Steinberg & Kelly - The Hits 1980-1991 (1995)

Hit Songwriters Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly Tell How They Wrote Madonna’s Classic Hit, “Like A Virgin”

Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly have written many memorable songs over the past two decades, including five, #1 Billboard pop hits. One of their compositions, “True Colors,” has been a major hit for both Cyndi Lauper and Phil Collins. However, it is their song “Like A Virgin” which has undoubtedly had the greatest impact. Still Madonna’s biggest hit, “Like A Virgin” was named by Rolling Stone & MTV as the #4 song on their list of the “100 Greatest Pop Songs.” Most recently, the song was prominently featured in the movie musical, Moulin Rouge

In a recent interview, Steinberg & Kelly recalled how “Like A Virgin” was originally conceived and written, how the demo was recorded, and how the song was placed with Madonna.

“It was in 1983 that Tom and I wrote ‘Like A Virgin’,” explained Steinberg. “It started with the lyric first. I was driving around in my pickup truck and I got the idea for the song. The idea came out of a personal experience. I was in a devastating relationship, and when it finally ended and I met someone new, I came up with the line, ‘I made it through the wilderness…I was beat, incomplete, I’d been had.’ All of the lyrics just poured out.”