Today in Madonna History: September 15, 2003

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On September 15 2003, Madonna’s first children’s book, The English Roses, was released worldwide. To promote the book, Madonna held a reading to a group of children (and adults!) at the Gallimard Gardens in Paris.

The English Roses debuted at #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The book remained at #1 on the New York Times Children’s Best Sellers list for 7 weeks.

To date, The English Roses has sold over 500,000 copies.

Today in Madonna History: September 14, 1994

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On September 14 1994, the lead single from Madonna’s Bedtime Stories album, Secret, was made available for download on the internet through America Online (AOL) and CompuServe.

Before the single was made available, Madonna posted this message for her fans:

Hello, all you Cyberheads! Welcome to the 90’s version of intimacy. You can hear me… You can even see me… But you can’t touch me… do you recognize my voice?… It’s Madonna. Often imitated, but never duplicated. Or, should I say, often irritated? If you feel like it, you can download the sound file of my new single Secret, from my new album, Bedtime Stories, which comes out next month. I just shot the video in New York, and will be premiering an exclusive sample of it online. So check back soon. In the meantime, why don’t you post me a message and let me know what you think of my new song. And by the way, don’t believe any of those online imposters pretending to be me… ain’t nothing like the real thing. Peace out.

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Today in Madonna History: September 13, 2009

On September 13 2009, Madonna opened the 2009 MTV VMA’s with a heartfelt tribute to Michael Jackson after his untimely passing a few months earlier.

Today in Madonna History: September 12, 1987

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On September 12 1987, the Who’s That Girl: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack hit #7 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart in the USA.

Madonna had this to say about the music on the soundtrack:

“I had some very specific ideas in mind, music that would stand on its own as well as support and enhance what was happening on screen and the only way to make that a reality was to have a hand in writing the tunes myself… The songs aren’t necessarily about Nikki or written to be sung by someone like her, but there’s a spirit to this music that captures both what the film and the characters are about, I think.”

Today in Madonna History: September 11, 1988

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On September 11 1988, Madonna participated in the Sport Aid 88: The Race Against Time marathon in New York.

“We can make future generations look back on this decade, and remember us as the generation who began to shape a world in which children enjoy a future free from hunger and pain. Please join the Race Against Time and help CARE and Sport Aid make a difference in a hungry child’s life.” – Madonna

Today in Madonna History: September 10, 1986

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On September 10 1986, True Blue was released as a single in Canada. Written & produced by Madonna & Stephen Bray, the title-track of her third album was a 1960’s Motown-inspired love letter to her husband, Sean Penn.

After including True Blue on 1987’s Who’s That Girl World Tour set list, the song appeared to have been written out of Madonna’s repertoire following her split from Sean. By 2015’s Rebel Heart Tour, Madonna had made amens with both Sean and True Blue, performing the track as a stripped-down, crowd-pleasing acoustic number.

Shep Pettibone’s remixes of the single marked his first of many collaborations with Madonna.

Today in Madonna History: September 9, 1994

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On September 9 1994, the filming for Madonna’s Secret music video began. The black and white music video was directed by photographer Melodie McDaniel and was filmed on September 9, 10, 11, 1994 at the Lenox Lounge and on location on Lenox Avenue in Harlem, New York.