Madonnawas once told that “Like a Virgin” would not make her, but break her.

Reflecting on the release of her sophomore albumLike a Virginthat year, hostJimmy Fallonpointed out that music producer Nile Rodgers wanted her to drop “Material Girl” as the album’s lead single, but “Like a Virgin” was used instead.

She continued, “I walked down these very steep stairs… and I got to the bottom, and started dancing around, and my white stiletto pumps fell off,” which caused her white wedding dress to flip up and expose her butt as she reached to grab the shoes.

At the time, showing that much skin was scandalous in itself, the star said.

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Singer Madonna during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, August 10, 2022

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“Those were the days when you shouldn’t show your butt to have a career,” Madonna joked. “Now it’s the opposite… I didn’t even know my butt was showing!”

After the accident, when the performance wrapped, the pop legend said her manager told her backstage that her “career was over with.”

“Wow,” Fallon replied.

Courtest Everett Collection

Madonna at the MTV Video Music Awards, 1984

But instead of derailing her career, the history-making performance of “Like a Virgin” catapulted Madonna to new heights as she pushed the limits for artistic expression on stage, though such audacity was unconventional at the time.

source: people.com