Songwriter Billy Steinberg, the co-writer of such classic 1980s hits as Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” and the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” has died from cancer, according to Billboard. He was 74, and just 10 days away from his 75th birthday.
Steinberg also co-wrote two other chart-toppers with his longtime writing partner Tom Kelly—Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional” and Heart’s “Alone.”
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Although “Like a Virgin” went onto incredible success, launching Madonna to superstar status after it topped the Hot 100 for six weeks, neither the singer nor her producer Nile Rodgers initially like the song that was brought to her attention by Warner Bros. Records A&R executive Michael Ostin.
“I remember hearing a demo and the guys who wrote it were singing,” Madonna said in an interview for The Billboard Book of Number One Albums, conducted in the 1990s. “It sounded really stupid and retarded. I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ but everyone was saying this was a great song and I was like, ‘Gross me out.'”
However, Madonna soon had second thoughts. “It’s weird because I couldn’t get it out of my head after I played it, even though I didn’t really like it,” she said. “It sounded really bubble-gummy to me, but it grew on me. I really started to like it, my little gears started clicking, and I thought, ‘This could be really cool.’ But, my first reaction to it was, ‘This is really queer.'”
Rodgers credited Madonna with recognizing the song’s potential. “Madonna had a vision. She knew that ‘Like a Virgin’ was the first single on that album. Since she was a woman and clued into what young girls like and feel, she was sold on the song,” he said. “I liked her more sexy side that addressed men. I liked ‘Material Girl’ more.”
Madonna’s instincts proved to be correct. “Like a Virgin” became her first No. 1 hit single and a week after it ended its six-week run on the Hot 100, the album of the same name topped the Billboard 200 album chart, as the album’s second single, “Material Girl,” was climbing the singles chart. Like a Virgin, the album, also had a six-week run at No. 1.
Inductees Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg perform onstage at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 42nd Annual Induction and Awards at The New York Marriott Marquis Hotel - Shubert Alley on June 16, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall of Fame)As for Steinberg, he went on to co-write a number of other hits for other artists, including the Bangles’ “In Your Room,” the Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand by You,” the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself” and dozens of other hits.
In 2011, Steinberg and Kelly were inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Trina; his sons, Ezra and Max; his sisters, Barbara and Mary; and his stepchildren, Raul and Carolina, per Billboard.
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