What was Madonna's first album?
Madonna albums discography
American singer Madonna has released 13 studio albums, three soundtrack albums, five live albums, six compilation albums, and 34 other limited releases. In 1982, Madonna signed a recording contract with Sire Records, a label owned by Warner Bros. Records. The first release under the label was her self-titled debut album, "Madonna" (1983). It peaked at number eight on the "Billboard" 200 and was certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She followed the debut album with the sophomore release, "Like a Virgin" (1984). The album topped the chart in several countries and was certified diamond by the RIAA. "True Blue" was released as her third studio album in 1986 and sold over 25 million copies worldwide, while becoming her second chart topper in US. In 1987, she released two albums that reached platinum status in the United States: the "Who's That Girl soundtrack" and her first remix compilation, "You Can Dance". Madonna's fourth studio album, "Like a Prayer" (1989), became her third number-one album on the "Billboard" 200, achieving quadruple platinum in US.
Like a Virgin (album)
"Like a Virgin" was released as the lead single from the album in late 1984. It received positive reviews from contemporary as well as old critics, who frequently called it as one of the defining songs for Madonna. It became her first number-one single on the "Billboard" Hot 100, while reaching the top of the charts in Australia, Canada and Japan and the top-ten of the other countries. The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 10, 1985, for shipping a million copies across United States – the requirement for a gold single prior to 1989. The music video portrayed Madonna sailing down the riverways of Venice in a gondola, as well as roaming around a palace wearing a white wedding dress. With the video, scholars noted Madonna's portrayal of a sexually independent woman, the symbolism of the appearance of a man with lion's mask to that of Saint Mark, and compared the eroticism of the video to the vitality of the city of Venice.
Crazy for You (Madonna song)
"Crazy for You" received positive response from music critics and earned Madonna her first Grammy Award nomination in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category in 1986. The song became Madonna's second number-one single on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100, and reached the top position in the charts of Australia and Canada as well. It also peaked at number two in Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where it was released twice, once in 1985 and again in 1991. Madonna has performed "Crazy for You" in three of her concert tours, The Virgin Tour in 1985, Re-Invention World Tour in 2004 and in some dates of Rebel Heart Tour in 2016. The performance from The Virgin Tour was included in the home video releases on VHS and LaserDisc whereas the Re-Invention World Tour remains unreleased. "Crazy for You" has been covered by a number of artists.
Madonna (entertainer)
Following "Die Another Day", Madonna collaborated with fashion photographer Steven Klein in 2003 for an exhibition installation named X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS. It included photography from a photo shoot in "W" magazine, and seven video segments. The installation ran from March to May in New York's Deitch Projects gallery and also traveled the world in an edited form. The same year, Madonna released her ninth studio album, "American Life", which was based on her observations of American society. She explained that the record was "like a trip down memory lane, looking back at everything I've accomplished and all the things I once valued and all the things that were important to me." Larry Flick from "The Advocate" felt that ""American Life" is an album that is among her most adventurous and lyrically intelligent" while condemning it as "a lazy, half-arsed effort to sound and take her seriously." The title song peaked at number 37 on the Hot 100. Its original music video was canceled as Madonna thought that the clip, featuring violence and war imagery, would be deemed unpatriotic since America was then at war with Iraq. With four million copies sold worldwide, "American Life" was the lowest-selling album of her career at that point.
Madonna gave another provocative performance later that year at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, when she kissed singers Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera while singing the track "Hollywood". In October 2003, she provided guest vocals on Spears' single "Me Against the Music". It was followed with the release of "Remixed & Revisited". The EP contained remixed versions of songs from "American Life" and included "Your Honesty", a previously unreleased track from the "Bedtime Stories" recording sessions. Madonna also signed a contract with Callaway Arts & Entertainment to be the author of five children's books. The first of these books, titled "The English Roses", was published in September 2003. The story was about four English schoolgirls and their envy and jealousy of each other. The book debuted at the top of "The New York Times" Best Seller list and became the fastest-selling children's picture book of all time.
GHV2
In the United States, the compilation entered at number seven on the "Billboard" 200 chart on the week dated December 1, 2001, with first week sales of 150,000 copies. It was an improvement from the 113,000 copies sold by her 1995 ballad compilation album, "Something to Remember". However, "GHV2" also became her lowest debut on the chart since "The Immaculate Collection" (1990), which debuted on the "Billboard" 200 at number 32. Every Madonna album had debuted in the top six until "GHV2". It was present for a total of 18 weeks on the chart and ranked at number 58 on the "Billboard" 200 year end chart for 2002. As of October 2016, the album has sold 1,397,000 copies in the region according to Nielsen SoundScan, with an additional 90,000 sold at BMG Music Clubs. Nielsen SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service. It received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over a million copies. In Canada, the album debuted at number 11 on the Canadian Albums Chart, being present in the top 100 for a total of 16 weeks. It was certified platinum by Music Canada (MC) for selling over 100,000 copies.
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
Regarding the controversial period of her career, Madonna said, "I feel I've been misunderstood. I tried to make a statement about feeling good about yourself and exploring your sexuality, but people took it to mean that everyone should go out and have sex with everyone, and that I was going to be the leader of that. So I decided to leave it alone because that's what everyone ended up concentrating on. Sex is such a taboo subject and it's such a distraction that I'd rather not even offer it up." During 1994, Madonna started recording her sixth studio album. She collaborated with R&B producers such as Dallas Austin, Dave "Jam" Hall, and Babyface, and also enlisting British producer Nellee Hooper to the project. It became one of the very few occasions where she collaborated with well-known producers, the first since Nile Rodgers on "Like a Virgin" (1984). When asked about the record, Madonna said she wanted people to concentrate on the musical aspects of it, and would like the songs to speak for themselves. She also commented that it was because she was not interested in giving many interviews and being on the cover of magazines. She described the album as "a combination of pop, R&B, hip-hop and a Madonna record. It's very, very romantic". In an interview with "The Face" magazine, Madonna explained her inspirations behind "Bedtime Stories" as well as the reason for teaming up with R&B song producers.
Confessions on a Dance Floor
Madonna received "near-universal acclaim" with "Confessions on a Dance Floor", with Christopher Rosa from VH1 calling it her "best album to date" and explained that is a "near-perfect pop record" and "her most natural reinvention". It was ranked as the third best dance album of all-time by "Vice" magazine—the highest peak by a female performer. The magazine staff commented: "This is the album all her subsequent albums is compared to; for its enduring relevance and how it redefined Madonna as an artist, it should be". Author Sancho Xavi from "El País" commented in an article for the newspaper that "Confessions on a Dance Floor" started the during the 21st century and popularized the revivals concept of others musical genres during the first decade.
Sticky &amp; Sweet Tour
On January 12, 2010 Madonna's official website confirmed the video release of the tour. Titled "Sticky & Sweet Tour", the live album was released by Live Nation on March 30, 2010 and distributed by Madonna's former record company, Warner Bros. It was available on DVD, Blu-ray and CD, accompanied by a picture book by Madonna's manager Guy Oseary, titled "Madonna: Sticky & Sweet". Madonna commented that she had not been able to focus on the release of the DVD as she was involved with the development of her directorial venture, titled "W.E." Upon its release, "Sticky & Sweet Tour" received mixed reviews from critics, who panned it for being lifeless, but also praised the album for the performances, with "Into the Groove" being listed as a highlight of the tour. It became Madonna's 19th top-ten album on the "Billboard" 200, while reached the top of the charts in Greece, Hungary, Mexico and Portugal. The album also reached the top-ten in the charts of Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland, but had failed to reach the top-ten in Germany and the United Kingdom.
Madonna (Madonna album)
"Madonna" has an upbeat synthetic disco sound, using new technology of the time, including the Linn drum machine, Moog bass and Oberheim OB-X synthesizer. She sang in a bright, girlish timbre, with lyrics about love and relationships. To promote the album, Madonna performed one-off gigs in clubs and on television in the United States and United Kingdom throughout 1983 and 1984, followed by The Virgin Tour in 1985. Five singles were released, including the international top-ten hits "Holiday", "Lucky Star", and "Borderline". Their accompanying music videos were released on the "Madonna" video compilation, which became the best-selling videocassette of 1985 in the United States.
List of Madonna records and achievements
Her albums "The Immaculate Collection", "Like a Virgin" and "True Blue" are among the top 100 certified albums according to the RIAA, with "The Immaculate Collection" and "Like a Virgin" becoming in one of the best-selling albums in United States with a diamond status. As of 2015, she is the eighth artist with most number-one albums. However, she has a record for the biggest second week sales drop in history in Nielsen SoundScan era with her twelfth studio album, "MDNA".
Madonna (Madonna album)
"Madonna" topped the Music Videocassette chart of "Billboard" for the period from April 13, 1985 to November 9, 1985. Jim McCullaugh from "Billboard" attributed the strong sales of the video to Madonna's recent studio album "Like a Virgin" and The Virgin Tour concert. It placed at number one on the year-end music videocasette chart for 1985. "Madonna" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 100,000 units of the video. It won the award for the "Best Selling Video Cassette Merchandised as Music Video" from the National Association of Recording Merchandisers.
Hollywood (Madonna song)
In the VH1 special "Madonna Speaks", the artist further clarified that the theme behind "Hollywood", as well as "American Life" And "I'm So Stupid" from the album, was about her "wanting to shout from the rooftops that we have all been living in a dream. I have been living in a dream — and you're all living in a dream and we have to wake up to reality." Madonna's first single from "American Life"—the title track—became the lowest charting first single from a Madonna album since her debut, reaching a peak of number 37 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Warner Bros. Records hastily wanted to save the album from dropping off the charts, and decided to release "Hollywood", believing the song to have commercial success potential.
Pre-Madonna
Although not authorized by Madonna, Bray decided to release "Pre-Madonna" by remixing some of the tracks, and keeping the others in their original form. Included were the demo versions of "Everybody" and "Burning Up" which Madonna used for her self-titled debut album. Bray chose to coincide the release of the album with the birth of Madonna's daughter Lourdes, to cash-in the publicity. The album received mixed reviews, with some critics deeming the release as unnecessary, while others were delighted to hear Madonna's original recordings.
