with the difficult situation after ending a previous relationship. When he took the lyrics to Kelly, together they decided that it would be a sensitive ballad, but could not decide how to include the word "virgin" in it. Steinberg elaborated: "I wasn't just trying to get that racy word virgin in a lyric. I was saying [...] I've been battered romantically and emotionally like many people— but I'm starting a new relationship and it just feels so good, it's healing all the wounds and making me feel like I've never done this before". They then recorded a demo, with Kelly singing lead and Steinberg singing backup. After the demo was recorded, Kelly invited Warner Bros. Records A&R executive Michael Ostin to his house to listen to it. Ostin, who was set to meet with Madonna the following day, wanted to play the demo for her, as he believed the lyrics and groove were "perfect" for her; "when I played it [for Madonna] she went crazy, and I knew instantly it was a song for her and that she could make a great record out of it," Ostin recalled. In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, the singer was asked by Austin Scaggs what were her first impressions after listening to the demos of "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl"; she replied, I liked them both because they were ironic and provocative at the same time but also unlike me. I am not a materialistic person, and I certainly wasn't a virgin, and, by the way, how can you be like a virgin? I liked the play on words; I thought they were clever. They're so geeky, they're cool. I never realized they would become my signature songs, especially the second one. Recording and production In mid-1984, Madonna met with Nile Rodgers at New York's Power Station studio to start working on her second studio album; Rodgers put together an "economical" rhythm section, consisting of himself on guitars, Bernard Edwards from Chic on bass, and Tony Thompson on drums. According to author Fred Bronson, Rodgers did not want Madonna to record "Like a Virgin", as he felt the lyric "like a virgin" was not a "terrific" hook, nor an "all-time catch phrase". However, he began to have second thoughts after hearing the demo; "I couldn't get it out of my head after I played it, even though I didn't really like