Today in Madonna History: April 27, 1998

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On April 27 1998, Madonna made an unannounced appearance at the 9th annual Rainforest Foundation Benefit Concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, where she performed Frozen with the East Harlem Violin Project, while wearing a Versace dress.

Jon Pareles from The New York Times felt that during this performance Madonna had “turned herself into America’s answer to Björk”.

Later that night, she wore a cowboy hat and joined various artists in a rendition of The Beatles’ With A Little Help From My Friends and Twist & Shout.

Today in Madonna History: April 26, 2003

On April 26 2003, Madonna’s American Life single spent the first of two weeks at #1 on the Soundscan Canadian Singles chart.

American Life was the final two-track physical Madonna single issued by Warner Music Canada, while production of CD maxi-singles would continue domestically until the 2006 release of Jump.

Today in Madonna History: April 25, 2017

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 24, 1993

On April 24 1993, Fever/Bad Girl hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart in America. It remained at #1 for two weeks.

Despite being marketed as Bad Girl, the release charted as Fever/Bad Girl on the Maxi-Singles Sales chart due to its b-side being the primary focus of the release in terms of content. Wisely, Bad Girl was left off of the accompanying promotional single that was serviced to clubs (on beautifully pressed transparent red vinyl), allowing it to top the Hot Dance/Club chart solely as Fever.

Today in Madonna History: April 23, 2013

On April 23 2013, Madonna was listed as a nominee in 3 different categories for the 2013 Billboard Music Awards:

  1. Top Touring Artist (for MDNA World Tour)
  2. Top Dance Artist
  3. Top Dance Album (for MDNA)

The 2013 Billboard Music Awards were later held in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 19 2013. Madonna won all 3 categories she was nominated in.

Today in Madonna History: April 22, 2002

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On April 22 2002, In Bed With Madonna (known as Truth Or Dare in North America) was released on DVD.

Google’s synopsis of the documentary:

This documentary chronicles Madonna’s controversial 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour, kicking off in Japan during its rainy season, then traveling to North America with significant stops in Los Angeles, Detroit, Toronto, and New York. The film is a behind-the-scenes look at Madonna’s relationships with her dancers and crew, her then-boyfriend Warren Beatty, and her family and friends, achieving an intimate glimpse into the boundary-pushing singer’s drive and individuality.

Today in Madonna History: April 21, 2016

On April 21 2016, Prince passed away at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Minnesota, at the age of 57.

In response to his death, Madonna shared this message:

He Changed The World!! A True Visionary. What a loss. I’m Devastated. This is Not A Love Song.