Madonna - The 1st Album (Madonna)

''Madonna'' is the self-titled debut album by Madonna, released on July 27, 1983. The album was remastered in 2001, a release that included two bonus remixes.
The album was also re-issued as ''The First Album'' outside the United States with different packaging.

After the mildly successful release of her first two singles: "Everybody" and "Burning Up," Sire Records gave Madonna greenlit production of her first album. Though New York DJ Mark Kamins had discovered Madonna and produced "Everybody," she decided to work with Warner-suggested producer Reggie Lucas for the bulk of the album. After production on the album began, Madonna and Lucas clashed, as they each had different ideas of how they wanted the final product to sound. When the album was completed, a dissatisfied Madonna called upon her friend producer John "Jellybean" Benitez to retool it.

Madonna originally intended for the song "Ain't No Big Deal" to be included on the album—however, Stephen Bray, a former boyfriend and collaborator on the song, had sold the song rights to another label, leaving Madonna and her producers to find another track. The song that made it onto the album was "Holiday," written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens. "Holiday" had originally been offered to, but turned down by, singer Mary Wilson.

The artwork that was featured on the original release of the album started the public's fascination with Madonna. On the cover she has short-cropped, platinum hair and stretches a dog chain roughly around her throat (that says baby "Dita.") Madonna's navel is prominent on the inner sleeve of the album, which became one of her trademarks.
The album was originally slated to be titled ''Lucky Star'', after the track of the same name. It is unknown why the title was changed, but the original artwork created for the album was scrapped and a new, darker direction was taken. The original album title was kept on early pressings of the LP in South Africa and contained a 3:41 version of "Burning Up". The item has since become a must have item for Madonna record collectors.
Madonna dedicated the album to her father, Tony Ciccone.

Madonna received mostly positive reviews from critics, but also drew many comments on a "girlish hiccup" in her voice. Don Shewey, in a review for ''Rolling Stone'', called the album "an irresistible invitation to the dance." Sigerson also comments on Madonna's voice, calling it sometimes "irritating as hell," but one that grows on the listener. Madonna's simple pop lyrics were also praised, mostly for being so catchy and bare.

In 1989, it was ranked #50 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980's. In a review for the ''All Music Guide'', Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album five stars out of five and stated that Madonna's debut album "set the standard for dance-pop for the next 20 years" due to it's combination of "great pop songs with stylish, state-of-the-art beats." He called the album, with its near-perfect pop songs and production "utterly irresistible" and "a terrific, nearly timeless, listen."

Everybody (October 1982)

Burning Up (March 1983)

Holiday (September 1983)

Lucky Star (February 1984)

Borderline (August 1984)

The album did quite well in the charts, reaching the Top 10 in Australia, France, Portugal, the UK, and US. In total, the album spent 168 weeks on the Billboard charts in the United States. In October 2000, it was certified 5 times Platinum in the USA, while selling over 8 million copies worldwide.