Everyone knows Madonna as an icon from the 80s, a woman who broke boundaries by simply stepping outside of the normal expectations of women worldwide. She refused silence, just as much as she refused conformity. Which is why, when Madonna released her first ever ballad, "Crazy For You," in 1985, not only was her label stunned, but so was the world.
The song went on to become Madonna's second No.1 on Billboard Hot 100, as well as receiving a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1986 Grammy Awards (Wikipedia). In Madonna's first ballad, the oboe could be heard sporadically throughout the piece, earning its own moments of spotlight every now and then. The addition of the oboe really sets the tone of the song as a whole, in Madonna-like twist that the general public never saw possible from the singer herself, especially considering that she had never performed a ballad before. The oboe, a double reed woodwind instrument thats not nearly as common as its woodwind counterparts, can be heard prominently in the beginning of the song. It was then strung throughout with the combination of the classic 80s synth, keyboard, and drumbeat. However, every now and then, the oboe gets a few solos throughout the piece. The feature of the oboe added the unexpected romantic twist that Madonna needed to establish to the public that she would not let her voice be confined to just one genre.
Who knew that such an un-classical woman could utilize such a classical instrument, and turn it into a hit?
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