Billboard #1 Hits: #598: ‘Live To Tell’- Madonna June 7, 1986. #1 for 1 week in Billboard Hot 100.
- Single:’ Live To Tell’- Madonna
- Record Company- Warner Bros
- Genre: Pop
- Written by Madonna and Patrick Leonard
- Time: 5:19
- B-side; “Live To Tell’ -instrumental
- Album- True Blue
- Grade: A+
- Peaked at #1 1 week in Billboard Hot 100. #2 in UK Singles chart, #1 in Canada, Greece, Italy.
‘Live To Tell’ was the first of three #1 hits for Madonna from her third album True Blue. A pop ballad- she said that she thought about her relationship with her parents when she wrote the lyrics. Madonna had 7 #1 hits in the 1980’s- and she didn’t really get going until 1984. I’ve always thought of her as a great singles artists. her albums-rather run of the mill.
slicethelife 
Love this song too. ‘True Blue’ has so many hit singles, it’s almost like a greatest hits album.
The instrumental version of it features in the opening scene of At Close Range with Sean Penn. Such an emotive score. Such a beautiful song lyrically too.
With her great ballads like this one, why did she have to more into repetitive dance music trends? Lady Gaga seems to be going in the same direction.
This is one of about three Madonna songs I appreciate. I think it’s really good. Come to think of it, the other songs of hers that I like are all from movies.
I think you and I, Hans ,might be about the only “regulars” here who do appreciate, or admit to appreciating, Madonna’s hits back then. I don’t adore her as a person from what I see of her, but back in that period, she put out some really good pop songs.
I agree with what you said- not a fan of the person -I will say she was a marketing genius- but her 1980’s -early 90’s hits were for the most part fantastic pop music. It’s odd there are artists who have great voices who- for the most part seemed to have just used their voices to show off- Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey come to mind.. i don’t think Madonna is anything special as far as vocally- and maybe that turned out to be a strength. She is 100 times better than the above two I mentioned- in my opinion…
oh yeah, agreed. I tend to prefer , I guess “ordinary” voices since those with the “majestic” ones like Carey and Houston tend to feel the need to show off and put the dynamic range over the material itself… like running over it with a high-pitched bulldozer. There are a few exceptions – Kate Bush for instance, great range, great songs, not too show-offy.
Good call on Kate Bush- and I think I’d put Aretha in that mix too- she had the voice but she had soul- I think Carey and Houston- didn’t- it was all about the voice.