Category Archives: 2017

Today in Madonna History: May 27, 2017

May 27, 2023 By in 2017, May Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment

On May 27 2017, the long-running and highly respected authority on record collecting, Goldmine Magazine, inducted Patrick Leonard into the Goldmine Hall Of Fame for his contributions to the music industry as a songwriter, producer and musician. His work with Madonna in particular was highlighted in his induction bio.

Madonna was one of the earliest inductees into the Goldmine Hall Of Fame, having secured her place in the second round of inductions. Leonard was inducted in the 95th round, which is impressive nonetheless for an artist who has always kept a relatively low profile despite working with some of the biggest names in the music business, including Michael Jackson and Leonard Cohen, and is certainly well-deserved.

As Madonna fans, we respect that she is a forward-thinking artist and our hope is that she will always continue to follow any creative path that inspires her. While we do not discount the many other brilliant songwriters Madonna has collaborated with, nor do we deny Madonna’s own gifts of writing brilliant melodic hooks and conveying universal truths through her words, the proof that Madonna and Leonard bring out the very best in each other’s craft is right there in their songs. Whether destiny holds future collaborations between Madonna & Leonard is entirely their decision to make, but should the pair find themselves inspired to work together again, it would certainly be to the delight of most Madonna fans, and potentially to fans of great music in general.

Our view is that when strong chemistry exists in a songwriting partnership, especially one that has produced such varied output as Madonna & Leonard’s, there is always an opportunity to reconnect and create something fresh and relevant. This was proven when the pair reunited for 1998’s Ray of Light, an album which, promotional tactics aside, owes as much in substance to Madonna/Leonard as it does in style to Madonna/Orbit.

The bottom line is – great songs are great songs. You can restyle a great song to make it fit with the production trends of the day, but if a song is all style with little substance it won’t stay fresh for long. The songwriting partnership of Madonna & Leonard has yielded a body of work that has consistently proven itself to be timeless. And is this not the ultimate goal of any forward-thinking artist – to produce work that is substantial and transcendent enough to remain relevant well into the future?

Today in Madonna History: May 2, 2017

May 2, 2023 By in 2017, May Tags: , , , 1 Comment

On May 2 2017, Madonna was featured on the Evening Standard with the headline: Met Gala 2017: Sarah Paulson fangirls over Madonna as she photobombs her on the red carpet.  

Here’s a bit more from the article:

The US actress, 42, fangirled over the Queen of Pop after she spotted her on the red carpet at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

Paulson was pictured pointing with her mouth agape as she photobombed Madonna.

The pair later fooled around in front of photographers as Paulson offered to position Madonna’s Moschino camo gown.

The moment didn’t go unnoticed on Twitter as users praised Paulson’s “priceless” reaction and hailed them as the “greatest duo of all time”.

Madonna made sure to stand out with her outfit which she accessorised with necklaces, a gold grill and a hip flask.

Speaking about her dress, she told Entertainment Tonight: “We knew we wanted to go with camouflage from the very start. We started with the flak jacket, and then we worked our way down. So, you know, we’re ready. We’re ready to go to fashion war.”

“It’s going to be a fun night. As long as I drink the rest of my canteen.”

Today in Madonna History: April 25, 2017

April 25, 2023 By in 2017, April Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment

On April 25 2017, Madonna responded to reports of a new biopic being produced by Universal:

“Nobody knows what I know and what I have seen. Only I can tell my story. Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool looking for instant gratification without doing the work. This is a disease in our society.”

According to Variety, Universal had no comment, but had this to say about the biopic:

The studio won an auction Monday for Elyse Hollander’s “Blonde Ambition” screenplay about Madonna’s first album.

“Blonde Ambition” led the 2016 version of the Black List — an annual ranking of the best un-produced screenplays in Hollywood. Hollander’s script received 49 votes among the 250 executives voting. The project details Madonna’s efforts in the early 1980s in New York City to get her first album released while navigating fame, romance, and the dismissive attitude of the music industry at the time.