Madonna bibliography
In 2003, Madonna signed a contract with Callaway Arts & Entertainment. The first release was the children's book, "The English Roses", which was translated into 42 different languages over 100 countries. The book debuted at number one on "The New York Times" Best Seller list, spending a total of 18 weeks there. Telling the story of five friends, "The English Roses" was deemed by critics as a reflection of Madonna's childhood, and received mixed reaction. Madonna's subsequent releases, "Mr. Peabody's Apples" and "Yakov and the Seven Thieves", were both released within a year of "The English Roses". They also debuted at number one on "The New York Times" list. Combined her first three children's books sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. She continued releasing other books like "The Adventures of Abdi" and "Lotsa de Casha"; all the five books released were included as part of an audiobook in 2006.
Confessions on a Dance Floor
[The album] went straight to No. 1 everywhere except Mars. So too did the first single, "Hung Up", the video for which is on every time you turn on the TV. [Madonna] has reclaimed her place in the pop firmament with unrivaled ferocity. And she is a sterling example of pop survival. In a firmament that eats up artists like popcorn and where chart success is as fleeting as Jessica Simpson's attention span, Madonna remains an inspiring, intimidating beacon of permanence. Her longevity has thrived on her ability to continually reinvent herself by reading the winds of pop culture and taking her cue from there.
With the "Confessions on a Dance Floor" era, Madonna broke several world records and the album resuscitated her music sales and popularity, after the critical and commercial disappointment of "American Life". According to "The Jerusalem Post", the album sold 4 million copies worldwide during the first week of release. Madonna became the best-selling female artist in the European market and the fifth best-selling artist overall, with a quadruple platinum award by the IFPI. In the United Kingdom, "Confessions on a Dance Floor" became one of the fastest selling albums ever, with first week sales of 217,610 copies according to the Official UK Charts Company. Also, Madonna earned a place in the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the "oldest artist to simultaneously top the UK singles and album charts". With estimated sales of over 10 million copies worldwide, "Confessions on a Dance Floor" is considered to be one of the best-selling albums of the 2000s.
The Virgin Tour
The Virgin Tour was the debut concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. The tour supported her first two studio albums, "Madonna" (1983) and "Like a Virgin" (1984). Although initially planned for an international audience, the tour was restricted to the United States and Canada. Warner Bros. Records decided to send Madonna on tour after "Like a Virgin" became a success. After an official announcement on March 15, 1985, Madonna and her team began production plans. She wanted the tour to be a reflection of her own self and collaborated with designer Maripol for the costumes.
The Virgin Tour
The Virgin Tour was officially announced on March 15, 1985, by Warner Bros. Records. Prior to the tour, Madonna's only live performances were limited to evening shows at Danceteria, CBGB and Mudd Club, and only the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, where she performed her song "Like a Virgin". Following the success of the "Like a Virgin" album, the record label wanted to milk-in the success of the album by sending Madonna on a worldwide tour. However, the tour was restricted within United States and Canada. It did not visit Europe, Asia or other continents. Early on there were plans to schedule dates in Britain and Japan due to Madonna's large fan bases in both countries, however the final schedule did not reflect the idea. In the end several more U.S. dates were added and the tour was moved to larger concert venues due to overwhelmingly strong ticket sales. Madonna was quite nervous to perform in front of a huge audience, and singing with a live band for the first time. During a 2009 interview with "Rolling Stone", interviewer Austin Scaggs asked Madonna regarding her feelings and emotions during the tour, since it was the first time she was playing in arenas. Madonna replied saying,
American Life
On August 27, 2003, Madonna opened the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards with American recording artists Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, performing a medley of "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood". American rapper Missy Elliott also performed her song "Work It" halfway through the performance. After "Hollywood" was performed by Madonna, she engaged in kissing with both Spears and Aguilera becoming an infamous moment for all three acts and in television history. In 2003, Madonna planned to release a special commemorative box set to celebrate her 20th anniversary in the music business and the release of her first studio album, "Madonna", in 1983. The plan for the box set was eventually cancelled and "Remixed & Revisited" was released in its place. The compilation contains remixed versions of four songs from "American Life" and a previously unreleased song called "Your Honesty".
Madonna (book)
The book opens with Madonna's birth, her early years in Michigan, and her 1977 move to New York City where she was involved with modern dance, two pop groups, composing, and releasing her 1983 debut album, "Madonna". Her rise to superstardom as a pop icon is chronicled and her cutting edge music videos, albums, first concert tour, film roles, and marriage and divorce to Sean Penn are examined. The book investigates her controversial religious imagery and her erotic productions, "Erotica", "Sex", and "Body of Evidence". The book describes a mellowing in her appearance and provocativeness, and, among other things, the release of her next several albums, her Golden Globe Award-winning musical film portrayal of Eva Peron, and her high-grossing Drowned World Tour. The birth of her daughter and son are chronicled and her marriage to Guy Ritchie. "Madonna" includes detailed descriptions of her relationships with people including John F. Kennedy Jr. and Michael Jackson.
Like a Prayer (album)
Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Madonna, released on March 21, 1989 by Sire Records. Madonna worked with Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard, and Prince on the album while co-writing and co-producing all the songs. Her most introspective release at the time, "Like a Prayer" has been described as a confessional record. Madonna described the album as a collection of songs "about my mother, my father, and bonds with my family." The album was dedicated to Madonna's mother, who died when she was young.
Madonna (Madonna album)
Bill Lamb from About.com commented: "[The] album is state of the art dance-pop loaded with hits from 'Holiday' and 'Lucky Star' to 'Borderline'. Irresistible pop hooks glide across shimmering synth beats to make this a landmark album of the early 80's." Jonathan Ross from "Q" said that "'Borderline' is sweet and 'Holiday' still fizzes with invention and joie de vivre...this quintessentially '80s dance hit also features a barrelhouse piano solo." Robert Christgau wrote in "The Village Voice", "In case you bought the con, disco never died — just reverted to the crazies who thought it was worth living for. This shamelessly ersatz blonde is one of them, and with the craftily orchestrated help of a fine selection of producers, remixers, and DJs, she's come up with a shamelessly ersatz sound that's tighter than her tummy — essence of electro, the D in DOR." Don Shewey from "Rolling Stone" was of the opinion that "without overstepping the modest ambitions of minimal funk, Madonna issues an irresistible invitation to the dance." Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine rated the album four and a half out of five stars and commented: "Heralding the synth-heavy movement was a debut album ["Madonna"] that sounds just as fresh today as it did almost two decades ago." In March 2012, the publication placed the album at number 33 on their "Best Albums of the 1980s" list. Michaelangelo Matos from "Spin" selected the album among "The Definitive Guide to Classic Disco" and noted that it "mashed-up street sounds and reinvigorated disco for a generation that wanted nothing to do with polyester suits, ending an era and birthing a new one."
Music (Madonna album)
To promote "Music" and "Ray of Light", Madonna embarked on her fifth concert tour, the Drowned World Tour. It started in June 2001 and was Madonna's first tour in eight years since The Girlie Show World Tour (1993). The tour was to be started before the year 2000, but she had become pregnant with her son Rocco Ritchie, released "Music" that year, and married Guy Ritchie in December 2000. When Madonna finally decided to go on the tour, time was short and she had to prepare the show within three months. Jamie King was signed up as the creative director and the choreographer of the show. The tour was divided into five segments, namely punk, geisha, cowboy, Latin and ghetto. Each segment represented a phase of Madonna's career. Several changes were made to the final shows in Los Angeles after the September 11 attacks: Madonna wore an American flag kilt during the show's opening segment as a display of patriotism, the closing of "Mer Girl" (part II) was altered to remove the staged shooting of a character; Madonna instead put the gun down, hugged him and they left the stage together. The macabre cannibalism-themed "Funny Song" was removed. The tour received positive reviews. The tour was a commercial success, grossing a total of US$75 million, and it was the highest-grossing concert tour of a solo artist in 2001. The tour received the Major Tour of the Year and Most Creative Stage Production awards nominations at the 2001 Pollstar awards, but lost them to U2. The concert was broadcast live on HBO from The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan August 26, 2001. The "Drowned World Tour 2001" DVD was released in all regions on November 13, 2001.
Madonna bibliography
Her first release as an author was the coffee table book "Sex" (1992), published under her company Maverick. It consisted of sexually provocative and explicit images, photographed by Steven Meisel. The book received negative reaction from the media and the general public, but sold 1.5 million copies at $50 each in a matter of days. Madonna continued releasing coffee table photography books, including those associated with her concert tours like "Madonna: The Girlie Show" (1995), "Madonna Confessions" (2006) and "Madonna: Sticky & Sweet" (2009). She also wrote forewords for a number of books, including Alan Parker's coffee table book about the making of the film "Evita" (1996) and wrote a chapter for "The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale" (1998). Madonna has also written columns for publications like "Harper's Bazaar", the inaugural issue of "George" magazine and the Israeli newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth".
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna moved in with boyfriend John "Jellybean" Benitez, asking his help for finishing the album's production. Benitez remixed most of the tracks and produced "Holiday", which was her third single and her first international top-ten hit. The overall sound of "Madonna" was dissonant and in the form of upbeat synthetic disco, using some of the new technology of the time, like the Linn drum machine, Moog bass and the OB-X synthesizer. The album was released in July 1983 and peaked at number eight on the "Billboard" 200 six months later, in 1984. It yielded two top-ten singles on the "Billboard" Hot 100, "Borderline" and "Lucky Star".
Madonna's look and style of dressing, her performances, and her music videos influenced young girls and women. Her style became one of the female fashion trends of the 1980s. Created by stylist and jewelry designer Maripol, the look consisted of lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the crucifix, bracelets, and bleached hair. Madonna's popularity continued to rise globally with the release of her second studio album, "Like a Virgin", in November 1984. It became her first number-one album in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, the UK, and the US. "Like a Virgin" became the very first album by a female to sell over five million copies in the U.S. It was later certified diamond, and has sold over 21 million copies worldwide.
