On August 5 1990, Madonna – Live! Blond Ambition World Tour 90 was broadcast live on HBO-TV from Stade de l’Ouest, Nice, France and seen in more than 4.3 million households – it was the most-watched entertainment special in the network’s 18-year history (at the time).
Category Archives: 1990
Today in Madonna History: July 28, 1990
On July 28 1990, Unistar Radio Programming aired The Madonna Story radio special in the USA. The hour and a half special included a mix of Madonna’s hit songs and a selection of interviews. The special was aired again the next day.
The Madonna Story was recorded and released (promotional-only) on a 2-LP set with cue sheets.
Today in Madonna History: July 21, 1990
On July 21 1990, Madonna’s second single from I’m Breathless, Hanky Panky, debuted at #14 in the UK.
Check out the beautiful images above of Madonna performing Hanky Panky during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour.
Today in Madonna History: July 2, 1990
On July 2 1990, Roman Catholic groups condemned Madonna’s Blond Ambition concert as blasphemous due to her controversial show’s sex and religious themes and planned to cancel her concerts in Rome and Turin.
Madonna made this speech in response to the threats:
I am an ltalian-American, and I am proud of it.
Proud of being an American because it is the country I grew up in, the country that gave me the opportunities to be who I am today and a country that believes in freedom of speech and artistic expression.
My show is not a conventional rock show but a theatrical presentation of my music.
And, like theatre it asks questions, provokes thought and takes you on an emotional journey.
Portraying good and bad, light and dark, joy and sorrow, redemption and salvation.
I do not endorse a way of life but describe one, and the audience is left to make its own decisions and judgments.
This is what I consider freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of thought.
Every night, before I go onstage, I say a prayer not only that my show will go well but that the audience will watch with an open heart and an open mind and see it as a celebration of love, life and humanity.
*This is an edited transcript of the speech. The full speech is included in the video posted above.
Today in Madonna History: June 28, 1990
On June 28 1990, Madonna’s Vogue single was certified double platinum (2 million units) – the biggest-selling single by a female artist ever at the time.
Today in Madonna History: June 14, 1990
On June 14 1990, Madonna’s Vogue was certified platinum (for shipment of one million units) in the USA.
Today in Madonna History: June 9, 1990
On June 9 1990, Madonna performed her Blond Ambition World Tour at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.
