Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone (b. August 16 1958), principally known by her first name, is an American pop singer, composer, actress, dancer, author, activist, and fashion icon. She rose to prominence in the 1980s, and has become the most successful female solo artist of all time, according to Guinness World Records. She is one of a small number of singers who have been referred to as the "Queen of Pop."

Biography

Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan, to an Italian-American Chrysler engineer, Silvio P. Ciccone, and Madonna Louise Fortin (from a French Canadian family in Québec, Canada). She was raised in a Catholic family of six children in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Rochester Hills.

Related Topics:
Bay City, Michigan - Italian-American - Chrysler - French Canadian - Québec - Canada - Catholic - Detroit - Pontiac - Rochester Hills

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Her mother died at the age of thirty, of breast cancer, on December 1 1963, when Madonna was only five. The singer/icon has frequently discussed the enormous impact her mother's death had on her life and career. Following his wife's death, Silvio brought in a housekeeper, Joan Gustafson. He later married her and had two more children.

Related Topics:
Breast cancer - December 1 - 1963

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Silvio required all of his children to take music lessons. After a few months of piano lessons, Madonna convinced her father to allow her to take ballet classes instead, and she proved to be a gifted dancer.

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After graduating from Rochester Adams High School in 1976, Madonna received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan. At the encouragement of her ballet teacher, Christopher Flynn, Madonna left college after only one semester and moved to New York City to pursue a dance career. She studied with modern dance legend Martha Graham, as well as a Graham disciple, Pearl Lange. Madonna later performed with several modern dance companies, including Alvin Ailey and the Walter Nicks dancers.

Related Topics:
University of Michigan - New York City - Martha Graham - Pearl Lange - Modern dance - Alvin Ailey - Walter Nicks dancers

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After performing as a dancer for French disco star Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour, Madonna abandoned her fledgeling dance career to pursue music. She formed several bands, including "Breakfast Club" and "Emmy." She also wrote a number of songs that brought her local fame in New York dance clubs, particularly Danceteria.

Related Topics:
Patrick Hernandez - 1979 - Danceteria

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In 1982 the singer inked a deal with Sire Records. Her demo song, "Ain't No Big Deal", was written by her frequent collaborator, Stephen Bray, but was shelved for several years because it had recently been recorded and released by the Epic Records group Barracuda. Five years later, Madonna's version surfaced on the B-side of the "True Blue" single, though it has never appeared on one of her albums.

Related Topics:
Sire Records - Stephen Bray - Epic Records - Barracuda

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During the sessions for her first album, Madonna recorded a song called "Sidewalk Talk." However, after listening to the finished product, she and her producers decided that its sound was too dated. They shelved the track and replaced it with a more current-sounding song called "Holiday". (It soon became a hit, and stands today as an iconic 1980's dance song. "Sidewalk Talk" would later be used as a B-side for a single release.)

Related Topics:
Holiday - 1980's

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Madonna's first bona-fide hit was "Everybody", produced by Mark Kamins. It gained heavy rotation on R&B radio stations, leading many to assume that Madonna was a black artist. When "Everybody" was released as a single, Madonna's picture did not appear on the album sleeve, because Sire did not want to risk losing the black audience (Madonna's core audience at that point) by advertising that Madonna was white.

Related Topics:
Everybody - Mark Kamins

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First album

In 1983 her self-titled first album, Madonna, was released, and its first single, "Holiday", was a hit single in several countries. Other hits on Madonna included "Borderline" and "Lucky Star." The album was produced by John 'Jellybean' Benitez, with whom Madonna had had a brief romance. Although the album sold only moderately at first, thanks to heavy rotation on a brand new cable channel called MTV, Madonna gained nationwide exposure and the album peaked at number eight on the Billboard chart, and went platinum five times.

Related Topics:
1983 - Madonna - Borderline - Lucky Star - John 'Jellybean' Benitez - MTV

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MTV aggressively marketed Madonna's image as a playful and sexy combination of punk and pop culture, and she soon became a fixture on the network. Her bleached blonde hair (with brown roots), sexy lace gloves, lingerie on the outside and "Boy Toy" belt buckle became popular in malls and schoolyards across America. In many ways, she defined pop fashion of the era.

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The hit club track, "Burning Up", was remixed for release in the U.K. by DJ Rusty Egan (formerly of the new romantic group, Visage).

Related Topics:
Burning Up - New romantic - Visage

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Benitez said that based on the success of Madonna's first album he had expected to produce her follow-up, but Madonna had other plans.

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Like a Virgin and The Virgin Tour

In 1984 Madonna released Like a Virgin. The album, produced by the legendary Nile Rodgers, had a distinctive soul and funk flavor, with hard, loud drums and plenty of bass guitar, yet remained pop-friendly and accessible. The title track topped the U.S. charts for six weeks and is believed to be first time in music history that the word "virgin" appeared in a Top 40 song.

Related Topics:
1984 - Like a Virgin - Nile Rodgers

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Madonna's performance at the First Annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984 is considered to be the first controversial incident in a career that would see many more. She took the stage to sing "Like A Virgin" wearing a combination bustier/wedding gown, which included her trademark "Boy Toy" belt. During the performance, she rolled around on the floor, revealing lacy stockings and garters, and made a number of sexually suggestive moves. While such a performance would probably not raise eyebrows today, it was shocking to a mid-1980's audience. However, Madonna seemed to thrive on the controversy, and it only served to increase her popularity.

Related Topics:
MTV Video Music Awards - 1984

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The record spawned three other hits, all of which went to Billboard's Top Five: Angel (number five), Dress You Up (number five), and what was to become her signature song, Material Girl (number two). Since this album's release, Madonna has often been referred to as "The Material Girl."

