This week forty years ago, on December 22, 1984, a new song became the final Number One of the year. That week, ”Like a Virgin” (video above) by American singer Madonna became the new Number One, the first for Madonna. The song was the lead single from her second studio album, also called Like a Virgin. The song—spoiler alert!—would stay at the top of the Billboard “Hot 100” for six weeks.
Like many of the other Number Ones of 1984, this song was played on the radio a lot and was also part of MTV and other video music programming, but it wasn’t her first hit: In 1983, “Lucky Star” reached Number 4 on the Billboard “Hot 100”, and it and her previous single, “Holiday”, both went to Number One on the Billboard “Dance Club Songs” chart. I first became familiar with her because of those two 1983 songs, probably from going to gay clubs.
In those days, there was a stereotype that if a boy or young man liked Madonna, he had to be gay, and so, many of them wouldn’t admit to liking her music, whether they were gay or not. It would be a long time before young men and adolescents would say that they liked an artist like Madonna not just despite the perception among some that she appealed to The Gays, but even because of it. She helped usher in a time in which young gay men and youth could start to feel a bit safer to be who they were, and they first started exploring that by openly liking Madonna. I was mostly an observer to all that: I was still in the “young man” category when I first heard of her (24, to be exact), and I became aware of the stereotype somewhere around the time “Like A Virgin” was released, but by then I was a grassroots gay activist, so I was past hiding anything.
I well remember the music video for “Like a Virgin” from various music video shows on broadcast TV at the time, but especially in—surprise!—the gay clubs in Chicago, the video bars in particular.
I liked Madonna back in the day, and over time I both admired and was fascinated by her ability to reinvent herself and take on new approaches to pop music. That appealed to in the same way it appealed to me when David Bowie did that: It kept their work fresh and interesting. Over time, I may have paid less attention to her, but that didn’t change how I felt about her earlier work. Madonna is around five months older than me, and I think it’s safe to say that we’ve probably both changed a lot since the early-to-mid 1980s.
The song “Like a Virgin” reached Number One in Australia, Number One in Canada, 2 in New Zealand (Platinum–Digital, meaning it wasn't certified before the digital era), 3 in the UK (Gold), as well as Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100” and their “Dance Club Songs” charts, and was also Number One on Cash Box “Top 100 Singles”, Radio & Records “CHR & Pop Chart”, as well as Number One on the “Disco” chart from Music Week”. It was also certified Gold in the USA.
The album Like a Virgin reached Number 2 in Australia (7x Platinum), 3 in Canada (Diamond), Number One in New Zealand (5x Platinum), Number One in the UK (3x Platinum), and Number One on the USA’s “Billboard 200”, as well as Number 3 on the Cash Box “100 Albums” chart. It was Certified Diamond in the USA.
This is the final post about the Number One songs of 1984, however, there will be a series finale on December 31, and perhaps one more between now and then. The first post in the 2025 series will be published on February 2, due to the fact that “Like a Virgin” remained Number One throughout January. I guess I get a “Holiday”, but probably not “Like a Virgin”.
Previously in the “Weekend Diversion – 1984” series:
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 1 – January 21, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 2 – February 4, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 3 – February 25, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 4 – March 31, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 5 – April 21, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 6 – May 12, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 7 – May 26, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 8 – June 9, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 9 – June 23, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 10 – July 7, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 11 – August 11, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 12 – September 1, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 13 – September 22, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 14 – September 29, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 15 – October 13, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 16 – November 3, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 17 – November 17, 2024
Weekend Diversion: 1984, Part 18 – December 8, 2024
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