Editing Like a Virgin (album) (section)

== Development ==
{{Quote box|width=25%||align=left|style=padding:8px|quote="''Like a Virgin'' is a much harder album, much more aggressive than the first [one]. The songs on that were pretty weak. On this one I've chosen all the songs and I want them to be all hits—no fillers. That's why I've done outside songs as well as six of my own".|source=—Madonna on ''Like a Virgin''.<ref name="rikky15" />}}
Madonna wanted ''Like a Virgin'' to be "stronger" than her debut, hence she chose all the songs herself.<ref name="Bego1" /> She had been penning songs and creating [[demo (music)|demo]]s with former boyfriend and collaborator [[Stephen Bray]] since early 1984.<ref name="ClassicPopMakingof" /> When Madonna first met with Rodgers, she allegedly told him, "if you don't love these songs we can't work together", to which the producer responded: "I don't love them now, but I will when I've finished working on them!".<ref name="ClassicPopMakingof" /> Around the time they began working on the album, [[Billy Steinberg]] and [[Tom Kelly (musician)|Tom Kelly]] were pitching songs to artists. Steinberg had begun a new relationship and came up with the lyrics to "[[Like a Virgin (song)|Like a Virgin]]". He brought the track to Kelly, who created the music and, together, recorded a demo tape.<ref name="StereogumLAV" /> Kelly then met with [[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]] [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]] executive [[Michael Ostin]] and had him listen to the demo; Ostin, who was set to meet Madonna the next day, thought the song was "perfect" for her.<ref name="StereogumLAV" /><ref name="bronson">{{harvnb|Bronson|2003|p=600}}</ref> Madonna "loved" the song right away, but Rodgers wasn't convinced. He felt it was "really queer", and that the line ''like a virgin'' wasn't a "terrific" [[hook (music)|hook]], nor an "all-time catch phrase".<ref name="StereogumLAV" /><ref name="bronson" /> Four days later, Rodgers realized that the song was still stuck in his head; "[It] grew on me. I really started to like it. [...] [I] handed [my] apology [to Madonna] and said, 'you know... if it's so catchy, it must be something. So let's do it".<ref name="rosen" /> Written by [[Peter Brown (singer)|Peter Brown]] and Robert Rans for another Warner Bros. singer, "[[Material Girl]]" was also presented to Madonna by Ostin.<ref name="ClassicPopMakingof" />

Ostin also suggested that the singer [[cover (music)|cover]]ed [[Rose Royce]]'s "[[Love Don't Live Here Anymore]]" (1978). He was driving into work and heard the song on the radio; "I called [Nile and Madonna], they were in the studio. I said, 'I have an idea. You know the old Rose Royce record, 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore'? Why don't you try and record a version of it?".<ref name="zanes">{{harvnb|Zanes|2009|p=201}}</ref> Both Rodgers and Madonna were reluctant, but ultimately decided that a ballad could be a good move to bring "diversity" to the album.<ref name="zanes"/> The final song to be created for ''Like a Virgin'' was "[[Dress You Up]]". Rodgers had previously asked songwriters Andrea LaRusso and Peggy Stanziale to write a song for Madonna in the style of Chic but, due to other projects, the composition took time.<ref>{{harvnb|Bego|2000|p=34}}</ref><ref name="rikky2" /> When the lyrics of the song were submitted, Rodgers turned them down as he felt there was no time to compose a melody and record it for the album; however, Madonna liked them and persuaded the producer to include the track.<ref name="rikky2" />

"[[Into the Groove]]" was written and produced by Madonna and former Bray, and recorded at [[Sigma Sound Studios]] .<ref name="LAVliner85" /><ref name="morton">{{harvnb|Morton|2001|p=168}}</ref> Inspired by the dance floor and a Puerto Rican boy the singer was attracted to, it was used on the [[Susan Seidelman]]-directed film ''[[Desperately Seeking Susan]]'', which Madonna starred.<ref name=cress>{{harvnb|Cresswell|2006|p=243}}</ref><ref name="DigITG" /> The song was originally written for [[Cheyne (singer)|Cheyne]], the fifteen-year old protégée of [[Mark Kamins]], the man who discovered Madonna's debut single "[[Everybody (Madonna song)|Everybody]]" (1982) and took her to Sire Records. Madonna then decided to record the track herself and use it on ''Desperately Seeking Susan'', much to Kamins' dismay.<ref name="Los402">{{cite web |last1=Sánchez Gómez |first1=Alicia |title='Into the Groove': La historía de una traición o la razón por la que Madonna es la 'ambición rubia' ('Into the Groove': A story of betrayal or the reason why Madonna's the blond ambition.) |url=https://los40.com/los40/2020/10/26/los40classic/1603730161_863950.html |publisher=[[Los 40]] |access-date=April 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101100709/https://los40.com/los40/2020/10/26/los40classic/1603730161_863950.html |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |language=Spanish |date=October 26, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="morton" />