Madonna's Terrific Tribute To Love

True Blue (1986)

1. "Papa Don't Preach"
Starting off this iconic 80s album is the highly controversial lead single that made jaws drop and conservatives go up in arms about Madonna's unapologetic stance about teen pregnancy on the melodically classic mid-80s feminist anthem.  As Madonna sings with rich confidence, "I made up my mind/I'm keeping my baby!", you can't help but be shocked but unable to resist the catchy hook and lyrical rebellion that simultaneously catches you off guard by getting you immediately hooked on this infectiously pro-life tune.  Whether you support Madonna's take charge of your womanhood political thought process or are outraged by the thought of her turning such a morally devastating subject into pop perfection is up to you.  But this was one of her biggest hits at the time and continuing indicator that the music innovator had a lot to say despite many not wanting to hear it!
(A+)

2. "Open Your Heart"
With it's glimmer and care-free 80s synth production, "Open Your Heart" opens with a sense of joy and vigor that makes it one of the most quintessential pop songs of it's time!!! With Madonna singing about an undying yearning and harmful disposition toward a potential love interest, we get such timeless lyrics as "Open Your Heart to me/Baby/ I hold locket/You hold the key!" With Madonna soon ending the zesty chorus with the touching, "You turn the key!!!" I love how the song ranging from desperation to complete and utter rapture as Madonna conveys her emotions so genuinely here but making the lyrics relate to that overwhelming wave of emotion that comes with falling in love; especially for the first time.  With it's irresistible melody and stunning wit that comes with Madonna, this is an undeniably classic from start to finish!
(A+) 

3. "White Heat"
After an extended excerpt from some classic movies about a man and some coppers, the beat drops as Madonna begins singing a melodically fun chorus as the song proceeds to explain the law enforcement analogy that is the overarching theme of the song.  I love how Madonna refers to her love as a "bust" as she sings a man who clearly she is interested but isn't giving the daring Pop Queen the type of love she needs.  It's a very breezy song with a bizarre structure but a charm to it that is rather entertaining, especially as those copper excerpts from a movie continue to come in, especially how the song just works so much better than you think it would.  I honestly could have seen this terrific track as a single but with sooo many strong single choices from this album, I get why! lol :)
(B+) 

4. "Live To Tell"
After a rather haunting opening melody, what unravels is quite possibly the best ballad of Madonna's career up to that point.  "Live To Tell" is rather dark, somber and very hopeful at times with the lyrics shedding light on such a serious subject matter as an abusive relationship.  I just love Madonna's vulnerability throughout this largely successful lead single for the album.  With a very limited vocal range at the time, she conveys just the right amount of sadness, subtle strength and confident confessions through lyrics that show how tumultuous her life truly is dealing with such an uncaring and unfeeling man.  For the movie "At Close Range", starring her then husband Sean Penn, "Live To Tell" shows a side of Madonna more mature and brilliantly subdued than her usual in your face antics of her growing pop persona.  It feels very authentic though and definitely pull at the heartstrings at those who can relate to the raw and relentless emotional exposure at the core of the song's message.  Amazing for a Madonna song and a wonderful showcase of outstanding storytelling through utter despair as well as heartbreaking agony. :_(
(A+)

5. "Where's The Party"
Quickly lighting things up, is this fun pop tune that shows that Madonna certainly IS the life of the party as she can wait for a weekend of escapism and indulgent behavior.  I mean it's hard to argue with her with a melody that's pretty infectious and a chorus that will leave thinking about getting on the dance-floor.  While not the most standout track on the album and could be classified as "filler", it's still a rather strong track simply for the fact that is brightens things up on the album; especially after the disheartening melancholy of "Live To Tell".  A pretty solid track all around. :)
(B)

6. "True Blue"
Well, isn't this title track just dreamy??? ;)  Finding inspiration from the era of Motown, soulful girl groups like the Supremes and 1950s/1960s doo wop, "True Blue" is the irresistible third single from the album that you can't help but eventually get stuck in your head as that nostalgic song structure and vintage melody with get you singing along in no time.  It's honestly one of Madonna's most underrated singles as I honestly feels it shows off more of her musically ambitious side.  It's cutesy yet classic at the same time with the joyful and love sick melody it exudes.  One of those songs you can't help but sing to a loved one or even during a drunk night out doing karaoke.  It's harmless yet harmonious at the same time, stringing together 60's substance with 80's style.  Not bad at all! :)
(B+)

7. "La Isla Bonita"
I can't praise this song enough as it is one of my most favorite Madonna songs that easily cracks my top 3 of all time from her.  What's so ironic and hilarious that the song was originally written for Michael Jackson for his highly anticipated "Bad" album, but he painfully declined and it was given to Madonna instead.  Very excited to get her hands on it, Madonna would go on to rewrite parts of the song to suit her style more and what came out of it is another standout from the album as well as a successful single.  The Latin flavored beat mixed that Spanish guitar melody is just magic to the ears.  I wouldn't be surprised if this was a massive hit in Latin countries at the time from Mexico to Argentina as it has such superb crossover appeal and blends so well with the cultural richness of Latin music.  Such a great song for the whole family as well (which you can't say much about Madonna's music from here on out so! ;) lol.  Top notch material from the Material Girl!
(A+)

