On August 25 1990, Hanky Panky peaked at #18 on the Canadian Top 100 Singles chart (RPM). At the time it was Madonna’s lowest charting Canadian single since Borderline‘s peak of #25 in September, 1984. A handful of later releases would subsequently peak lower on the same chart, however, including Bad Girl (#20 – 1993), Bedtime Story (#46 – 1995) and Human Nature (#64 – 1995).
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.
On July 21 1990, Madonna performed the second of three sold-out Blond Ambition Tour concerts at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Madonna performed to 225,000 adoring fans between July 20, 21 and 22. The opening act for each show was Technotronic.
On June 23 1990, Madonna’s I’m Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy hit #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart in the USA.
After the filming of Dick Tracy was complete, Madonna began work on the film’s soundrack, with songwriter Stephen Sondheim, producer Patrick Leonard and engineer Bill Bottrell. She also worked with producer Shep Pettibone on the album’s first single, Vogue. The album was recorded within three weeks in California.
On June 17 1990, it was announced that Dick Tracy grossed $23 million at the US box-office during its opening weekend.
When was the last time that you watched Dick Tracy? Has the film aged well? Are you a fan of Madonna’s performance in Dick Tracy?
On June 10 1990, Madonna and Warren Beatty attended the premiere of Dick Tracy in Washington, DC.
Madonna rocked a pair of John Fluevog Munster platforms at the premiere. The shoes were highlighted again in Madonna’s Truth or Dare documentary.
I’m a HUGE fan of Vogs. My favourite pairs (right now): My CBC’s, Garrics and James. The staff at the Distillery store in Toronto are TOP NOTCH — Big Vog Fan from Toronto — Jay
On May 27 1990, Madonna played the first of three shows at the Toronto Skydome during her Blond Ambition Tour. The shows were Madonna’s only Canadian dates for the tour.
I was fortunate enough to have attended this show when I was twelve years old. Not only was it my first Madonna live experience, it was my first live concert experience. The morning tickets went on sale my mom was working out-of-town so she let me skip sixth-grade for the morning and I headed downtown to Sunrise Records…I managed to score two 100-level tickets directly facing the stage. I don’t think the word “excited” would sufficiently describe how elated I was to be going to see Madonna. The next two months felt like the longest two months of my life, but I couldn’t have been happier. I watched the Ciao Italia! concert on VHS daily during the lead-up, hoping that the new tour would be equally good. Needless to say it far exceeded my expectations – and my mom’s as well! We had the best time dancing and singing and just being utterly blown away by the spectacle. I couldn’t have asked for a better first concert experience, or for a better memory. Much love to the two M’s for making it possible! – Justin