Related Topics:
Angel - Material Girl

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Like a Virgin was the first time Madonna used what became a continuing career strategy: a change of image. Where Madonna had been mostly synthesizers and dance beats, featuring a "street urchin" version of the singer, the image projected in Like a Virgin was lacy and sensual, with Madonna portraying Lolita-like sexual decadence.

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The wild success of the release led Madonna to Hollywood. In 1985, she made a brief appearance in the film Vision Quest playing a club singer, with the song she performed, Crazy for You, becoming her second number-one hit. It garnered her the first of many Grammy nominations, and the song's video, combining clips from the movie with Madonna singing, was in heavy rotation on MTV for months. Later that same year, she received commercial and critical success for her starring role in Susan Seidelman's film Desperately Seeking Susan."

Related Topics:
1985 - Vision Quest - Grammy - Susan Seidelman - Desperately Seeking Susan

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This era of Madonna's career also saw the advent of the "Madonna Wannabe". Across America, teenage girls went to great lengths to emulate their idol, dressing in spandex, miniskirts, torn t-shirts, and lacy bras, with armfuls of black rubber bangles, and teased, bow-tied hair. Madonna has remarked in interviews that it was startling to see girls dressing like her all over the country, because her "look" was based mainly on recycled streetwear during her lean years, using old hosiery to tie up her hair and cutting up old shirts.

Related Topics:
Wannabe - Spandex - Miniskirt

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Also in 1985, Madonna launched her first full-scale live performance tour, called "The Virgin Tour". Every stop on the tour sold out; tickets for the opening night performance in Seattle were gone in thirty-three minutes.

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Playboy and Sean Penn

Around this time, a number of black and white nude photos of Madonna surfaced, published in both Penthouse and Playboy magazines. The photos were taken during the late 1970s, when she posed for art photographers in New York City as a way to make money. Some feared that the nude photos of Madonna would damage her career. Unsurprisingly, Madonna brushed off the scandal, responding with "So what?" and "I'm not ashamed." Madonna's "So What?" response was later quoted on a Ciccone Youth record sleeve.

Related Topics:
Penthouse - Playboy - 1970s - Ciccone Youth

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1985 proved to be a pivotal year both professionally and personally for Madonna. Along with enjoying the commercial success of the Like A Virgin album and tour and her film appearances, she also met and fell in love with actor Sean Penn. On her twenty-seventh birthday, August 16 1985, Penn and Madonna were married in an outdoor ceremony in Malibu, California. Despite attempts to keep the media away from the celebration, paparazzi in helicopters hovered so close that the noise drowned out the couple's wedding vows.

Related Topics:
Sean Penn - August 16 - 1985

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True Blue and Who's That Girl

In 1986, Madonna released her third album, True Blue. The album was co-produced by Patrick Leonard and Madonna's longtime friend Stephen Bray. It included the hits, "Open Your Heart," "True Blue," "Live to Tell," "La Isla Bonita," and "Papa Don't Preach." True Blue was described by Rolling Stone as her "blue collar album," while other critics felt the songs were reminiscent of the 1950s. With this album, Madonna also changed her look to a more 1950s feel. Her new style consisted of short bleached hair, plain white t-shirts, leather jackets, and tapered pants. Madonna dedicated "True Blue" to her new husband, Sean Penn, referring to him in the album's liner notes as the "coolest guy in the world."

Related Topics:
1986 - True Blue - Patrick Leonard - Papa Don't Preach - Rolling Stone - 1950s

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One of the hit songs, "Papa Don't Preach," caused some cultural debate and controversy. In the song, a girl is confessing to her father that she is pregnant, and the lyrics include the lines "my friends keep telling me to give it up" and "I've made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby." Though Madonna has indicated that the song is about an unwed mother choosing not to give her baby up for adoption, many believed that the girl was actually deciding against abortion. Anti-abortion lobbyists found themselves in the suprising position of supporting Madonna, while some feminists and pro-choice activists accused Madonna of glamorizing the lifestyle of unwed motherhood that they believed would lead young women into poverty. This was perhaps the first time in Madonna's career that some conservative political groups supported her expression while more liberal groups criticized her.

Related Topics:
Adoption - Abortion - Conservative - Liberal

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Madonna portrayed a variety of characters in the music videos that accompanied the True Blue album. In the video for "Open Your Heart," Madonna played a stripper who befriends a young boy. In "La Isla Bonita," she played a Spanish woman, which was one of the first indications of Madonna's fondness for the Hispanic culture. There are two versions of the video for the song, "True Blue." In the U.S., Madonna collaborated with MTV in an amateur video-making contest wherein viewers submitted their own home-made music videos for the song. One amateur video was chosen by Madonna and MTV to be designated as the official music video for the song, "True Blue," in the United States. The MTV "Make My Video" contest winners were Angel Gracia and Cliff Guest. In Europe, however, Madonna starred in her own music video for the song.

Related Topics:
Spanish - Hispanic - MTV

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Madonna appeared with husband, Sean Penn, in the 1986 film Shanghai Surprise, which was unanimously panned by critics. The couple soon earned a reputation for hostility towards the media, thanks to Penn's frequently violent outbursts against the paparazzi. The paparazzi often referred to the couple as the "Poison Penns."

Related Topics:
1986 - Shanghai Surprise - Paparazzi

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In 1987 Madonna starred in the film, Who's That Girl, which was a flop in the U.S., but a minor success in the rest of the world. Nevertheless, the soundtrack spawned three hits: the title track, "Causing a Commotion", and "The Look of Love." She also appeared as Hortense in a film called Bloodhounds of Broadway, which was harshly dismissed by many reviewers.

