The No. 1 Song On August 10, 1986 Sounds Even More Defiant Today
No one knew how to cause controversy quite like the queen of pop. Madonna's career, especially during the '80s, was incredibly innovative, and she broke practically every record out there. She tackled topics that were considered taboo for years, was the face of female empowerment for decades, and brought a rock star attitude to pop music. The No. 1 hit on August 10, 1986, "Papa Don't Preach" was no exception; if anything, it was one of the tracks that caused the most drama in her career.
Due to the sensitive subject matter it raised, "Papa Don't Preach" caused Madonna to receive backlash from people of all walks of life. It's about a young woman talking to her father about her unexpected pregnancy and her decision on the matter. Some saw it as a conservative anthem, some as a glorification of irresponsibility, but the real message behind it is more innocent, and in its innocence, it's even more powerful.
Understanding the true message behind the edgy lyrics of "Papa Don't Preach" makes it sound even more defiant, despite the song being several decades old. Because nowadays, compassion seems to be way more controversial and harder to grasp than ever.
Papa Don't Preach wreaked havoc when it was first released
In the chorus of "Papa Don't Preach," Madonna sings, "Papa, don't preach, I'm in trouble, deep / Papa, don't preach, I've been losing sleep / But I made up my mind, I'm / Keeping my baby." These three lines lit the world on fire when the song was released in 1986. It is, admittedly, a very explicit song about an important subject. There are no metaphors; the young woman is asking her father for support with a decision she has already made, and is not willing to let anyone change her mind.
The song takes an optimistic turn in the second verse, "He says that he's going to marry me / And we can raise a little family," yet it caused outrage among the feminist audience that followed Madonna religiously. But while Madonna loved the song and brought it to life, she wasn't the one who wrote it: Songwriter Brian Elliot did, and he wasn't trying to make a statement on what women should do about motherhood.
"I saw it as a sensitive plea for compassion and understanding about a young girl who found herself at a crossroads in life and didn't know where to turn," Elliot told the Los Angeles Times in '86. His goal was not to persuade young women, but to encourage parents to be understanding and accessible when their children need them. As debates over the issues that "Papa Don't Preach" addressed keep causing controversy, the true intent of this song has aged to be more defiant than it was even in the '80s.