Madonna: Like an Icon should have been given on exploring her personal life, which would have made the biography compelling. The biography is divided into three parts. The first part is named "Baptism" and tells about Madonna's birth in Detroit, Michigan, her early childhood, her time in New York, and her dance degree. It also talks in detail about the release of her first three studio albums—"Madonna", "Like a Virgin" and "True Blue"—her marriage to actor Sean Penn, and also her foray into films. The middle part, named "Confession", starts from the "Like a Prayer" era onwards where Madonna has become a global superstar.
Secret (Madonna song) and explained that she was "drawn to the rawness of [McDaniel's] film". Madonna wanted to tone down her image and according to McDaniel: Before meeting with Madonna, McDaniel first listened to the song and found it inspiring. When asked by the singer about her references for the video, McDaniel presented her with pictures from her favorite 1970s photographer, Bill Burke, who took pictures of people considered as freaks or inbred. Another reference was the photography book, "East 100 Street" by Bruce Davidson, which showed pictures of people in Spanish Harlem. Madonna let the director live in her New York apartment