In the writing of Madonna's stormy "divorce album" | Culture

MSince 1989, I have opened a large disk envelope and a drop of patchouli oil is coming to my nostrils. Inside is Madonna's new album. The cover features hippie pearls and crotch jeans. This image is a nod to her mother, a fervent Catholic of French-Canadian descent, who concealed her statue of the Sacred Heart when a woman approached the house in jeans. "In Catholicism, you are born a sinner … sin is in you all the time," said Madonna at the time. Dedicated to her mother's memory, Like a Prayer explores the impact of her Catholic youth, her love disappointment and her transformation. Compared to True Blue Sweet, it's a surprising reinvention.

During the recording, from September 1988 to January 1989 at Johnny Yuma Studios in Los Angeles, Madonna was at the worst moment of her marriage with Sean Penn. She had filed for divorce the previous year, but was spending time with him trying to fix the problem. "I remember that some days she wore sunglbades in the studio," recalls his co-author and co-producer of the time, Patrick Leonard. "She was going through very difficult times." Making the record, though, was her salvation. After the rebounding beats of Like a Virgin in 1984 and the optimistic celebration of her love for Penn in True Blue (1986), Madonna was more and more introspective. Penn had an explosive temperament and, as their marriage collapsed in the midst of incessant fighting, her career was relegated to second place by the professional flops of Shanghai Surprise, the movie in which she played, and by Who's That Girl, a comedy with a soundtrack. Madonna found a center of interest for her divorce madness in the new album.

"We knew that she lived a lot of personal things," recalls Donna De Lory, who, along with Niki Haris, sang in the choir. "We were friends and I knew that she was transmitting all that emotion to the music. It would be a much more personal record for her. Madonna had just turned 30 and approached the studio like a confessional. "She wrote very true songs," says her other co-author and co-producer, Stephen Bray. "She has an interesting relationship with fear by compartmentalizing it and then revealing her ferocity of personality. True Blue spoke of romantic feeling and not wanting to be embarrbaded for love. Then she changed the chapter. "Things did not work out as I thought." This is how Madonna treats fear, in Freudian pop writing – a free badociation has become a pop song. "

In the 1980s, Bray and Leonard were Madonna's main creative collaborators. Michigan native, like her, they had strong ideas and worked hard, which she respected. Leonard pushed Madonna to create songs of intense emotion. "We were like yin and yang, polar opposites, and that can bring out your best work, as engaged as possible," he said. "We built a chemistry." They met for the first time when he was his musical arranger on the Like a Virgin tour, and she chose to produce True Blue and Like a Prayer. "We had a lot of discussion during the recording sessions," he recalls. "But one day, she waved the cover of True Blue's album and said," Who is this photo? "

The title song marks a turning point in Madonna's career. By dismantling old patriarchal Catholic messages, she created a concept album, moving from celebrity to artistic quality. The video – which represents Madonna kissing a black saint and dancing in a field of fiery crosses – mixes the sacred and the profane in a boldly provocative way. "I arrived with the music, gospel influence and Madonna added the words," says Leonard. "The protest against the church came later in the video. But it's a testament to the weight of the song that this ship could contain. When we wrote it, it was like a flame. "It's a song that explores the word" prayer, "says Andraé Crouch, head of the church choir of the Los Angeles Church of God, who sings on the dance floor. "Madonna wanted something very religious, so I tried to explode what she had done to make it as powerful as possible." Madonna encouraged everyone in the studio to give up on a pbadionate abandon. "It was an out of body experience," says bbadist Guy Pratt, whose solo improvisation is a highlight of the piece. "As I was playing, Madonna was leaving:" Guy, again! More! At the end of the match, I had missed licks and had to go back to the beginning. It's amazing to have this bbad line on this song. "

Madonna goes from declamatory Like a Prayer to the sweet and sweet Promise to Try ballad, where she addresses her mother and the impact of her death. Leonard remembers: "I played piano and she sang. She was right at my shoulder, next to the piano, without a helmet. The record button has been pressed twice. "A large part of the album was recorded as live. Leonard explains that it is for this reason that it still resonates today: "The songs were built around chord progressions and melody, and the process was more personal than the product. large composition teams. Listeners react to the energy of the performances in the room. Oh Father, for example, an emo-style ballad about her troubled relationship with her father, was recorded with leading musicians, including drummer Sugarfoot Moffett and brbad arranger Chuck. Findley. "I had nine people in the room," recalls Leonard. Madonna said, "Why do all these people make a difference? Do we have to do that? "I said," It will not be painful, it will be fun. "He now admits that the sessions are not always fun." "I had managers who were recording, and the record company that was asking to hear things." I was sitting on the harness to sell to everyone.

He knew that they were creating something unique from their "strange little aesthetics". Rolling Stone magazine came into the studio one day, asking what radio stations Leonard and Madonna had listened to. "We do not listen to any," they said. "Really, how do you know what's going on?" "We decide what's going on," Madonna said, recording the song Love Song with Prince earned credit points, but ironically, the whimsical bademblage Of guitar parts and overdubs is one of the weakest moments of the album.Bray says that he was asked to work on the track but that he felt too impressed. I'm the biggest fan of Prince, but to be honest, I was too shaken.It was before I discovered beta-blockers – I was not emotionally ready, "he says." C & # 39; is one of my rare regrets in life that I said: "Nah, you do not need my help." I would have made it prettier and I would have brought a bit of lust. "Bray was delighted to be working with Prince's guitar sounds on the funky Sly Stone tribute Keep It Together.Although optimistic, exploring the rivalry between brothers and sisters was really tense. "Madonna avoided some of the complications of her family and her success," recalls Bray.

The darkest tracks on the album are counterbalanced by moments of childlike innocence, such as Cherish. Madonna, Haris and De Lory sing with bounding energy. "We worked until we were really tight," says De Lory. "Madonna knew exactly what she wanted and how to break it down." Haris remembers that they had formed a good team during the tour of Who's That Girl and that they had conveyed that atmosphere to the studio: "We tried to enrich rather than d & rsquo; To embellish his sound. " For De Lory, the sessions as a prayer inspired personally. "Madonna was like the big, strong sister who can not stand the guys' clothes. As a producer, she sets limits. I loved seeing this – that gave me an example of how I could be strong too. "

This force is more evident in the piece produced by Stephen Bray, Express Yourself, which has since become a feminist anthem. "We did not invent feminism, but it was a call to action," says Bray. "Madonna is an incredible example of a woman who says," I do it my way. " He compares it to Daenerys in Game of Thrones, coming out of the fire. "It was an extremely cathartic song for her. In love, you are burned, but it does not destroy you. I have become even more proud of the song in recent years. The horrible thing about A Handmaid's Tale is how terrible it is. It's not a dystopian fiction, it's happening politically. Having co-authored a song about telling the truth and demanding to be treated as an equal and as a partner – I could not be more proud. "

Lucy O'Brien's Madonna: As an icon has just appeared; Patrick Leonard's Bring the circus house will soon be released; Here in Heaven by Donna De Lory is available