On August 5 1990, Madonna – Live! Blond Ambition World Tour 90 was broadcast live on HBO-TV from Stade de l’Ouest, Nice, France and seen in more than 4.3 million households – it was the most-watched entertainment special in the network’s 18-year history (at the time).
Category Archives: August
Today in Madonna History: August 4, 2005
On August 4 2005, Liz Smith talked about Madonna’s then-forthcoming Confession on a Dance Floor album in the New York Post:
Who are the happiest music executives in the land these days? The big guys at Warner Records. All who have heard Madonna’s coming CD, Confessions on a Dance Floor, have been blown away. (Including WR’s movie – star handsome CEO Tom Whalley.) Confessions is entirely a dance – driven pop disc. No message. No ballads. All fun. These days M seems serene as the chatelaine of an English manor, feeding the chickens, riding, tending to her children, etc. (She, her home and her kids are gorgeous in Vogue for August.) But the once – shocking icon can still get into the groove. And she wants her fans to know it. The album hits stores in November.
Do you remember the anticipation for this album? It was a very exciting time to be a Madonna fan!
Today in Madonna History: August 3, 1985
On August 3 1985, Madonna’s Into The Groove hit #1 in the UK and Holiday hit #2 in the UK – Madonna is the only female artist ever to occupy the top 2 positions simultaneously on the UK charts.
Today in Madonna History: August 2, 2008
On August 2 2008, the second single from Madonna’s Hard Candy album, Give It 2 Me, debuted at #2 on the Hot Dance Singles Chart in the USA. The single would go on to spend 3 non-consecutive weeks at #1.
Here’s the AllMusic.com review of the single by Anthony Tognazzini:
Madonna’s Hard Candy continued the electronica-oriented, disco-centric vibe she began with Confessions on a Dance Floor, and Give It 2 Me, the album’s second single, is a case in point. Co-written and co-produced by industry heavyweight Pharrell Williams, Give It 2 Me pulses, surges, and sashays with all the pop smarts that her fans expect from Madonna.
The Give It 2 Me maxi-single contains 8 remixes of the song from artists as diverse as Paul Oakenfold, Freddie Le Grand, and Sly & Robbie (whose dancehall interpretation of the track truly takes it someplace new). The remixes highlight the song’s incessant danceability, and should have any Madonna fan, especially those of Hard Candy, gyrating with pleasure.
Today in Madonna History: August 1, 2020
On August 1 2020, Madonna paid tribute to Alan Parker (he died on July 31, 2020):
I was so sad to hear about the passing of Alan Parker. One of the greatest directors I’ve ever worked with—on the film Evita. He taught me so much, believed in me, pushed me to my limits and made an incredible film! Thank you! 📽♥️ -Madonna
Today in Madonna History: August 31, 1996
On August 31 1996, Madonna’s Take A Bow spent its 38th and final week on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Recurrent chart in the USA at #9.
Today In Madonna History: August 30, 2012
On August 30 2012, Turn Up The Radio jumped to the top position on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart, earning Madonna a record-extending 43rd number-one single on the chart.
Marking a sign of the times, the single and remixes were sold exclusively to digital retailers and were sadly not given a physical release on any format (aside from scarce promotional copies), in any country. This was the first time in Madonna’s career that an international commercial single was unavailable to record shops and collectors either through domestic distribution or as an import.
We hope that Interscope realizes that there are many old-school Madonna fans who still enjoy collecting physical releases – and we’re willing to pay for them. So what will it be Interscope? Would you like to earn some extra bucks with the singles from Madonna’s next album, or are you going to leave collectors with padded pockets?
Today In Madonna History 