On December 24 1987, Madonna began filming Bloodhounds Of Broadway, co-starring Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey & Randy Quaid and directed by Howard Brookner.
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Today in Madonna History: December 18, 2001
On December 18 2001, the first of a two-part interview with Matt Lauer to promote GHV2 aired on the Today show in North America. The second part aired the following day.
Coming off a busy year for Madonna, her involvement in promoting the retrospective was limited, with this being her only television interview that tied in with its release.
Today in Madonna History: December 14, 1985
On December 14 1985, Dress You Up peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart.
It was Madonna’s eighth UK Top-5 hit of 1985:
- Like A Virgin #3
- Material Girl #3
- Crazy For You #2
- Into The Groove #1
- Holiday (re-release) #2
- Angel #5
- Gambler #4
- Dress You Up #5
Today in Madonna History: December 13, 2003
On December 13 2003, “Nobody Knows Me (P. Rauhofer, Above & Beyond, Mount Sims Mixes)” hit #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the US.
The track from American Life had been serviced to clubs as a promo-only 12-inch, with the remixes being issued commercially in North America as part of the Nothing Fails maxi-single.
(Thanks to ElOr98 for sharing the video!)
((and to aviddiva for making it!!))
Today in Madonna History: December 12, 1986
On December 12 1986, Open Your Heart was released in North America as the fourth single from True Blue. The song was written by Madonna, Gardner Cole & Peter Rafelson and produced by Madonna & Patrick Leonard.
The single’s worldwide b-side, White Heat, an album track from True Blue, developed a relatively high profile due to its inclusion as the flip-side to two of Madonna’s #1 hits–the aforementioned Open Your Heart and 1987’s Who’s That Girl, released only six months apart. Gaining further exposure as a set-list staple during the Who’s That Girl Tour, the live performance of White Heat foreshadowed some of the dramatic elements that Madonna would expand upon in future tours.
White Heat’s original submission for copyright was registered to Madonna & Leonard under the working title Get Up, Stand Tall with a 1985 date of creation. Notes from the registration on file also list the title Dangerous–but it is likely just another working title that was being considered rather than a separate recording. White Heat is thought to have been among the earliest songwriting collaborations between Madonna & Leonard to be completed, coming shortly after their first composition, Love Makes The World Go Round, surfaced during Live Aid in the summer of 1985. The sequence of the registration numbers for the two songs suggests that they may they have been completed within a month or two of each other. Madonna’s version of Open Your Heart (which she revised from the Cole/Rafelson demo) is also thought to have been recorded with Leonard during the same time period.
The liner notes of True Blue dedicated White Heat to actor James Cagney, who in 1949 played ruthless, deranged gang leader Arthur “Cody” Jarrett in the Warner Brothers film, White Heat. Several clips of Cagney’s dialogue from the original motion picture were used in the song for dramatic effect.
Today in Madonna History: December 9, 2001
On December 9 2001, Madonna presented the Turner Prize to artist Martin Creed at London’s Tate Britain gallery.
Madonna half-seriously plugged her greatest hits album, GHV2, before explaining her feelings of ambivalence towards the merit of awards in relation to the artistic process.
“Art is always at its best when there is no money, because art has nothing to do with money and everything to do with love. Like love, it can be inspiring, inexplicable, provocative and sometimes infuriating. Nevertheless, we can not live without it, so that is why I’m here – not because I think one artist is better than another, but because I want to support any artist who not only has something to say, but has the balls to say it. In a time when political correctness is valued over honesty, I would also like to say – right on motherfuckers! – everyone is a winner.”
Channel 4 unsuccessfully attempted to censor the speech during the live broadcast, and later issued an apology for Madonna’s choice of words, which aired prior to the 9pm watershed. Madonna later explained that she had not intended to use profanity until the producers asked to review the content of her speech prior to the broadcast, sparking her defiance.
Today in Madonna History: November 29, 2005
On November 29 2005, Andrew G’s spirited interview with Madonna aired on pay-TV Channel [V] in Australia. The interview was recorded in London during a press junket to promote Confessions On A Dance Floor.
Madonna had hoped to bring her 2006 Confessions Tour to Australia during its final leg, which saw her perform her first full concerts in Japan since 1993. Shows in Australia, however, did not materialize during the tour.
