Madonna “True Blue” 1986. Today, August 16th, is Madonna’s 66th birthday (b. 1958). I turned 15 the summer of ’86 when True Blue came out and considered myself punk AF; me and my friends made so. much. fun. of this record but as I listen to it almost 40 years later I realize that 1. that it’s a great record and 2. that I know the words to most of the songs which means I clearly was paying attention to her third studio LP (it went #1 in nearly every single country that tracks that type of thing). I can also visualize all the videos to the singles from the record, especially the album opener “Papa Don’t Preach” (#1 US, UK, pretty much everywhere else too) with her unexpected pixie hair, striped shirt and actor Danny Aiello as her dad (he did it as a favor for Madonna’s then-husband Sean Penn). I also love the singles “Open Your Heart” (#1 US, #4 UK and a peepshow-themed video) and “La Isla Bonita” (#4 US, #1 UK) which apparently is not about a great trip she had to San Pedro – she didn’t even know where it was when she wrote the song. Though I’m usually not a ballad girl, my favorite song on True Blue is “Live to Tell,” a sultry and sad song (that was totally uncharacteristic for Madonna at the time) which hit #1 in the US, #2 in the UK and appeared in the Sean Penn movie At Close Range. Many critics consider it one of her best songs ever. There are a couple of stinkers, though. I still don’t like the title track “True Blue” (this was the one I clearly remember me and my friends ripping on repeatedly in ’86). It’s sappy and saccharine sweet (written about her then-love for Sean Penn) with a cartoony vibe: it did hit #3 in the US and #1 in the UK so I guess a lot of folks didn’t agree with my friends and me. I’m also not crazy about the non-single “White Heat” which has a bizarre intro/outro (which I just learned was lifted from the 1949 film White Heat so I guess it makes just a little more sense) and not much good in between; but I do like the non-single track “Jimmy Jimmy” which has a 50’s meets new wave synth vibe and is about Madonna’s childhood crush on James Dean (we’ve all been there, Madonna).