Papa Don't Preach

"Papa Don't Preach" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album, True Blue (1986). Written by Brian Elliot, it was produced by the singer and her collaborator Stephen Bray. In the United States, the song was released as the album's second single on June 11, 1986, whereas in most European countries, the release was five days later. A dance-pop track that mixes elements of baroque, post-disco and classical music, its lyrics deal with teenage pregnancy. Elliot wrote it inspired by teen gossip he'd hear outside his recording studio. Originally intended for a singer named Christina Dent, Warner Bros. Records A&R executive Michael Ostin convinced Elliot to let Madonna record it instead. The singer then added and altered a few of the lyrics and received a songwriting credit.
Upon release, the song was lauded by critics, with praise being given to Madonna's vocals. Additionally, it became her fourth number one single in the US Billboard Hot 100. "Papa Don't Preach" also topped the charts in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, and peaked within the top-five of multiple European countries. The accompanying music video, directed by James Foley, shows the singer in her first "head-to-toe" image makeover, with a leaner, more muscular body. In it, Madonna plays a teenager who confesses her pregnancy to her father, played by actor Danny Aiello. The scenes are juxtaposed with shots of her dancing and singing in a small, darkened studio.
The song caused controversy because of its lyrical content and video. Women's organizations and others in the family planning field accused Madonna of promoting teenage pregnancy, while groups opposed to abortion saw the song as having a positive pro-life message. Madonna has performed "Papa Don't Preach" in five of her concert tours, the last being 2019―2020's Madame X Tour. The single's performance at the Who's That Girl World Tour (1987) caused Madonna's first conflict with the Vatican, as she dedicated it to Pope John Paul II, who urged Italian fans to boycott her concerts. In 2002, British personality Kelly Osbourne released a cover of the song, which received mixed reviews but achieved commercial success.
Brian Elliot wrote "Papa Don't Preach". Based on teen gossip he would hear outside his recording studio, which had a large front window that was used as mirror by schoolgirls from the Los Angeles' North Hollywood High School, Elliot described the track as a "love song, maybe framed a little bit differently [...] about a young girl who found herself at a crossroads in life and didn’t know where to turn". In 1986, Elliot ―who'd previously attempted a singing career to no avail― was working and writing songs for Christina Dent, an upcoming singer signed up to Warner Bros. Records. Elliot then played the demos he'd created for Dent, among them "Papa Don't Preach", to Warner Bros. A&R executive Michael Ostin. Ostin had discovered "Like a Virgin", and asked Elliot if he could play "Papa Don't Preach" to Madonna, who at the time was working on True Blue, her third studio album, alongside Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray. Madonna heard and liked the song, so Ostin talked Elliot into letting her record it. Elliot had been working with Dent for six months and was reluctant to let the song go to another artist, but he eventually gave in, finding the idea of Madonna recording one of his songs "hard to resist". Madonna's contribution was limited to a few altered and added-on lyrics, making "Papa Don't Preach" the only song on the album that she did not have a strong hand in writing; nonetheless, she managed to get a songwriting credit.
"Papa Don't Preach", along with the rest of the True Blue album, was recorded at Los Angeles' Channel Recording studios. When they met at the studio, Madonna allegedly asked Elliot if she had "wrecked his song", and the two got into a brief discussion that was eventually resolved. Personnel working on the song included Bray on keyboards and percussions, alongside Fred Zarr and Jonathan Moffett; David Williams, Bruce Gaitsch and John Putnam played guitars, while background vocals were provided by Siedah Garrett and Edie Lehmann. Zarr had worked on Madonna's 1983 debut, and she called him back to work on True Blue. When working on the song, Zarr came up with a string sequence while "doodling around" on an Emulator II synthesizer. After Madonna heard it, she liked it and decided to use it as introduction, putting it at the beginning of the song; Zarr, however, remained uncredited.
"Papa Don't Preach" is a dance-pop song with elements of baroque, post-disco, classical music and "Beatles-style psychedelia". According to the sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Inc., it is set in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 116 beats per minute. Written in the key of F minor, Madonna's vocal range spans from F3 to C5. She uses a "mature, centered" lower range, a contrast to her previous works. Lyrically, it's about a teenage girl who reveals to her father that she is pregnant, and refuses to have an abortion or give the child up for adoption. It is constructed in a verse-chorus form, with a bridge before the third and final chorus.