Take a Bow (Madonna song)
Following the release of Madonna's first book publication, "Sex", the erotic thriller, "Body of Evidence", her fifth studio album, "Erotica", as well as her infamous TV interview with David Letterman in the early-to-mid 1990s, the media and public's backlash against Madonna's overtly sexual image was at a peak. Madonna wanted to tone down her explicit image. Her first attempt was to release the tender ballad "I'll Remember" from the soundtrack of the film "With Honors". Musically, she wanted to move in a new musical direction and started exploring new-jack R&B styles with a generally mainstream, radio-friendly sound. It was included on her sixth studio album, "Bedtime Stories", released in October 1994. In author Fred Bronson's "The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits", Madonna explained:
List of Madonna live performances
American singer Madonna has performed on ten concert tours, eighteen one-off concerts, nine benefit concerts, five music festivals and twenty-two award shows. Her 1985 debut concert tour, The Virgin Tour, was based in North America only and went on to collect more than US $5 million. In 1987 she performed on the worldwide Who's That Girl World Tour, which visited Europe, North America and Japan. It was critically appreciated for Madonna's showmanship and "exquisite" dresses. She embarked on the Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990, which Don Shewey of "Rolling Stone" called "the best tour of [the year]". The performances featured Madonna simulating masturbation during "Like a Virgin". Officials in Toronto threatened to arrest her unless she removed the masturbation sequence, and in Italy, the Pope called for a boycott. In 1993, Madonna visited Israel and Turkey for the first time, followed by Latin America and Australia, with The Girlie Show World Tour. Madonna opened the show dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix, surrounded by topless dancers of both sexes. A review in "Time" by Sam Buckley said: "Madonna, once the Harlow harlot and now a perky harlequin, is the greatest show-off on earth."
Holiday (Madonna song)
"Holiday" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her eponymous debut album "Madonna" (1983). Sire Records released it as the album's third single in September 7, 1983. "Holiday" later appeared remixed on the remix compilation "You Can Dance" (1987) and the greatest hits compilation "The Immaculate Collection" (1990), and in its original form on the greatest hits album "Celebration" (2009).
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
In 1992, Madonna released her controversial "Sex" book and her fifth studio album "Erotica", both containing explicit sexual imagery and pictures of voyeuristic fantasies. She also starred in the erotic thriller "Body of Evidence". All releases were panned by critics and fans alike, calling Madonna a sexual renegade and claiming that "she had gone too far" and that her career was over. In early 1994, Madonna's appearance on David Letterman's talk show was noted for her controversial behavior. It included the singer using profanity that required censorship on television, and handing Letterman a pair of her panties and asking him to smell it. This made the episode the most censored in American network television talk-show history, while at the same time garnering the show some of the highest ratings it ever received. A song titled "I'll Remember" was included in the soundtrack of the film "With Honors" in early 1994. The song was well received by critics and was seen as Madonna's first positive step into reconnecting with the general public and repairing the damage that her provocative personality had caused to her career.
Amanda (singer)
Amanda became the first young female pop act to sign with Madonna's Maverick Records, making her professional debut with "You Don't Stand a Chance", from the "" movie soundtrack. In 2000, Lameche recorded her debut album, entitled "Everybody Doesn't", released in 2001. The title track "Everybody Doesn't" was her first and only single to date, peaking at #81 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Before the release she embarked on a 40 city radio tour to promote her single.
List of Madonna records and achievements
Her first appearance in the "Guinness Book of World Records" was in 1986 with her third studio album, "True Blue". Since then, she has earned multiple appearances, some 20 at least in February 2012, including her insigne record title as the top-selling female recording artist of all time. Madonna's commerciality has achieved scrutiny studies and analysis from different point of view in the academia world or by marketers, through her marketing strategies, controversies and reinvention, surpassing to others new or contemporary artists. In popular culture, many international artists have been called "Madonna", many times, by their impact and success in their respective countries or genres. Also, her presence in popular culture, has been led to create world records about Madonna. Dubbed as the most successful and most influential female artist of all time.
Madonna (Madonna album)
"Burning Up" was released as the second single in the US on March 9, 1983, and later issued in some countries as a double A-side single with "Physical Attraction". The single peaked at number three on the dance chart in the US, and became Madonna's first top twenty hit in Australia. The accompanying music video of the song portrays Madonna writhing passionately on an empty road before her "lover" approaches in a car from behind. The video ends with Madonna driving the car instead, suggesting that she is ultimately in control. "Holiday" was released as the third single on September 7, 1983 and became Madonna's first top-ten hit in many countries, including Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK. It also became her first entry ever on the "Billboard" Hot 100, reaching number 16, and her first number-one hit on the dance chart.
Like a Prayer (album)
In the United States, "Like a Prayer" debuted at number 11 on the "Billboard" 200, on the issue dated April 8, 1989. It quickly rose to the top of the chart after its third week, where it remained for six consecutive weeks, making it Madonna's longest-running number 1 album. The album spent a total of 77 weeks on the chart. The album also reached a peak of number 55 on "Billboard"s R&B Albums list. It was eventually certified multi Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of three million units. After the advent of the Nielsen SoundScan era in 1991, the album sold a further 575,000 copies. "Like a Prayer" has sold over 4 million copies in the United States. In Canada, the album debuted at number two on the RPM Albums Chart on May 1, 1989. It remained on that position during four weeks, before dropping to the third position the week of May 29, 1989. The album was present for a total of 37 weeks on the chart, and was certified five times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipments of 500,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, "Like a Prayer" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, on April 1, 1989. It remained on this position for two weeks and a total of 72 weeks on the chart. The album was certified four times platinum on February 1, 1995 for shipments of 1,200,000 copies. In France, the album debuted at number one on the French Albums Chart on April 9, 1989, staying there for two weeks, then descending down the chart, having spent a total of thirty-six weeks on it. On July, 1989, it was certified Platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) for shipments of 300,000 copies, and once again on 2001, for shipments of 600,000 copies.
Re-Invention World Tour
The documentary was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. Barry Walters from "Rolling Stone" commented that "Jonas Akerlund's 2005 kinetic yet personable documentary of Madonna's 2004 Re-Invention Tour lacks the dishy delights of the diva's 1991 "Truth or Dare" doc. Instead, a more worldly Madge struggles to become a less sound-bite-reliant, more sincere person. The bonus live CD proves that she's a better singer." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic complimented the release saying "as Madonna's first live CD, "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret" is strong and entertaining, and even if the excessive minutiae on the accompanying DVD means only hardcore fans will sit through its two hours, it's also quite well done." The release debuted at number 33 on the "Billboard" 200 and the top ten in Canada and the European Top 100 Albums chart.Source:
Like a Virgin (album)
According to "Q" magazine, "Like a Virgin" was the album that "propelled [Madonna] into the stratosphere – and rightly so. The songs are smart, funny, sexy and irresistible." Taraborrelli said, "It was "Like a Virgin" which reflected Madonna as a more versatile and artistic performer and vocals on this album being reflectively sharper in contrast to her early works in the music industry." Michael Paoletta from "Billboard" commented that the songs on the album sustain a "fevered dance-rock momentum". Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic commented, "Overall, the album adds up to less than the sum of its parts—partially because the singles are so good, but also because on the first album, she stunned with style and a certain joy. Here, the calculation is apparent, and while that's part of Madonna's essence—even something that makes her fun—it throws the record's balance off a little too much for it to be consistent, even if it justifiably made her a star." Debby Miller from "Rolling Stone" preferred Madonna's debut album over "Like a Virgin". In "The Village Voice", Robert Christgau was also lukewarm towards the record, writing "[Madonna's] so sure of herself she's asking men and women both to get the hots for the calculating bitch who sells the fantasy even while she bids for the sincerity market where long-term superstars ply their trade. And to make the music less mechanical, she's hired Nile Rodgers, who I won't blame for making it less catchy."
Madonna albums discography
Recognized as the world's best-selling female recording artist of all time by the "Guinness World Records", Madonna has accumulated a total record sales of more than 300 million units worldwide. In their 2006 press release, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) confirmed that Madonna's albums alone had sold over 200 million copies worldwide. She is ranked by the RIAA as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and second best-selling female artist in the United States, with 64.5 million certified albums. Her albums, "The Immaculate Collection", "Like a Virgin" and "True Blue", are among the top 100 certified albums according to the RIAA. In the United Kingdom, she is the most successful female artist with a total of 12 number-one albums.
Madonna (Madonna album)
Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that with the album, Madonna began her career as a disco diva, in an era that did not have any such divas to speak of. In the beginning of the 80s, disco was an anathema to the mainstream pop, and according to him, Madonna had a huge role in popularizing dance music as mainstream music, utilizing her charisma, chutzpah and sex appeal. Erlewine claimed that "Madonna" "launched dance-pop" and set the standard for the genre for the next two decades. The staff of "Vice" magazine stated that the album "drew the blueprint for future dance-pop." "Rolling Stone" ranked the album at number 50 on "The 100 Best Albums of the Eighties" list, writing that "[the album's] assured style and sound, as well as Madonna's savvy approach to videos, helped the singer make the leap from dance diva to pop phenom, and it pointed the direction for a host of female vocalists from Janet Jackson to Debbie Gibson."
Confessions on a Dance Floor
"Confessions on a Dance Floor" is a full-on dance, electronic and disco record, which is structured like a nightly set composed by a DJ. The music starts out light and happy, and as it progresses, it becomes intense, with the lyrics dealing more about personal feelings, hence "Confessions". According to Madonna, "[t]his is the direction of my record. That's what we intended, to make a record that you can play at a party or in your car, where you don't have to skip past a ballad. It's nonstop." Madonna used samples and references of music by other disco artists. In the album's first song, "Hung Up", she sampled ABBA's 1979 hit "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", for which she wrote a personal letter to songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who gave Madonna permission to use the track. References of other disco-influenced acts, including Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, and Daft Punk, were also used on the album, as were the disco hits of Parisian DJ Cerrone. The album has a song called "Forbidden Love", which is different from the same titled song from Madonna's sixth studio album "Bedtime Stories". Regarding sampling herself and her own song names, Madonna commented:
"I did all of that on purpose, [...] I mean, if I'm going to plagiarize somebody, it might as well be me, right? I feel like I've earned the right to rip myself off. 'Talent borrows, genius steals,' [...] "Let's see how many other clichés I can throw in there. That's exactly it. I was only hinting early on, but then I tell it like it is. It's like, now that I have your attention, I have a few things to tell you."
