Open Your Heart

More than just another M classic, and definitely one of our all-time favourites, Open Your Heart is a true milestone, for so many reasons.

And because it happened 24 years ago - on February 7th 1987, it reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart - let's stick with it for a moment.

Follow Your Heart

Yep, this was the song's original title. Gardner Cole and his friend Peter Rafelson wrote it for over a year, as a rock song (circa 1984-85). According to Cole, «Follow Your Heart is the name of a vegetarian restaurant in Los Angeles. I was in love with a waitress there named Lisa and she was the original inspiration for the lyrics.»

Donna's first step into Planet M

At that time, Cole had already submitted a song to Madonna (the title was Motor City Girl), but she rejected it. In the meantime, the original demo of Follow Your Heart was sung by Jason Scheff, Chicago's then lead singer (after Peter Cetera left the group).

It was Freddy Demann who, after listening to the demo, saw it as a potential hit for Madonna. He asked Cole to make a new demo, with a female voice instead. Cole asked his former girlfriend to sing the demo - a girl called Donna DeLory.

Later, on he suggested Pat Leonard to use Donna as back-up singer and dancer, by the time Pat was helping Madonna put together an upcoming tour...

Madonna says Yes

Even though the original song didn't sound like Madonna at all, she ended up accepting it. M teamed up with Pat and magic was made. Some of the lyrics were altered, a new title was given, a bassline was added, mid-tempo became up-tempo, a dance-pop song was created.

But it was Madonna's interpretation that really hit the mark. Just read the lyrics alone: not that special, even silly and juvenile (yes, it worked perfectly on Glee).
Now listen to Madonna's singing: powerful, assertive, sexual. The Midas touch.
Finally, picture her in late 1985, at the recording studio. Open Your Heart was, indeed, the first cut for the True Blue album.

Breakthrough

And then, there was the music video. It is said that Sean Penn was originally set to direct it. Fact or fiction, the truth is that Jean-Baptiste Mondino came along... and a true work of art was created. Shot in October 1986, it was released two months later. And it could still be released today.


In fact, this is one of those cases where the music video transcends time and the actual song itself. We just cannot dissociate Open Your Heart from all that peep-show atmosphere. That's why the Peugeot advert was so... strange.

This is where we get to the "landmark" bit: the Open Your Heart video was the Big Bang for an entire universe of elements that would radiate from Madonna's art, for years to come. Just to name a few:

1) Sex
Before OYH, it was all about innuendo. Now, sex was reeealy on the table - and in our faces. I was 9 years old at the time and I blushed when I saw the video for the first time, at a friend's house. Oh my god, we can actually see her groins!... Remember, it was 1986. It totally pushed all boundaries.

2) Mondino
The first "French touch" in M's career (Patrick Hernandez doesn't count...).

3) The conical bra
First lesson in one of the most iconic symbols in M's career. Period.

4) Tamara de Lempicka
First lesson in Art History.

5) Super-fit
In Papa Don't Preach, we could tell she was slimmer. But now... oh my god! Meet the fucking amazing quadriceps!

6) Androginy
Boys who are girls... inside the viewing booth; and at that fantastic end.

7) The chair
Cabaret, Broadway... M finally embraced such a poetic prop. Later on, she would take it to the stage.

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Surely, there is more to add to the list. But I have to stop now. I just have to watch the video.

Sources:
Wikipedia
MadonnaTribe's interview with Gardner Cole

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Watch this visual extravaganza in pictures, Through The Looking Glass.