The song begins with a "Vivaldian" orchestral string introduction that "sets the mood" before the drums kick in: Fm–E♭–D♭–Cm–D♭–E♭–Fm–D♭–E♭–Fm. The strings then give way to "jittery, propulsive synth-bass and big, mechanized drums". In the opening verse, the singer addresses her father directly, asking him to treat her as an adult, not a child; Papa, I know you're going to be upset/Cause I was always your little girl/But you should know by now, I'm not a baby. Madonna's vocals in the pre-chorus are "more dramatic, almost pained": The one you warned me all about, she sings, ending nearly in cries when she pronounces the word please. In the chorus she states that she's decided to keep the child; Papa, don't preach, I'm in trouble deep/Papa, don't preach, I've been losing sleep/But I've made up my mind, I'm gonna keep my baby. As the song goes on, the singer's vocals become "stronger", gaining a sense of "anguish an desperation".
The second verse has a doubtful Madonna imagining a possible future with the father of her child: He says that he’s going to marry me/We can raise a little family/Maybe we’ll be all right/It’s a sacrifice. She also feels pressure from her friends, who encourage her to not become a teen parent; My friends keep telling me to give it up/Saying I'm too young, I ought to live it up. Also present in the song is an acoustic guitar, Spanish-inspired bridge, which was noted for being one of the earliest examples of the influence that Hispanic music had on Madonna's musical style. The song ends with Madonna singing Don't you stop loving me, daddy, as it fades out. In Madonna's Drowned Worlds, Santiago Fouz-Hernández and Freya Jarman-Ivens perceived queer subtexts on the lyrics, as members of the LGBT community could relate to them when coming out to their parents. In the United States, "Papa Don't Preach" was released as True Blue's second single on June 11, 1986. In most European countries, it was issued five days later. It was then added to Madonna's compilation albums The Immaculate Collection (1990) and Celebration (2009).
Since its release, "Papa Don't Preach" has been acclaimed by critics. On his review of True Blue, Rolling Stone's Davitt Sigerson wrote that, "only the magnificent 'Papa Don’t Preach' has the high-profile hook to match 'Like a Virgin', 'Dress You Up' and 'Material Girl'", and compared it to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" (1983). It was deemed "stunning" and a "masterstroke" by the Chicago Tribune's Daniel Brogan and AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, respectively. For Entertainment Weekly's David Browne, "a 30-ish urban sophisticate singing in the voice of a pregnant teen [...] ought to sound ridiculous. With the help of collaborators like Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard, though [...] [it] turns into a perfectly conceived pop record".
Adam Sexton, author of Desperately Seeking Madonna: In Search of the Meaning of the World's Most Famous Woman, named it True Blue's "boldest" track, comparing it to "Bodies" (1977) by Sex Pistols, and Graham Parker's "You Can't Be Too Strong" (1979). Sexton further pointed out that the melody was just as "insistently chugging" as the singer's previous singles "Into the Groove" and "Dress You Up" (1985), but the mood is "tense and claustrophobic". On this note, John Quayle from the Observer–Reporter noted a departure from the "sugar-coatedness" of Madonna's past songs. Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani said it was "undeniably more mature" than Madonna's previous works, further adding that, with songs like "Papa Don’t Preach", "[she] made the transition from pop tart to consummate artist, joining the ranks of the decade's icons like Michael Jackson and Prince.
Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian opined it was the artist's "first socially controversial single, and one of her best tunes to boot [...] it wasn't her first attempt at a teenage persona (see 'Dress You Up'), but it was the most endearing". Tom Breihan added that, "['Papa Don't Preach'] signaled that Madonna had enough juice to make a social-issue song that was also a stylistic left-turn". He also said it proved "how Madonna, a technically limited singer, could always capture the feeling of a song", and referred to "Papa Don't Preach" as a "masterful piece of pop craftsmanship". From The New York Times, Stephen Holden praised the singer's vocals; "[she] sings it in a passionate, bratty sob that makes the plea immediate and believable". Robert Hilburn, writing for the Los Angeles Times, expressed that the "most obvious growth is in the control and character in Madonna's singing", and considered the lyrics to be "tailor-made for video. "Papa Don't Preach" boasts "some of the strongest vocals Madonna ever recorded", according to author Matthew Rettenmund.
