Her Madgesty is celebrating her 60th birthday this month so we’re dedicating August to the Queen of Pop. We will be picking our A to Z of Madonna singles each day this month as well as asking you to vote for your favourite Madonna album.
We’ve reached the letter P.
P is for Papa Don’t Preach. A pop track with classical strings and a poignant message about teenage pregnancy and abortion. It was the second single from the True Blue album and although Madonna’s writing was minimal on the track (it was written by Brian Elliot) its message of standing up to male authority figures resonated strongly with the ballsy singer.
Single facts
- Papa Don’t Preach won Best Female Video at the MTV Video Awards 1987, beating Open Your Heart!
- On her Who’s That Girl Tour in 1987, Madonna provoked the Catholic church by dedicating the song to the Pope
- Papa Don’t Preach gave Madonna the second of a record 13 no.1 UK singles; the most ever for a solo female artist
- Kelly Osborne released a rockier cover version of the track in 2002 which reached no.3 in the UK
We could’ve also chosen Ray of Light single The Power of Goodbye. Would you have picked that above Papa Don’t Preach? Tell us @entfocusmusic.
See our other choices (updated daily) in our Madonna A to Z of singles.