Related Topics:
1987 - Who's That Girl - Soundtrack - Title track

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Madonna embarked on the "Who's That Girl World Tour," beginning her long association with backing vocalists and dancers Donna DeLory and Niki Haris. The tour marked her first run-in with the Vatican; the Pope urged fans not to attend her performances in Italy. The fans were not affected, however, and the tour went on as scheduled.

Related Topics:
Donna DeLory - Niki Haris - Vatican - Pope - Italy

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That year she also released an album of dance remixes entitled You Can Dance. It failed to sell as well as her previous efforts.

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On September 14 1989 she divorced husband Sean Penn, citing spousal abuse.

Related Topics:
September 14 - 1989

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Like a Prayer

In 1989, Madonna released the album Like a Prayer. The album released five singles, including top ten hits Like a Prayer, Express Yourself, Cherish, Oh Father, and Keep It Together. Prayer is often cited by critics as the best album of her career.

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To mark the release of Like a Prayer, Madonna changed her image once again. Her previously short platinum coif was restyled into a long mane of wavy brown hair. Some critics said that Madonna was taking on a hippie look from the 1960s.

Related Topics:
Hippie - 1960

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The music video for the title track featured Madonna as a woman who witnesses a violent murder. A black man (played by Leon) is falsely accused of the crime and is jailed. Madonna then goes into a church and prays before a religious statue, assumed by some to be a statue of St. Martin de Porres. Madonna then falls asleep and dreams that the statue comes to life and passionately kisses her. Madonna then awakens with the resolve to identify the real perpetrator of the murder. The falsely accused black man, who resembles the statue, is then released.

Related Topics:
Music video - Murder - Leon - St. Martin de Porres

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The music video for Like a Prayer featured many Catholic symbols, such as stigmata, and was denounced by the Vatican for its "blasphemous" mixture of eroticism and Catholic symbolism. (Backing singer Niki Haris had turned down Madonna's offer to dance with her in front of the field of burning crosses. Haris, a black woman, said that she could not bring herself to be in a scene with such a strong symbol of the KKK.)

Related Topics:
Catholic - Stigmata - Vatican - Blasphemous - Niki Haris - Burning crosses - KKK

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Madonna had signed a deal with Pepsi, according to which the song "Like a Prayer" would be debuted as a Pepsi commercial in which Madonna would appear. The commercial was first broadcast during an episode of The Cosby Show, but when the following week, Madonna's own music video version of the song debuted on MTV, Pepsi pulled theirs off the air and cancelled all plans for future commercials with Madonna. Though the contract with Pepsi called for three future commercials, Madonna got to keep her five-million-dollar endorsement fee without fulfilling her contractual obligations. Madonna later said that it was apparent that Pepsi wanted to rid themselves of the controversy as quickly as possible. (As part of the endorsement deal, Pepsi had also agreed to sponsor Madonna's 1989 world tour. With the loss of their endorsement, Madonna had to postpone her concert tour until the following year.) As a twist of irony, the video won the MTV Video Viewer's Choice Award, which was sponsored by Pepsi that year. Madonna came on stage to accept the award and thanked Pepsi.

Related Topics:
Pepsi - The Cosby Show - MTV

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The song, Dear Jessie, was released in Europe, with an accompanying animated music video (her first animated music video), and went on to be a European Top Ten hit.

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The video for Express Yourself was the first of several to be directed by then-unknown film director, David Fincher (Fight Club and Panic Room).

Related Topics:
David Fincher - Fight Club - Panic Room

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Dick Tracy and I'm Breathless

In 1990, she starred as Breathless Mahoney in Dick Tracy alongside Warren Beatty, whom she also briefly dated. She earned some good reviews for the role, though critics pointed out that it continued her tradition of performing well when portraying characters quite similar to herself (in this case, a demanding and powerful vamp). I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film 'Dick Tracy' spawned the huge number-one hit, "Vogue", which popularized a dance trend in which people struck poses like fashion models in magazines (such as Vogue, hence the term "voguing"). Widely considered one of her best songs, its video, also directed by David Fincher, was named the number-two video of all time by MTV, second only to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". There has been a misconception that "Vogue" was written, recorded for and used in the film, when in fact it was not (it was originally intended as a B-side, but was put on the album at the last minute because the song fit the album's concept). Curiously, the song was used in a television trailer promoting the film, which spawned this misconception. Another top ten single inspired by, but not used in, the film was "Hanky Panky". The album, however, did contain four songs that actually were in the film: "Sooner or Later" (which won an Oscar for "Best Original Song"), "What Can You Lose?", "More" (the song that's actually heard at the end of the film), and "Now I'm Following You" (a duet with co-star Warren Beatty but in a version different from what was heard in the film). "I'm Breathless" is one of actually three original soundtracks that were released around the time of the film.

Related Topics:
Dick Tracy - Warren Beatty - Michael Jackson - Thriller - Oscar

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The Immaculate Collection

She also released her first greatest hits album, The Immaculate Collection, towards the end of 1990. The album was dedicated to the "Pope", her "divine inspiration" (the "Pope" is the nickname Madonna gives to her brother Christopher, artistic director of both the Blond Ambition and Girlie Show tours). She included fifteen of her biggest hits and two new songs, both top-ten hits: "Rescue Me" which reached number nine, and "Justify My Love", co-written by Lenny Kravitz, which stayed at number one for four weeks.