Writing for PopMatters, Peter Piatkowski said it was an "idiosyncratic tune", that shared the "maturity and ambition" of previous single "Live to Tell". Santiago Fouz-Hernández concluded the track was a "significant milestone in [Madonna]'s artistic career". This sentiment was echoed by The Arizona Republic's Ed Masley, who perceived "more soul than was expected at the time" in Madonna's vocals, and referred to the song as a "richly orchestrated dance track". From website Albumism, Justin Chadwick said that "Papa Don't Preach" was, "arguably the most unforgettable of True Blue's many memorable moments". In The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, Rikky Rooksby gave a mixed review: "The chorus is punchy enough, and there's a pleasant acoustic guitar solo, but as a whole, [the song] seems musically a trifle under-powered". Negative criticism came from The Daily Iowan's Jeff Hamilton: "[Madonna] had a good year at the stores, but can anyone take her music seriously? [...] In terms of scrutable ideology ['Papa Don't Preach'] doesn't represent a change from 'Like A Virgin'". The Record-Journal's Jim Zebora was also negative, referring to the song as "perfectly annoying".
At the 29th Grammy Awards, "Papa Don't Preach" was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, but lost to Barbra Streisand's The Broadway Album. Furthermore, it's often referred to as one of Madonna's finest singles. The staff of Billboard placed it on the 28th spot of the magazine's ranking of the singer's songs. On Parade's ranking, where it came in at number 25, Samuel R. Murrian praised it for treating a "complicated subject with the humanity and gravity it merits", and having an "ace pop hook driving it". Chuck Arnold, writing for Entertainment Weekly, named it her 21st greatest song. "Papa Don't Preach" also came in at number 21 on Slant Magazine's ranking, where Paul Schrodt wrote: "[It] may well be the only song about choosing not to have an abortion that also feels rebellious, even dangerous".
For the HuffPost's Matthew Jacobs, "Papa Don't Preach" is Madonna's 14th best song, and its "sweeping string arrangement" one of "pop music's most engaging openings". On the ranking of Madonna songs created by Gay Star News, "Papa Don't Preach" was allocated the tenth spot. From The Guardian, Jude Rogers named it Madonna's fifth greatest song, praising her vocals and the "glorious string arrangement". Finally, Nayer Missim from PinkNews named it the third best song of the singer's discography: "A rare example of Madonna-as-storyteller [...] Unfairly dismissed (or claimed) as a pro-life anthem, its lyrics are much more personal, open and interesting than that".
On June 18, 1986, "Papa Don't Preach" was added to 174 of 226 pop reporting radio stations, which caused it to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 42. One month later, the song reached the sixth place of the chart, becoming Madonna's ninth consecutive top-ten single. This made her the fourth female artist in the rock era to earn this amount of consecutive top-ten singles, behind only Brenda Lee, Aretha Franklin and Donna Summer. "Papa Don't Preach" reached the Hot 100's first position on August 16, and spent two weeks there. It was Madonna's fourth number-one, and her eighth consecutive top-five hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The single also reached the 16th and fourth position of the Dance Club Songs and Adult Contemporary charts, respectively. By the end of 1986, it ranked 29th on the Hot 100. In October 1998, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of 500,000 copies. In Canada, "Papa Don't Preach" debuted at number 53 of the RPM singles chart on July 5; one month later, it reached the top spot and remained there for two weeks. On RPM's 1986 year-end chart, it came in at number 13.
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at the 13th position of the singles chart on June 28, and peaked at number one two weeks later. It held the first spot for three consecutive weeks, and was present on the chart a total of 15 weeks. "Papa Don't Preach" was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in August 1986 for shipment of 500,000 copies. According to Music Week magazine, over 629,386 copies of the single have been sold in the United Kingdom as of 2008. The song was commercially successful across Europe as well, reaching the first spot of the charts in Belgium, Ireland, and Norway. It also peaked within the top-five in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. "Papa Don't Preach" reached the first position of the Eurochart Hot 100, where it remained for 11 weeks. It also topped the charts in Australia, and reached the top-five in South Africa and New Zealand.
