Albums: True Blue (1986), The Immaculate Collection (1990), Celebration (2009)
Songwriters: Madonna/Gardner Cole/Peter Rafelson
Producers: Madonna/Patrick Leonard

“Determined” is starting to become a seriously overused word here, but indulge me one last time - for Open Your Heart genuinely represents Madonna’s determination at its strongest. “You make me wanna hang my head down and cry” is her sole nod to the usual self-pity and resentment of unrequited love - but otherwise, the song is a good four minutes of sheer will fuelled by self-assurance, without even a second for indulgences like doubt.

Honestly, the idea that any man in the world would turn down Madonna in her prime, let alone require pursuit on this level, is, well, absurd. But it’s not all about her - for once she’s singing as the Everywoman as much as for herself. Empowerment comes from empathising with; singing along to (though Britney can shut it) Open Your Heart - in contrast, later songs like Express Yourself and Vogue feel more like a call to arms in the sense that Madonna all but commands the listener to empower themselves.

The writing process behind Open Your Heart is particularly interesting - originally written as Follow Your Heart by Gardner Cole and Peter Rafelson for Cyndi Lauper before it found its way to Madonna’s then-manager Freddy DeMann. His request for a female demo was fulfilled by none other than Donna De Lory, Gardner Cole’s ex-girlfriend, which led to both her 20-year on-and-off gig as Madonna’s live backing vocalist and Madonna’s recording of Open Your Heart.

Strangely, in March 1986, Venezuelan singer Melissa released a Spanish version called Abre Tu Corazón three months before the release of Madonna’s True Blue album. It’s instantly recognisable as the same song - though the arrangement, likely the same as the demo, is very different. Comparing the two versions shows a rare insight into the brilliance of Madonna’s contributions - Melissa hams up the vocal delivery a little, but Madonna brings a more nuanced performance, contrasting the husky verses with the passionate choruses. But what really turns the song from decent (and heavily dated) to an instant classic is the far more complex instrumentation - where Abre Tu Corazón is straightforward, Open Your Heart has two separate basslines in different octaves, layers of synth brass and swells, funk guitars along with that distinctive glockenspiel main riff. The driving percussion is especially powerful - with bongos and dead-note strummed guitars below the technical, almost post-punk drumming. It’s one of the single best recorded examples of ’80s, synth-driven production - as complex as it is, it never detracts, only ever propels the song forward.

Though thematically the music may have a fairly simple message, Open Your Heart kicks off a good decade’s worth of deceptively complex Madonna videos, each carrying a myriad number of possible interpretations. The “correct” interpretation, if one even exists, is elusive - buried under the weight of all the images’ and settings’ various associations, none of which Madonna ever suggests unintentionally. For the sheer difficulty of analysing these music videos, I don’t apologise.

Like Papa Don’t Preach, there’s a sense of duality running through Open Your Heart’s video. Madonna first appears as an exotic dancer - but instead of being a vessel for male pleasure, she dances as their superior, with the onlookers reduced to a mere fraction of her vitality and life. And like Material Girl, it’s both homage - this time out-Lizaing Liza Minelli at the start - and personal reinvention. What’s completely new is when Madonna leaves the club in an oversized suit, kissing, dancing and running off with the young boy who unsuccessfully tries to sneak in to watch her. To this day I still don’t understand his role - calling it the stripper’s redemption through a child’s innocence is far too condemning a perspective for Madonna to take. Not to mention that it’s barely obvious how the song relates at all to her already-empowered point of view in the video - perhaps commenting on the men’s ironic inability to open her heart? Regardless of how well it’s understood, Open Your Heart is a fascinating video - and the one that set her standard for many years to come.