A pulsating rhythm is present in the song "Isaac", which is regarded as the only song close to a ballad on the album. However, the song was criticised heavily by a group of Israeli rabbis who commented that Madonna was committing a blasphemy with their religion. They said that the song was about sixteenth century Kabbalah scholar Yitzhak Luria. In reality, the song was named after the featured vocalist Yitzhak Sinwani, who sang portions of the Yemenite Hebrew poem "Im Nin'alu" in the track. Initially Madonna toyed with the idea of calling the song as "Fear of Flying" since the idea behind the composition was to let go. However, at the end she decided to just call it "Isaac" after the English version of Sinwani's name. Regarding the song's development and the condemnation of the Rabbis, Madonna said:
"You do appreciate the absurdity of a group of rabbis in Israel claiming that I'm being blasphemous about someone when they haven't heard the record, right? And then, everyone in the media runs with it as if it's the truth. And that's a little weird. But what's even weirder is that the song is not about Isaac Lurier, as the rabbis claim. It's named after Yitzhak Sinwani, who's singing in Yemenite on the track. I couldn't think of a title for the song. So I called it "Isaac" [the English translation of "Yitzhak"]. It's interesting how their minds work, those naughty rabbis. [...] He's saying, "If all of the doors of all of the generous peoples' homes are closed to you, the gates of heaven will always be open." The words are about 1,000 years old. [...] [Yitzhak] is an old friend of mine. He's never made a record. He comes from generations of beautiful singers. Stuart and I asked him to come into the studio one day. We said, "We're just going to record you. We don't know what we're going to do with it." He's flawless. One take, no bad notes. He doesn't even need a microphone. We took one of the songs he did and I said to Stuart, "Let's sample these bits. We'll create a chorus and then I'll write lyrics around it." That's how we constructed it."
The lyrics of the songs on the album incorporate bits of Madonna's musical history and are written in the form of confessions. "Hung Up" contains lyrics from Madonna's 1989 duet with Prince called "Love Song", from the "Like a Prayer" album. "How High" refers to two songs from Madonna's eighth studio album "Music", namely "Nobody's Perfect" and "I Deserve It". The lyrics of "Push" thank the person who challenged her to expand her limits and also incorporate elements of The Police's song "Every Breath You Take". Other tracks like "Sorry" include the title word in ten different languages. "I Love New York" depicts Madonna praising the city that made her the person she is. Elsewhere, Madonna sings about success and fame ("Let It Will Be") and the crossroads of past, present and future ("Like It or Not").
Like a Virgin (album)
A former dancer and fixture on the New York club scene, Madonna Louise Ciccone became known to the world simply as Madonna, with the release of her 1983 self-titled debut album "Madonna". Fueled by hit songs like "Holiday", "Borderline" and "Lucky Star", the album was one of the best selling of the year and helped Madonna become one of the most exciting new artists of the 1980s. When she started work on her second album, Madonna felt that her first album had succeeded in introducing her "street-smart dance queen" persona, and she wanted to solidify and build upon that concept. According to her, "My work, my dedication—the stubbornness for getting "Madonna" released—had paid off. Now it was time to solidify my future."
Like a Virgin (album)
Chris Smith, author of "101 Albums That Changed Popular Music", believed that it was with "Like a Virgin" that Madonna was able to steal the spotlight towards herself. She asserted her sexuality as only male rock stars had done before, moving well beyond the limited confines of being a pop artist, to becoming a focal point for nationwide discussions of power relationships in the areas of sex, race, gender, religion, and other divisive social topics. Her songs became a lightning rod for both criticism by conservatives and imitation by the younger female population. "Consequence of Sound" ranked the album at number two on "The 10 Greatest Sophomore Albums of All Time", calling it the album that "carved out the throne...that would be Madonna's forever: the Queen of Pop."
Like a Virgin (album)
The album was further promoted on her first headlining tour, The Virgin Tour, which only visited cities in the United States and Canada. Early on there were plans to schedule dates in England and Japan due to Madonna's large fan base in both countries. However, the final schedule did not reflect the idea. In the end several more US dates were added and moved to larger concert venues due to overwhelmingly strong ticket sales. Madonna's performance on the tour was described by Taraborrelli as "full of excitement", singing songs from her debut album as well as "Like a Virgin", and asking the audience "Will you marry me?" The costumes included colorful new wave jackets for "Holiday" and white wedding gowns similar to the one worn in her "Like a Virgin" music video. Referring to her Detroit roots and contemporary artist Michael Jackson, Madonna sang a verse of "Billie Jean" during "Like a Virgin".
Everybody (Madonna song)
"Everybody" was commercially released as Madonna's first single in October 6, 1982, and came with a Lou Beach-designed sleeve depicting a hip hop–style NYC street scene. Because of the ambiguous nature of the record sleeve and the R&B groove of the song, Madonna was widely believed to be a black artist when the single was released. According to Matthew Lindsay of "The Quietus", it was ironic that the record sleeve did not depict Madonna on the cover, as she would become "the face of the 80s."
Secret (Madonna song)
Following the release Madonna's first book publication, "Sex", the erotic thriller, "Body of Evidence", her fifth studio album, "Erotica", as well as a disastrous interview on David Letterman's show in the early 1990s, the media and public's backlash against Madonna's overtly sexual image was at a peak. Madonna wanted to tone down her explicit image. Her first attempt was to release the tender ballad "I'll Remember" from the soundtrack of the film "With Honors". Musically she wanted to move in a new musical direction and started exploring new-jack R&B styles with a generally mainstream, radio-friendly sound. She incorporated it in her sixth studio album, "Bedtime Stories", released in October 1994. At first, it started as a collaboration with Shep Pettibone and was to be stylistically similar to "Erotica", but due to Madonna's wish to soften her public image at the time, she decided to move towards an R&B sound collaborating with well-known R&B producers and took a more appropriate image for the general public.
Erotica (Madonna album)
"Erotica" was released on October 20, 1992 by Maverick Records. The first album of Madonna's career to bear Parental Advisory label, "Erotica" was banned in several Asian countries, such as China and Singapore. To promote the album, Madonna appeared on the cover of the October edition of "Vogue", where she appeared dressed in "Hippie trip" fashion. These photographs were taken by Meisel. After the book was released, on October 22, 1992, MTV aired a special called "The Day in Madonna", hosted by Kurt Loder (the title of this special was a pun of the title of the channel's daily show "The Day in Rock"), which profiled the release of Madonna's "Sex" and "Erotica", even taking the book to the streets to allow people, including a sex therapist and group of real-life New York City dominatrices, to view it. MTV also interviewed many people who had viewed the "Sex" book on the day of its release at the HMV music store in New York City. In celebration of the release of the book, the store held a Madonna look-alike contest and set up a booth where people could view the book for one dollar a minute, with all of the proceeds going to Lifebeat, the music industry organization founded to help fund AIDS research.
Drowned World Tour 2001
Drowned World Tour 2001 is the fifth video album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 13, 2001, by Warner Music Vision, Warner Reprise Video, and Maverick Records to accompany Madonna's second greatest hits album "GHV2". The video chronicles a live date from Madonna's Drowned World Tour, which visited Europe and North America, grossing over US $76.8 million ($ million in dollars) in total. It was recorded at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan on August 26, 2001 and was originally broadcast live on HBO as "Madonna Live! Drowned World Tour 2001".
Music (Madonna album)
Ten days after the album's release, CNN reported that it had sold over four million copies worldwide. The album set a record in Warner Music Group as the biggest album shipment in the company, with three million copies worldwide in the first week. "Music" debuted at number-one in 23 countries. It debuted at the top of the US "Billboard" 200 with over 420,000 copies sold. It became the first Madonna album to reach the top of the charts in eleven years in the region, since "Like a Prayer" (1989). The album was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 21, 2005. As of August 2010, "Music" has sold 2,925,000 copies there according to Nielsen SoundScan. In Canada, the album debuted at the top of the Canadian "RPM" Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipments of 300,000 copies.
Madonna filmography
American entertainer Madonna has worked in twenty-six feature films (twenty-one as an actress), nine short films, three theatrical plays, ten television episodes, and appeared in sixteen commercials. In 1979, she made her acting debut in the low-budget feature "A Certain Sacrifice". Its commercial release in 1985 coincided with the success of her second studio album, "Like a Virgin". That same year, she made a cameo appearance as a club singer in the film "Vision Quest"; she also garnered commercial and critical success for the title role in Susan Seidelman's "Desperately Seeking Susan". Madonna followed it with a leading role in the adventure drama "Shanghai Surprise" (1986), with her then-husband, actor Sean Penn. The film was panned by critics, and Madonna received her first Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress. Her next films such as "Who's That Girl" (1987) and "Bloodhounds of Broadway" (1989) were critical and commercial failures. In 1986, she made her theatrical debut in David Rabe's "Goose and Tom-Tom" and her first commercial for Mitsubishi in Japan. She starred in the 1989 commercial for Pepsi-Cola alongside her song "Like a Prayer". Due to the controversy surrounding the song's music video, the commercial was revoked and her contract with Pepsi-Cola was cancelled.
True Blue (Madonna album)
"True Blue" achieved its biggest commercial reception in European countries, where it topped the European Top 100 Albums chart for 34 consecutive weeks—a record that has yet to be broken—from issue dated July 19, 1986 to March 7, 1987. In the United Kingdom, "True Blue" opened at the top of the UK Albums Chart on July 12, 1986, making it the first album by American artist to debut at number one in British chart history. It remained at the summit for six weeks and on the chart for a total of 85 weeks. "True Blue" was the best-selling album of 1986 in the United Kingdom. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it seven times platinum for shipment of 2.1 million copies and as of October 2014, it has sold 1.997 million copies, the highest sales for any of Madonna's studio albums. "True Blue" also topped the albums chart in France and was certified diamond by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) for shipment of one million copies. Actual sales of the album in the country stand at 1,353,100 copies. In Germany, the album peaked at number one for eight weeks and was certified two times platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) for shipment of one million copies.
Pre-Madonna
Pre-Madonna is a collection of demos by American singer Madonna. The album was released in 1997 by Stephen Bray, who was the producer of the songs when they were recorded, and was distributed by Soultone. It was released as In the Beginning in European countries. Madonna met up with Bray, her former boyfriend, in 1980 when she was trying to establish her music career. She had left the band Breakfast Club and enlisted Bray's help to further her career. Together they started writing songs and recorded them at New York's Music Building studio. The songs recorded at that time—seven of which were written solely by Madonna—were released in "Pre-Madonna".
