Madonna - Papa Don't Preach (#TrueBlue30)

Original release date: June 16th 1986 (UK)
UK Chart Peak: Number 1
US Chart Peak: Number 1

Buy Papa Don't Preach here (Amazon GB)
Read other posts from my #trueblue30 project here
Read my Madonna album anniversary posts here

#TrueBlue30:
Despite the wisdom of my eyes betraying my real age, I wasn't quite at my record buying peak when then/now queen of pop, Madonna, released her epic, enduring and timeless third album, True Blue. Mercifully, despite spending most of the year getting down to Bananarama, Kids from Fame and Janet Jackson, my mum was well ahead of the pop curve and rushed to Woolworths to buy a cassette of True Blue for her car. As soon as I heard it, I was eternally smitten. Time would teach me that this was the album that demonstrated Madonna could mature and grow as an artist, infusing her music with universal themes and melodic charms that have lasted much longer than people at the time might have anticipated. It was and is an album that soundtracked many moments and memories for myself and millions of listeners around the globe; an album that has inspired many an artist since; and an album that stands the test of time as to evidence what smart, enjoyable and meaningful pop music should sound like. That is why I will be revisiting each of the singles on the 30th anniversary of their release - a year long project which continues with the pop majesty of Papa Don't Preach. Do feel free to share your own memories in the comments/social media.

Papa Don't Preach:
There were lots of songs I fell in love with when I first heard the True Blue album. From the moment the cassette was in my eager little hands I was busy deciding which songs should be singles - and the naive young thing that I was couldn't believe it when our Lady Madonna had the audacity to release the bold statement that was Papa Don't Preach as the second single. Of course, now I am older and wiser, it is easy to see why she chose such a provocative song. Her intent was to make art that would shock, would spark discussion and, ultimately, would be as brilliant sounding in the future as it was when you first heard it. By the time the single hit the stores (just 8-9 weeks after the album's lead single) I was totally immersed in the sound of those punctuated violins before the beat kicks in, the compelling lyrics and mesmerising hook. My relationship with Madonna - and pop - changed forever. This immersion in the track was the result of having it on endless repeat. I have this vivid memory of knowing that everything about the single was perfect - and it would be the barometer by which all future pop endeavours should be measured. The cutting edge lyrics (surely the best since Love Child), Madonna's hair, the score of the song, Italians Do It Better (I learned about 1997 that this was so true) and that indelible chorus - all pure magic as if conjured from the wand of Harry Potter himself.

True (blue) story - this was banned from the Mormon discos due to it's "controversial" subject matter (along with such luminary pop songs as I Want Your Sex, Sugar Walls and French Kissin' In The USA). This made it all the more appealing to me so my brother and I pooled our money to buy the 12" (which we hid in the wardrobe, next to Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Relax). My cool Mormon mum actually didn't care though - she would blast the album version on the school run every day and we would all belt it out at the top of our lungs. At home, in the privacy of the bedroom, I would savour every second of the extended mix and practice the dance moves we got to see in the video. It was dramatic and opulent and I absolutely loved it. When it rocketed from its number thirteen debut to spend a three weeks at number one I exhibited no surprise. The song was actually my first exposure to teenage pregnancy and taught me an important lesson about a woman's right to choose (thanks to all the controversy - it encouraged teen pregnancy, Catholics were outraged, Mormons were sure to remind us all of the sanctity of marriage; clutching of pearls was happening all over the world in response to the song). In the end, no-one buying the song really cared. They just were living for the fabulous nature of this solid gold pop entry in Madonna's canon of songs.

UK chart run ~ 13-2-1-1-1-2-3-7-13-22-40-48-71-75