The music video for "Papa Don't Preach" was directed by James Foley, with whom the singer had previously worked on "Live to Tell". Crew included David Naylor and Sharon Oreck on production, while Michael Ballhaus was in charge of cinematography. Having just done the "glamorous and stylized" videos for "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin", for "Papa Don't Preach", Madonna wanted to "tap into a working-class environment", and do something "a bit more grounded and 'drama'", thus Foley suggested filming on Staten Island. Shooting took three days, with the ferry being used for one; the director recalled that, "there were thousands of people and paparazzi and everything". The singer chose actor Danny Aiello to portray her father in the visual. Aiello recalled that he did not think of Madonna as a "music star or tabloid gossip queen. We were shooting a drama, so I viewed both of us through our characters". He also revealed that he agreed to star in the video as a favor to actor Sean Penn ―Madonna's husband at the time― and because his daughter was a fan of the singer's. Alex McArthur ―whom Madonna had spotted in the 1985 film Desert Hearts― was cast as her romantic interest. "I was out in the garage working on my Harley [...] I answered the phone and a voice said, 'Hi, this is Madonna. I would like you to be in my next video'", McArthur recalled. The singer's friends, actresses Debi Mazar, Bianca Hunter and dancer Erika Belle, also participated.
According to Samuel R. Murrian, the video marked Madonna's first "head-to-toe image makeover". No longer wearing heavy jewelry and make-up, she instead adopted a gamine look, similar to the one donned by Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s. Her body was also leaner and muscular. The video's main storyline revolves around an Italian American teenager (Madonna) with an unexpected pregnancy who seeks the approval of her father. Author David James noted that Madonna wanted to "make sure the world could see she'd been working out heavily, [and] no longer was a streetwise 'tramp'", thus additional footage of her singing was shot. Foley explained how this idea came to be:
The video begins with shots of the New York City skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and Staten Island Ferry. Madonna, as a sixteen-year-old tomboyish teenager in her first months of pregnancy, walks down the sidewalk with a "determined" gaze. She wears tight jeans, a striped boatneck sweater, and carries a leather jacket to her back; her blonde hair is done in a pixie style. When she gets home, the story of her life as an only child raised by a single father (Aiello) is told through flashbacks. The main story is intercut with footage of Madonna singing and dancing against a black background. In these sequences, her appearance is more "glamorous": She wears a black bustier and pedal pushers, her hair is slightly curled, her lips red, and her eyes "colorfully glossed and outlined".
Another flashback shows the teenager, dressed in a black T-shirt with the caption "Italians do it better", meeting and being smitten by an attractive mechanic (McArthur). In the next scene, she ditches her girlfriends to be with him. They spend a romantic evening together on the ferry, where they reflect upon their lives after spotting an elderly couple. As the clip goes on, the teenager ―now aware of her pregnancy― is determined to keep the baby, but is worried about the situation and having to break the news to her father. She walks up a huge outdoor stone staircase from which the camera springs outward to pan the neighborhood. At home, she finally comes clean with her father, who is shocked and leaves the room to think about the situation. When he comes back, he breaks down, and the final scene is of a reconciliatory hug between father and daughter.
Critical feedback towards the video was generally positive. Stephen Holden called Madonna's performance in the video "virtuoso [...] like Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean', the song and its video have an iconographic resonace that could push [her] career to an even higher plateau". Author Mary Gabriel added that it shared the song's "dramatic tension" and themes: "Love, longing, excitement, confusion, isolation, fear ―but never shame. And that was a breakthrough. In real teen pregnancies, the girls are the 'sinners' who carry their shame. Madonna's pregnant main character has none". Gabriel also added that Madonna began to be compared to fellow singer Bruce Springsteen for allegedly "speaking to working-class women and girls the way [Springsteen] spoke to working-class men and boys".
To the staff of Rolling Stone, it marked the moment the singer began "treating the music video concept as more of a short film than promotional clip". They also applauded Madonna's "rather unglamorous" new look. For Hal Marcovitz, author of The History of Music Videos (2012), it marked a "sharp departure" from what the public was used to seeing in Madonna's videos. Mark Bego added that, "not everyone could do such an about-face with their looks and not lose their audience. However, [Madonna] pulled it off ―as she would time and time again". This opinion was shared by Slant Magazine's Eric Mason, who pointed out the sharp contrast with the "glamorous extradiegetic Madonna of 'Material Girl'". The singer's look with the leather jacket and "Italians do it better" T-shirt is considered to be one of her most "iconic" and "unforgettable". Mason concluded that, "in addition to igniting controversy over freedom of choice and teen pregnancy, Madonna continued to revolutionize the music video form by expanding its capacity for narrative". At the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, "Papa Don't Preach" won Best Female Video, and was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Overall Performance.
