Known as the Queen of Pop, Madonna has made tremendous waves in the industry through her music. It’s truly incredible how her hold on her audience has only tightened since the ‘80s. Some would say that she is not just a singer but rather an entire cultural phenomenon in herself. There’s no stopping your feet when songs like Like a Virgin are playing!
Needless to say, Madonna’s popularity has made her a role model for many people, especially young girls. After all, who wouldn’t wanna be her?! However, the singer once faced backlash from a prominent non-profit organization for misusing this very influence – Planned Parenthood.
Madonna Found Herself in a Pickle
Back in 1986, Madonna released her song, Papa Don’t Preach, which has managed to remain iconic even today. While many enjoyed the single, a member of Planned Parenthood was not a fan. Back then, the executive director of the organization, Alfred Moran, spoke with The New York Times quite candidly and openly called her out for being careless with her influence.
Moran said,
“The message is that getting pregnant is cool and having the baby is the right thing and a good thing and don’t listen to your parents, the school, anybody who tells you otherwise — don’t preach to me, Papa. The reality is that what Madonna is suggesting to teenagers is a path to permanent poverty.”
For context, the song in question depicts the story of a girl going through teen pregnancy and her decision to keep her baby against everyone else’s opinions. The lyrics go,
“Papa don’t preach, I’m in trouble deep. Papa don’t preach, I’ve been losing sleep. But I made up my mind, I’m keeping my baby.”
Moran compared the singer’s hold on her young audience to that of the legendary band, The Beatles. This was one of the major reasons why Moran and others like him believed that the Material Girl needed to be held accountable for her actions.
Of course, Madonna eventually told The New York Times that she was against the belief that girls would go off and do “awful things” just because they heard it in a song.
Madonna’s Epic Run with the Grammys
With the 65th Annual Grammy Awards around the corner, it is only fair that we take a trip down memory lane and look at how the Queen of Pop has absolutely conquered the awards over the years.
From 1986 to 2010, Madonna has been nominated for a Grammy a whopping twenty-eight times. Out of these nominations, the singer managed to bag a total of seven awards for various categories including, Best Electonic/Dance Album, Best Music Video, Best Pop Album, and so on.
In 1987, she was also nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, for Papa Don’t Preach. We honestly can’t wait to see her lift another Grammy soon!
