The music video for Madonna‘s “Cherish” was part of a childhood memory for Kim Kardashian. Kardashian knew the Material Girl from a young age and said many positive things about her. Interestingly, “Cherish” was a major change of pace for Madonna at a time when she was known for scandals.
Kim Kardashian was there when Madonna shot ‘Cherish’
Madonna was known for her provocative music videos. For her love song “Cherish,” she toned down her image. The black-and-white video depicts the “True Blue” singer frolicking at the beach with a group of mermen. For an artist whose videography includes BDSM, burning crosses, and kisses with Britney Spears, “Cherish” was a rare moment of wholesome innocence — even if the camera lingers a lot on the bodies of Madonna and her aquatic friends.
In a 2018 Facebook post, Kardashian discussed her feelings about the Material Girl. “You guys don’t even understand my love for this woman Madonna,” she said. “When I was 8 years old Allison & I watched her shoot her ‘Cherish’ music video in Malibu on the beach shot by Herb Ritz [sic].” For context, Ritts was a famous physique photographer who also helmed the video for Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.”
“In 1989, She was also my neighbor & gave Kourtney & I a box of neon jewelry & black rubber bracelets,” Kardashian added. “We went to school bragging hard but no one believed us! I’ve looked up to her always & now I get the best skin care advice from her! Obsessed with @mdnaskin rose mist & the eye mask OMG it’s the best.”
Madonna recorded the song in 1 take
“Cherish” was co-written by Patrick Leonard. He was Madonna’s collaborator on many classic songs, including “La Isla Bonita,” “Live to Tell,” “Express Yourself,” and “Frozen.” During a 2022 interview with Music Business Worldwide, Loanrd recalled how the Queen of Pop recorded “Cherish” and the other tunes from Like a Prayer. “The really crazy thing about this, and I know this is out there already, she only ever sang these songs one time,” he said.
“I mean, she didn’t sing the songs on Like a Prayer more than once, ever,” he added. “There were no re-takes, there was the demo vocal and that was the record. It was absolutely extraordinary.”
How the public reacted to ‘Cherish’
“Cherish” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It spent a total of 15 weeks on the chart. The tune’s parent album, Like a Prayer, was even more popular. It topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks, spending 77 weeks on the chart altogether.
Several other songs from Like a Prayer were also hits. The title track reached No. 1, “Express Yourself” reached No. 2, “Keep It Together” peaked at No. 8, and “Oh Father” peaked at No. 20. Each of these tunes has old-fashioned elements but “Cherish” is the most archaic song of the bunch. It sounds like the sort of doo-wop tune that would become popular in the United States between Elvis Presley’s stint in the army and The Beatles’ breakthrough in America.
“Cherish” wasn’t one of the bigger songs in Madonna’s catalog but it was part of a major moment in Kardashian’s life.
