How Madonna was Rejected…Twice!

[luisam]

After graduating from high school in Michigan, Madonna received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance and she convinced her father to allow her to take ballet lessons. Later, persuaded by her ballet teacher to pursue a career in dance, dropped out of college in 1978, and relocated to New York City. She worked as a Dunkin’ Donuts waitress (for one day) and danced with modern dance troupes, continuing to perfect her craft while trying to make ends meet. “It was the first time I’d ever taken a plane, the first time I’d ever gotten a taxi cab,” she once said of her move to New York. “I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I’d ever done.”

 

So, now Madonna was living in New York, and trying to set up her music career. For some time she has been collaborating with bands The Breakfast Club and Emmy. Her Detroit boyfriend Steve Bray who became the drummer of The Breakfast Club, which played generally hard-rock music, joined her. Soon they abandoned playing songs in the hard-rock genre, and got signed by a music management company called Gotham Records, planning to move in a new musical direction. They decided to pursue the funk genre, but the record company was not happy with their musical talents and they were dropped from the label.

 

Madonna and Bray left the band also and she decided it was time to focus on her own music. She eventually decided to market herself as a solo act and record demos to send to record labels in New York City so hired manager Camille Barbone of Gotham Records to help her get her singing career on track. Camille showed Madonna how to navigate the male-dominated world of the music business, and helped put together a studio band that accentuated the budding star's hip style. The result was the so called “Gotham Demo”, recorded at Media Sound Studios and of course, not related to the sound-track of “Batman”. It had four tracks:

 

01. Take Me (I Want You)

02. Love On The Run

03. Get Up

04. Society's Boy (High Society)

 

By recommendation of Alec Head, at the time music engineer at Media Sound Studios, the demo was presented to Millennium Records President Jeremy Ienner, known for productions of such hits as “Dirty Dancing” and “Sister Act” who famously, rejected it. Have some fun reading the letter:

 

Mr. Alec Head

c/o Media Sound

311 West 57th Street

New York, N.Y. 10019

 

Dear Alec:                                                  RE: MADONNA

I enjoyed listening to Madonna. The production, arrangements and she are very strong. The direction is a good one, in my opinion. The only thing missing from this project is the material. I liked "I Want You", "Get Up" and "High Society", but I did not like "Love On The Run" at all. I do not feel that she is ready yet, but I do hear the basis for a strong artist. I will pass now, but I will wait for more.

Good luck and thank you for thinking of me.

 

Best regards,

Jimmy Ienner

President

 

The letter is almost comical now, seeing as it describes one of the “strongest artists” in the world. While there is no date on a rejection letter sent to Madonna’s team, it was clearly before she signed with Sire Records in 1982, a year before she released her first, self-titled album (which has sold more than ten million copies worldwide).

 

So Millennium Records President Jimmy Ienner had the opportunity to sign Madonna, but ultimately decided that he did "not feel that she is ready yet".

 

Wow! He must have kicked himself in the ass for a long time after she blew up!

 

This rejection motivated Madonna to continue making music with club DJ Mark Kamins, who at the time was working with Seymour Stein of Sire Records. She had written and developed some songs on her own. She carried rough tapes of three of the songs, "Everybody", "Ain't No Big Deal" and "Burning Up". At that time she was frequenting the Danceteria nightclub in New York. It was here that Madonna convinced the DJ Mark Kamins to play "Everybody". The song was received positively by the crowd, and Kamins decided that he should get Madonna a record deal, on the understanding that he would get to produce the single. He took her to his boss Chris Blackwell, who owned Island Records, but Blackwell, another LOSER, refused to sign Madonna; he refused "Everybody"!  So, they approached Sire Records.  

 

Kamins gave Seymour Stein a demo of Madonna’s work while Stein was in the hospital, and he insisted Madonna come to the hospital immediately so he could sign her to his label.

 

In an interview, Stein remembered what it was like to meet Madonna: “I always believed in her, because not only did she have talent, but she had a burning desire, drive, ambition, and a work ethic that is incredible. So, she had everything and I saw that in my hospital room.”

 

The President of Sire, Seymour Stein, impressed by her singing, signed Madonna for two 12” singles offering her $5,000 in advance, plus $10,000 in royalties, for each song she wrote. Mark Kamins took over the production work from Steve Bray and the 12" version of "Everybody" was produced by him at Blank Tapes Studios in New York.

 

The new recording ran 5:56 on one side and 9:23 for the dub version on the reverse side. Madonna and Kamins had to record the single at their own cost. Arthur Baker, friend of Mark Kamins, guided him through the role of a music producer and provided him with studio musician Fred Zarr who played keyboards on the track. Zarr became one of the common musical threads on the album by eventually performing on every track. Due to restrained budget the recording was done hurriedly. Rosenblatt wanted to release "Everybody" with "Ain't No Big Deal" on the other side, but later changed his mind and put "Everybody" on both sides of the vinyl record. The single was released in October 1982 and became a dance hit in the United States.

 

When Madonna finally signed with Sire Records in 1982, following the success of her 1982 single "Everybody", her debut album sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

 

Now known as "Queen of Pop", Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the best selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records

 

Why none of the songs on “The Gotham Demo” were recorded for the first album of Madonna? For a stupid and terrible reason: she didn't own the rights on this track anymore... Shortly after “The Gotham Demo” was recorded, Madonna, unhappy with the direction manager Camille Barbone was taking her career, severed ties with Gotham and began shopping her own demo of dance music to labels, which eventually resulted in a singles deal with Sire Records. Subsequently, a legal battle would ensue over the ownership of these master tapes with Madonna, Camille and Media Sound, the studio where they were recorded, all staking a claim on the songs. These complications have kept them unreleased twenty years on.

 

 

[vitorio]

An extraordinary womem!!!

[funkyy]

Another example of the "honest" music industry trying to lay claim to the talented output of a young unknown artist (I refer to The Gotham Demo). How they cry and squeal "theft" when kids download music, how they unashamedly sign desperate young unknown artists to waterproof contracts that tie them for many many years and giving the lion's share of the profits to the Record Company and its executives...just read about Queen and George Michael's experiences. Listen to "Death On Two Legs" and "Flick Of The wrist" to know how incandescent was Freddy Mercury's anger at the "legal" contract Queen had at the beginning of their career.

Hell isn't hot enough for music industry executives!!!

[I4rg£8all8ag]

OK when she started, just an old slapper now. 

[luisam]

2 hours ago, I4rg£8all8ag said:

OK when she started, just an old slapper now. 

 

We all love oldies!