Related Topics:
The Immaculate Collection - Justify My Love - Lenny Kravitz

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Despite the radio success of "Justify My Love", the sexual content of both the song's lyrics and its ground-breaking video proved to be too much for MTV, and network executives decided they could not air it. Somewhat surprisingly, rather than fight the ban, Madonna released a statement indicating that she fully respected MTV's decision and expressing her gratitude to the network for its ongoing support of her career. Madonna's record company then decided to sell the video on VHS as a "video single", the first one ever released. The video sold over 400,000 copies, and the CD single sold over one million. This success was yet another example of Madonna's ability to turn controversy to her advantage, as it is unlikely that either the CD single or the video would have sold nearly as successfully had MTV simply decided to air the video. Although the video was banned on MTV, this was not the case on MTV2. In mid-2002, this video aired in its entirety as part of a special countdown showing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was only shown late at night because of the graphic imagery of "Justify My Love" and several other videos on the countdown. This video held the number #2 spot on the countdown.

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Additional controversy developed when Prince protégé, Ingrid Chavez, claimed partial songwriting credit for the lyrics of "Justify My Love". The track sampled the Public Enemy instrumental, "Security of the First World". Madonna claimed that she was unaware of any deliberate copying and Chavez was later granted a percentage of the song's royalties. The rap community was less forgiving and responded by releasing three "answer records" to Madonna in defense of Public Enemy producer Hank Shocklee: "To My Donna" by Young Black Teenagers, "Al Will Justify Your Love" by Al B. Sure!, and "Justify Satisfy" by D-Melo. The tracks failed to generate much public interest.

Related Topics:
Prince - Ingrid Chavez - Public Enemy

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Truth or Dare and A League of Their Own

In 1991, Madonna starred in her first documentary film, In Bed with Madonna, which chronicled her "Blonde Ambition Tour"; the title was changed to Truth or Dare for its U.S. release. In it, her personality and private life were explored in intimate detail: the star came across as extremely ambitious, demanding, forthright, sexy, and highly intelligent. It also showed her softer side as she confronted family members and visited the grave of her mother. However, others in her entourage complained that the film had been edited to remove embarrassing material about Madonna, while their requests to remove embarrassing scenes involving them – such as a dancer's admission that he was gay – were ignored. The documentary grossed fifteen million in the U.S. and another twenty million overseas. The film only cost a million dollars to make. It was parodied by the U.K. television show, In Bed with Medinner, and the American TV spoof, Medusa: Dare To Be Truthful, which starred former MTV personality, Julie Brown.

Related Topics:
1991 - Blonde Ambition Tour - In Bed with Medinner - MTV - Julie Brown

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In 1992, Madonna appeared in the Penny Marshall film, A League of Their Own, which revolved around a women's baseball team. Her performance was heralded by critics as an impressive return to the form she'd hinted at in Desperately Seeking Susan, though her character, "All-The-Way Mae", a libidinous vamp, again seemed to play directly off Madonna's then image. She wrote and performed the film's theme song; the number-one hit, "This Used to Be My Playground". Its music video featured film clips, and the song became a huge adult contemporary music hit and Madonna's tenth Hot 100 number one single.

Related Topics:
1992 - Penny Marshall - A League of Their Own - Adult contemporary music - Hot 100

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Sex and Erotica

The erotic book, Sex, photographed by Steven Meisel, was released October 21, 1992 and sold for $49.95 each. Adult in nature, it featured Madonna as the centerpiece of photographs along with other pop music artists of the time depicting various sexual fantasies and acts (including lesbianism, anal sex, and sadomasochism). The book was bound in sheet metal and Mylar, and came with a CD single of the song "Erotic" (a remix of her new single "Erotica" with different lyrics), which was packaged to look like a giant condom. Critics panned the book as another of Madonna's preplanned controversies; Spy Magazine called it "a fuck book that contained no actual fucking."

Related Topics:
Sex - Lesbian - Anal sex - Sadomasochism - Mylar - Spy Magazine

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In the wake of publicity generated by the book, Madonna released her next album, Erotica, in the same year. She co-wrote and produced this record mostly with the legendary Shep Pettibone. Almost a companion piece to the book, it featured bold sexual anthems that made no attempt to disguise their star's appetite for erotic fantasy and role-playing. The album spawned a number of top ten hits, including "Erotica" (which became the highest-debuting (number three) single in the history of the Hot 100 Airplay Chart) and "Deeper and Deeper" which stalled at number seven. Outside of America "Fever" and "Bye Bye Baby" were also hits, while domestically, "Rain" stalled at number fourteen and "Bad Girl" went on to achieve modest chart success, entering the top forty.

Related Topics:
Erotica - Shep Pettibone - Hot 100 Airplay

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The music videos from Erotica were groundbreaking in a number of ways. Two different treatments of the title video were released: an "uncut" European version which featured graphic nudity and overt depiction of sexual acts, and a censored American version, which contained more suggestive, rapidly changing images, edited in such a way that the most risqué scenes were obscured or omitted. Despite this, even the expurgated version of the video was deemed too raunchy for America in 1992. Though the song was a huge hit, the video only aired a total of three times on MTV, always after midnight, and always preceded by a warning (issued by Kurt Loder) that viewers should change the channel if S&M and homosexuality were not to their taste.

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At present, the censored version of the "Erotica" video has been unbanned by MTV and VH1, and has been aired in its entirety several times on VH1 and MTV2 within the past five or six years, not always late at night or early in the morning. Indeed, since 2000, MTV2 has broadcast the video several times in the middle of the afternoon, during Madonna-related special programming, as occurred around the time of the 2003 release of her American Life album.

Related Topics:
2000 - 2003

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The "Rain" video, one of the first directed by Mark Romanek, was notable for its frame-by-frame colorization of black and white stock, a painstaking process which lent it a highly stylized appearance. The "Fever" video, one of Stephane Sednaoui's first, was also well-received, and the video for "Bad Girl", which featured Christopher Walken as an angel, told a disturbing tale of a woman whose lifestyle leads to her murder.

