; authors singled out the expression of Venetian vitality, and noted references to Saint Mark.
Madonna has included “Like a Virgin” in eight of her concert tours, the most recent being the Celebration Tour of 2023–2024; the song’s performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards has been deemed a defining moment in pop culture, as well as one of the best performances in the show’s history. “Like a Virgin” has been covered and parodied by a number of artists, including Elton John and “Weird Al” Yankovic. It’s also been sung or referenced in feature films and TV shows such as Reservoir Dogs (1992), Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Glee (2010), among others. “Like a Virgin” has been recognized as one of Madonna’s best songs, as well as the one that turned her into a superstar; “Like a Virgin” has also been credited with encouraging women and female performers from the time to embrace their sexuality.
“Like a Virgin” was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly; the former had just begun a new relationship after a long rough period, and came up with the lyrics one day while driving a pickup truck around his father’s vineyards in the Coachella Valley. Steinberg went on to reveal in an interview for the Los Angeles Times that the song was not written with a female singer in mind; it was inspired by how he coped with the difficult situation after ending a previous relationship. When he took the lyrics to Kelly, together they decided that it would be a sensitive ballad, but could not decide how to include the word “virgin” in it. Steinberg elaborated: “I wasn’t just trying to get that racy word virgin in a lyric. I was saying […] I’ve been battered romantically and emotionally like many people— but I’m starting a new relationship and it just feels so good, it’s healing all the wounds and making me feel like I’ve never done this before”. They then recorded a demo, with Kelly singing lead and Steinberg singing backup.
After the demo was recorded, Kelly invited Warner Bros. Records A&R executive Michael Ostin to his house to listen to it. Ostin, who was set to meet with Madonna the following day, wanted to play the demo for her, as he believed the lyrics and groove were “perfect” for her; “when I played it [for Madonna] she went crazy, and I knew instantly it was a song for her and that she could make a great record out of it,” Ostin recalled. In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, the singer was asked by Austin Scaggs what were her first impressions after listening to the demos of “Like a Virgin” and “Material Girl”; she replied,
I liked them both because they were ironic and provocative at the same time but also unlike me. I am not a materialistic person, and I certainly wasn’t a virgin, and, by the way, how can you be like a virgin? I liked the play on words; I thought they were clever. They’re so geeky, they’re cool. I never realized they would become my signature songs, especially the second one.
Video
Lyrics
I made it through the wilderness
Somehow I made it through
Didn’t know how lost I was
Until I found you
I was beat, incomplete
I’ve been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new
Oh, like a virgin
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
When your heart beats next to mine
Gonna give you all my love, boy
My fear is fading fast
Been saving it all for you
‘Cause only love can last
You’re so fine, and you’re mine
Make me strong, yeah, you make me bold
Oh, your love thawed out
Yeah, your love thawed out
What was scared and cold
Like a virgin, hey
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
With your heartbeat next to mine
Whoa
Whoa, ah
Whoa
You’re so fine and you’re mine
I’ll be yours ’til the end of time
‘Cause you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
I’ve nothing to hide
Like a virgin, hey
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
With your heartbeat next to mine
Like a virgin, oh
Like a virgin
Feels so good inside
When you hold me
And your heart beats
And you love me
Oh-oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh, oh