Retrospective reviews have named it one of Madonna's best music videos. On the rankings created by The Backlot and Parade, it was named her sixteenth and fifteenth greatest video, respectively. Louis Virtel, writing for the former, highlighted the singer's "serious Ciccone angst", and felt it was the "urgency in [her] performance [that] makes this video". In the ranking of Madonna videos created by Slant Magazine, "Papa Don't Preach" came in at number 12. Rocco Papa from The Odyssey highlighted its views of New York City, and named it the singer's fourth best music video. It also came in at number four on Idolator's ranking; Mike Neid praised it for "showing off a more serious side of her artistry". "Papa Don't Preach" is considered one of the singer's most controversial music videos by HuffPost's Daniel Welsh, and Sal Cinquemani. It can be found on Madonna's video compilations The Immaculate Collection (1990) and Celebration: The Video Collection (2009).
Journalist Ellen Goodman referred to the video as a "commercial for teen-age pregnancy", and chastised Madonna for "glamorizing" said subject; "[her] boyfriend is a hunky dreamboat with a conscience and moral compass, while her father is loving, supportive and even-tempered". Goodman argued that few pregnant teenagers would find a similar support from their boyfriends and families. "This happily-ever-after image has about as much to do with the reality of adolescent motherhood as Madonna's (shapely) figure has to do with pregnancy", the journalist concluded, and asked Madonna to "call off the propaganda". Fellow singer Cyndi Lauper added: "If you're a teen mother who wants to keep her baby [...] you're not going to look like Madonna [...] it ain't gonna be that easy. Fathers don't always come around to give you their blessing. The guy who knocked you up doesn't always hang around". In a 1993 study of Madonna's early music videos, "race and gender" were found to be factors in how teenagers interpreted the visual. 50% of African American females and 43% of African American males saw "Papa Don't Preach" as being about a father-daughter relationship, as opposed to the 25% of white females and 22% of white males who saw it that way. Most white viewers perceived it to be about pregnancy.
Susanne Hamscha, one of the authors of The Fiction of America: Performance and the Cultural Imaginary in Literature and Film, argued that the clip oscillates between liberal and conservative ideology, private and public, feminism and patriarchy, and "female independence and the need for paternal approval". Amy Robinson added that the topic of abortion is "explicitly" addressed in terms of the "private/public dive", and noted how Madonna's character "glorifies parental consent". In her book Experiencing Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural Context, Carol Vernallis compared the video of "Papa Don't Preach" to that of No Doubt's "Don't Speak" (1995), as in both cases, the songs' music and lyrics offer "imprecise evocations of time", and allow the viewer to "fill the gaps" regarding the videos' plots. "'Papa Don't Preach' does not say for how long or how often Madonna dated, or when she became fully committed to her boyfriend [...] In 'Don't Speak', how long Gwen Stefani had a relationship with a member of the band and when she developed troubles is also uncertain", Vernallis wrote.