Related Topics:
Mark Romanek - Stephane Sednaoui - Christopher Walken

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Despite numerous negative reviews and comments by the media, the book became an instant bestseller. Like the book, the album received mixed reviews, but peaked at number two on the Billboard chart, sold over five million copies, and went platinum twice. Erotica had a number of hit singles, including Erotica and Rain, both selling over one million copies each.

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The Madonna "industry" appeared to go into overdrive in 1993 when she appeared in a number of film roles. Body of Evidence was regarded by many commentators as an exercise in soft-core pornography, with Madonna portraying a woman accused of killing her lover by means of sexual intercourse. The film was R-rated and contained copious nudity and graphic sex scenes. Dangerous Game was similar in plot and content. Madonna would later comment that this entire period of her life was designed to give the world every single morsel of what they seemed to be demanding in their invasion of her private life. She hoped that once it was all out in the open, people could settle down and focus on her work.

Related Topics:
1993 - Body of Evidence - Soft-core - Pornography - R-rated

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1993 also saw the release of the obscure single, "Get Over", by actor/model Nick Scotti, which was written by Madonna and Stephen Bray, and used in the 1992 soundtrack for the film, Nothing but Trouble. It was a minor U.S. dance hit and was produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone. She also made a prominent appearance on the backing vocals.

Related Topics:
Stephen Bray - Shep Pettibone

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Bedtime Stories

In 1994, Madonna released Bedtime Stories. The album, which took her back to her R&B roots, found her directly addressing her detractors in the song, "Human Nature" – which included lines such as: "I'm not sorry/I'm not your bitch" and "Did I say something wrong? Oops, I didn't know I couldn't talk about sex" – appeared to be directed at the media and critics who had questioned her decisions in recent years. Other top ten hits included "Bedtime Story", penned by singer Björk, and "Take a Bow", penned by singer Babyface, who also sang vocals. "Take a Bow" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks, breaking her previous record of six weeks with "Like a Virgin", and would later assist her in her winning the lead role in Evita. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the same year, and Madonna sang "Take a Bow" at the American Music Awards. The success of the album belied its uncertain origins. It spawned several Unreleased Madonna songs, co-written with Shep Pettibone in 1994, that were shelved as Madonna changed creative gears. One throwaway song entitled "Love Won't Wait" was later sent to Gary Barlow to record. He took his version of the song to number one in the UK in 1997, earning Madonna yet another co-writing credit on a number one hit.

Related Topics:
1994 - Bedtime Stories - R&B - Björk - Babyface - Evita - Grammy - American Music Awards - Unreleased Madonna songs - Shep Pettibone - Gary Barlow

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At the time it was made in 1995, "Bedtime Story", which cost over two million dollars, was the most expensive music video in history. Madonna only held this record for a few months; Michael Jackson's "Scream" video – which cost seven million dollars – broke it later that year.

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Despite the maturity of Bedtime Stories, Madonna seemed in no rush to put her reputation for controversy behind her. In March 1994, she made an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman in which she repeatedly uttered profanities, saying the word "fuck" thirteen times while smoking a cigar.

Related Topics:
1994 - The Late Show with David Letterman - Fuck

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In an attempt to improve her acting credentials, Madonna opted over the next few years to take small roles in independent films. She appeared as a singing telegram girl in Blue in the Face (1995) and as a witch in Four Rooms (1995). She played the part of a phone sex company owner in Spike Lee's flop, Girl 6, in 1996.

Related Topics:
Independent films - Telegram - Blue in the Face - 1995 - Four Rooms - Phone sex - Spike Lee - Girl 6 - 1996

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In this period the world also saw her very public falling out with former DJ pal and remixer/producer, Junior Vasquez, due to the release of his huge club hit, "If Madonna Calls", of which she did not approve.

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Evita

Madonna released a second greatest hits album in 1996, this time collecting a number of ballads under the title, Something to Remember. She began to wear fashionable designer dresses and softened her (by now medium length) hair to honey blonde. This may have helped her to secure the coveted role of Eva Perón in the 1996 film adaptation of Evita. The film marked the first time that Madonna was heralded as an actress in a leading role. She delivered a Golden Globe winning performance and was critically praised. Her detractors still managed to point out the similarities between the character (a former actress and fame-hungry politician's wife) and Madonna's own life.

Related Topics:
1996 - Eva Perón - Evita - Golden Globe

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The Evita soundtrack went on to become Madonna's twelfth platinum album, thanks to the singles, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and "You Must Love Me", the latter receiving an Oscar for best original song in a film. While "You Must Love Me" was a moderate hit on radio and MTV, it was actually a dance remix of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" that cemented the soundtrack's mainstream pop success. The remix became a worldwide top ten hit in early 1997, and helped "Argentina" to peak at number eight on the Hot 100.

Related Topics:
Oscar - MTV - 1997 - Hot 100

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The third single, "Another Suitcase in Another Hall", became a European top ten hit. The announced fourth single, "Buenos Aires", was only released as a promo.

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Ray of Light

In 1998 Madonna underwent another reinvention of style. During 1996 and 1998, she began studying Kabbalah, a mystical interpretation of the Torah. She took Yoga lessons and pursued a vigorous exercise regime that brought her body to a peak of toned fitness. She became pregnant by her then lover, personal trainer Carlos Leon, and gave birth to her daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon (Lola), on October 14 1996. In 1998, she released Ray of Light, an album co-produced by European techno music performer, William Orbit. The release was Madonna's first critically-acclaimed recording since "Like a Prayer"; her biggest hit in nearly ten years, selling more than fifteen million copies worldwide. It spawned the top-ten singles "Frozen", "Ray of Light", "Drowned World/Substitute for Love", "Nothing Really Matters" (accompanied by a video in which she portrayed a cross between a clubber and a geisha girl), and "The Power of Good-Bye" (in which E.R.s Goran Visnjic appeared in the music video.)

