On October 5 1985, Dress You Up peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.
The song also spent the first of a four-week run at #1 on the 12-inch Singles Sales chart and peaked at #3 on the Club Play chart in the same issue.
Category Archives: 1985
Today in Madonna History: October 3, 1985
On October 3 1985, Geffen Records released Gambler as a single in Europe. It was the second Madonna single released from the Vision Quest soundtrack.
Concerned about potential overexposure, Warner Brothers successfully managed to suppress a North American release of the track, although the music video was serviced to MTV. It was issued as a single in most other major markets – including Japan, Australasia & South America.
Gambler was written by Madonna, produced by Jellybean Benitez and arranged by Stephen Bray. Extended and instrumental remixes by Benitez were also issued commercially outside North America.
Today in Madonna History: September 6, 1985
On September 6 1985, Desperately Seeking Susan was released to cinemas in the United Kingdom.
Today in Madonna History: August 10, 1985
On August 10 1985, Into The Groove spent the first of four weeks in the number-one position on the UK Singles Chart. It was Madonna’s first chart-topping single in the UK, where she has collected a total of thirteen number-one hits to date.
As an added validation, Into the Groove was Madonna’s first attempt at co-producing a song. While artists co-producing their own work is common today, it was relatively unusual at the time, particularly for female artists. The immense success of the single undoubtedly helped convince the powers at Sire/Warner to grant Madonna the artistic freedom to co-produce her next album, True Blue, together with her collaborators Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard.
Today In Madonna History: August 2, 1985
On August 2 1985, Madonna lost a court battle against director Stephen Jon Lewicki over the video release of A Certain Sacrifice. The low-budget indie film starring Jeremy Pattnosh and Madonna was shot sporadically over a two-year period in New York City between 1979 and 1981. The film also featured Madonna’s former Breakfast Club bandmate Angie Smit in a minor role.
Madonna was said to have been unhappy with the inclusion of several topless scenes in the film, although it has also been reported that despite instigating the court case, her lawyers did not present much of an argument during the proceedings, leading some to speculate that she had no serious interest in blocking the release of the film. After a limited number of screenings in New York in October 1985, the film was quickly issued on home video and laserdisc in order to capitalize on Madonna’s fame. In more recent years, the film has been reissued on DVD.
Lewicki was not the only person attached to the film who was attempting to hitch a ride on Madonna’s wave of success in the mid 1980’s. While it is unclear whether he was involved as an extra or behind the scenes, top Madonna mooch Otto Von Wernherr is also thanked in the film’s credits. It does not appear that any of his music was used in the film, which for once is actually unfortunate because Von Wernherr’s songs would have sounded right at home alongside the truly bizarre musical selections, including several by Pattnosh, that are showcased throughout A Certain Sacrifice. Perhaps it was Lewicki’s fringe fetish that ruled out the possibility of using any of Madonna’s pre-Warner tunes in the film?
Today in Madonna History: July 29, 1985
On July 29 1985, Madonna and many of the performers from Live Aid appeared on the cover of People Magazine.
Music that moved the world sixteen years after Woodstock, Rock’s best and brightest gather on two continents to set new standards of good work—and good works.
Sequestered by location, security personnel and a multilayered credential system, the stars were free to enjoy one another’s company without too much interference from fans and other mortals. Madonna, looking a bit frightened despite a phalanx of guards, clung to the hand of her intended, the surly Sean Penn. Penn spent most of the concert either inside Madonna’s trailer or gazing at a video monitor in front of trailers being used by Robert Plant and Tom Petty. Madonna later relaxed enough to drape an arm around the shoulder of Bob Dylan, no slouch himself in the surly department. Hey, the lady knows what she likes.
Today in Madonna History: July 16, 1985
On July 16 1985, Madonna’s hit single, Crazy For You, was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of one million copies of the single in United States—the requirement for a gold single prior to 1989.