As the popularity of the song and video increased in the United States, so did the criticism and support it received from groups concerned with pregnancy and abortion. Conservatives saw Madonna advocating a pro-life stance; others, including woman's organizations and parents, criticized her for "promoting" teenage pregnancy. Feminist lawyer Gloria Allred, spokeswoman of the National Organization for Women (NOW), angrily called for the singer to make a public statement or another record supporting the track's opposite point of view. Alfred Moran, executive director of New York City's Planned Parenthood, went as far as to send out a "critical demo" to radio and TV stations, advising them to "think carefully" before playing the song or airing the video. According to Moran, the song's message is that "getting pregnant is cool [a]nd having the baby is the right thing and a good thing and don't listen to your parents, the school, anybody who tells you otherwise —don't preach to me, Papa". He further told The New York Times: "Everybody I've talked to believes [Madonna] has more impact on young teen-agers than any other single entertainer since the Beatles, that's what makes this particular song so destructive". Conservative social worker Kathie Peters added that, "too many kids are getting pregnant. They don't know what they're getting into. I don't like the [song's] message". Prior to its release, the singer herself discussed the song with Stephen Holden:
In contrast, groups opposed to abortion applauded "Papa Don't Preach". Susan Carpenter-McMillan, president of the California chapter of Feminists for Life (FFL), said that, "[abortion] is readily available on every street corner for young women. Now what Madonna is telling them is, 'hey, there's an alternative'". Brian Elliot himself allegedly said that, "if [Madonna] has influenced [pregnant] young girls to keep their babies, I don’t think that’s such a bad deal". Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore, co-founder of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), and who two years earlier had condemned Madonna's single "Dress You Up", deemed "Papa Don't Preach" an "important song, and a good one, which discusses, with urgency, a real predicament which thousands of unwed teenagers face in our country [...] It also speaks to the fact that there's got to be more support and more communication in familiies about this problem". In this vein, Joyce Millman wrote in the Boston Phoenix: "['Papa Don't Preach'] is Madonna's finest three minutes, not merely because it addresses teen pregnancy, but because it suggests that a portion of the blame rests on parents' reluctance to discuss, not lecture, about sex". Mary Gabriel noted how in the 1980s, Roe v. Wade and the subject of abortion were still "overwhelmed by the religious right, which shifted the focus to the fetus. The woman carrying it became a troublesome bit player". With "Papa Don't Preach", Madonna "returned the woman to the center stage ―it became about what she wanted".
Madonna herself did not comment on the song's use as a pro-life statement. Her publicist Liz Rosenberg released a statement saying that, "[she's] singing a song, not taking a stand [...] her philosophy is people can think what they want to think". The song's performance on 1987's Who's That Girl World Tour also caused controversy, as Madonna dedicated it to Pope John Paul II. The Vatican publicly denounced the singer and John Paul II urged fans to boycott the concerts in Italy. Georges-Claude Guilbert found it hard to believe that, "[Madonna] did not know that she was going to cause a huge controversy [...] With such a song and video, she was throwing in America's face the image of a country ravaged by the abortion debate, which is far from being resolved". In 2016, Spin magazine listed "Papa Don't Preach" among the most controversial songs of all time.
"Papa Don't Preach" has been included on five of Madonna's concert tours: Who's That Girl (1987), Blond Ambition (1990), Re-Invention (2004), MDNA (2012), and Madame X (2019―2020). On the first one, she performed the song wearing a 1950s blue dress and a leather jacket. The screen in the background projected images of Pope John Paul II, then-president of the United States Ronald Reagan, the White House, and the phrase "Safe sex". Writing for The New York Times, Jon Pareles pointed out that, at certain point in the performance, Madonna tilted her chin up to resemble the cover photograph for True Blue. Two different performances can be found on the videos Who's That Girl: Live in Japan, filmed in Tokyo on June, and Ciao Italia: Live from Italy, filmed in Turin on September.
On the Blond Ambition World Tour, "Papa Don't Preach" was given a Catholic theme. The stage was set up to resemble a candlelit cathedral, while Madonna wore black vestments. The number featured seven dancers, and the choreography mixed modern and classical ballet, as noted by Mary Gabriel. Carlton Wilborn, one of the dancers, played a priest Madonna interacted with. While reviewing the Houston concert, the staff of the Orlando Sentinel highlighted the number's "joyous gospel and heavy gothic organ scorings". Performances of the song can be found in Blond Ambition Japan Tour 90, taped in Yokohama, and in Blond Ambition World Tour Live, taped in Nice.
For the song's performance on the Re-Invention World Tour, Madonna donned a plaid kilt and a black T-shirt that read "Kabbalists Do It Better" ―a nod to the music video. The number, which included a Ring a Ring o' Roses circle dance, was praised for its "playfulness and innocence" by Newsday's Glenn Gamboa. On the MDNA Tour, the "dark and apocalyptic" performance of "Papa Don't Preach" sees Madonna "manhandled and bound by military thugs". Timothy Finn, for The Kansas City Star, noted that it was the number that caused the "first big eruption" from the crowd. The performances of the song at the November 19–20 shows in Miami were recorded and released in the MDNA World Tour live album (2013). "Papa Don't Preach" was one of the songs performed during Madonna's visit to The Late Late Show with James Corden in December 2016.
