On November 4 2001, Madonna was named Britain’s highest-earning woman with an annual income of 30 million pounds ($43.8 million). The Sunday Times newspaper placed Madonna above J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter books. Rowling earned 24.8 million pounds ($36.2 million) in the year ending October 1 2001.
On October 11 2001, Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection was certified 10x platinum (10 million units) in the USA – the best-selling greatest hits album by a female artist.
On September 15 2001 Madonna ended her Drowned World Tour at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The September 15 show was originally scheduled to take place on September 11 but was postponed due to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
On August 15 2001, during a sold-out “Drowned World Tour” concert at the National Car Rental Center, Sunrise, FL, Madonna was surprised by husband Guy Ritchie when he appeared onstage to present her a cake for her 43rd birthday.
On July 25 2001, Madonna played the first of five sold-out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden during her Drowned World Tour.
On April 28 2001, Madonna’s What It Feels Like For A Girl was the Hot Shot Debut (highest new entry) at #38 on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play chart. What It Feels Like For A Girl eventually became Madonna’s 25th #1 Dance hit in the U.S.
Despite the club success of the remixes, some fans and critics were displeased with the use of the Above & Beyond remix in the music video, and with the dark nature of the Guy Ritchie-directed clip, preferring the more subtle and restrained attack of the album version. Others felt that the more aggressive and confrontational feel of the remix and video were natural extensions of the emotions and experiences that Madonna was exploring within the song; feelings that were left bubbling beneath surface of the deceptively gentle and subdued album mix.
Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on, in retrospect one thing is clear: when revisited through the lens of the current “Me Too” movement, the overarching themes that Madonna explored with the release of What It Feels Like For A Girl were ahead of the curve in terms of social discourse. Although the same could be said for so much of Madonna’s work.
On April 26, 2001, one of Madonna’s eye-popping conical bras, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, sold for $21,150 at a pop memorabilia auction in London. The bra was sold to a Chilean fashion museum.
The conical bra was worn by Madonna during the Blond Ambition Tour in 1990.
Madonna’s fans would very much like to see the Blond Ambition Tour released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Today In Madonna History 