Related Topics:
1998 - 1996 - Kabbalah - Torah - Yoga - Carlos Leon - October 14 - Ray of Light - Europe - Techno music - William Orbit - Ray of Light - Drowned World/Substitute for Love - Nothing Really Matters - Geisha - The Power of Good-Bye - Goran Visnjic

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Her vocals were notably stronger, likely an after effect of the vocal training, she received for "Evita". The lyrics were some of Madonna's most introspective. "Mer Girl" dealt with motherhood from the perspective of a woman who had lost her own mother as a child; "Little Star" was a paean to the wise choices, her own daughter would make in the future; "Swim" addressed the topic of violence in popular culture. Still, critics were quick to note that Madonna was doing only what she knew best: taking things from the cultures around her (in this case, techno, Eastern mysticism, and alternative rock) and refining them for mass consumption. Madonna received three Grammy awards for Ray of Light. Her only previous Grammy was for "The Blonde Ambition Tour", which won the Best Longform video award in 1992.

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After endlessly promoting Ray of Light, Madonna contributed the top ten hit, "Beautiful Stranger", to the soundtrack of the ' film in 1999. In 2000, Madonna focused next on her pet project, a film called The Next Best Thing. Co-starring her friend, the openly gay actor, Rupert Everett, the film told the story of a heterosexual woman and her gay best friend. After a drunken night of sex, they discover that she is pregnant and decide to raise the child together, but outside romances intervene to cause conflict and estrangement. Critics and audiences alike panned the film, which marked yet another disappointment in Madonna's ill-fated film career. The soundtrack spawned the worldwide (excluding the U.S.) number one hit, "American Pie", a dance cover version of the Don McLean classic.

Related Topics:
Ray of Light - Beautiful Stranger - Gay - Rupert Everett - Heterosexual - American Pie - Don McLean

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Music and the Drowned World Tour

In 2000, Madonna released the album, Music. A bona fide commercial and critical hit, it saw Madonna abandon her earlier sexual and religious themes for throwaway lyrics and the "party" spirit of dance, pop, and techno. Music was produced partly by Orbit and partly by French techno musician Mirwais Ahmadzai. It spawned her twelfth number one single, "Music", plus the hits "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like for a Girl". In late 2001, "Impressive Instant" also became a huge club hit although it was never released commercially, to the disappointment of many fans. Madonna was pregnant with her second child, Rocco, during the shooting of the "Music" video, parts of which contain animation. The "What It Feels Like for a Girl" video was directed by Madonna's husband, film director Guy Ritchie. In it, Madonna robs an Automatic Teller Machine, runs over several innocent bystanders, blows up a gas station and eventually commits suicide by driving into a lamppost. The video was meant to showcase the fact that when men in film commit violent acts, it is accepted, but when women do it just as mercilessly, it is shunned. Her point was arguably confirmed when the video was banned by MTV and VH1, after both networks did a simultaneous broadcast of the video once. Music was notable for another revamping of Madonna's image, this time as a cross between a disco-loving party girl and a rustic cowgirl. It started yet another fashion trend, with pink cowboy hats adorned by tiaras seen on streets and catwalks around the world.

Related Topics:
2000 - Music - Mirwais Ahmadzai - Music - Don't Tell Me - What It Feels Like for a Girl - Impressive Instant - Guy Ritchie - Automatic Teller Machine - MTV - VH1

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On 22 December 2000 at Skibo Castle in Scotland, Madonna married director Guy Ritchie. Madonna released her second Greatest Hits album, GHV2, in 2001; unlike her previous greatest hits compilation, GHV2 featured a selection of her hits from the 1992–2001 period, but did not contain any new songs. Without a single to promote the album, Madonna decided to release a promotional-only single and video, entitled the "Thunderpuss GHV2 Megamix". While the medley earned relatively subdued radio coverage, the video was a modest success on MTV, MTV2, and VH1. In June 2001, she appeared in Star, a short film directed for BMW by Ritchie, and then began working on Swept Away, a remake of the classic film, Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August, in which Ritchie cast Madonna as a rich, bitchy socialite who, after a shipwreck, is trapped on a desert island with a slovenly servant who smacks and humiliates her; the woman is called Amber Leighton, the name of Ritchie's mother. The film, released in 2002, was critically panned and went on to become yet another in a string of acting flops.

Related Topics:
22 December - 2000 - Skibo Castle - Scotland - Guy Ritchie - GHV2 - GHV2 Megamix - Medley - MTV - MTV2 - VH1 - BMW - Swept Away - Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August - 2002

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In 2001 Madonna went on her "Drowned World Tour". It was completely sold out (some venues within thirty-five minutes), and was Madonna's first world tour since 1993's Girle Show Tour. Madonna mostly perfomed her more current songs from the Bedtime Stories album onwards, with the exception of "Holiday" and "La Isla Bonita". On this tour, the world saw a different Madonna, rocking on electric guitar in "Candy Perfume Girl", and playing lead acoustic guitar (sometimes solo) in "I Deserve It", "Secret", "La Isla Bonita" and a new song only heard in concert, and simply referred to as "The Funny Song." This marked the first time that Madonna used her newly learned guitar skills live in concert. The tour concert in her home state of Michigan was broadcast live on HBO on August 26, from the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Madonna had to postpone a concert in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on September 11 because of the terrorist attacks. She donated the proceeds of the rescheduled concert to the victims of the terrorist attacks. Madonna led a prayer for peace at the third concert in Los Angeles, and urged President Bush to show restraint in retaliating against those responsible for the attacks.