Madonna (entertainer)
"The Immaculate Collection", Madonna's first greatest-hits compilation album, was released in November 1990. It included two new songs, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". The album was certified diamond by RIAA and sold over 30 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling compilation album by a solo artist in history. "Justify My Love" reached number one in the U.S. becoming her ninth number-one Its music video featured scenes of sadomasochism, bondage, same-sex kissing, and brief nudity. The video was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and was banned from the network.
True Blue (Madonna album)
True Blue is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on June 30, 1986, by Sire Records. She co-wrote and co-produced the entire album with Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard. "True Blue" deals with her visions of love, work, dreams as well as disappointments, and was inspired by her then husband Sean Penn, to whom Madonna dedicated the album. Musically, the songs on the album took a different direction from her previous endeavours, incorporating classical music in order to engage an older audience who had been skeptical of her music.
Bitch I'm Madonna
Jason Lipshutz from "Billboard" wrote an article about why the video was an important release for Madonna. He felt that although the "Rebel Heart" era had received more promotion than the previous "MDNA" era, the commercial returns had been diminishing. The first two singles, "Living for Love" and "Ghosttown", failed to chart on the "Billboard" Hot 100, making it the first Madonna album without a Hot 100 single, until "Bitch I'm Madonna" debuted at number 84. The video, Lipshutz theorized, was Madonna's attempt to bring back an audience for the whole era. Joe Lynch from the same magazine called the video an "embarrassment of star power", adding that it "has everything: Miley's middle fingers, Madonna kissing a shirtless hunk, topless women in a bathtub, break-dancing, sock puppets singing, Moschino fashion and much more". Brennan Carly from "Spin" believed that the "grandeur and ambition" of the clip made it comparable to Madonna's music videos for "Hung Up" (2005) and "Living for Love".
American Life
During the early 1990s, Madonna had focused on a number of provocative releases, like the erotic pictorial "Sex" book, the sadomasochist inspired album "Erotica", and the erotic thriller, "Body of Evidence", all of which she deduced was due to "a lot of rage and anger" within herself. However, by the beginning of the new millennium, Madonna was living a calmer, more introspective and wholesome life with her husband Guy Ritchie and their children Lourdes and Rocco. According to biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, the presence of Ritchie in Madonna's life had a calming effect on the singer, making her more matured and easing her temper. Concentrating on her music career, Madonna was busy throughout of 2001 on her Drowned World Tour. On September 11, 2001, suicide bombers hijacked two jet airliners and crashed into the World Trade Center, resulting in the death of nearly 3,000 people. The event had a profound effect on American society, with the cultural mood being bleakness and paranoia. People, including Madonna, started asking questions about their culture and the American Dream, which had been a long-lasting ideal for many. When Madonna started working on her ninth studio album, "American Life", she wanted answers to her queries and an appropriate response to the 9/11 disaster and the ensuing Iraq war of 2003. She believed that the ensuing months with the war would lead to a politically charged atmosphere throughout the country, and wanted to express that in the record.
Jonathan Moffett
After their initial meet during The Jacksons Victory Tour (6.7.1984 – 9.12.1984), Moffett finally agreed to tour with Madonna on her debut tour, "The Virgin Tour" (10.4.1985 – 11.6.1985) alongside "Victory Tour" bandmate, Patrick Leonard (musical director/keyboardist). The tour took place only in the United States and Canada. He was featured on Madonna's 1985 "Dress You Up" music video which was basically concert footage of her singing the song from "The Virgin Tour". With the success of the tour, which was also released as a video album, Madonna requested Moffett to tour with her on her second tour, Who's That Girl Tour (14.6.1987 – 6.9.1987). The tour took place on a global level and was a huge commercial success, superseding the previous tour, and he finally toured with her on her controversial yet groundbreaking Blond Ambition Tour (13.4.1990 – 5.8.1990), which received accolades for its intricate choreography and stage production. The tour was followed by a 1991 motion picture film, "", in which Moffett was featured in.
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna performed at the concert in January 2010. Her third live album, "Sticky & Sweet Tour", was released in April, debuting at number ten on the "Billboard" 200. It also became her 20th top-ten on the Oricon Albums Chart, breaking the Beatles' record for the most top-ten album by an international act in Japan. Madonna granted American television show, "Glee", the rights to her entire catalog of music, and the producers created an episode featuring her songs exclusively. She also collaborated with Lourdes and released the Material Girl clothing line, inspired by her punk-girl style when she rose to fame in the 1980s. In October, she opened a series of fitness centers around the world named Hard Candy Fitness, and three months later unveiled a second fashion brand called Truth or Dare which included footwear, perfumes, underclothing, and accessories.
MDNA (album)
Following the end of her eleventh studio album, "Hard Candy" (2008) era, Madonna branched out into different ventures. She released her third greatest-hits album, "Celebration" (2009), introduced her Material Girl clothing line, opened Hard Candy Fitness centers across the world, and unveiled fashion brand Truth or Dare by Madonna which included perfumes, footwear, underclothing, and accessories. She also directed her second feature film, "W.E.", a biographical piece about the affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour
Madonna's first concert tour, The Virgin Tour, promoted her first two studio albums, "Madonna" and "Like a Virgin". The tour was a commercial success, with "Billboard" Boxscore reporting a gross of US $3.3 million. After the tour was over, Madonna started recording her third studio album, "True Blue". Film director Daniel Kleinman, who presided over the shooting of the tour on video, submitted the footage to Warner Bros. Records, who decided to release it as a video album. "Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour" chronicled The Virgin Tour as shot at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on May 25, 1985.
Like a Virgin (album)
Five singles were released from the album, including Madonna's first US number-one "Like a Virgin" and her first UK number-one "Into the Groove". To promote the album, she embarked on The Virgin Tour, which had shows in cities of North America only. "Like a Virgin" has attained significance as a cultural artifact of the 1980s. Madonna proved that she was not a one-hit wonder and was able to provide herself with a permanent footing in the music world. Her songs became a lightning rod for both criticism by conservatives and imitation by the younger female population, especially "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin". According to author J. Randy Taraborrelli, "Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist's magic moment; for Madonna, "Like a Virgin" was just such a defining moment."
Madonna (entertainer)
She first met director Guy Ritchie, who would later become her second husband, in the summer of 1998 and gave birth to their son Rocco John Ritchie on August 11, 2000 in Los Angeles. Rocco and Madonna suffered complications from the birth due to her experiencing placenta praevia. He was christened at Dornoch Cathedral in Dornoch, Scotland, on December 21, 2000. Madonna married Ritchie the following day at nearby Skibo Castle. After an eight-year absence of touring, Madonna started her Drowned World Tour in June 2001. The tour visited cities in the U.S. and Europe and was the highest-grossing concert tour of the year by a solo artist, earning $75 million from 47 sold-out shows. She also released her second greatest-hits collection, titled "GHV2", to coincide with the home video release of the tour. "GHV2" debuted at number seven on the "Billboard" 200.
Madonna (Madonna album)
In the United States, the album entered the "Billboard" 200 albums chart at number 190, the week of September 3, 1983. The album had a slow and steady climb, and peaked at eight on the "Billboard" 200 on the week ending October 20, 1984, more than a year after its release. It also peaked at twenty on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Within a year, "Madonna" had sold 2.8 million copies in the United States. It placed at number twenty-seven on the year-end chart for 1984 and at number 25 on the year-end chart for 1985, with Madonna becoming the top pop artist for the year 1985. After 17 years since its release, the album was certified five-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of five million copies across United States. With the advent of the Nielsen SoundScan era in 1991, the album sold a further 450,000 copies as of August 2010.
Confessions on a Dance Floor
"Hung Up" was released as the album's lead single on October 17, 2005. The song received critical appreciation amongst reviewers, who suggested that the track would restore the singer's popularity, which had diminished following the release of her 2003 album "American Life". Critics claimed that it was her best dance track to date and have compared it to other Madonna tracks in the same genre. They also complimented the effective synchronization of the ABBA sample with Madonna's song. "Hung Up" became a worldwide commercial success, peaking atop the charts of 41 countries and earning a place in the "Guinness Book of World Records" along with the album. In the United States it became her 36th top ten hit, tying her with Elvis Presley. The corresponding music video was a tribute to John Travolta, his movies and dancing in general. Directed by Johan Renck, the video featured Madonna dancing in a ballet studio in a pink leotard, which she left to go to a gaming parlour to dance with her backup dancers. It also featured the physical discipline parkour.
Erotica (Madonna album)
"Erotica" received generally favorable reviews from critics, who regarded it as one of Madonna's most adventurous albums and praised her comments on taboos and AIDS. Commercially, the album was less successful than Madonna's previous albums, peaking at number 2 on the US "Billboard" 200, becoming her first studio album not to top the chart since her debut. Internationally, it topped the charts in Australia, Finland, and France, and peaked within the top five of several other countries such as Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. "Erotica" was later certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold more than six million copies worldwide.
Holiday (Madonna song)
"Holiday" was released on September 7, 1983, and became Madonna's first hit single in the United States and remained on the charts from Thanksgiving to Christmas 1983. It was Madonna's first song to enter the "Billboard" Hot 100, at 88 on the issue dated October 29, 1983. and reached a peak of 16 on January 28, 1984 and was on the chart for 21 weeks. The song debuted at eight on the Hot Dance Club Play chart on the issue dated November 2, 1983 and was Madonna's first number one single on the Hot Dance Club Play chart remaining at the top for five weeks. It was released with "Lucky Star" as a double-A side single. The song also made an entry in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at 25, remaining on the chart for 20 weeks. In Canada, the song debuted at number 48 position of the "RPM" singles chart on January 21, 1984 and peaked at number 39. The song again entered the chart at number 45 in March 1984, and peaked at number 32 on April 1984. It was present on the chart for a total of 12 weeks.
Human Nature (Madonna song)
Madonna wanted to tone down her explicit image. Her first attempt was to release the tender ballad "I'll Remember" (1994) from the soundtrack of the film "With Honors". Musically she wanted to move in a new musical direction and started exploring new-jack R&B styles with a generally mainstream, radio-friendly sound. She incorporated it in her sixth studio album, "Bedtime Stories", released in October 1994. Journalist Mary von Aue from "Vice" magazine noted that Madonna and her publicist Liz Rosenberg started promoting "Bedtime Stories" as an apology album with the promotional videos promising that there would be "no sexual references on the album".
