Madonna's "Madonna" at 40 #MusicMonday

Madonna’s eponymous first album turned 40 this summer, meaning that one of the GOAT’s career is 40 years old. That means one of my musical crushes is 40 years old too. “Borderline” was my first exposure to Madge, and I had no idea what was about to happen. Not sure anyone did.

And then “Holiday” hit hit status.

Meanwhile, Madonna had already had a song out before any of this, an advance from this debut album called “Everybody.”

To say that Madonna was huge would be an under-statement. It’s nearly impossible to maintain a musical career for multiple years let alone for multiple decades but she has been able to do it. Perhaps not much anymore, but that’s ok given her long list of accomplishments. And all she’s done to give back to the gay community, at a time when very few were doing anything at all. Even her peers. Thank you Madonna!

A few years after this debut, along came “Like A Prayer.” I was in grad school in New York at the time and I distinctly remember that one of the DJs at the local dance radio station (aka what we used to call “disco”) literally locked himself in the DJ booth all day long and played the song on repeat for hours and hours. Just “Like A Prayer” over and over and over. All day as the managers banged on the door demanding that he open up the studio and stop playing the song. Clearly a PR stunt, but really how fabulous was all of that?!?

Clearly named “The Queen of Pop,” Madonna was also the Queen of Reinvention. Every album showed a different version of Madonna’s artistry. It was quite inspiring, and I believe changed the landscape of the music industry and musical entertainment for decades after.

It made me think about how creative I need to be. Still does.

Dare I say it … Madonna may have been the first to really capture the essence of being a brand. Brand Madonna. Brand Reinvention. There I said it.

Thank you, Madonna, for 4o years of greatness. You’ve inspired me to strive for greatness.

What’s your experience? JIM