Billy Steinberg, Prolific Pop Songwriter Behind ‘Like a Virgin’ and ‘Alone,’ Dies at 75
Billy Steinberg, the songwriter whose emotionally direct lyrics powered some of the biggest pop hits of the Eighties and beyond, has died at 75.
Steinberg died Monday, Feb. 16, in Los Angeles, his lawyer confirmed. A cause of death was not disclosed, though he had reportedly been battling cancer. In a statement, his family described him as a “visionary lyricist, devoted husband, loving father, and one of the most influential songwriters of his era.” His lyrics often began as deeply personal reflections, transformed into anthems in which millions found themselves”, the statement read. “Billy Steinberg’s life was a testament to the enduring power of a well-written song and to the idea that honesty, when set to music, can outlive us all.”
Often collaborating with composer Tom Kelly, Steinberg was responsible for a remarkable string of chart-topping hits in the 1980s and 1990s. Five of his songs reached Number One on the Billboard Hot 100: Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional,” the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” and Heart’s “Alone.”
Lauper paid tribute on Instagram, writing, “I’m so sorry to hear that my friend Billy Steinberg has passed away. He was such a nice guy and very supportive. My thoughts are with his family, loved ones, and Tom during this sad time.”
Before establishing himself as a behind-the-scenes hitmaker, Steinberg pursued his own performing career. In the late Seventies and early Eighties, he fronted a New Wave band called Billy Thermal. Though the group’s album was never officially released, its demos circulated in industry circles. One song, “How Do I Make You,” caught the attention of Linda Ronstadt, who recorded it for her 1980 album Mad Love. The single peaked at Number 10 on the Hot 100, marking Steinberg’s first major commercial breakthrough.
In 1981, Steinberg teamed up with Tom Kelly. The pair briefly formed the band i-Ten, releasing Taking a Cold Look in 1983. While the album failed to chart, it included an early version of “Alone,” which would later become one of Heart’s signature hits.
The Birth of ‘Like a Virgin’
Steinberg and Kelly’s defining breakthrough arrived in 1984 with Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” Steinberg later recalled writing the lyric’s central phrase while driving around his father’s Southern California vineyard, inspired by the emotional clarity of a new relationship after a painful one had ended. “I remember there was a little spark when I put that down,” he once said of the title line. “I said to myself, ‘That’s a good hook.’”
After several artists passed on the song, Warner Records executive Michael Ostin suggested it to Madonna. The result became one of the most recognizable singles of the decade, helping launch Madonna into global superstardom and cementing Steinberg and Kelly as elite pop craftsmen.
The duo went on to write hits for the Divinyls (“I Touch Myself”), the Pretenders (“I’ll Stand By You”), Tina Turner (“Look Me in the Heart”), and others. “I Drove All Night,” originally intended for Roy Orbison, became a Top 10 hit for Lauper in 1989; Orbison and, later, Celine Dion also recorded successful versions.
After Kelly retired from songwriting in the 1990s, Steinberg continued to adapt. Working with collaborators such as Rick Nowels and Josh Alexander, he contributed to hits by Melanie C, JoJo, t.A.T.u., the Veronicas, Demi Lovato, and Nicole Scherzinger. His co-write on Dion’s “Falling Into You” helped secure his only Grammy Award when the album won Album of the Year in 1997.
Steinberg was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011, recognition of a career that spanned generations of pop.
