Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits!

Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits! is an EP recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on October 10, 1984 through Sire Records. It was exclusively made available for consumption in Japan, but was re-released in the United States in 2016 for Record Store Day. The EP includes four tracks—"Like a Virgin" from the singer's 1984 album of the same name, and "Holiday", "Lucky Star" and "Borderline" from her eponymous debut record.

Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits!
EP by Madonna
Released	October 10, 1984[1]
Recorded	May 1982–September 1984
Studio	Sigma Sound Studios (New York)
Length	26:31
Label	Sire Warner–Pioneer
Producer	Nile Rodgers Reggie Lucas John "Jellybean" Benitez
Madonna chronology
Madonna (1983) Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits! (1984) Like a Virgin (1984)

The EP incorporated remixes done by American disc jockey John "Jellybean" Benitez, which previously made appearance on various of Madonna's maxi single releases. While the original edition of Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits! failed to reach any record chart, its 2016 re-release experienced moderate commercial success by reaching four of Billboard's component charts, including the Dance/Electronic Albums and Top Tastemaker Albums charts.

Composition and release

Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits! includes four singles that were recorded prior to the release of both the aforementioned record and her then-upcoming second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984). Three of the EP's singles—"Holiday", "Lucky Star", and "Borderline"—were previously included on her 1983 debut studio album, Madonna;[2] its title track would later be included on Like a Virgin.[3] The record's remixes of "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" produced by John "Jellybean" Benitez were originally paired on a 12" maxi single released in the United States on February 15, 1984.[4][5]

The record was originally made available for consumption in Japan on October 10, 1984,[1] with a re-release of the EP occurring on April 16, 2016 to American digital stores with the privilege of the Record Store Day.[5] The new version was pressed on 140 gram colored pink vinyl[6] and was only limited to 4,500 copies.[5]

Commercial performance

At the time of its original pressing, Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits! did not peak on any record chart, but its re-release later experienced moderate commercial success. For the week ending May 7, 2016, the album debuted and peaked at number three on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart,[7] becoming the week's third highest debut.[8] While dropping off the chart the next week, the EP additionally opened and peaked at number eight on the Top Tastemaker Albums chart, having a similar course.[9][10]

Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits! also made appearance on the Vinyl Albums and Top Current Albums charts, where it charted at numbers five and ninety-eight, respectively.[11][12] The following week Like a Virgin, which had already topped the Billboard 200 for three weeks in 1985, was discounted for 99 cents to coincide with the release. This prompted the album to re-enter the Billboard 200 chart at position 124 with sales of 6,000 units, making it a total of 109 weeks on the chart. Most of the sales consisted of digital downloads of the album for around 5,000 copies and was its best sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in the United States from 1991.[13][14]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Like a Virgin" (Extended Dance Remix)	Tom Kelly Billy Steinberg	Nile Rodgers	6:10
2.	"Holiday"	Curtis Hudson Lisa Stevens	John "Jellybean" Benitez	6:09
3.	"Lucky Star" (Extended Dance Remix)	Madonna	Reggie Lucas Benitez	7:16
4.	"Borderline" (Extended Dance Remix)	Lucas	Lucas	6:56
Total length:				26:31

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
US Top Current Albums (Billboard)[12]	98
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[7]	3
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[10]	8
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[11]	5

References

1. Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits! (LP, Vinyl). Madonna. Sire Records. 1984. P-6206.CS1 maint: others (link)
2. Madonna (Liner notes). Madonna. Sire Records, Warner Bros. Records. 1983. 9-23867.CS1 maint: others (link)
3. Like a Virgin (LP, Vinyl, CD). Madonna. Sire Records. 1984. 9 25157-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
4. "Borderline" (US 12-inch Maxi Single liner notes). Madonna. Sire Records. 1984. 9 20212-0 A.CS1 maint: others (link)
5. "Madonna: Like A Virgin & Other Big Hits". Record Store Day. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
6. Copsey, Rob (March 8, 2016). "Record Store Day 2016: The full list of 557 exclusive music releases revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
7. "Madonna Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
8. "Top Dance/Electronic Albums for May 7, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
9. "Top Dance/Electronic Albums for May 14, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
10. "Madonna Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
11. "Chart Search". Billboard Vinyl Albums for Madonna. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
12. "Chart Search". Billboard Top Current Albums for Madonna. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
13. Caulfield, Keith (May 13, 2016). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Prince Earns 28th Top 40 Album, Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' Returns After 28 Years". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
14. "Billboard 200 – The Week Of May 21, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2016.

External links

• Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits! at Discogs (list of releases)