The Breakup and The Iconic Song

Near the top of the heap of classic Madonna songs is "Like A Virgin." The tune helped jumpstart her career by being the first of nearly 50 #1 hits. Most people know the song from just the first chord and the living legend's familiar voice.

What most people don't know is that the song nearly fell into oblivion. After Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly wrote the song, they recorded a demo of it. Their first thought that it should be a sensitive ballad didn't work out the way they hoped it would.

In fact, the duo hated the song so much, they discarded it. They felt the 'like a virgin' hook was tedious and bland. Michael Ostin, the then-head of Warner Music, disagreed. He thought that it was the perfect song for a powerhouse performer.

The one and only Madonna.

Nile Rodgers, Madonna's producer, hated the song. He agreed with the songwriters that it was no good and would never hit the cultural zeitgeist. The songstress disagreed with him and fought for the song; she said it spoke to her.

Four days after the meeting with Steinberg and Kelly, Rodgers relented. "Like A Virgin" stayed in his head. He agreed with Ostin and Madonna; the song was something special and could be huge. But he worried people wouldn't look past the surface of the lyrics.

He was right about that.

Love Lost And Found Lyrics

Billy Steinberg hatched the idea for the song while living with his dad on the family vineyard. The songwriter was dealing with a breakup and trying to get figure out things.

Steinberg has said that his previous relationship was draining and dramatic. The couple would fight and makeup on a never-ending loop. By the time they decided to call it quits for good, both partners were exhausted physically and emotionally.

After grieving for the relationship, Steinberg met someone new. The new partner began to help him understand his feelings. He said it felt like he had fallen in love for the first time.

Still, it was a confusing time for the songwriter. Because of the emotionally destructive relationship, Steinberg was wary of moving on and kept his new partner at arm's length.

One night when trying to explain his feelings to his dad, he began to formulate the idea for the song. He wanted to work in the word 'virgin' but didn't want it to have a dirty connotation.

When he pitched the song to writing partner Tom Kelly, they began to piece it together. For a long while, they couldn't figure out a way to insert virgin into the song organically.

Once they figured it out, they tried to envision someone to sing the song. Their focus was mainly on male singers of the time. Then they ultimately ditched the song.

Until Madonna and Ostin saved it. And history was made.

The Little Details

After hearing Madonna's recording of the song, the songwriters were blown away. She kept almost every detail from the demo they recorded. The finished product sounded different than their vision but more perfect, both men admitted later.

One of those details happens at the end of the song. As the music fades out, you hear Madonna saying the words "when your heart beats, and you hold me, and you love me…" Then, it ends. When Kelly recorded the demo of the song, he did the same thing. But neither of the songwriters thought that it was a great thing and were just goofing around with it.

As the song's popularity exploded, Steinberg acknowledged that the songstress must have been listening very closely to the original recording. It was one of those details that transformed the song from a run-of-the-mill pop ballad to something extraordinary.

Producers decided to use equipment that was on the cutting edge of technology. The result was a sound that resonates today and secured Madonna's legacy as an innovator in the music industry.

Once the song was released, the raunchy lyrics scandalized some people. And a misconception of the song was born that haunts it to this day.

Reservoir Reaction

In the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino had something to say about the iconic song. His character, Mr. Brown, decides to tell a bunch of his buddies what the meaning of the song is. Or so he thinks.

The character goes on a long, more than 2-minute rant about the song. He claims that it is about a woman who finds a man with a large penis. She is used to guys with small or average-sized members, so when she meets and sleeps with the new dude, it hurts her. Like she has never had sex before.

Other characters try to derail him by presenting other ideas. But Mr. Brown won't let go of his belief and presses on about the matter. The scene ends with the other guys shaking their heads.

Madonna also shook her head at the scene. It perturbed her that someone had so wholly misunderstood what the song was about—an idea formed in her head.

Once the movie was released, she sent Tarantino a gift. An autographed copy of the album with a little note attached. The message read that the song was about love and not big penises.

A breakup led to a new relationship. These things led to a hit song for one of the most iconic performers that ever lived; Madonna.