On the Madame X Tour, Madonna sang the first verse and chorus of "Papa Don't Preach" against a backdrop of Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia Gentileschi, following an "impassioned tirade about abortion". She additionally changed the lyric I'm keeping my baby to I'm not keeping my baby. Selena Fragassi, from the Chicago Sun-Times, applauded the singer for turning the song into a "platform for pro-choice beliefs".
The song's string introduction was used as a coda during the performance of "Erotica" (1992) on the Celebration Tour (2023―2024). In the sequence, Madonna simulates being masturbated by a dancer wearing the Jean-Paul Gaultier-designed corset from Blond Ambition, and recreates "Papa Don't Preach"'s choreography from that tour. Reviewing one of the Seattle concerts, Michael Rietmulder from The Times lamented the absence of the full song.
A pop-metal cover of "Papa Don't Preach" was recorded by Kelly Osbourne in 2002. In April of that year, MTV reported that Osbourne had recorded a "rough" demo of the song per her mother Sharon's suggestion. Produced by her brother Jack, it featured Incubus members Mike Einziger and Jose Pasillas on guitar and drums, respectively. Executives for The Osbournes were impressed with the demo and requested a studio version, which would be included on a planned soundtrack to the series. According to Osbourne, series executives originally wanted her sister Aimee to record the song, but she declined and suggested Kelly do it instead. Osbourne then re-recorded the song without the involvement of her brother or the Incubus members. The rendition was included on The Osbourne Family Album soundtrack, and released as a single on August 13. The following year, it was added as a hidden bonus track to Osbourne's debut album Shut Up. Explaining the cover, Osbourne said, "I love Madonna. Who doesn't?".
To promote the release, Osbourne shot a music video in Los Angeles, under the direction of Marcos Siega. She also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and sang the single live at the MTV Movie Awards, where her father introduced her to the audience. Critical reviews were generally mixed: For Billboard, Chuck Arnold considered it an "aggressive post-punk anthem" that's "certainly good for three minutes of steering-wheel banging on the way to the market" and "could just make Ozzy one proud daddy". NME's Peter Robinson, on the other hand, said it made "precisely zero sense", and panned it as a "sorry mess [that's] barely distinguishable". From Entertainment Weekly, Rob Brunner was also negative on his review, dismissing the cover as "unnecessary".
Despite lukewarm reviews from critics, the cover was commercially successful: It peaked at number three in the United Kingdom and Australia, where it was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for having sold over 70,000 units. Furthermore, Osbourne's rendition of "Papa Don't Preach" reached the top 40 in Austria, Germany, Italy, and New Zealand, the top 20 in Sweden, and the top 10 in Ireland and Finland.
In 1986, American singer "Weird Al" Yankovic incorporated "Papa Don't Preach" into "Polka Party!", one of the polka medleys taken from his album of the same name. Danny Aiello, who played Madonna's father in the music video, released "Papa Wants The Best For You", an answer song written by Artie Schroeck, told from a father's point of view. According to the actor, the father and daughter from "Papa Don't Preach" seemed "unable to talk to one another about something that is going to change their lives forever", thus he decided to make his own statement. Aiello recorded a video for the song, and even asked Madonna to participate, but she turned the offer down. In 1987, Dutch heavy metal band Angus released a rendition of the song under the title "Papa Don't Freak!". That same year, Canadian singer Céline Dion sang the track on a Canadian sketch show, wearing a blonde wig and a black strapless getup like the one Madonna wore on the video.
In 2002, French–Dutch group Mad'House did a Eurodance take on the song for their album Absolutely Mad. One Year later, Irish band Picturehouse sang it for the first Even Better Than the Real Thing covers album. "Papa Don't Preach" was sampled at the beginning of American singer Mario Winans' song "Never Really Was" (2004). Renditions of the song for tribute albums include one by Brook Barros on The Music of Madonna (2005), and a jazz version on Bo.Da's Plays Madonna in Jazz (2007). In 2009, Dianna Agron sang the track on "Hairography", the eleventh episode of American television series Glee. Ten years later, Palestinian artist and activist Shahd Abusalama released "Madonna Don't Go", a parody that addressed the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and urged the singer to pull out of performing at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Credits and personnel are adapted from the True Blue album liner notes, and the US twelve-inch single liner notes.