True Blue (album)
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| True Blue | ||
 |
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| Studio album by Madonna | ||
| Released | June 30, 1986 May 21, 2001 (Remastered) |
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| Recorded | 1985 - 1986 | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 39:47 | |
| Label | Sire Records Warner Bros. Records WEA International |
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| Producer(s) | Madonna, Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Madonna chronology | ||
| Like a Virgin (1984) |
True Blue | Who's That Girl (1987) |
True Blue is the third studio album by singer Madonna, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music). The album became Madonna's biggest selling studio album internationally. It has sold over 7 million copies in the US and a total of 20 million worldwide. On its release, it hit number one in twenty-eight countries, an achievement that The Guinness Book of World Records called "totally unprecedented". A remastered version including bonus tracks was released in 2001.
Contents |
[edit] Album history
Released in June 1986, True Blue was Madonna's third album, and saw her continue to collaborate with Stephen Bray and begin to work with Patrick Leonard. Unlike Madonna and Like a Virgin, Madonna wrote or co-wrote every song on the album; she also is credited with co-producing every track as well. The album was recorded in late 1985/early 1986, during the first year of Madonna's marriage to American actor Sean Penn. She dedicated the album to him, "the coolest guy in the universe".
The album's second single, "Papa Don't Preach", was surrounded by controversy due to its message about a young woman who tells her father that she is pregnant out of wedlock, but is going to keep her baby. Madonna's love for the Golden Age of Hollywood can be seen in the Jimmy Cagney tribute, "White Heat", which features a sample from the ending of the film White Heat (Raoul Walsh, 1949). Track number four on the album, "Live to Tell", was originally recorded as the theme to the film At Close Range, and was released as a single before the album was released. "Love Makes the World Go Round" closes the album and made its debut at Live Aid a year earlier in July 1985.
The album cover, shot by photographer Herb Ritts, is one of Madonna's most recognizable pictures. It features a picture of Madonna from the neck up; the main colors in the picture are gray, white, and various shades of blue to reinforce the album's title.
In 1986, the album won a Juno Award in Canada for Best International Album.
In 2001, True Blue was remastered and re-released with two bonus tracks, remixes of the hit singles "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita".
[edit] Critical response
True Blue received mixed reviews from critics. Music critics were less than impressed with the album's ending, but did praise the fact that Madonna's voice sounded stronger than it did on her previous efforts. Stephen Holden, in a review for The New York Times, said that "her singing, which has been harshly criticized as a thin imitation of the sixties girl-group sound, has strengthened",[1] and in a Rolling Stone review, Davitt Sigerson stated that Madonna was "singing better than ever".
The album's songs were called "catchy", but Sigerson in his review commented on the lack of outstanding songs. Forgetting about this comment, he later states that True Blue is a "sturdy, dependable, lovable new album" which "remains faithful to her past while shamelessly rising above it".[2]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in a review for the All Music Guide, named the album as the record that made Madonna a superstar. He also calls it "one of the great dance-pop albums, a record that demonstrates Madonna's true skills as a songwriter, record-maker, provocateur, and entertainer through its wide reach, accomplishment, and sheer sense of fun".[3]
Whilst Madonna's first two albums have occasionally been seen as throwaway to some, True Blue was the first to be recognized as a classic album. In his guide to Madonna, Ricky Gardiner argues that it should be considered in any album-of-the-1980's list, whilst worldwide sales make it her second biggest seller after Like A Virgin and The Immaculate Collection. It also remains her only album to date to spawn multiple number one singles in both the USA ("Papa Don't Preach," "Open Your Heart," "Live To Tell") and the UK ("Papa Don't Preach," "True Blue," "La Isla Bonita"). "Where's the Party," despite not being released as a single, became a dance hit and a fan and concert favorite and was later remixed for You Can Dance.
