![]() ![]() The spectacular success of the single resulted in “Like A Virgin” becoming a milestone achievement for Steinberg & Kelly, as well as for Madonna. “Like A Virgin” went on to become a #1 worldwide hit, and spent six weeks atop the Billboard “Hot 100” singles chart. ![]() It was shortly thereafter that Ostin played the song for Madonna, and it subsequently became the title track and first single from Madonna’s second album. Madonna at that time wasn’t a major artist yet, but it was clear that she would be a perfect artist to sing this song.” He said it would be great for his artist Madonna to record. “When he heard it, he flipped over the song. “We were nervous about playing ‘Virgin’ for Ostin, but at the end of the meeting we finally played it,” explained Kelly. It was only at the end of the meeting that they played “Like A Virgin.” Steinberg & Kelly played Ostin many songs that were more in a rock vein, which presented the duo as potential artists. It was in 1984 that the duo had a momentous meeting with A&R exec Michael Ostin, who was then Senior Vice President at Warner Bros. But I liked the idea of writing a lyric concept which hadn’t quite been done before.” I knew that compared to most mainstream pop lyrics, the title and theme might seem a bit jolting and risque. “Some people even asked us to change the title. “We tried to place ‘Like A Virgin,’ but everyone looked at us like we were nuts,” said Steinberg. However, the song was passed on by many record labels, producers and artists over the next year. They felt that “Like A Virgin” was a very original song, and that it could be a hit if the right artist recorded it. Steinberg & Kelly were both very happy with the completed song and demo. I sang the falsetto in a Smokey-style voice, then we added some background vocal parts.” Tom Kelly (left) and Billy Steinberg. We demoed the song quickly, and kept it simple. For the drum track, we used an old Linn drum computer. “We used the Jupiter 8 to create the main keyboard and bass tracks. “I had just purchased a Roland Jupiter 8 keyboard,” recalled Kelly. When the song was written, Kelly & Steinberg recorded a simple, keyboard-based, eight-track demo at Kelly’s home studio. Out of frustration, I started to clown around, performing the song in an uptempo, Smokey Robinson-style, with falsetto vocals. ![]() “Initially, I tried to compose a ballad or midtempo song to accompany the lyric, but it wasn’t working. “I especially related to the lyric at the time, since I was going through a tough divorce,” said Kelly. When Steinberg had completed the first draft of the lyric, he showed it to Kelly. Listen to the original demo of “Like A Virgin,” written by Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly. I was in a devastating relationship, and when it finally ended and I met someone new, I came up with the line, ‘I made it through the wilderness…I was beat, incomplete, I’d been had.’ All of the lyrics just poured out.” The idea came out of a personal experience. I was driving around in my pickup truck and I got the idea for the song. “It was in 1983 that Tom and I wrote ‘Like A Virgin’,” explained Steinberg. In a recent interview, Steinberg & Kelly recalled how “Like A Virgin” was originally conceived and written, how the demo was recorded, and how the song was placed with Madonna. Still Madonna’s biggest hit, “Like A Virgin” was named by Rolling Stone & MTV as the #4 song on their list of the “100 Greatest Pop Songs.” Most recently, the song was prominently featured in the movie musical, Moulin Rouge However, it is their song “Like A Virgin” which has undoubtedly had the greatest impact. One of their compositions, “True Colors,” has been a major hit for both Cyndi Lauper and Phil Collins. Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly have written many memorable songs over the past two decades, including five, #1 Billboard pop hits. ![]()
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