1980s in music
Madonna was the most successful female artist of the decade. Her third studio album, "True Blue", became the best-selling female album of the 1980s. Other Madonna albums from the decade include "Like a Virgin", which became one of the best selling albums of all-time, and "Like a Prayer", which was called "as close to art as pop music gets" by "Rolling Stone". Madonna made music videos a marketing tool and was among the first to make them an art form. Many of her songs topped the Charts around the world, such as: "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "La Isla Bonita" and "Like a Prayer". After her "Like a Prayer" album release in 1989, Madonna was named artist of the decade by a number of magazines and awards.
The Confessions Tour (album)
The Confessions Tour is the second live album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on January 26, 2007 by Warner Bros. Records. Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, the album chronicles Madonna's 2006 Confessions Tour and includes the full version of the television broadcast special "The Confessions Tour: Live from London". It was recorded at Wembley Arena during the London dates of the tour, and was released in both CD and DVD format. The DVD contains the entire concert and the CD includes thirteen live songs only. The album became the first release from Semtex Films, a production company founded by Madonna in 2006.
Madonna (entertainer)
The "Evita" soundtrack, containing songs mostly performed by Madonna, was released as a double album. It included "You Must Love Me" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"; the latter reached number one in countries across Europe. Madonna was presented with the Artist Achievement Award by Tony Bennett at the 1996 "Billboard" Music Awards. On October 14, 1996, she gave birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, her daughter with Leon. Biographer Mary Cross writes that although Madonna often worried that her pregnancy would harm "Evita", she reached some important personal goals: "Now 38 years old, Madonna had at last triumphed on screen and achieved her dream of having a child, both in the same year. She had reached another turning point in her career, reinventing herself and her image with the public." Her relationship with Carlos Leon ended in May 1997 and she declared that they were "better off as best friends".
List of Madonna records and achievements
She is the second female artist with most number ones albums, with 8, behind only Barbra Streisand, who has 10 number one albums. Her other achievements on the record chart, tied with Beyoncé as the female artist with most consecutive number-one albums. Also, in 1984 Madonna was the first female to sell over 5 million albums in the US in a single year with "Like a Virgin". Madonna is the artist with most top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, with 21 (20 in 2012, with "MDNA") George Strait places second with 17 top 10s, followed by Mariah Carey (16). Also, she is the female artist with most number-two albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums, with six, tied with The Beatles and behind Frank Sinatra's seven
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna's thirteenth studio album, "Rebel Heart", was released in March 2015, three months after its thirteen demos leaked onto the Internet. Unlike her previous efforts, which involved only a few people, Madonna worked with a large number of collaborators, including Avicii, Diplo and Kanye West. Introspection was listed as one of the foundational themes prevalent on the record, along with "genuine statements of personal and careerist reflection". Madonna explained to Jon Pareles of "The New York Times" that although she has never looked back at her past endeavors, reminiscing about it felt right for "Rebel Heart". Music critics responded positively towards the album, calling it her best effort in a decade. "Rebel Heart" became Madonna's first album to miss the top position of the "Billboard" 200 since "Ray of Light", but reached number one in other major music markets, including Australia, Canada, Germany and Italy.
From September 2015 to March 2016, Madonna embarked on the Rebel Heart Tour to promote the album. The tour traveled throughout North America, Europe and Asia and was Madonna's first visit to Australia in 23 years, where she also performed a for her fans. Rebel Heart Tour grossed a total of $169.8 million from the 82 shows, with over 1.045 million ticket sales. While on tour, Madonna became engaged in a legal battle with Ritchie, over the custody of their son Rocco. The dispute started when Rocco decided to continue living in England with Ritchie when the tour had visited there, while Madonna wanted him to travel with her. Court hearings took place in both New York and London. After multiple deliberations, Madonna withdrew her application for custody and decided to resolve the matter privately.
Something to Remember
Something to Remember is a compilation album by American singer Madonna, released by Maverick Records on November 3, 1995. The album was conceived after a controversial period in Madonna's career, when many critics had speculated that her career had declined. It compiles ballads spanning over a decade of her career, including a reworked version of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and three new songs: "You'll See", "One More Chance" and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You". The album also features previously released singles that had never been included on a Madonna album, "I'll Remember" and "This Used to Be My Playground", and altogether provided a softer image for the singer during a critical period in her career.
Madonna (entertainer)
Besides singing, Madonna has the ability to play several musical instruments. She learned to play drum and guitar from her then-boyfriend Dan Gilroy in the late 1970s, before joining the Breakfast Club line-up as the drummer. This helped her to form the band Emmy, where she performed as the guitarist and lead vocalist. Madonna later played guitar on her demo recordings. On the liner notes of "Pre-Madonna", Stephen Bray wrote: "I've always thought she passed up a brilliant career as a rhythm guitarist." After her career breakthrough, Madonna focused mainly in singing but was also credited for playing cowbell on "Madonna" (1983) and synthesizer on "Like a Prayer" (1989). In 1999, Madonna had studied for three months to play the violin for the role as a violin teacher in the film "Music of the Heart", before eventually leaving the project. After two decades, Madonna decided to perform with guitar again during the promotion of "Music" (2000). She took further lessons from guitarist Monte Pittman to improve her guitar skill. Since then, Madonna has played guitar on every tour, as well as her studio albums. At the 2002 Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards, she received nomination for Les Paul Horizon Award, which honors the most promising up-and-coming guitarist.
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
In the United States, "Bedtime Stories" debuted at number three on the "Billboard" 200 chart on the issue date of November 12, 1994, with 145,000 units sold in its first week. Despite a considerably weaker debut than its predecessor, "Erotica" (1992), which opened at number two with sales of 167,000 copies, its chart longevity made "Bedtime Stories" outsell "Erotica" in the end. Following Madonna's appearance on the American Music Awards, sales of the album increased by 19%. It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of more than three million units within the country. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold 2,336,000 copies as of December 2016. This figure does not include sales from music clubs such as BMG Music Clubs where it sold 195,000 copies. In Canada, the album entered the "RPM" Albums Chart at number four on November 7, 1994, and was certified double platinum by the Music Canada (MC) for shipments of 200,000 copies.
Like a Virgin (album)
Like a Virgin is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on November 12, 1984, by Sire Records. Following the success of her self-titled debut album, Madonna wanted to become the record producer of her next album. However, her label was not ready to give her the artistic freedom and she chose Nile Rodgers instead to produce the album due to his work with David Bowie. Madonna wrote six songs on the record, five of which feature Steve Bray as a co-writer. The album was recorded at Power Station Studio in New York at a quick pace. Rodgers enlisted the help of his former Chic bandmates Bernard Edwards, who was the bassist, and Tony Thompson, who played drums. Jason Corsaro, the record's audio engineer, persuaded Rodgers to use digital recording, a new technique introduced at that time.
True Blue (Madonna album)
In the United States, "True Blue" debuted at number 29 on the "Billboard" 200 and reached number one on the issue dated August 16, 1986. It stayed on the top position for five consecutive weeks and on the chart for a total of 82 weeks. The album also reached a peak of number 47 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. "True Blue" was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of over seven million units, making it Madonna's third best-selling album in the United States, behind "Like a Virgin" (1984) and "The Immaculate Collection" (1990). After the advent of the Nielsen SoundScan era in 1991, the album sold a further 404,000 copies. In Canada, the album debuted at number 73 on the "RPM" albums chart for the issue of July 5, 1986. The album climbed rapidly upwards and reached number one on the issue dated August 9, 1986. It stayed at the top for nine weeks and was present on the chart for 77 weeks. "True Blue" was certified diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of one million copies.
Madonna (entertainer)
While performing as a backup singer and dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour, Madonna became romantically involved with musician Dan Gilroy and they lived in an abandoned synagogue in Corona, Queens. Together, they formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club, for which Madonna sang and played drums and guitar. In 1980 or 1981 she left Breakfast Club and, with her then boyfriend Stephen Bray as drummer, formed the band Emmy. The two began writing songs together, but Madonna later decided to promote herself as a solo act. Her music impressed DJ and record producer Mark Kamins who arranged a meeting between Madonna and Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.
Hard Candy (Madonna album)
Madonna had initially decided to portray herself as the Black Madonna for the cover art, and call it the same, but later felt the idea may have been seen as controversial. She instead named the album "Hard Candy", which refers to the juxtaposition of toughness and sweetness. Critical reaction to the album were generally favorable, though some reviewers condemned it for its attempt to harness the urban market. On release "Hard Candy" debuted at number one in 37 countries worldwide, including the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom and became the eleventh best-selling album worldwide of 2008. The album has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.
Madonna singles discography
In 2000, Madonna scored her 12th US number-one single, "Music", from the album of the same name. The title track her ninth studio album "American Life" (2003) topped the charts in Canada, Italy, and Switzerland while its songs "Nothing Fails" and "Love Profusion" went number one in Spain. In 2005, Madonna released "Hung Up" from her tenth studio album "Confessions on a Dance Floor". It became her most commercially successful song to date, peaking at number one in 41 countries and earned a place in the 2007 "Guinness Book of World Records" for topping the charts in more countries than any other song. With "Hung Up" going platinum, Madonna surpassed The Beatles for having most gold certified singles in the United States. The album's second single, "Sorry", became Madonna's 12th number-one single on the UK charts. "4 Minutes", the lead single from her 11th studio album, "Hard Candy", scored Madonna her 37th "Billboard" Hot 100 top-ten, surpassing Elvis Presley as the artist with the most top-ten singles. She extended the record with the number ten reaching "Give Me All Your Luvin'", from her 2012 studio album, "MDNA", which also topped the charts in Canada. With "Ghosttown", from Madonna's 2015 studio album "Rebel Heart", topping the "Billboard" Dance Club Songs, she became the artist with the most number-one songs on an active "Billboard" chart.