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Papa Don't Preach” Writer(s): Brian Elliot, addditional lyrics Madonna Producer(s): Madonna and Stephen Bray |
4.29 |
| 2. | “Open Your Heart” Writer(s): Madonna, Gardner Cole, Peter Rafelson Producer(s): Madonna and Patrick Leonard |
4.13 |
| 3. | “White Heat” Writer(s): Madonna, Patrick Leonard Producer(s): Madonna and Patrick Leonard |
4.40 |
| 4. | “Live to Tell” Writer(s): Madonna, Patrick Leonard Producer(s): Madonna and Patrick Leonard |
5.52 |
| 5. | “Where’s The Party” Writer(s): Madonna, Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard Producer(s): Madonna, Stephen Bray, and Patrick Leonard |
4.21 |
| 6. | “True Blue” Writer(s): Madonna, Stephen Bray Producer(s): Madonna and Stephen Bray |
4:18 |
| 7. | “La Isla Bonita” Writer(s): Madonna, Patrick Leonard, Bruce Gaitsch Producer(s): Madonna and Patrick Leonard |
4.02 |
| 8. | “Jimmy Jimmy” Writer(s): Madonna, Stephen Bray Producer(s): Madonna and Stephen Bray |
3.55 |
| 9. | “Love Makes The World Go Round” Writer(s): Madonna, Patrick Leonard Producer(s): Madonna and Patrick Leonard |
4.35 |
[edit] Singles
| # | Singles | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Live to Tell" | March 1986 |
| 2. | "Papa Don't Preach" | June 1986 |
| 3. | "True Blue" | September 1986 |
| 4. | "Open Your Heart" | November 1986 |
| 5. | "La Isla Bonita" | February 1987 |
[edit] Album credits
[edit] Personnel
- Madonna - vocals, background vocals
- Dave Boroff - saxophone
- Stephen Bray - drums, keyboard
- Keithen Carter - background vocals
- Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
- Bruce Gaitsch - guitar, electric guitar, rhythm guitar
- Siedah Garrett - background vocals
- Dann Huff - guitar
- Jackie Jackson - background vocals
- Paul Jackson Jr. - guitar
- Edie Lehmann - background vocals
- Patrick Leonard - drums, keyboard
- Richard Marx - background vocals
- Bill Meyers - strings
- Jonathan Moffett - percussion, drums, background vocals
- John Putnam - acoustic guitar, guitar, electric guitar
- David Williams - guitar, rhythm guitar, background vocals
- Fred Zarr - keyboard
[edit] Production
- Producers: Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard, Madonna
- Engineers: Michael Hutchinson, Michael Verdick
- Mixing: Dan Nebenzal, Michael Verdick
- Mixing assistant: Dan Nebenzal
- Drum programming: Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard
- String arrangements: Billy Meyers
[edit] Design
- Art direction: Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff, Jeri McManus
- Design: Jeri McManus
- Photography: Herb Ritts
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (1986) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia albums chart | 1 |
| Austria albums chart | 2 |
| Brazil albums chart | 1 |
| Canada albums chart | 1 |
| Finland albums chart | 1 |
| France albums chart | 1 |
| Germany albums chart | 1 |
| Italy albums chart | 1 |
| Mexico albums chart | 1 |
| Norway albums chart | 2 |
| Portugal albums chart | 1 |
| Spain albums chart | 1 |
| Switzerland albums chart | 1 |
| UK albums chart | 1 |
| USA Billboard 200 | 1 |
| USA Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 47 |
[edit] Certifications
Note: Certifications are based on the number of shipped copies and not the number of copies sold.
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia | 7x Platinum |
| Belgium | 2x Platinum |
| Brazil | Diamond |
| Canada | 10x Platinum (Diamond) |
| Mexico | Diamond |
| France | Diamond |
| Germany | 2x Platinum (Diamond) |
| Greece | 2x Platinum |
| Hong Kong | 2x Platinum |
| Italy | Diamond |
| Nederlands | 3x Platinum |
| Singapore | 5x Platinum |
| Spain | 4x Platinum |
| UK | 7x Platinum |
| USA | 7x Platinum |
[edit] References
- "Chart Performance of Madonna Records - A Compiled History". MLVC.ORG - Charts. link - last accessed on December 11, 2005.
- "Madonna Tribe News: Pier Pinto's Charts Updates". Madonna Tribe News. link - last accessed on December 11, 2005.
- "True Blue". Mad-Eyes. link - last accessed on December 26, 2005.
[edit] External links
Studio albums: Madonna (1983) · Like a Virgin (1984) · True Blue (1986) · Like a Prayer (1989)
Erotica (1992) · Bedtime Stories (1994) · Ray of Light (1998) · Music (2000)
American Life (2003) · Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
Discography · Tours · Videography · Filmography · Achievements and Awards · Bibliography · Unreleased songs · Controversies
