Today in Madonna History: April 23, 2015

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On April 23 2015, Tori Amos came to Madonna’s defense when questioned about the ageist undertones on social media – and by the media at large – in reaction to her “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2015 Brit Awards:

Madonna is an entertainer. There are very few people who could’ve gotten up off that floor. It wasn’t because of her that she fell, but it was because of her that the performance carried on. Some of the vilification comes from women as much as men. She’s making choices and she’s able to do things physically that a lot of people 25 years younger can’t; she got up and refused to allow that to shame her. I think people want her to be shamed into a role that they find acceptable for her age. It makes me sad that we can’t embrace Madonna and say, Wow, this is an artist who’s expressing herself in a certain way.”

— Tori Amos

Tori often incorporates one or two cover songs by other artists into her live shows, but there are only a handful of artists whom she has covered multiple songs, and Madonna is one of them. She has performed both Live To Tell and Like A Prayer at numerous concerts, with the most recent Madonna composition to join her live repertoire being Frozen, which made its debut in Amsterdam in 2014.

(Many thanks to YouTube user LittleQueenbee77 for the great live footage of this performance!)

Today in Madonna History: March 1, 2015

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On March 1 2015, Madonna visited Italian talk show, Che tempo che fa, as part of her promotional tour for the Rebel Heart album. In addition to an interview with host Fabio Fazio, she performed Devil Pray for the first time, along with the album’s second single, Ghosttown.

Madonna’s appearance on the show aired on March 8th.

Today in Madonna History: February 28, 2015

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On February 28 2015, JK Rowling tweeted in response to “the fall” during Madonna’s performance of Living For Love at the Brit Awards:

are you the sort of person who gloats when they see a woman fall, or the kind that celebrates a magnificent recovery? #TeamMadonna

Today in Madonna History: February 18, 2015

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On February 18 2015, Madonna thanked her fans on Twitter for bombarding BBC Radio One to play her new single, Living For Love, despite the radio station’s refusal to play Madonna’s music because of her age.

It’s terribly concerning and sad that an industry that milked Madonna’s music for decades would turn its back on her because of age. 

Growing older is inevitable — and being young and quality of music do not always go hand in hand — so why discriminate  based on age? 

Forget about Madonna for a second — she’s had an incredible career — but what about the artists who develop their talent later in life? Think about all the artists whom will never be heard.

I’ll take a Tina Turner over another Selena Gomez or Demi Lovato — ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.

The rules are changing and we need to remember the artists that created the soundtrack for our lives — they weren’t always 25. They were 40 and 50 and 60 and beyond. They weren’t always blonde and cute — they were raunchy and haggard and crazy looking and fucked up. Only Disney can produce the pretty – virgin-like, powder coated princesses.  

The real musicians came out hard and loud and proud .. with balls. You’ve gotta love balls!

Now think about Madonna again — why should she be be muted because she’s already had an incredible career? Why can’t that career continue? Someone or some conglomerate is writing the end of her radio career — without the involvement of music fans or radio listeners. Some guy or a board of guys has decided that she can’t have another Top 10, or Top 5 or #1 single because they say so. 

Fuck them.  FUCK THEM!

Will Madonna’s music ever find a home on the radio again? – Jay

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Today in Madonna History: January 29, 2015

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On January 29 2015, Rob Sheffield reviewed Madonna’s Unapologetic Bitch for Rolling Stone magazine’s singles review section (even though it was never released as a single):

Bitch, she’s Madonna. The queen of queens has given a taste of her upcoming album, Rebel Heart, with a few songs dropped in advance after an early leak of unfinished versions. And the girl’s in a feisty mood these days – Madonna writing herself a theme song called “Unapologetic Bitch” is like Springsteen doing one called “Jersey Guy Who Sweats a Lot.” These new songs range from the Nicki Minaj collabo “Bitch I’m Madonna” to the gospel-house pieties of “Living for Love” to the Yeezus-style industrial Kanye grind “Illuminati.” But “Unapologetic Bitch” is the standout: a breakup rant over a Diplo-produced dancehall groove, with Madonna shooting a few poison arrows into the heart of some dude who’s done her wrong.

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Today in Madonna History: January 21, 2015

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On January 21 2015, an undercover investigation by the Internet crime unit of Israel’s anti-fraud police resulted in the arrest of a Tel Aviv man suspected of hacking into Madonna’s home computer, stealing unreleased music and selling the tracks online.

The investigation began after a complaint by Madonna’s manager, Guy Oseary.  With the cooperation of the FBI, the hack was found to be larger in scale and involved more musicians than just Madonna.

An expert in Internet crime was sent to New York City to inspect Madonna’s computers, where he confirmed a hack originating in Israel. Police searched the suspect’s home, seizing computers and media storage devices.

Madonna had this to say about the Rebel Heart album leaks incident:

“I am profoundly grateful to the FBI, the Israeli Police investigators and anyone else who helped lead to the arrest of this hacker. I deeply appreciate my fans who have provided us with pertinent information and continue to do so regarding leaks of my music. Like any citizen, I have the right to privacy. This invasion into my life – creatively, professionally, and personally remains a deeply devastating and hurtful experience, as it must be for all artists who are victims of this type of crime.”

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Today in Madonna History: January 6, 2015

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On January 6 2015, Madonna won the Favorite Music Icon award at the People’s Choice Awards, hosted by Jane Lynch at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

The nominees were Madonna, Paul McCartney, Prince, Steven Tyler and Stevie Wonder.

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