Who's That Girl (soundtrack)
Who's That Girl: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the first soundtrack album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on July 21, 1987 by Sire Records to promote the film of the same name. It also contains songs by her label mates Scritti Politti, Duncan Faure, Club Nouveau, Coati Mundi and Michael Davidson. The soundtrack is credited as a Madonna album, despite her only performing four of the nine tracks on the album. After the commercial success of the film "Desperately Seeking Susan" (1985), in which she co-starred, Madonna wanted to act in another comedy film titled "Slammer", about a woman named Nikki Finn who was falsely accused of homicide. However, due to the critical and commercial failure of her adventure film "Shanghai Surprise" (1986), Warner Bros. were initially reluctant to green light the project, but later agreed, after Madonna convinced them and also because they wanted to cash in on Madonna's success with soundtracks.
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna experimented with more folk and acoustic music in "Music" (2000) and "American Life" (2003). A change was noted in the content of the songs in "Music", with most of them being simple love songs, but with an underlying tone of melancholy. According to "Q" magazine, "American Life" was characterized by "a thumping techno rhythm, liquid keyboard lines, an acoustic chorus and a bizarre Madonna rap." The "conventional rock songs" of the album were suffused with dramatic lyrics about patriotism and composition, including the appearance of a gospel choir in the song "Nothing Fails". Madonna returned to pure dance songs with "Confessions on a Dance Floor", infusing club beats and retro music with paradoxical and metaphorical lyrics. She moved to an urban direction musically with "Hard Candy" (2008), mixing R&B and hip hop with dance tunes. "MDNA" (2012) largely focused in electronic dance music, which she has embraced since "Ray of Light".
List of Madonna records and achievements
She has 12 number-one albums with 9 studio albums —the most for any solo artist. Also, she has five number-two albums and twenty Top 5 albums, more than any other female artist. In 1986, "True Blue" opened at the top of the UK Albums Chart on July 12, 1986, making it the first album by American artist to debut at number one in British chart history. In 2012, with "MDNA" she became the first female in have an album in the number one during the 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010. Also, Madonna and Kylie Minogue are the only artists ever to have a number-one album and a number-one single in three different decades.
Madonna albums discography
Madonna entered the 1990s with the release of the soundtrack, "I'm Breathless" (1990), which contained songs inspired by the film "Dick Tracy". She also released her first greatest hits compilation, "The Immaculate Collection", in the same year. The album has sold more than 30 million copies, becoming the best-selling compilation album by a solo artist. It also became the second best-selling album by a female artist in the United Kingdom and her second certified diamond album in the United States. In 1992, Madonna founded her own record label, Maverick Records, as a joint venture with Time Warner. She was paid an advance of $60 million and received 20% royalties from the music proceedings, the highest rate in the industry at the time, equaled only by that of Michael Jackson. Her next releases under Maverick were the studio albums, "Erotica" (1992) and "Bedtime Stories" (1994), as well as "Something to Remember" (1995), a collection of Madonna ballads. All of them reached multi-platinum status in the US. Her third soundtrack album, from the musical "Evita" (1996) was certified five times platinum by the RIAA. Madonna's seventh studio album, "Ray of Light" (1998), sold more than 16 million copies worldwide.
Music (Madonna album)
"Music" was generally acclaimed by most critics and earned Madonna five Grammy Award nominations, ultimately winning one for Best Recording Package. In 2003, "Rolling Stone" ranked it number 452 on the magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The record was also a commercial success, debuting at number one in over 23 countries across the world and selling four million copies in its first ten days of release. In the United States, "Music" debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with first week sales of 420,000 units, making it her first album to top the chart in more than a decade since "Like a Prayer" (1989). It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for three million units shipped in the United States and has sold over 11 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling albums during the 2000s century.
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (album)
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret is the first live album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, containing songs from the documentary of same name. The film chronicled the behind-the-scenes of Madonna's Re-Invention World Tour (2004), and was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The album was released on June 20, 2006, in a two-disc format, a CD with 13 songs from the show plus a demo from her tenth studio album "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005), and a DVD with the documentary film. The documentary and the album were also released as digital download to the iTunes Store.
Like a Virgin (song)
"Like a Virgin" became Madonna's first of 12 number-one hits on the "Billboard" Hot 100, where it debuted at number 48 on the issue dated November 17, 1984. The song reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart the week of December 22, 1984 and remained there for six weeks. "Like a Virgin" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 10, 1985, for shipping a million copies across United States—the requirement for a gold single prior to 1989. The song also reached number-one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and was her first top-ten entry on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at position nine. It placed at two on the year-end chart for 1985, with Madonna becoming the top pop artist for the year. In Canada, the song debuted on the "RPM" Singles Chart at number 71 on the "RPM" issue dated November 24, 1984, and reached the top of the chart on January 19, 1985. It was present on the chart for a total of 23 weeks and ranked thirty-five on the "RPM" Year-end chart for 1985.
Madonna (Madonna album)
"Madonna" peaked at number eight on the "Billboard" 200, and was certified five-time platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of five million copies across the United States. It reached the top ten of the charts in Australia, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics and was ranked fifth on "Entertainment Weekly"s list of the "Top 100 Best Albums of Past 25 Years" in 2008. The album has been credited for setting the standard of dance-pop for decades afterward, and for pointing the direction for numerous female artists of the 1980s.
Angel (Madonna song)
"Angel" was written by Madonna and Steve Bray and released worldwide on April 10, 1985. The song first began as a demo and was recorded as early as April 1984 for her second studio album, "Like a Virgin". However, the whole project was held off, much to Madonna's frustration, by the continuing sales of her self-titled debut album, which had by then sold over a million copies in United States. She had decided to release "Angel" as the initial single from the album, but changed her mind, after the recording of the title track "Like a Virgin" was complete. "Angel" was an ode to "a heavenly love" and inspired from Madonna's Catholic upbringing with the singer saying, "I think it's important to call angels to you to protect you... That's part of the ritualistic moment. The calling of angels." The track was ultimately released as the third single, and included the song "Into the Groove", from Madonna's 1985 film "Desperately Seeking Susan", on the B-side of the 12-inch maxi-single.
Hard Candy (Madonna album)
After its release, "Hard Candy" debuted at number-one in 37 countries and was the eleventh best-selling album worldwide in 2008, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The album has sold more than four million copies worldwide. According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Hard Candy" sold 100,000 copies in the United States upon its first day of release. It debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with over 280,000 copies sold. "Hard Candy" became Madonna's seventh number-one album, making her the female artist with the second most Billboard number one albums, behind only Barbra Streisand. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 4, 2008, for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. As of December 2016, "Hard Candy" has sold 751,000 copies. In Canada, the album debuted at the top of the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Music Canada (MC) for shipments of 80,000 copies.
Madonna: Like an Icon
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. It continues up to the release of the erotic coffee table book called "Sex", and the subsequent commercial disappointments that she faced. The third part is called "Absolution", and starts with Madonna giving birth to her daughter Lourdes. It continues with the release of "Ray of Light" (1998) and subsequent four studio albums, her worldwide concert tours, her marriage to Guy Ritchie and controversies surrounding her adoption from Malawi. It ends with the release of Madonna's 2008 album, "Hard Candy", and the singer reaching the age of fifty.
Madonna (entertainer)
Throughout her career Madonna has been involved in writing and producing most of her own music. Stuart Price, one of her past collaborators, said that "You don't produce Madonna, you collaborate with her. She's a really good producer herself and obviously a great writer too. She has her vision and knows how to get it." Madonna's early songwriting skill was developed during her time with the Breakfast Club in 1979. According to Carol Gnojewski, her first attempts at songwriting are perceived as an important "self-revelation". Madonna later became the sole writer of five songs on her debut album, including "Lucky Star" which she composed on synthesizer. As a songwriter, she has registered a total of 287 songs to ASCAP, including 18 songs written entirely by herself. "Rolling Stone" has named her "an exemplary songwriter with a gift for hooks and indelible lyrics." According to Freya Jarman-Ivens, Madonna's talent for developing "incredible" hooks for her songs allows the lyrics to capture the attention of the audience, even without the influence of the music. Despite having worked with producers across many genres, "Rolling Stone" writes that Madonna's songs have been "consistently stamped with her own sensibility and inflected with autobiographical detail." She has criticized "songwriting camps" which she had to undergo during album cycles for "Rebel Heart" and "MDNA", due to the fact that people are always in a hurry. She clarified her preference for writing material with other artists "from beginning to the end" of a record, and described her songs as "meant to be ironic and not taken literally, and some are just straight-up, 'Open my veins, this is who I am'." Madonna has been nominated for being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame three times, for 2014, 2016 and 2017 ceremony. In 2015, "Rolling Stone" ranked Madonna at number 56 on the "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time" list.
Before emerging as a pop star, Madonna spent her early years dabbling in rock music alongside her bands, Breakfast Club and Emmy. While performing with Emmy, Madonna recorded about 12–14 songs which resemble the punk rock of that period. Her early rock roots also can be found on the demo album "Pre-Madonna". Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that with her self-titled debut album, Madonna began her career as a disco diva, in an era that did not have any such divas to speak of. In the beginning of the 1980s, disco was an anathema to the mainstream pop, and according to Erlewine, Madonna had a huge role in popularizing dance music as mainstream music. The album's songs reveal several key trends that have continued to define her success, including a strong dance-based idiom, catchy hooks, highly polished arrangements and Madonna's own vocal style. Her second album, "Like a Virgin" (1984), foreshadowed several trends in her later works. It contained references to classical works (pizzicato synthesizer line that opens "Angel"); potential negative reaction from social groups ("Dress You Up" was blacklisted by the Parents Music Resource Center); and retro styles ("Shoo-Bee-Doo", Madonna's homage to Motown).
List of awards and nominations received by Madonna
Madonna is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Bay City, Michigan, on August 16, 1958, and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1978, for a career in modern dance. After performing as a member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album, "Madonna" in 1983, by Sire Records. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) for the song "Borderline". "Madonna" was followed by a series of hit singles from her studio albums "Like a Virgin" (1984) and "True Blue" (1986) which gave her global recognition. Madonna became a pop icon for pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. In 1985, she received a number of VMA nominations for her music videos and two nominations in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category of the Grammy Awards. "Billboard" magazine listed her as the "Top Pop Artist" for 1985, as well as the "Top Pop Singles Artist" for the next two years.
