The Life of Madonna
Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone who is named after her mother, was born in Bay City, Michigan in August 16, 1958. Now turning the age of 43 Madonna remembers her childhood ” I felt like Cinderella with a wicked stepmother. I couldn’t wait to escape.” (Severson 30) . Madonna was placed under the care of a housekeeper who eventually married their father. Madonna has five siblings, and as the middle child she was never home.
In Junior high Madonna was in drama classes dance classes and took private ballet lessons. She went throughout her high school years she did fine. She graduated with a scholarship to the University of Michigan. She only went to Michigan State for two years then left to New York with less than a $100.00 in her pocket. Madonna who is in now in New York didn’t have any clue what she was going to do. All she wanted was to get away from her house and family. Madonna went months with out a job, but then she worked as an artist’s model and posed in nude pictures. ” Her first professional work came with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater.” (Singer 9) . In 1979- 1982 she was a back up singer to a disco star Patrick Hernandez. ” Mark Kamins a deejay saw her at a night club. ” (5) . Mark made a couple of phone calls and made contacts and found managers to come out and take a look at her. In 1981 Camille Barbone became her manager, and signed with Sire Records a division of Warner Brothers. With Warner Brothers she made her first album.
Madonna is the name of her first album, which was released in 1983. The album didn’t have much radio coverage until it was played at nightclubs. ” Holiday, Lucky Star, and Borderline made it into the top 20 radio hits in the country.” (25) . Like a Virgin was her second album released in 1985. This album quickly went platinum. ” Material Girl, Crazy for you, and Like a Virgin made top five. With her looks, which no one has ever seen, captured the eyes of millions all around the world. Girl young and old mostly in high schools stared dressing like her. Madonna had a look that no other female artist had. ” People have this idea that if you’er sexual and beautiful and provocative, hten there’s nothing else you could possibly offer. People have always had that image about women. And while it might have seemed like I was behaving in a stereotypical at the same time, I was also masterminding it. I was in control of everything I was doing, and I think that when people realized that, it confused them ? you can be sexy and strong at the same time.” (Rolling Stone 23) .
Madonna had told this to the Rolling Stone Magazine. Her next album ” True Blue” was the first to earn critical acclaim for its message song ” Papa don’t Preach”. ” Like a prayer talked about her childhood, marriage, and her Catholic up bring.” (24) . The album also had religious and sexual symbolism. ” Like a Prayer is proof not only that Madonna should be taken seriously as an artist but that she is one of the most compelling voices.” (24) . In the fall of 1994 she released a collection of rhythm and blues styled. Between all her album that she also made time for tours.
” Blond Ambition ” was her first tour. The live concert performances was the most sexy dancing and posing anyone has ever seen in the music industry. ” A surprisingly sophisticated show, with a great stage design and costumes provocative choreography and fresh musical arrangement.” (Hildebrand 9) . In 1993 ” Girlie show” was her second tour. “Girlie show” was sold out everywhere she went. ” Madonna will still have her detractors but some how little girls across the world seem to recognize a genuine hero when they see one.” ( Gilmore 18) . With all her touring Madonna always made time for her self. By this time she had married the actor Sean Penn, but their marriage didn’t last long. Madonna also made time to contribute to organization for every album she sold. Feminists complained perpetuates the ” woman as sexual plaything” stereotyping her as using men as “Boy Toys.”
Madonna never the less did not let any of these comments put her down. It just made her stronger, and willing to expose her self even more. In 1992 Madonna published her first book. She had named her book “Sex”. It was know that Madonna had a sexual bonfire, and showed in her book which only adults could buy. Her book sold 150,000 copies at the price of $ 49.95. In August a little after the book came out it went to war with all those whom didn’t want to recall the book. Many magazines criticized her for the actions she took in making her book. Now with the released of her book she also came out in the television.
In 1985 Madonna was asked if she could be in the first MTV music awards. She was asked to sing “Like a Virgin.” When the MVA s’ was showed made her one of the “wealthiest active performers in the world. Also controversial.”(11) . Madonna also made movies.
To keep her style up to date she would always come out with different looks and different ways of dressing. This was one of the reasons way she is where she is right now. Madonna has helped move on the styles from different time in which she helped us have the look we have today. ” I remember when I was in high school I would see girls walking down the halls dressed like Madonna or singing one of her songs, and the guys would be dressing like Bill idol. ” (Hill) . Madonna always had a way of keeping her style fresh and new in a way that no matter who you are you could look like her. Until this day girl still dress like her and look up to her. Many for today’s artist say that they used to hear Madonna when they were young and looked up to her as an inspiration, no matter if it was acting, or singing. Madonna also made a few movie films of her own.
” Desperately seeking Susan” was one of the first movies she had ever came out on, and as know that she had taken dram classes in high school it came natural to her. Her next movie was ” Body of Evidence” in this she played a women who is trying to kill her lover. She was great at acting she was asked if she would like to come out in a movie with Tom Hanks, an actor who is well known in ” A League of their Own.” This movie was based on how women had to work in order to pay bills while their husbands were off at war. The movie showed how the first women baseball league was from. Madonna was on her way in making another movie this one she had to fight for it, the movie producers did not want to give her the role to play for this was going to be a big movie. Evita. Evita was one of the hardest roles she got. One of the reasons she did not want to be given this role was because of the style and the image she has, and people of the country where Evita was from did not like the idea that she was going to play the role. In the middle of making the movie she found out that she was going to have a child of her own. Once she finished making the movie she took time off to have her baby girl.
She has done many things in her lifetime, and she is satisfied with all the things she had done. Now with a second child this time her baby boy she feel that every thing in her life is complete. She has plan to keep recording song and making movies until the day she passes away. ” When I was younger I remember my mom play Madonna song when we were cleaning the house. Now when I hear one of her songs?well one of her old song I think about my mom. I feel that my daughter is going to know how Madonna is, and her daughter will still know how Madonna is too. Madonna is one of those artist that will live on forever.” (Hubb)
In the passed years Madonna has shown us how to keep in touch with our wild side. She will always be remembered for the name she was giving will always have her in memory.
