Today in Madonna History: February 2, 1985

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On February 2 1985, Sidewalk Talk peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart. The song was written by Madonna, who also contributed vocals on the chorus and bridge while the verses were performed by Catherine Buchanan. Madonna gifted the song to producer/remixer/DJ/boyfriend Jellybean Benitez for use on his debut EP, Wotupskii!!?! and it was promoted to clubs by EMI Records in October, 1984. It was eventually issued as a commercial single, peaking at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 1st, 1986.

Sidewalk Talk was arranged by Stephen Bray & Benitez with vocal arrangement by Madonna, according to the album’s liner notes. Madonna’s lyrics to the song recall her early years in New York and some of the challenges she encountered adjusting to big city life and how she empowered herself to overcome them.

Today in Madonna History: February 1, 1997

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On February 1 1997, Evita – The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the U.S. Meanwhile across the pond, the soundtrack simultaneously shot to the #1 position on the UK album chart. It had initially peaked at #6 in the U.S. and at #7 in the U.K. upon release in November, 1996.

The surge in sales was largely attributed to the film’s wide release in January and the heavy promotional push that accompanied it, along with the interest generated by the soundtrack’s second single, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.

Today in Madonna History: March 9, 1983

On March 9 1983, Madonna’s second single, the classic double A-side Burning Up/Physical Attraction, was released on 12″ vinyl.

The sleeve of the single featured a series of sketches of Madonna created by her close friend, Martin Burgoyne.

 

Today in Madonna History: February 28, 2001

On February 28 2001, Madonna announced she was going out on tour for the first time since The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993:

“I’m finally going to fucking drag my ass into a rehearsal studio. I never want to repeat myself. I don’t see the point of doing a show unless you offer something that is going to mind-boggle the senses. It’s not enough to get on the stage and sing a song. It’s all about theatre and drama and surprise and suspense. So I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also nervous about it.”

The Drowned World Tour started on June 9 2001, in Spain. The tour ended after 47 shows in Los Angeles on September 15 2001.

Today in Madonna History: February 27, 1991

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On February 27 1991, Madonna’s first greatest hits video collection, The Immaculate Collection video was certified double platinum (for sales of 200,000 units).

Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AllMusic) had this to say about the video collection:

If any artist exploited MTV and music video to its full extent, it was Madonna. Duran Duran may have been the first video stars, but Madonna was savvy enough to redefine her image with each video, not just each album. All of her major videos between 1983 and 1990 (with the exception of her first, Burning Up, and Justify My Love, which was one of the new tracks on the greatest-hits The Immaculate Collection) are included on the video edition of Immaculate. Images from the videos — the gondolas of Like a Virgin, the Marilyn Monroe homage of Material Girl, the faux-Blade Runner Express Yourself, the taboo-shattering Like a Prayer, the sleek, stylish Vogue — have not only become part of pop music history, but of pop culture, and that becomes apparent after watching this collection. It’s truly astounding to watch the videos back to back, as it confirms that Madonna always knew where she was going, visually and musically. The singles were benchmarks of pop music in the ’80s, and if anything, the videos are even more important. This is what mainstream pop was all about in the ’80s.

Today in Madonna History: February 26, 1987

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On February 26 1987, Madonna won Best Female Singer and Sexiest Female Artist in Rolling Stone magazine’s 11th annual Readers Poll.

Today In Madonna History: February 25, 2022

On February 25 2022, the digital single for Madonna’s Don’t Cry For Me Argentina from the film Evita, was released on streaming platforms. The EP featuring remixes by Pablo Flores and Javier Garza included the following 9 versions of the hit song:

  1. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Radio Edit)
  2. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Miami Mix Edit)
  3. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Miami Spanglish Mix Edit)
  4. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Miami Mix)
  5. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Miami Spanglish Mix)
  6. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Miami Mix Alternate Ending)
  7. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Miami Dub Mix)
  8. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Miami Mix Instrumental)
  9. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Album Version)

Below you can watch the official music video for Madonna’s Don’t Cry For Me Argentina and also a video of Astor Piazzolla’s Francanapa, the source of the sample featured in the Flores and Garza remixes.