Sidewalk Talk
In 1983, Madonna met John "Jellybean" Benitez, who worked as a DJ at the Funhouse club in lower Manhattan. Soon after, they started dating each other and worked on Madonna's self-titled debut album, released in 1983. When Benitez started work on his debut EP, "Wotupski!?!", he asked Madonna to write a song for him. Within two days Madonna wrote "Sidewalk Talk", whose idea she had initially thought of using on her debut album. According to Benitez, "Wotupski!?!" was a concept album, "It's a street slang in the Bronx. It means 'what's up, what's new'?" The artist credit of the song was simply Jellybean, with lead vocals credited to Catherine Buchanan. Madonna provided background vocals for the track with Audrey Wheeler and Cindy Mizelle. Benitez produced the track as well as arranged and mixed it. Michael Hutchinson assisted on engineering, recording and mixing the track. Producer Stephen Bray also arranged "Sidewalk Talk" with Benitez. Instrumentation featured in the track included bass guitar by Marcus Miller, synthesizer by Boyd Jarvis, Fred Zarr and Bray, electric guitar by Ira Siegel, percussion by Bashiri Johnson and Trevor Gale, and lastly drum programming by Benitez and Bray.
Madonna: An Intimate Biography
American journalist and celebrity biographer John Randall Taraborrelli first met Madonna at a press conference in 1983. She spoke of her youthful struggles before the release of her debut album, and of her belief that she would someday enjoy great success as the "century's biggest star". Taraborrelli thought her brash, cocky, petulant, self-indulgent, and a mediocre beauty with a voice to match.
Confessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 9, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. A complete departure from her previous studio album "American Life" (2003), the album includes influences of 1970s and 1980s disco, as well as modern-day club music. Initially, she began working with Mirwais Ahmadzaï for the album, but later felt that their collaboration was not going in the direction she desired. Madonna took her collaboration with Stuart Price who was overviewing her documentary "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret". The album was mainly recorded at Price's home-studio where Madonna spent most of her time during the recordings.
Papa Don't Preach
Sal Cinquemani from "Slant Magazine" said that "with songs like 'Papa Don't Preach', Madonna made the transition from pop tart to consummate artist, joining the ranks of 80s icons like Michael Jackson and Prince." David Browne from "Entertainment Weekly" in a review of her first compilation album "The Immaculate Collection", commented that "In theory, a 30-ish urban sophisticate singing in the voice of a pregnant teen [...] ought to sound ridiculous", but added that "With the help of collaborators like Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard, though, [the song] turns into a perfectly conceived pop record." In 2005, the same magazine placed the song at number 486 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". In 1987, the song was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 29th Grammy Awards, but lost to Barbra Streisand's "The Broadway Album".
Radio 1 Madonna controversy
Madonna has received considerable airplay on BBC Radio 1 since the beginning of her career and made her first appearance on the station on 22 December 1986, when she was interviewed by Simon Bates during the promotion of the film "Shanghai Surprise". The singer gave subsequent interviews to Jakki Brambles, Bates, Simon Mayo, Sara Cox, Jo Whiley, and Chris Moyles in 1990, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2001, and 2006, respectively. The station also broadcast the Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990 and The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993. On 10 May 2008, Madonna headlined Radio 1's Big Weekend at Mote Park, in Maidstone to promote the release of her album "Hard Candy". The first single from the album, "4 Minutes" (2008), was added to the station's A-list.
Madonna (entertainer)
The album's title track served as its first single, and topped the Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks. It attracted the attention of conservative organizations who complained that the song and its accompanying video promoted premarital sex and undermined family values, and moralists sought to have the song and video banned. Madonna received huge media coverage for her performance of "Like a Virgin" at the first 1984 MTV Video Music Awards. Wearing a wedding dress and white gloves, Madonna appeared on stage atop a giant wedding cake and then rolled around suggestively on the floor. MTV retrospectively considered it one of the "most iconic" pop performances of all time. The second single, "Material Girl", reached number two on the Hot 100 and was promoted by a music video recreating Marilyn Monroe's performance of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the 1953 film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". While filming this video, Madonna started dating actor Sean Penn. They married on her birthday in 1985.
Madonna entered mainstream films in February 1985, beginning with a brief appearance as a club singer in "Vision Quest", a romantic drama film. Its soundtrack contained two new singles, her U.S. number-one single, "Crazy for You", and another track "Gambler". She also played the title role in the 1985 comedy "Desperately Seeking Susan", a film which introduced the song "Into the Groove", her first number-one single in the UK. Her popularity relegated the film as a Madonna vehicle, despite not having lead actress billing. "The New York Times" film critic Vincent Canby named it one of the ten best films of 1985.
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna released and performed the song "Hey You" at the London Live Earth concert in July 2007. She announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records, and declared a new $120 million, ten-year 360 deal with Live Nation. In 2008, Madonna produced and wrote "I Am Because We Are", a documentary on the problems faced by Malawians; it was directed by Nathan Rissman, who worked as Madonna's gardener. She also directed her first film "Filth and Wisdom". The plot of the film revolved around three friends and their aspirations. "The Times" said she had "done herself proud" while "The Daily Telegraph" described the film as "not an entirely unpromising first effort [but] Madonna would do well to hang on to her day job." On March 10, 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. She did not sing at the ceremony but asked fellow Hall of Fame inductees and Michigan natives The Stooges to perform her songs "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light".
Warner Bros. Records
Sire artist Madonna shot to international prominence with her 1983 self-titled debut album and her first mainstream hit single "Holiday", which reached #16 in the US and became a hit in many other countries, including Australia and the UK, where it was Top 5. The album made the Top 20 in more than a dozen countries including the US, where it has been certified at 5× Platinum status. It was quickly followed by "Like a Virgin", which became her first US #1 album and has sold more than 21 million copies worldwide. The title track was also a huge international hit, going to #1 in Australia, Canada, Japan and the US. Boosted by her well-received role in the film "Desperately Seeking Susan", "Crazy For You" (1985) became her second US #1 hit, and the follow-up "Material Girl" reached #2 in the US and was Top 5 in many other countries.
Artists with the most number-ones on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
Madonna's first two dance chart entries, "Everybody" in 1982 and "Burning Up" in 1983, both peaked at number three. Her first chart-topper came later in 1983, when the double-sided 12-inch single "Holiday"/"Lucky Star" spent five weeks at the summit. This remains as Madonna's longest-running number-one. Her second album "Like a Virgin" produced three chart-toppers during 1984 — 1985: Like a Virgin", "Material Girl" and "Angel"/"Into the Groove". "Into the Groove", originally recorded for the film "Desperately Seeking Susan", was later added to the "Like a Virgin" album when it was re-issued in non-U.S. territories. "Open Your Heart" and "Causing a Commotion" (from the soundtrack "Who's That Girl") were both number-ones in 1987. The remix album "You Can Dance" topped the club songs chart in 1988 ("Billboard" policy at the time allowed full albums or EPs to chart). Madonna closed out the 1980s with three more number-ones from her album "Like a Prayer": "Like a Prayer", "Express Yourself" and "Keep It Together" (in early 1990).
Madonna (entertainer)
The first two projects released simultaneously from the venture were Madonna's fifth studio album, "Erotica", and her coffee table book, "Sex". Consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images, photographed by Steven Meisel, the book received strong negative reaction from the media and the general public, but sold 1.5 million copies at $50 each in a matter of days. The widespread backlash overshadowed "Erotica", which ended up as her lowest selling album at the time. Despite positive reviews, it became her first studio album since her debut album not to score any chart-topper in the U.S. The album entered the "Billboard" 200 at number two and yielded the Hot 100 top-ten hits "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper". Madonna continued her provocative imagery in the 1993 erotic thriller, "Body of Evidence", a film which contained scenes of sadomasochism and bondage. It was poorly received by critics. She also starred in the film "Dangerous Game", which was released straight to video in North America. "The New York Times" described the film as "angry and painful, and the pain feels real."
In September 1993, Madonna embarked on The Girlie Show World Tour, in which she dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers. In Puerto Rico she rubbed the island's flag between her legs on stage, resulting in outrage among the audience. In March 1994, she appeared as a guest on the "Late Show with David Letterman", using profanity that required censorship on television, and handing Letterman a pair of her panties and asking him to smell it. The releases of her sexually explicit book, album and film, and the aggressive appearance on Letterman all made critics question Madonna as a sexual renegade. Critics and fans reacted negatively, who commented that "she had gone too far" and that her career was over.
MDNA World Tour (album)
A midweek prediction by "Music Week" magazine had "MDNA World Tour" listed at position 37 of the UK Albums Chart. It ultimately debuted at number 55 on the chart with sales of 1,759 copies while topping the DVD chart of the country with bigger first week sales of 5,599 copies. "MDNA World Tour" became Madonna's first live album not to enter the top-twenty of the UK Albums Chart, after the top-twenty placements at number 18 (14,449 sales) with "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret" (2006), number seven (22,227 sales) with "The Confessions Tour" (2007) and number 17 (12,405 sales) with "Sticky & Sweet Tour" (2010). As of September 2017, it has sold 23,220 copies in the country. The album's highest placement was in Hungary, where it reached the top of the chart. It also attained top ten positions in France, Israel, Italy, Russia and Spain, while reaching top twenty in Poland and Portugal. Its lowest position was attained in Belgium Flanders region, where it failed to enter the top 100 of the Ultratop chart, reaching a peak of number 116. "MDNA World Tour" was successful on the DVD listings of most of the nations, reaching the top of the charts of 17 providers. However, in Australia the album version was disqualified from charting in the ARIA Albums Chart, but it reached the top of the DVD charts for the issue of September 16, 2013.
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna released her eighth studio album, "Music", in September 2000. It featured elements from the electronica-inspired "Ray of Light" era, and like its predecessor, received acclaim from critics. Collaborating with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Madonna commented: "I love to work with the weirdos that no one knows about—the people who have raw talent and who are making music unlike anyone else out there. "Music" is the future of sound." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic felt that ""Music" blows by in a kaleidoscopic rush of color, technique, style and substance. It has so many depth and layers that it's easily as self-aware and earnest as "Ray of Light"." The album took the number-one position in more than 20 countries worldwide and sold four million copies in the first ten days. In the U.S., "Music" debuted at the top, and became her first number-one album in eleven years since "Like a Prayer". It produced three singles: the Hot 100 number-one "Music", "Don't Tell Me", and "What It Feels Like for a Girl". The music video of "What It Feels Like for a Girl" depicted Madonna committing acts of crime and vandalism, and was banned by MTV and VH1.