MADONNA - Angel

What this video is

Released in 1985 as part of the Like a Virgin album cycle, 'Angel' arrived at the apex of Madonna's transformation from club sensation to global superstar. The video is a product of MTV's early golden age, when the network still functioned as the primary launch platform for pop singles and the music video format was being actively invented in real time. Madonna's visual identity — blending Catholic iconography,…

Why it matters

As a dance-pop and synth-pop artifact from 1985, 'Angel' represents the commercial and aesthetic peak of the genre's first mainstream cycle. The video's fast cut-rate and choreographic focus helped establish the visual grammar that would define pop music video production for the remainder of the…

The director

Mary Lambert is an American director best known for her collaborations with Madonna in the mid-1980s, helming iconic videos including 'Like a Virgin' (1984) and 'Material Girl' (1985). She later directed the feature film Pet Sematary (1989). Lambert was…