On August 11 1987, Madonna’s True Blue album was certified 5x platinum (for shipment of 5 million units) in the USA.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that “True Blue is the album where Madonna truly became ‘Madonna the Superstar’—the endlessly ambitious, fearlessly provocative entertainer that knew how to outrage, spark debates, get good reviews—and make good music while she’s at it.”
On July 24 1987, Madonna performed her Who’s That Girl World Tour at the Astrodome in Houston, in front of 40,000 fans.
The title Who’s That Girl Tour came to Madonna during rehearsals one-day when she looked at a gigantic image of herself projected on a screen on the stage. She commented,
“Oh god, what have I done? What have I created? Is that me, or is this me, this small person standing down here on the stage? That’s why I call the tour ‘Who’s That Girl?’; because I play a lot of characters, and every time I do a video or a song, people go, ‘Oh, that’s what she’s like.’ And I’m not like any of them. I’m all of them. I’m none of them. You know what I mean.?”
On July 14 1987, Madonna’s second studio album, Like a Virgin was certified 7x platinum (7 million units) in the USA.
According to author J. Randy Taraborrelli, “Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist’s magic moment; for Madonna, Like a Virgin was just such a defining moment”.
On July 13 1987, Madonna performed an AIDS benefit concert in memory of her friend Martin Burgoyne at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The concert raised $400,00 for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR).
The show was part of Madonna’s Who’s That Girl World Tour and she performed in front 14,000 fans.
On July 11 1987, the Who’s That Girl single made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., entering the chart at number forty-three.
On February 7 1987, Open Your Heart hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. The track was the 4th international single release from the True Blue album.
While the song has kept a relatively high-profile amongst Madonna’s hits through the years – having been included on the set-lists of four of her world tours (including her most recent MDNA Tour) and two of her greatest hits albums – the single attained only moderate success on the charts (by Madonna’s own standards) in most countries outside the U.S.
Open Your Heart peaked at number-eight in Canada; at number-six in Australia, Italy, Belgium and The Netherlands; and landed outside the top-ten in France (twenty-four), Switzerland (eleven), Germany (seventeen) and Austria (eighteen). It fared better in the UK, hitting number-four – and it achieved its highest European placement in Ireland, topping out at number-two.
On December 26 1987, Madonna won 3 Billboard Music Awards: Top Pop Singles Artist, Top Pop Singles Artist – Female and Top Dance Sales Artist.
What was your favourite Madonna single release from 1987? La Isla Bonita, Who’s That Girl, Causing A Commotion or The Look of Love?
Today In Madonna History 