Today in Madonna History: June 20, 1998

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On June 20 1998, Madonna’s Ray of Light became the #1 dance single on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The hit single remained #1 for 4 weeks!

Ray of Light was written by Madonna, William Orbit, Clive Muldoon, Dave Curtiss, Christine Leach, and produced by Madonna and Orbit.  Ray of Light is based on Curtiss Maldoon’s Sepheryn.

“It took a long time to do the album, months. And it wasn’t like we were slacking. We actually did have to work fast, and there were many times when we had to move on. One of Madonna’s favorite phrases was: ‘Don’t gild the lily.’ In other words, keep it rough, and don’t perfect it too much. It’s a natural urge for computer buffs to perfect everything because they can, and we were very wary of that.”

—William Orbit on working with Madonna; Keyboard magazine

Today in Madonna History: June 19, 2013

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On June 19 2013, Debi Mazar talked to The Cut about how she first met Madonna:

I was in Danceteria, working the elevator. She came into my elevator, and a great song was spinning and she goes, ‘Hey, you wanna dance? And I was like, ‘Yeah!’ And I parked the elevator, and we had a great dance together and then later on we danced some more. She wasn’t, like, a big star yet. She was just a girl from Detroit who had a real raw sexuality. From there on we became pals and started dancing and hanging out. I was doing makeup then, and so I did her makeup for years. She was like, ‘I’m gonna be a star one day,’ and I was like, ‘Great!’ We also did videos together. The first one was a song called ‘Everybody,’ and we filmed at the Paradise Garage, and Keith Haring was there. That was the beginning. I was always trying to pluck her eyebrows — they’re caterpillars. At this moment in time I probably wouldn’t pluck them, but it was the eighties, so, you know. Anyway, we remained girlfriends and we still are.

Today in Madonna History: June 18, 1994

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On June 18 1994, Madonna’s I’ll Remember spent a second week at #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in the USA.  I’ll Remember spent a total of 4 weeks at the top of the chart.

Today in Madonna History: June 17, 2003

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On June 17 2003, the single cover for Madonna’s Hollywood single was revealed. The photo was taken from the photo shoot by Steven Klein for W Magazine.

Hollywood was the second single from the American Life album, released on July 14, 2003.

In April 2003, in an interview with Q Magazine, Madonna described the allure life in Hollywood:

“I’ve had 20 years of fame and fortune, and I feel that I have a right to an opinion on what it is and what it isn’t. All everyone is obsessed about at the moment is being a celebrity. I’m saying that’s bullshit and who knows better than me? Before it happens you have all kinds of notions about how wonderful celebrity is and how much joy it’s going to bring you. Then you arrive … Look like this you’re gonna be happy. Drive this car you’re gonna be popular. Wear these clothes and people are gonna wanna fuck you. It’s a very powerful illusion and people are caught up in it, including myself. Or I was.”

Today in Madonna History: June 13, 2011

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On June 13 2011, The Weinstein Company announced that it had acquired U.S. distribution rights to Madonna’s directorial debut of a feature film, W.E.

Madonna had this to say:

“W.E. is about the nature of true love, and the sacrifices and compromises that are often made. I’ve wanted to tell this story for a very long time, and bringing it to life has been a great adventure for me. I’m looking forward to working with Harvey and The Weinstein Company on this film.”

Today in Madonna History: June 12, 2014

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On June 12 2014, Little Jimmy Scott died. Little Jimmy had a cameo in the music video for Madonna’s Secret.

Madonna had this to say about Scott:

“Jimmy Scott is the only singer who makes me cry.”

Today in Madonna History: June 11, 1985

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On June 11 1985, Madonna ended The Virgin Tour with a sold-out concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden.