3 of the Best Opening Lines From Madonna Songs

In the 1980s and 1990s, there were few artists with more clout, acclaim, and accolades than Madonna. Say what you want about her, she was a magnet for eyes and ears. And while she was a modern day pinup star, it was largely because she released excellent songs. It’s not easy to write a track that gets millions of spins. But she did it repeatedly.

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Here below, we wanted to examine three such examples. More specifically, we wanted to take a look at the opening lines of three of her most famous songs from the height of her career to see how they began and grabbed our attention right off the bat. Indeed, these are three of the best opening lines from Madonna songs.

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“Like a Prayer” from Like a Prayer (1989)

A song equating love to religion. Sometimes you can feel so wrapped up in another person, so passionately drawn and devotedly attentive, that it can feel like you’re worshiping them. And on this classic track from Madonna’s 1989 LP of the same name, the pop star captures that feeling in a radio hit. To open the tune, Madonna speaks to the object of her affection directly, singing,

Life is a mystery
Everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home

“Material Girl” from Like a Virgin (1984)

When you live in America, you must succumb at some point to almighty capitalism. And on this song from Madonna’s iconic 1984 LP Like a Virgin, she sums that up with glitz and glamour and creative prowess. Give her diamonds, give her furs, give her the best cars, and everything else in between. It all looks so good on her anyway, right? Indeed, on the song, Madonna opens with the lines,

Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me
I think they’re okay
If they don’t give me proper credit
I just walk away

“Justify My Love” from The Immaculate Collection (1990)

Madonna longs for the kiss, the time, the attention of another. That’s what this song is about. And she wants those feelings to be seen and recognized and reciprocated. But will they be? Will she get what she wants? Audiences hope so but she doesn’t want it from us—she wants to get her satisfaction from the person she loves. Indeed, she makes that very clear on this song, opening with the lines,

I want to kiss you in Paris
I want to hold your hand in Rome
I want to run naked in a rainstorm
Make love in a train cross-country
You put this in me
So now what, so now what?

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