MADONNA FRIDAY: LONG LOST GEM, GAMBLER

The oft forgotten OTHER song from the Vision Quest Soundtrack, Gambler was the second single released from the movie by Madonna, after Crazy for You. The song was never released as a single in the US, but the video was released to MTV to promote the film and Madonna performed it on her Virgin Tour, which is the first video I included in this post. Gambler was written by Madonna herself and produced by John "Jellybean" Benitez, her frequent collaborator and off-and-on boyfriend at that time. The song WAS released in other countries and became a top 10 hit in the UK (#4), Australia (#10), Ireland (#3) and Italy (#3) and other territories. Why wasn't Gambler released in the US at the height of the Madonna mania you ask? Well, Madonna was under contract with Warner's Sire label and the soundtrack was under Geffen records. While Crazy for You was allowed to be released by Sire, they asked that Gambler be held back in the US so as not to interfere with singles from her then-current Like a Virgin album. And that, my friends, is how the music industry works sometimes. I know I listened to the shiz out of this song on my little cassette player. Anyway, here is a forgotten classic by the one and only Madonna, Gambler. Enjoy your Madonna Friday!