From 1986 to 1991, Smash Hits magazine was my childhood pop music “Bible”.
Any self-respecting, 30-something Madonna fan from the UK will tell you that back in the pre-Internet days of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Smash Hits was the place for all the latest Madonna news (and posters, song lyrics, stickers and badges) and the magazine helped fuel this 10 year-old’s True Blue-induced “crush” on Madonna every fortnight.
In 1989 Smash Hits featured an article about the making of the Like a Prayer album (my then-all time greatest album in the history of the universe ever – despite Smash Hits’ review that the album was “weird”) and I immediately recognised the names of Steve Bray and Pat Leonard – Madonna’s main co-writers/producers on Like a Prayer and its predecessor, True Blue.
The article by Chris Heath (who has since written books on Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Pet Shop Boys) included all sorts of revelations about Madonna as a songwriter-producer – she works super-fast, she writes all her own lyrics and melodies and co-arranges/produces the music and that there were three songs recorded during the Like a Prayer sessions that didn’t make it on to the album – Supernatural, Love Attack and First is a Kiss.
Any self-respecting, 30-something Madonna fan from the UK will tell you that back in the pre-Internet days of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Smash Hits was the place for all the latest Madonna news (and posters, song lyrics, stickers and badges) and the magazine helped fuel this 10 year-old’s True Blue-induced “crush” on Madonna every fortnight.
In 1989 Smash Hits featured an article about the making of the Like a Prayer album (my then-all time greatest album in the history of the universe ever – despite Smash Hits’ review that the album was “weird”) and I immediately recognised the names of Steve Bray and Pat Leonard – Madonna’s main co-writers/producers on Like a Prayer and its predecessor, True Blue.
The article by Chris Heath (who has since written books on Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Pet Shop Boys) included all sorts of revelations about Madonna as a songwriter-producer – she works super-fast, she writes all her own lyrics and melodies and co-arranges/produces the music and that there were three songs recorded during the Like a Prayer sessions that didn’t make it on to the album – Supernatural, Love Attack and First is a Kiss.
