Madonna Like an Icon

by Lucy O'Brien

Madonna is the biggest female pop star in the world yet there is no serious biography of her, and no biography at all by a woman. Existing books are either gossipy style manuals or rehashes of press cuttings and they all end in 2001 with Madonna's marriage to Guy Ritchie. Yet her story hardly ends there, as evinced by her two record breaking world tours since then...

Lucy O'Brien's extensive and well-researched biography will look at Madonna the artist, giving detailed analysis of her music, complete with revealing interviews with musicians and producers. It will focus on her cultural impact and the way she uses cinema, photography, visual art, theatre and dance in her work. It will take an in-depth look at how - and, more to the point, why - Madonna has reinvented herself through her twenties, thirties, forties and will no doubt do so again in her fifties. It will also look at the wider context and include interviews with similarly crusading female artists like Tori Amos, Laurie Anderson, Jeanette Winterson and Tracey Emin.

This will be, quite simply, the definitive Madonna biography.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Celebrity, Biography Memoir, The United States Of America

556 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2007

Reviews

[Pandora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy O'Brien is a fantastic writer, and this is the definitive Madge bio. Finally an intelligent, feminist critic reviews her work! Now if only she'd write about Kate Bush..

[Joana Mendes · Rating 2 out of 5]

A história da madonna é incrivel e muito inspiradora, mas a forma como o livro esta escrito a nivel de capítulos e a forma como ela transpõe para o livro acaba por ficar chato. Li até à pagina 307.

[Ann Dulhanty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well written book, an enjoyable read, a engaging narrative of an artist, woman and entrepreneur. Biographies can be hard to write because life is never linear. Relevant bits of information can come from an insignificant event years in the past, which make it challenging to maintain the story continuity and flow, but O'Brien does a great job of keeping a coherent timeline and explaining the relevance of everything that occurs. I was impressed with the author's ability to describe album after album of Madonna's in a way that held my interest. Describing music is not an easy task. The only thing that is unfortunate about this book is that it ends too soon (the copyright was 2007). Madonna is still doing what she does, perhaps a sequel would be appropriate?

[Courtney Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too fawning to feel legit, O'Brien writes like a fan instead of a journalist. There are some interesting stories and the basis of a good timeline of Madonna's career. The definitive, detached Madonna book just isn't out there yet, but this will do in a pinch.

[LeaVixx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable and well written biography that introduces Madonna as a real artist rather than just a woman who got famous because of her sexuality and all the scandals. Really wish there was an updated version that would speak about the another 10 years of Madonna being an absolute star. I love her and respect her even more after reading this. She's truly an icon!

[Olli-Pekka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tasapaksu pullapitko ei herättänyt suuremmin ajatuksia ja tyytyi esittämään faktat faktoina. Muutamat mielenkiintoiset haastattelut eivät pelastaneet lopputulosta. Kirjan päätyttyä jäi fiilis, ettei siitä muista oikeastaan enää mitään.

[Catarina Lobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

quanto tempo que eu não lia uma biografia... só queria saber a opinião da o’brien sobre Madame X

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written with many things I didn’t know about Madonna. It’s thought provoking and an important book for anyone, not just her fans.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Como fã da Madonna, esta biografia foi uma leitura deliciosa! Todo o processo criativo por trás de cada um dos seus trabalhos e como reflexo da sua situação pessoal na altura... Não há como não admirá-la como artista e como não passar a apreciar ainda mais as suas músicas ao saber a história por trás delas!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She introduced the new paradigm that the Virgin Mary may have been spiritual and sexual. Whether or not the Madonna of modern times fully understood the implications does not matter; she was christened Madonna and she saw the gift in a song called ‘Like a Virgin.’ It represented the resurrection of the Virgin Mary as a woman. We have long equated spirituality with a denial of the sexual being, but Madonna challenged this.” -Tori Amos

Bribed by two great Tori Amos quotes in this and several nuggets of Madonna lore i had yet to hear - this is one of the best Madonna biographies out there. i always gauge a documentary or other telling of her story based on how the Erotica/Sex book era is portrayed, this may be the best read on that yet. The chapter on it rises to understand the complexity of her sexual trauma being played out in this very angry point in her career, and the points made about her film Dangerous Game really nailed what good Madonna biographies should do: highlight the subconscious parts of one of the most public figures in history.

highlights i thought were interesting:
-1983 Madge saying "i want to be Jessica Lange"
-allegedly ripping off The Slits' fashion sense
-her (rightfully) globalist response to the obnoxious U S A chant when she was saying something poignant after 9/11 during the Drowned World tour sums up what i really admire in her
-this is the first time ive seen someone be scathing of Kabbalah, and rightfully so. The Karen Berg backstory was previously unknown to me but gives the impression that its a boring scientology.
-her falling out with Stella McCartney over the fur thing is wild considering how vegetarian she was in the 80s

[Cesar Tirso · Rating 2 out of 5]

Estava cético sobre ler uma biografia “não autorizada”, pois vejo que muitas das deficiências que senti são justamente pelo fato da autora não ser a própria Madonna.