Related Topics:
August 26 - Palace of Auburn Hills - Auburn Hills - Los Angeles - Staples Center - September 11 - Terrorist attacks

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In 2002, Madonna performed the theme song to the James Bond film, Die Another Day, a top-ten hit (number eight) on the Billboard Hot 100. She also had the opportunity to have a cameo in the film as a fencing instructor named Verity. The theme song was released to mixed reviews. In one case, the song was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song; however, it was also nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song (2002).

Related Topics:
2002 - James Bond - Die Another Day - Golden Globe - Golden Raspberry Award - Worst Original Song (2002)

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While Madonna was apparently content with her second marriage, her career continued to keep her in the limelight.

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American Life

Her artistic reputation appeared to take a turn for the worse, however, when the critical drubbing she received for Swept Away was followed by an equally brutal critical reception for her 2003 album, American Life. American critics described the album as "tired", monotonous, and an indication that she was "in need of a vacation" from the stress of her career. In yet another move that followed her pattern of creating "controversy" in the wake of an album's release, she filmed a music video for "American Life", which included a scene of her tossing a lighter shaped like a hand grenade into the lap of a President George W. Bush lookalike. Perhaps mindful of the protests and boycotts that had greeted the Dixie Chicks, after they made some anti-war comments (though she publicly denied it in an interview with Matt Lauer), the video was revoked, presumably at Madonna's request, on the day it premiered (it was aired for only a few hours); it was later replaced by a less inflammatory treatment, a video simply featuring Madonna performing the song in military garb in front of changing flags of the world.

Related Topics:
2003 - American Life - Music video - American Life - George W. Bush - Lookalike - Dixie Chicks - Matt Lauer

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Shortly after this incident, the online world was surprised and amused when marketers and promoters of her album attempted to disrupt the Internet file sharing networks by uploading a large number of "junk" musical files bearing her name. Instead of downloading an actual Madonna song, seekers of online music instead found themselves downloading a file of Madonna saying, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The Madonna Remix Project took this file and added music to mock Madonna's attempt to "inspire guilt" in peer-to-peer users. http://www.irixx.org/madonna/madonnaremix.html

Related Topics:
Internet - File sharing - Peer-to-peer

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The album was a success outside the U.S. where the subsequent singles, "Hollywood" and "Love Profusion", continued to place Madonna on the charts. Madonna tried to warm up American radio to the collection with a promotional campaign with rapper, Missy Elliott, sponsored by The Gap retail clothing chain, using the tune "Into the Hollywood Groove". "Love Profusion" was also used in commercials by Estée Lauder. Neither promotion however was able to revive the album in the States.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - Love Profusion - Missy Elliott - The Gap - Estée Lauder

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Famous for her appearances at the MTV Video Music Awards, in 2003 Madonna provoked the public once again by portraying a groom and kissing her brides, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, on stage. The gender role-reversal and lesbian theme instantly made front page headlines. The three singers performed a medley of her early hit, "Like a Virgin", and her then latest release, "Hollywood", with a guest rap by Missy Elliott. The design resembled Madonna's performance of "Like a Virgin" at the 1984 VMA's: the same wedding cake set, wedding dresses and "Boy Toy" belt worn by Madonna in 1984 now adorned Aguilera and Spears, who many — not least the pop "princesses" themselves — believe to be the heirs and beneficiaries of Madonna's pop legacy.

Related Topics:
MTV Video Music Awards - Britney Spears - Christina Aguilera - Lesbian - Hollywood

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Re-Invention

Madonna currently resides primarily in England - with a $6.8 million town-house in Marylebone, London; and the thirteen million dollar Ashcombe House Estate in the rural county of Wiltshire. She also has homes in Los Angeles, and New York City.

Related Topics:
England - Marylebone - London - Ashcombe House Estate - Wiltshire - Los Angeles - New York City

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Despite spending markedly less time within the United States, Madonna publicly endorsed Wesley Clark for the United States Democratic Party 2004 presidential nomination in December 2003.

Related Topics:
United States - Wesley Clark - United States Democratic Party - December 2003

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In 2004, Madonna embarked on her greatest hits tour, the "Re-Invention World Tour", during which she played 56 dates across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The tour explored social, political and religious themes, and included images of yoga, sacred geometry, tarot cards and astrology, as well as Judeo-Christian iconography such as the tree of life. "Re-Invention" became the highest-grossing tour of 2004, earning 125 million dollars according to Billboard magazine, and once again confirmed the longevity of Madonna's popularity. The tour ended with the Palestinian and Israeli flags, side by side. Madonna had originally planned a concert date in Israel but cancelled after threats against her life and the lives of her children by Palestinian extremists. Many believe that Madonna's next passion is protecting the children of Israel and Palestine from continuous fighting. Her musical horizons also expanded as she added a cover version of the John Lennon favorite, "Imagine", to her live repertoire. Madonna met Fahrenheit 9/11 filmmaker, Michael Moore, backstage for a photo opportunity during the tour and openly embraced political commentary in her act, which included a scathing indictment of George W. Bush and the 2003 Iraq war. Also in 2004, Madonna became one of the five founding members of the UK Music Hall of Fame, joining Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bob Marley, and U2 as automatic inductees.

