On February 1 1997, Evita – The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the U.S. Meanwhile across the pond, the soundtrack simultaneously shot to the #1 position on the UK album chart. It had initially peaked at #6 in the U.S. and at #7 in the U.K. upon release in November, 1996.
The surge in sales was largely attributed to the film’s wide release in January and the heavy promotional push that accompanied it, along with the interest generated by the soundtrack’s second single, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.
The Waltz-an absolutely brilliant and breathtaking vocal singing performance by Madonna! Alternately strident and fragile, the woman from the Michigan auto factories of Detroit Rock City had come a long way from the early First/Virgin days of Borderline and Material Girl-Madonna reclaimed herself with the Heartland Rock triumphs of Ray of Light and Music with the naked emotion of her beautiful dulcet Detroit Evita voice.