O início do livro é muito bom, Lucy conseguiu captar e obter detalhes preciosos, principalmente para mim que conheci a Madonna em 2007/08, compreendi muito sobre seu processo criativo.

Conforme o livro anda, mais superficiais ficam as informações, eu já começo a sentir isto em Like a Prayer. Muitas análises sobre as letras das músicas e visões pessoais da autora começam a aparecer, algo que até certa medida entendo, mas não estamos aqui para isso.

Sinto também que a autora bagunçou demais as linhas do tempo dentro de cada era! Começa fazendo link com terceiro single do álbum, depois fala do primeiro, aí entra na vida pessoal, depois já volta falando de turnê, isto em Confessions e Hard Candy chegou a incomodar demais.

Não nego que esperava bem mais desse livro, entendo que resumir a rainha do pop em algumas páginas é complicado, mas claramente era possível fazer filtro em muita coisa e explorar melhor outros pontos. Quem sabe um dia não teremos o privilégio de ter uma autobiografia para comparar.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few mistakes, some weird takes, but overall a pretty informative and entertaining biography of Madonna (up to 2007).

Madonna was my icon starting at age 9, but I've missed bits of eras over her long career, so I enjoyed getting caught up. The author did a lot of research.

But four mentions of Courtney Love when only one felt organic? Odd choice. Saying she had "a Courtney Love-style rasp" on "Oh Father" I found particularly wrong.

Buzzwordathon ("like")

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Madonna, especially her earlier stuff, and reading this biography gave me some new insight into her personal life and how that effected her music. Although the writing could be a bit dry at times, it was altogether an enjoyable journey into the inner workings of Madge's life.

[Therese Granlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Att läsa denna biografi om Madonna är som en resa längsmed memory lane till min ungdom. Hennes musik har liksom varit med mig under större delen av mitt liv. I den här boken försöker O’Brien ta reda på vad som motiverar Madonna att ständigt återuppfinna sig själv. Riktigt kul att läsa och lyssna igenom alla hennes skivor igen.

[Pedro Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para quem gostar mais de saber o percurso de uma das artistas mais importantes do mundo, este é de leitura obrigatória. Apresenta uma outra visão da artista, muito interessante e retrata bem os obstáculos profissionais e pessoais

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but told me very little I didn't already know. And as with most biographies, the key voice is absent.
A little bit "then this happened, then they did this, then this happened" rather than any sort of narrative analysis.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will give this one a 3.5. This book is a detailed account of Madonna’s life until 2006, but fails to deeply analyze or make minor critiques of the star. I felt the book had a lot of promise, but the author’s fandom clouded her judgment.

[David Dewata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buku yang tebal dan merangkum dari berbagai sumber. Detil, terlalu banyak informasi malah buat saya. Perspektif dari orang-orang di sekitar Madonna memperkaya informasi tentang Madonna —namun saya malah kehilangan apa yang dirasakan Madonna sendiri. Alasan dan tujuan pilihan-pilihan karir adalah informasi dari sekitar tanpa tahu apakah itu sebenarnya yang ada di pikiran Madonna.

Kering, itu saja.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

What promised to be a complete breakdown of her career is 75% researched well with the last 15 years rushed and manic.

[Jessica Biggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book to read, but didn’t give a lot of detail into who she was.
It was a lot more about music and shows than her as a person

[Monica Bittencourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bom mas esperava mais. Acho que ela nunca falou com a Madonna e parece que tudo é baseado na interpretação da autora das músicas e entrevistas com pessoas próximas.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up on this book. I’m a huge fan of Madonna but found this a very tedious read

[ROGER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madonna: Like an icon - possibly one of the Greatest biographies EVER written.

I have not read many Madonna biographies. In fact, I have only read J. Taraborrelli's 'Madonna: An Intimate Biography. Also, the many articles in pop magazines, Newspapers and the very few biography films on Madonna out there.
Rarely do these points of reference on Madonna delve into her musicality. They generally (if ALL) seem to be about her iconic status as an influential woman of the 20th and 21st centuries, a feminist and as a woman who pushes the buttons of controversy. Her music generally is usually hinted at NOT generally delved deep-into, that is until NOW in Lucy O' Brian's new biography on Madonna: ' Madonna: Like an Icon'.
One of the most incredible revelations in this new biography is how Lucy O Brian gives the reader perspectives on Madonna that we don't usually hear or read enough about.
Perspectives like: Her musicality, how her music is actually created, how Madonna works in the recording studio and how she is with her dancers. These are all revelations that make this particular biography ultimately unique from all the other biographies on Madonna out there, including the very few music film biographies on her.
I never brought Madonna's Greatest Hits 'The Immaculate Collection' on CD, but I did get the vhs cassette. There are two parts to Madonna, the beginning of her career where the world got to hear Madonna in 1983. Songs like ' Lucky Star', 'Get Into the Groove', 'Material Girl',etc...etc...
When she reaches the single ' Express Yourself' this is a period in her career, where that classic sound of her music expression changes into new recording dimensions. She ventured into more ambient electronic dance music.
The Immaculate Collection album ends with the song 'Vogue'.
This part of Madonna's discography is the 'classic' Madonna sound. Everything released after the single 'Vogue' went into new musical expressions.