Today in Madonna History: April 7, 2017

April 7, 2023 By in 2017, April Tags: , , , 2 Comments

On April 7 2017, Madonna’s hit single, Don’t Tell Me, was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of over 200,000 units in the UK.

If anyone has any idea why DTM was certified in 2017 — with nothing to promote, we’d love to find out.

Today in Madonna History: February 28, 2017

February 28, 2023 By in 2017, February Tags: , , , 1 Comment

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On February 28 2017, Bay City (Michigan) City Commissioner Christopher Gerard explained to WNEM.com why the signs welcoming visitors into Bay City still do not mention it being the birthplace of Madonna:

“We couldn’t get some commitments from Madonna’s folks and Madonna is a polarizing issue in town surprisingly enough.”

In 2014 the city agreed to update the signs to mention Bay City as Madonna’s birthplace, to both honor Madonna and create more tourism in the city.

Gerard said the city is committed to updating the signs if there is enough interest from the community.

This is a photo of one of the former homes of Madonna’s grandparents in Bay City:

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Bay City — make the signs! Every Madonna fan will want their photo taken with the signs. We guarantee you will see a spike in tourism! And Madonna was only kidding when she called you a “smelly little town” — she’s a clown at heart! — Jay

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Today in Madonna History: January 24, 2017

January 24, 2023 By in 2017, January Tags: , 1 Comment

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On January 24 2017, Rhino re-released Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection (her first greatest hits collection) on double vinyl in the USA and Canada as part of their Start Your Ear Off Right campaign. The collection was released on blue/white and gold vinyl and limited to 6,500 copies.

The re-release included the following (same track listing as the original release):

Side A:

  • Holiday
  • Lucky Star
  • Borderline
  • Like A Virgin

Side B:

  • Material Girl
  • Crazy For You
  • Into The Groove
  • Live To Tell

Side C:

  • Papa Don’t Preach
  • Open Your Heart
  • La Isla Bonita
  • Like A Prayer

Side D:

  • Express Yourself
  • Cherish
  • Vogue
  • Justify My Love
  • Rescue Me

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Today in Madonna History: January 19, 2017

January 19, 2023 By in 2017, January Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

On January 19 2017, Madonna participated in a discussion about feminism with Elizabeth Alexander, Marilyn Minter and the director of the Brooklyn Museum (where the discussion was held), Anne Pasternak, in New York City.

Here’s how the New York Times reported on the discussion:

At the talk Thursday night — which was introduced by Anne Pasternak, the director of the Brooklyn Museum, and moderated by the poet and essayist Elizabeth Alexander — one of the most interesting discussions surrounded the topic of sexuality and aging.

Ms. Minter — who collaborated with Madonna on a video piece for the singer’s 2008 “Sticky and Sweet Tour” — said that it is considered acceptable for women artists to talk about their sexuality as they get older, so long as they make themselves the brunt of a joke, like “Phyllis Diller.”

Madonna replied that she has no interest in approaching it this way. “I want to take it very seriously,” she said, wearing a biker cap and a black T-shirt reading “Feminist.”
Both Madonna and Ms. Minter frequently cited the virtue of resilience, saying it had been central to their successes.
For example, Ms. Minter said, it was often the “white heat” and praise that got her into trouble as an artist and made her complacent about pushing forward.
Madonna said, “I think what’s been key to my survival, strangely enough, is the constant rejection and criticism.”
Even so, she said that if she had learned one thing from the election, it was that women needed to get better at supporting each other. She noted the robust support for Mr. Trump by white women and the fact that the sharpest criticism she’s faced over the years has been from other women.
“And I find that astounding,” Madonna said. “Men naturally bond together and support each other.”
Ms. Minter agreed: “I’ve seen that too. They work as a team until they get to the top. Then they try to kill each other!”
Unsurprisingly, both Madonna and Ms. Minter were headed south to take part in the Women’s March on Washington.
How were they getting there, Ms. Pasternak asked.
“I’m taking the bus,” said Madonna.
“Me too,” said Ms. Minter.

 

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