Related Topics:
2004 - United States - Canada - Europe - Yoga - Sacred geometry - Tarot cards - Astrology - Judeo-Christian - Iconography - Tree of life - Billboard magazine - Palestinian - Israeli - John Lennon - Imagine - Fahrenheit 9/11 - Michael Moore - George W. Bush - Iraq war - UK Music Hall of Fame - Elvis Presley - The Beatles - Bob Marley - U2

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After a brief battle with Warner Brothers Records (with whom she shared record label Maverick), Madonna sold her shares in the label and announced that she is no longer involved in its dealings.

Related Topics:
Warner Brothers Records - Maverick

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In the same month, Madonna announced that she had adopted the name Esther, a tribute to the legendary Jewish Queen of ancient Persia. In an interview with ABC, she said: "This is in no way a negation of who my mother is. In a metaphysical world, I wanted to attach myself to a different name."

Related Topics:
Esther - Jewish - Persia - ABC - Metaphysical

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This decision and much of the artistic imagery used in her recent work have been driven by Madonna's intense study of Kabbalah at the controversial Kabbalah Centre in London, and her abandonment of Catholicism. She became a Kabbalist in 1997. The faith is popular among a number of other celebrities, some of whom were introduced to it by Madonna herself. Devotees include Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Streisand, Britney Spears, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Winona Ryder, Roseanne Barr, Jerry Hall, Jeff Goldblum, Courtney Love, and Paris Hilton.

Related Topics:
Kabbalah - Catholicism - Kabbalist - Elizabeth Taylor - Barbara Streisand - Britney Spears - Demi Moore - Ashton Kutcher - Winona Ryder - Roseanne Barr - Jerry Hall - Jeff Goldblum - Courtney Love - Paris Hilton

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Versace, aid, and 2005 lawsuit

During Thanksgiving 2004, Madonna held a photoshoot with Mario Testino for her forthcoming (2005) Versace campaign. To date, six pictures of the shoot have appeared in various fashion magazines around the world. The campaign was a success; it "revived the Versace name" said Donatella Versace.

Related Topics:
Thanksgiving - Versace

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On December 26 2004, after a tsunami hit India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Indonesia among other countries, NBC organized an aid concert called Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope, to which celebrities such as Madonna, Diana Ross, Maroon 5, and Elton John, among others, donated their voices. It was televised on January 15 2005; Madonna sang a cover of John Lennon's song, "Imagine".

Related Topics:
December 26 - 2004 - Tsunami - India - Sri Lanka - Thailand - Indonesia - NBC - Diana Ross - Maroon 5 - Elton John - January 15 - 2005

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In February 2005, writers and producers of the song "Holiday" (not Madonna, as is widely believed) sued singer Mary J. Blige, Eve, and producer/singer Dr. Dre, citing copyright infringement. They alleged that the song "Not Today", which appeared on the soundtrack for the film Barbershop 2, closely resembled Madonna's 1983 classic hit, "Holiday".

Related Topics:
Mary J. Blige - Eve - Dr. Dre

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On July 2 2005, Madonna participated in the British Live 8 concert from Hyde Park, London. Madonna performed her hit songs "Like a Prayer", "Ray of Light", and "Music". Before performing, she greeted Birhan Woldu on stage, a young woman who had almost died in the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s. Woldu's unexpected appearance on stage, followed immediately by Madonna's performance of "Like a Prayer" (hand-in-hand with Woldu), was hailed worldwide as one of the highlights of the event.

Related Topics:
July 2 - 2005 - Live 8 - Hyde Park, London - Ray of Light - Music - Birhan Woldu - Ethiopian

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In an interview immediately after her performance, she mentioned that she had never been to Africa but would consider going in the future. She revealed that friends of hers, Bill Clinton and Christiane Amanpour, had kept her informed of the problems there. The next day, some press accounts published complaints about Madonna's use of foul language at the concert (before one of her songs, she shouted "Are you fucking ready, London?"), but whatever controversy there was about it quickly wore off.

Related Topics:
Bill Clinton - Christiane Amanpour

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Confessions on a Dance Floor and back catalog

In July 2005, Madonna announced that she would be releasing a new album, titled Confessions on a Dance Floor. On August 11 2005, she had her Confessions on a Dancefloor photo session. Five days later, on August 16 – the day of her forty-seventh birthday – she fell off her horse while riding with friends at her English country home, Ashcombe House, and was taken to a hospital with three cracked ribs, a broken collar bone, and a broken hand. She was released later that day. According to medical experts, Madonna's healthy lifestyle and overall fitness played a major role in speeding up her recovery time.

Related Topics:
July 2005 - Confessions on a Dance Floor - August 11 - 2005 - August 16 - Ashcombe House

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Her injury caused no significant effect on the debut of the album. The first single off Confessions On A Dancefloor is called "Hung Up". Two thirteen-second clips of it leaked onto the internet on September 6 2005. "Hung Up" will debut on radio on October 17, 2005. It features a sample of the ABBA hit "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (a Man after Midnight)" from 1979. The album remains scheduled for release on November 15 2005.

Related Topics:
Hung Up - Internet - September 6 - 2005 - October 17 - ABBA - November 15

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On September 6 2005, Madonna's entire catalog became available for the first time on iTunes. Although most major recording artists had released their catalogs long ago, Madonna had been reluctant, as she wasn't sure if the practice of legal downloading would be risky or only a fad. Years later, as the online market for legal downloading, especially with iTunes, has firmly established itself, Madonna was persuaded to join in. As digital music has begun to play a larger role in the success of albums and singles, Madonna also realized that digital downloads would help out "Hung Up". She has spoken on the matter, saying: "I tried to hold out as long as possible, but I got tired of not being able to download my own music".

Related Topics:
September 6 - 2005 - ITunes

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