I often play music daily when I am working or out walking. This week I revisited the “True Blue” album by Madonna, which brought back a lot of good memories and it got me thinking.
This album was released in June 1986 and it is quickly heading towards its 40th anniversary this June. It was Madonna’s third studio album and one that I listened to constantly through the late 80s and 90s. I can still remember playing the CD on my bus journey to work.
The singles from this album were huge. “Papa Don’t Preach”, “Live to Tell”, “La Isla Bonita”, “Open Your Heart” and of course “True Blue” were all massive hits. Listening again this week to the album reminded me just how strong those songs still are. No wonder all these singles reached the top 5 in the UK with three of the singles making the number one spot.
Between the 1980s and the early 2000s I was lucky enough to see Madonna perform live six times and I saw her perform several tracks from this album back in 1987 and later.
Ranking the songs is not easy, but my top five would probably be:
- “Papa Don’t Preach” 2. “Open Your Heart” 3. “Live to Tell” 4. “La Isla Bonita” 5. “True Blue”
I also enjoyed hearing some of the non-singles again. Tracks like “White Heat”, which I had almost completely forgotten about, were great to revisit. Among the non-singles, “Where’s the Party” and “Love Makes the World Go Round” stand out for me. “White Heat” is also pretty good, although I was never particularly keen on “Jimmy Jimmy”.
From what I can tell, there are currently no plans for a special anniversary edition of the album. That may be because a 35th anniversary digital edition was released in 2021.
For anyone interested in the numbers, “True Blue” sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, reached number one in 28 countries and produced five number one singles. It remains Madonna’s best selling studio album to date.
For an album that is nearly 40 years old, and one that makes me feel a little old remembering its release, it is still hugely enjoyable today. At the time, tracks like “True Blue” had a retro 50s and 60s feel, while still capturing the spirit of the 80s era. It remains a strong album that I will definitely be listening to again for a while. No doubt I will also be revisiting some of Madonna’s other older albums as well.
If you have never listened to “True Blue”, it is well worth checking out. And if it is a blast from the past for you, it is definitely worth another listen. I would also be interested to know what your favourite tracks from the album are?
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