Today in Madonna History: February 16, 1998

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On February 16 1998, the music video for Frozen premiered on MTV at 4 p.m. Directed by Chris Cunningham, the video was filmed in the Mojave Desert in California from January 7th to 10th.

Initially Madonna had considered filming the video in Iceland but decided that a barren desert would create a similarly desolate backdrop, without the added difficulty of filming in extreme cold temperatures. As it turned out, filming in the desert at dusk in January was far from the warm location she had envisioned; low temperatures and an accompanying rainstorm left much of the crew under the weather.

In an interview with MTV News, Cunningham stated that Madonna became interested to work with him after seeing his Aphex Twin-directed music video, “Come to Daddy” (1997). The black goth gown outfit Madonna wears in the video was designed by Olivier Theyskens, and provided by then-new collaborator, designer Arianne Phillips.

Today in Madonna History: February 15, 2006

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On February 15 2006, Madonna won the BRIT Award for Best International Female. Madonna beat out Bjork, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey and Missy Elliot.

Today in Madonna History: February 14, 2013

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On February 14 2013, Mark Kamins, Madonna’s ex-boyfriend, and pioneering DJ-producer who helped launch her career, died.

A fixture in the downtown New York City scene of the early 1980s, he held court at Danceteria and produced Madonna’s debut single, Everybody.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Madonna wrote:

“I’m very sorry to hear about Mark’s death. I haven’t seen him for years but if it weren’t for him, I might not have had a singing career. He was the first DJ to play my demos before I had a record deal. He believed in me before anyone else did. I owe him a lot. May he Rest in Peace.”

Today in Madonna History: February 13, 1999

On February 13 1999, Madonna’s Nothing Really Matters single was reviewed by Billboard magazine.

The North American two-track single for Nothing Really Matters included the album version of To Have And Not To Hold as its b-side.

Prior to the release of the Ray Of Light album, it was reported that Madonna had fourteen tracks mastered but wanted to cut one, as she felt that thirteen was a lucky number. According to the article, Madonna’s final selection was between two songs: To Have And Not To Hold or Has To Be.

As we all know, Has To Be ended up being cut from the final track list (except in Japan, where it was included as a bonus track).

If you had to choose between including To Have And Not To Hold or Has To Be on Ray Of Light, which song would you include? Keep in mind, your selection should not simply be which individual track you prefer – Madonna would also have had to consider how her choice would affect the overall flow and emotional arc of the album, both musically and lyrically.

Today In Madonna History: February 12, 2002

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On February 12 2002, Madonna: Drowned World Tour 2001 was named Best Music DVD at the 1st annual UK DVD Awards in England.

Today in Madonna History: February 11, 1984

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On February 11 1984, Madonna’s self-titled debut album, Madonna, debuted at #85 on the UK albums chart, just as Holiday hit #7. It fell off the chart the following week, but re-entered at #55 on February 25. The album was re-released in Europe in July 1985 with new artwork, re-titled The First Album. A 2001 international remastered edition of the album restored its original artwork and title in all markets.

Today in Madonna History: February 10, 1990

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Between February 10 and 11, 1990, the music video for Madonna’s Vogue was filmed. Vogue was directed by David Fincher and shot at The Burbank Studios in Burbank, California.