True Blue, Madonna served for the first time as the al-
bum’s producer. The album spawned three number
one hit singles: “Live to Tell,” “Papa Don’t Preach,”
and “Open Your Heart.” The initial sales ofTrue Blue
topped eleven million albums.
Madonna made her film acting debut in 1985, with
a brief appearance as a singer inVision Quest(1985)
and playing the title role inDesperately Seeking Susan
(1985). A low-budget but high-quality film directed
by Susan Seidelman,Desperately Seeking Susanwas a
commercial success and extended Madonna’s career
into the film industry. She followed it up, however,
with a major flop,Shanghai Surprise(1986), costarring
Penn. The film cost $17 million and grossed only $2.3
million at the box office. Madonna also starred in
Who’s That Girl(1987), which was named after one of
her hit singles. By the end of the decade, she was rec-
ognized as being a capable actress.
In 1987, Madonna conducted her Who’s That
Girl World Tour, which included stops in Japan,
France, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany,
the United Kingdom, and the United States. The
thirty-eight-show tour set a record as the highest-
grossing world tour to that date, earning about $20
million. Controversy also followed the tour, as pro-
gram elements included comments on religion that
were aimed at President Ronald Reagan and Pope
John Paul II. As a result, the pope instructed Catho-
lics to boycott the tour’s Italian performances.
Madonna’s final album of the 1980’s wasLike a
Prayer. This album included hit songs “Express Your-
self,” “Like a Prayer,” “Cherish,” and “Keep it To-
gether.” Risqué videos accompanied many of the sin-
gles, as Madonna continued to stir up controversy
with her music and visuals. The video accompanying
“Like a Prayer” used religious symbols in controver-
sial ways that were condemned by the Catholic
Church. However, the controversy increased sales,
demonstrating that Madonna in the 1980’s had also
become a very shrewd businesswoman.
By the end of the 1980’s, Madonna had estab-
lished herself as the leading woman solo performer
in the United States and possibly the world. During
the decade, she released nine number one songs.
She changed the music industry, and she began what
would prove to be a continuing process of self-
reinvention, as she strove to keep her music and her
persona fresh and relevant in a rapidly changing cul-
ture. Her influence on popular culture during the
decade was second only to Michael Jackson, as young
women mimicked her hair, sexuality, clothing, and
dance styles.Impact Trends started by Madonna in the 1980’s
influenced music, fashion, videos, children’s books,
and popular culture into the early twenty-first cen-
tury. Her continuing effects on popular culture
could be measured as each new style or persona she
adopted would be reflected in the larger American
culture in which she participated. Madonna would
go on to sell more records than any other woman in
history.Further Reading
Guilbert, Georges-Claude.Madonna as Postmodern
Myth: How One Star’s Self-Construction Rewrites Sex,
Gender, Hollywood, and the American Dream.Jeffer-
son, N.C.: McFarland, 2002. In-depth analysis of
Madonna, her strategically planned rise to star-
dom, and its effects upon American culture and
American identity.
Morton, Andrew.Madonna.New York: St. Martin’s
Paperbacks, 2002. Popular biography of Ma-
donna.
St. Michael, Mick.Madonna Talking: Madonna in Her
Own Words. London: Omnibus Press, 2004. A col-
lection of quotations by Madonna.
Sexton, Adam, ed.Desperately Seeking Madonna: In
Search of the Meaning of the World’s Most Famous
Woman.New York: Delta, 1993. Collection of writ-
ings, cartoons, and other works reflecting on Ma-
donna and her influence.
Douglas A. PhillipsSee also Film in the United States; Live Aid; MTV;
Music; Music videos; Pop music; Women in rock
music.Magnet schools
Definition Public schools that offer specialized
curricula or facilities in order to attract students
from throughout their districtsMagnet schools were developed in the early 1980’s in an at-
tempt to encourage voluntar y desegregation. They were
based on the theor y that students of all races would be at-
tracted by the schools’ exceptional curricula and would
therefore be motivated to attend, contributing to the schools’
diversity.610 Magnet schools The Eighties in America