Today in Madonna History: October 31, 2006

On October 31 2006, Madonna read to a small group of children from her new book, Too Good To Be True, the sequel to her best selling children’s book, The English Roses, at Warner Brothers Records in New York.

Today in Madonna History: October 30, 2006

On October 30 2006, Madonna appeared on the cover of People magazine with the headline: Madonna’s Adoption Drama.

Here’s a snippet of the article:

Bringing Home David By Karen S. Schneider

As Madonna and Her Husband, Guy Ritchie Welcome Home Their New 13-Month-Old Son from Malawi, Local Human Rights Groups—and Some of the Boy’s Relatives—Raise Questions Over the Legality of the Adoption.

Madonna had only seen a snapshot of David Banda and had learned only basic information about him when she and her husband, Guy Ritchie flew to the African nation of Malawi on Oct. 3. But when the singer arrived at the Home of Hope Orphanage Centre and met the 13-month-old boy, says Madonna’s spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg, “It was love at first sight.” Adds a witness: “The look of pure joy on her face was beyond words, not unlike when her children [Lourdes, 10, and Rocco, 6] were born.”

About a week later—even as a storm of controversy was brewing over the planned adoption—Madonna’s happiness was echoed in a dimly lit room of the High Court in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe. The pop superstar, 48, and her director husband, 38, met, for the first time, with David’s dad, a farmer named Yohane Banda. Through a translator who spoke Banda’s Chichewa language, “she asked lots of questions,” says Banda, 32. “How old I am, what I do for a living, everything.”

Madonna also made promises—to provide Banda’s only child with a loving home, and to bring him back to Malawi to visit. For the singer, the face-to-face with Banda marked a turning point in an almost year-long effort to adopt a child from an impoverished nation where she helps fund six orphanages. (She has also pledged to sponsor improvements through the Millennium Promise program.) For Banda—who ekes out a living farming onions and cabbage, and placed David in the church-run Home of Hope when his wife died—it was a chance to give his son, he tells PEOPLE, “a brighter future.” Adds David’s grandmother Asineti Mwale, 56: “God has heard our prayer. May he bless this kindhearted woman abundantly.”

Today in Madonna History: October 29, 1983

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On October 29 1983, Madonna’s Holiday entered the Billboard Hot 100 US singles chart at #88.

Holiday was released on September 7, 1983, and became Madonna’s first hit single, reaching a peak of #16 on January 18, 1984.

Since arriving on the Hot 100 with Holiday, Madonna has earned a total of 56 chart hits (so far), including a record 38 top 10 singles. Madonna has more top 10 hits than any other artist in the 55-year history of the chart. The Beatles are in second place, with 34 top 10 hits.

Lyrics:

Holiday
Celebrate
Holiday
Celebrate

If we took a holiday
Took some time to celebrate
Just one day out of life
It would be, it would be so nice

Everybody spread the word
We’re gonna have a celebration
All across the world
In every nation

It’s time for the good times
Forget about the bad times, oh yeah
One day to come together to release the pressure
We need a holiday

If we took a holiday
Took some time to celebrate
(Come on, let’s celebrate)
Just one day out of life
(Holiday)
It would be, it would be so nice

If we took a holiday
(Oo yeah, oo yeah)
Took some time to celebrate
(Come on, let’s celebrate)
Just one day out of life
(Just one day out of life)
It would be, it would be so nice

You can turn this world around
And bring back all of those happy days
Put your troubles down
It’s time to celebrate

Let love shine
And we will find
A way to come together
Can make things better
We need a holiday

If we took a holiday
(Holiday)
Took some time to celebrate
(Come on let’s celebrate)
Just one day out of life
(Just one day out of life)
It would be, it would be so nice

Oo yeah, oo yeah
Come on, lets celebrate
We have got to get together

Holiday
Celebrate
Holiday
Celebrate

If we took a holiday
(Oh yeah, oh yeah)
Took some time to celebrate
(Come on, let’s celebrate)
Just one day out of life
(Holiday)
It would be, it would be so nice

Holiday
(Oo yeah, oo yeah)
Celebrate
(Come on, let’s celebrate)
Holiday
(Just one day out of life)
Celebrate
(It would be so nice)

Holiday
(Holiday, celebration)
Celebrate
(Come together in every nation)
Celebrate
(Holiday, celebration)
Holiday
(Come together in every nation)

Holiday
Celebrate
Holiday
Celebrate

Holiday
(We got to get together)
Celebrate
(Take some time to celebrate)
Holiday
(Just one day out of life)
Celebrate
(It would be so nice)
Holiday
(Holiday, celebration)
Celebrate
(Come together in every nation)
Holiday
(Holiday, celebration)

Today in Madonna History: October 28, 2012

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On October 28, newswires reported that Madonna was boo’d  for praising President Barack Obama during her (October 27) MDNA Tour stop in New Orleans.

Madonna asked the crowd, “Who’s registered to vote?” and then followed with, “I don’t care who you vote for as long as you vote for Obama.”

After the boo’s, Madonna went on to say, “Seriously, I don’t care who you vote for. Do not take this privilege for granted. Go vote.”

Today in Madonna History: October 27, 1996

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On October 27 1996, Madonna’s You Must Love Me (the lead single from Evita) was released.

Kathleen Guerdo’s review for Billboard:

“Madonna delivers what is by far one of the strongest vocal performances of her career, comfortably scaling to the song’s demanding soprano heights while infusing it with delicate, heart-rending emotion. This bodes well for the creative potency of the rest of the soundtrack, which is due Nov. 14. Prepare for wall-to-wall airplay of this flawless ballad on pop and AC radio.”

Today in Madonna History: October 26, 1992

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On October 26 1992, Madonna was featured on the cover of People magazine as one of the Top 10 worst-dressed.

worst-dressed-oct-92-people

Today in Madonna History: October 25, 2004

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On October 25 2004, it was announced that Madonna would lend her voice to the cast of the animated film Arthur and the Invisibles (then titled simply Arthur), written & directed by French filmmaker Luc Besson.

The film tells the story of ten-year-old Arthur, who, while trying to save his grandfather’s house from developers, goes on a treasure hunt in the land of the Minimoys, a tiny people living in coexistence with nature, informed The Malaysia Star. According to ABC News, Arthur was adapted from a series of children’s books written by Besson, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie. Madonna was said to be voicing the part of Princess Selenia, a character who travels with Arthur to a mysterious forbidden city where an evil being dwells. “The recording is being done at the moment,” a source was quoted by ratethemusic as saying.

Madonna had previously collaborated with Besson earlier in 2004 when he directed her music video for Love Profusion. She was also in the midst of writing songs for a proposed musical film to be directed by Besson, but she later withdrew from the project after being dissatisfied by the finished screenplay.