8. "Jimmy Jimmy"
Coming next is this very frantic beat driven, synth cover track where Madonna sings her heartwarming heart out it seems for a boy named Jimmy.  I mean, it's a pretty cool track as it is very catchy but outside of that, it's pretty filler(ish) and forgetful fluff.  Don't get me wrong, I like the production and the harmonizing bits with Madonna at certain parts of the song, but compared to the rest of the album with so many standout tracks that added to Madonna's already legendary 80s pop repertoire.  This is a fun once and a while, but I wouldn't be surprised if you find yourself skipping this one from time to time.  Sorry Jimmy! :(
(C-) 

9. "Love Makes The World Go Round"
As we end the this stellar album, it concludes on a track that is STILL rather ponderous for me.  "Love Makes The World Go Round" feels too saccharine to me even years after hearing this song for the first time.  Madonna, the world uniting activist???? O_o  I just don't by it...AT ALL!!! lol  If this song came from her other contemporaries at the time like Cindy Lauper or pretty much ANY other pop girl doing her thing at the time, I'd find a bit more convincing.  The lyrics are so sweet and campy that I just can't take it seriously from an artist who is so edgy and ahead of her time; beyond the sugary sweet and vibrant confines of 80's good girl persona pop! I mean, a nice effort of course, but just not a Madonna track I EVER like going back to.
(C-)

Not to get carried away but "True Blue" is easily one of Top 5 Madonna albums!!! While her self titled debut was a superb but sweet driven, revolutionary first outing and her sophomore follow-up with "Like A Virgin" was a superstar making breakthrough with its visual and racy iconography as well as timeless hits, something about "True Blue" seemed like such an definite indication that Madonna wasn't going anywhere and Madonnamania of 1984-85 was no fluke!  What I adore about this album amiss its conception as being a tribute to her then husband, Sean Penn.  Though that relationship, especially marriage would go on to be a very rough period for both the Hollywood Heartthrob and Pop Queen, certainly the music did not suffer a bit considering it was heavily inspired by the initial romance.  "True Blue" has a very strong balance of Madonna's arresting pop personality and a more substantial run of songs that help evolve her as an artist tremendously. "True Blue" sees Madonna being to get a feel of what she does best; giving us a collection of royally timeless pop that carries with it topics that both highly controversial (The captivating and catchy "Papa Don't Preach") and infuse other styles of music from other cultures around the world (The jubilant, Latin tinged "La Isla Bonita")  Not to mention, "Live To Tell" is such a devastating ballad underscored by genuine misery yet overwhelming resilience in the face of confessing to such a violent coupling.  Clearly, the Madonna of even her "Virgin" days couldn't have delivered something so revealing and moving. O_O  And it obviously worked as "True Blue" would go on to become one of, if not, Madonna's biggest selling album of all time with 25 million copies worldwide and reaching #1 in not only the US for 6 consecutive weeks; but the top spot in a record breaking 28 countries!!!  Singles like boisterously light-hearted (ha! ;) "Open Your Heart" adding to her roster of classic hits that made her by that time the biggest female artist of the 80s undoubtedly.  It was even the era where Madonna became the first female to win the coveted Video Vanguard Award for her visually groundbreaking contributions to the music video era.  But honestly the real success was in the music itself with Madonna once again taking songwriting and co-producing credits by working on almost each song on the album.  Almost named "Live To Tell", "True Blue" eventually became the title thanks to Madonna once again collaborating with Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard, her musical director on the Virgin Tour.  Becoming her "most girlish" album, the platinum blonde hairdo and more classical sound to her music was used to make her music more appealing to an older audience who didn't find her type of genre worth noticing.  But I feel that that Madonna and her team of producers did a great job of making her keep the sound and style that she practically invented for herself while genuinely making her music feel more nuanced and maturity than her previous work.  It's an album I can easily go back to and considering how overall flawless her 80s discography, that is a remarkable feet! O_O I really cherish this album because it was the foundation for more mature and stronger release that would continue to reshape the face of pop music that Madonna would define so well through multiple decades. :)

"Dedicating her third album to hunky Hollywood superstar, Sean Penn, "True Blue" is an sensational ode to love, romance, struggle and feminine expression.  The themes from the album range from political propaganda ("Papa Don't Preach"), tragic balladry ("Live To Tell") to Cuban influenced pop ("La Isla Bonita")  that rattles at the core of Madonna's ambitious mind and manages to give us more unforgettable hits like "Open Your Heart" that would add to her already immense Queen of Pop legacy at the time." :)
(A)