When did you first discover Madonna?

Holiday was a hit, but I don't remember a video for it.

Then Lucky Star was the first video and she looked great - no white girl was doing music like that and she looked really good.

However, the Borderline video early 1984 - That video I think really pushed her to the top. I still remember that video clearly - with the photo shoots and other scenes.

To me, that was the video that made her into a star.

See in the Borderline video on MTV.

I wonder why there wasn't a video for Holiday.

Probably in late 1983. As a teen living in Europe, I think I saw her mentioned for the first time in the German teen magazine "Bravo." At the time, she didn't have any Top 10 hits in Europe but they published Billboard charts and "Lucky Star" was in there. Shortly after that, I saw the self-titled LP in my local record store, bought it out of curiosity, and liked what I heard.

Holiday was offered to Mary first but she turned it down.

R3 - they originally sold her as an urban artist and purposefully did not put her pic on the single sleeve or have a video for Everybody, her first 'hit'.

This was the cover for Everybody - which purposefully shows an urban environment and black people on the front and on the back.

Believe it or not - people thought she was black because it sounded so early 80s urban and it got a lot of play on Black music stations first. It just didn't sound like how a white woman would sing- although she does not sound black at all.

That's why I think they released Holiday without a video. Then they release Lucky Star, which was just her in a studio with dancers. Borderline was the first 'full' video with a storyline and some budget.

Here's the cover for Everybody. The back is very similar.

What R6 said. I think I heard Everybody or Holiday on an R&B station before I ever heard it on pop stations.

I remember Holiday. And Lucky Star. And Borderline. At the beginning, she was infectious.

This was not too long before we realized what an humorless, unfettered unfettered narcissist and absolutely vile and despicable person she is.

Umm, when MTV told us to? 🤔

Holiday on FM radio. Kiss 108 FM (WXKS) in Boston played it constantly, late 1983 thru the winter. I had no idea what she looked like, then saw a photo in Strawberries, our local record store.

R8 - yep, regular American 'white' radio of the early 80s was SOOOO booring and because of the disco backlash, you didn't really hear 'dance' music on those channels.

But black artists were experimenting with all of the synthesizers and technology at the time and early house, breakdance, and rap was coming out.

It was really new and fresh. The closest you got was the early 80s British Invasion - but that was still young and a lot of that music and fashion was seen as weird and out there.

I remember seeing Lucky Star video and my brother and I commented - she's white?? And I thought she would have limited appeal in that genre - which is true because she completely changed everything for Like a Virgin.

To me she is 2 completely different artists on her first album and on Like a Virgin. LIke a Virgin, Crazy for You, Material Girl, Angel - so different and more regular pop. Get Into the Groove is the only exception.

Material Girl

I seem to remember that she and Cyndi Lauper debuted around the same time. I was on team Cyndi until True Blue.

The 1984 VMAs and the release of Like A Virgin album made me a fan. Her disastrous marriage to Sean Penn overexposed her in the press for the second half of the 80s decade. I was completely over her by the time they divorced, but the songs Like A Prayer and Express Yourself roped me back in. I also loved watching the music video for Cherish on MTV.

Probably her Like a Virgin video which I laughed at. Material Girl was more fun and I respected her then.

“Borderline”. 1984.

I loved the song "Everybody" as a kid.

It wasn't until years later that I realized that it was Madonna singing it.

I think that was her first dance hit.

When she did that gondola-writhing Venice video for “Like A Virgin.”

Poppa don't edge

I first discovered her in 1986. Then I discovered her again in 1989, 1995, 2002, and 2023.

Probably Dick Tracy when I was 10 years old. That was the first time I saw her in anything.

So growing up, whenever I heard about Madonna, I always pictured Breathless Mahoney. I was not familiar with any of her songs or music videos.

Live to Tell video on MTV, was my 1st introduction to Madonna. I don’t know how I missed the Like A Virgin era. I guess my parents didn’t have MTV then. Our cable was on or off, depending upon when they decided to go to church.

When I listened to frozen in a restaurant when I was 5 but I didn't know the singer was called MDNA_Cocaine

I first saw/heard of her with the "Borderline" video on MTV.

But it wasn't until several years later when she did "Vogue" on the MTV Music Awards that I became a fan.

“Everybody” video release (before the first album was released). Saw it at a gay video bar in KCMO. Immediately smitten.

