This Madonna Traditional Is Her First Music Video to Attain 1 Billion YouTube Views, And It’s Not the One You Assume

This Madonna observe is now a True Blue traditional amid a brand new milestone.

Madonna’s 1986 hit track “La Isla Bonita” from her album True Blue grew to become the seven-time-Grammy-winner’s first music video to hit 1 billion views on YouTube. The video was directed by Mary Lambert, recognized for her work on music movies for Janet Jackson, Sting, the Eurythmics, and Madonna’s “Like A Virgin,” “Materials Woman,” and extra.

The Latin music-inspired single options Spanish flamenco guitar and maracas. Madonna, 66, is seen enjoying two variations of the identical particular person – one carrying a purple gown akin to the standard regalia of flamenco dancers as she dances via a candlelit room, and the opposite a younger Catholic lady secretly crushing on a musician enjoying stay on the road beneath.

Whereas “La Isla Bonita” now holds the file for Madonna’s most seen music video on YouTube, the music video for her 1989 track “Like A Prayer” held essentially the most cultural notoriety when it was launched. The observe stirred controversy on the time for its use of Catholic spiritual imagery in a sensual context.

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The track and video play to Madonna’s signature strengths, and discover the push and pull between her Catholic identification along with her sexuality. Related themes are famously explored in her smash hit “Like A Virgin” and all through her profession.

“La Isla Bonita” obtained a brand new lease on life partly attributable to a sequence of TikTok traits. Over 200,000 movies have been posted to this sound prior to now yr, with customers usually soundtracking their vogue and trip movies with the track.

Madonna’s subsequent most-viewed movies on YouTube are “Hung Up,” with 531 million views, “Bitch I am Madonna” that includes Nikki Minaj with 368 million views, adopted by “Like a Prayer” with 341 million views.

In December 2024, the pop music icon introduced plans to launch new music in 2025, and confirmed she was working with producer Stuart Value as soon as once more. Value and Madonna beforehand collaborated on her 2005 tracks “Get Collectively,” “Bounce,” and extra. Value has additionally labored with Kylie Minogue, The Killers and Pet Store Boys.

“These previous few months has been drugs for my SOUL. Songwriting and making music is the one space the place I don’t have to ask anybody for his or her permission.. i’m so excited to share it with you,” she wrote on Instagram.