Stephen Bray: You might not know his name…but you’ve definitely heard some of his music.

Before Madonna became famous and started scoring hit after hit in the 1980s, she was a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, majoring in dance.

Stephen was a drummer from nearby Detroit. They met and started dating. When Madonna moved to New York to join a group called The Breakfast Club, Stephen went with her.

And then, when Madonna signed her first recording contract, she asked Stephen to collaborate on solo material…and he was more than happy to oblige.

Together, they came up with a number of hits, including “Into the “Groove, ” True Blue,” and this week’s featured Great Song of 1989: “Express Yourself.”

The song was a call for female empowerment–including sexual freedom–and the impact it had on young women all over the globe was immediate,strong, and in many cases, life changing.

The proof is in the numbers: The song (from the album “Like a Prayer”) was a top 10 hit in TWENTY countries, including the U.S., where it topped two separate Dance Charts, climbed to #2 on the Hot 100, and reached #12 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.

Fun fact: The video was based on the classic silent film, “Metropolis,” and its $5 million budget made it the most expensive music video in history at the time. Obviously. Madonna didn’t stand for second best in ANY category.

“Express Yourself” by Madonna…with input from friend and collaborator Stephen Bray, it became a landmark Great Song of 1989.