What is incredible is that the two people who were mainly responsible for this classic sound have hardly 'EVER' truly been given the recognition they truly deserve in the success of Madonna's career until NOW in Lucy O'Brian's book.
The names of Shepp Pettibone and Jelly Bean Benitz are two names that (I believe) should really be shouted from the rooftops, and I am truly happy that these two men have been given the recognition they truly deserve in Lucy O Brian's biography.
I could write how truly incredible this biography is, but If I did, you would be reading this for a very long time.
I will just naturally say that because of who Madonna is in popular music culture and because Lucy O Brian is naturally one of the finest female music biographers that the United Kingdom has EVER produced, what you have Here in this new music biography about Madonna's life and music career, is a biographer who has written a book about Madonna that truly needed to be written, and (I Believe) there is nobody better in documenting madonna's life and music career like Lucy O Brian, who could have written a biography like this, on one of the most iconic EVER of female music artists.
I truly believe in a few year's time-just like Hunter Davis' book on the Beatles; this book by Lucy O' Brian, will be regarded as the one and ONLY truly definitive book to have been written NOT just about Madonna's life BUT ALSO her incredible music career.
An incredible read and (in my opinion), one of the GREATEST music biography books EVER written.

[Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Madonna fan, I read J. Randy Taraborrelli's Madonna: An Intimate Biography and loved it. Sensational, trashy and in bite size pieces, I devoured chapters at a time.

O'Brien's biography of Madonna is completely different to Taraborrelli's. Her work seems more academic in it's written style, and as a former university student this is apparent when you read that O'Brien is an academic herself. And the opening chapters tell us of her own personal fascination with Madonna as opposed to Taraborrelli's journalistic endeavours.

The biography itself charters Madonna's life up to present times, from her beginnings to the then settled adoption saga of David Banda. If you're a Madonna fan this will all be pretty familiar.

A biographer should not be afraid to critique their subject and this aspect is what made the book for me. O'Brien took a step back from the fly on the wall documentation used by Taraborrelli and psychoanalysed and critiqued Madonna, what made her the person she is now, and possibly where she is going next.

A thoroughly modern and mature read about Madonna.

[Wendy Shortridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have insatiable curiosity but this book didn't really add anything to my knowledge of Madonna's career. However, the book highly emphasizes a connection to Madonna's persona and actions to a attack and rape she experienced in her first months in New York City. She was forced at knife point and threat of death to perform oral sex. The rapist threatened to throw her off the building if she didn't comply. The severity of this attack was news to me.

This book is certainly not a must-read. I got bored about halfway through it but if you don't know much about Madonna's life and career, it is interesting enough to pick up.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Madonna biographies. So much so that this is my second go-round with the book.

The bio flows well, nor is it a bore. Yes, like other GoodReads reviewers have mentioned, the author does tend to write in favoritism towards the pop icon. However, she balanced it with the other points of view (her former back-up singer and former friend, Nikki Harris, as well as Madge's critics).

If you read other biographies of the singer, you'll see that its pretty much the same story. Nonetheless, it's a plus to be entertain about Madonna's rise to fame in a different voice. Definitely one to pick up.

[Nday Nday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salah satu buku biografi yang lengkap, menyenangkan untuk di baca dan berbeda dengan buku biografi Madonna lainnya yang pernah aku baca. Buku ini lebih banyak menceritakan mengenai etos kerja Madonna dan bagaimana proses yang dilakukan dalam setiap karya yang di ciptakannya. Tidak bicara banyak soal kehidupan pribadi atau menceritakan dengan terlalu mencolok skandal-skandalnya, cenderung lebih fokus pada aspek musikalitas. Sangat penting untuk dibaca penggemar Madonna.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was very detailed, well-written, thoughtful, intellectual, entertaining and engaging and did an excellent job of exploring and attempting to explain Madonna's myth, appeal, career, life, struggles, ambition and relationships. Strongly reccommended to any Madonna fan or to anyone curious to know the human side to this legendary icon.

[Nicholas Cavenagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly the best Madonna biog I have read, the only one where Madonna's musical collaborators (songwriters, musicians, producers) are interviewed and given a major focus. Fascinating detail on Madonna's artistic processes. The author is also not afraid to cast a critical eye on Madonna's work.