I was born in 1987 so my introduction to Madonna was as Breathless Mahoney in Dick Tracy.

“Rain” was probably the first Madonna song I loved at 6 years old.

I meant I always LIKED her music and music videos but I was never compelled to buy her music until 2001 when I watched The Drowned World Tour on HBO.

From the very start: I bought her debut "Everybody" when it first came out, then "Burning Up" 12" (still my fave Madonna song), then her breakthrough single "Holiday" all before her debut album came out...I still think her debut album is her BEST album - the secret weapon is Mtume's Reggie Lucas, who wrote & produced six tracks on the album, including writing & producing hit "Borderline" and "Physical Attraction" - IMHO the late Lucas never got enough credit - Madonna hogged it all!

Interesting article on the creation of the debut album.

I, too, became aware of her mostly with the release of the "Like A Prayer" single. I was 11 going on 12 when it came out, and had really just started to get into music by listening to pop stations on the radio and watching MTV. Before that, I was loosely aware of her existence and some songs, but hadn't paid much attention, as I mostly listened to music in car rides with my parents, and they listened to AM radio. Lots of 70s soft rock, etc. By the summer of '89 I was rather obsessed with Madonna.

As a young gayling, I remember dancing to 'Everybody' at LA’s infamous gay teen disco, The Odyssey. Pretty much everyone thought she was a black girl, and we were all shocked when she wasn’t.

She showed up at the club not long after, wanting to play some new tracks for us gay teens. I don’t remember which song(s) it was.

I was in elementary school when Like A Virgin came out. I had no idea what it meant, but I loved it. What a golden age of pop music...Cyndi, MJ, Wham!, Prince, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Bananarama, etc.

This is going to sound insane....

Before my small town got MTV, my church subscribed to some sort of satellite music video service that played "non-controversial" videos. You could rent out the basement for birthday parties and whatnot, and included in the rental was a projection TV that showed videos on the walls. It was very popular at the time.

Anyways, I went to probably a hundred preteen birthday parties, and "Holiday (some concert version)" and "Lucky Star" would be shown at all of them. I associate them with giant party subs and RC Cola. In a good way.

I also know all the words to "Its Tricky" by RUN-DMC because of the same parties.

Jellybean Benitez deserves some credit for her early success.

Really got into her after Blond Ambition. My cousin loved her and when we were pre-teens we spent a summer together since she lived around the block. She had a VHS tape of Caio Italia and would play it all the time along with Cyndi Lauper's concert from Paris. I thought the Italia tape was dumb, although some of the songs were good (La Isla Bonita, Who's That Girl, Look of Love), but it was just running around and that same costume from the Open Your Heart video. Though she did wear some shit that had like kewpie dolls glued to it and rhinestones....real schlock.

Anyways, 2 summers later when I was 12 and she was 13, I just had to come over and watch Blond Ambition on HBO the night it premiered. I was completely blown away. The bopping around on stage was replaced with intricate choreography, the schlocky costumes were now high fashion chic....it was a complete experience. Hearing Virgin re-worked into some kind of Arabian fantasy was incredible. I never knew artists could do that with their music. A few years later, high school, we repeated the ritual with Girlie Show which I think I liked even more. I was hooked after that.

Finally saw Madonna live for Drowned World and again was floored when she, dressed like a ninja, flew above our heads before engaging in a kung fu battle. By then though, everyone was copying her and elevating their shows.

A classmate lend me the True Blue album on vinyl. Those were the times.

I bet there are some Gen Z who have never heard her music or maybe have heard it but didn't know it was her.

I saw one reaction video online where 20 somethings saw Like a Prayer and they were shocked - they had only known her as a blonde and never saw her with any other color hair.

People are growing up with so much entertainment curated for them that many do not know of previous decades and artists.

I don't expect them to have the same reverence, but if feels like younger people have no historical references for music or film. I knew a lot about Elvis and his songs, but I was never a huge fan because the music just didn't hit with me.

In 1984 I remember hearing Holiday on the radio at work and asking my co-worker who was singing. I also asked if she was black or white as I'd already confused her with another singer who had a new album out around then, but I don't recall the other singer now.

I saw her sing Holiday on Solid Gold. Bought the album shortly thereafter (in Strawberries...hi Torta!!)