Today in Madonna History: December 21, 2014

December 21, 2018 By sonicboy19 in 2014, December Tags: Billboard, Bitch I'm Madonna, Charts, Devil Pray, Ghosttown, Illuminati, Living For Love, Rebel Heart, Remix Videos, Unapologetic Bitch 1 Comment

On December 21 2014, Madonna hit #1 on iTunes in 36 countries around the world with the release of six songs from her forthcoming album, Rebel Heart. In virtually every country the songs were released, they held six of the ten slots on the iTunes Top 10 chart. In seven of those countries, she had multiple #1’s across various iTunes charts. The lead single Living for Love topped the iTunes chart in twenty counties.

The other tracks made available for immediate download were: Ghosttown, Devil Pray, Unapologetic Bitch, Illuminati & Bitch I’m Madonna.

News of the surprise drop came when Madonna posted a link on Instagram late the previous night announcing the release as “an early Christmas gift” to those who pre-ordered the album. Fans immediately went to iTunes and drove the songs to the top of iTunes charts around the globe. Instantaneously Rebel Heart exploded on social media with the album topping the Billboard Trending 140 chart.

The early release of six songs from Rebel Heart came on the heels of a series of leaks which forced Madonna and her team to quickly devise a new marketing plan for the album.

Today in Madonna History: December 16, 1989

December 16, 2018 By sonicboy19 in 1989, December Tags: B-Side, Billboard, Keep It Together, Live Videos, Shep Pettibone, Vogue 5 Comments

On December 16 1989, Billboard magazine’s dance music section reported that Madonna had written and recorded a new song with Shep Pettibone titled Vogue. The article noted that the track was set to appear on the b-side of Madonna’s next single, Keep It Together.

These plans would soon change when it was decided that Vogue had too much hit potential to be released as a b-side, and it would instead be issued as a single in its own right once Keep It Together had run its course on the charts. In Europe, where Keep It Together was not promoted as a single, it would in fact be used as the b-side to Vogue.

Vogue would go on to become the best-selling physical single of Madonna’s career.

Today in Madonna History: December 10, 1983

December 10, 2018 By sonicboy19 in 1983, December Tags: Billboard, Holiday, Live Videos, TV Performance 1 Comment

On December 10 1983, Madonna was featured on the back cover of Billboard magazine with the caption: “A Star Is Born!”

Very perceptive, Billboard! Bravo!

Today in Madonna History: December 9, 1989

December 9, 2018 By sonicboy19 in 1989, December Tags: Artist of the Decade, Billboard, Express Yourself, Live Videos, Musician Magazine 1 Comment

On December 9 1989, Madonna was featured in a two-page spread in Billboard magazine, paid for by her record company and management, congratulating her on being named Artist of the Decade by Musician magazine.

Madonna’s September 1989 performance of Express Yourself at the MTV VMA’s perfectly encapsulates the sentiments expressed in the tribute. As her only live performance that year, it only hinted at Madonna’s next mission: to revolutionize the concert touring industry.

Today in Madonna History: November 29, 1986

November 29, 2018 By sonicboy19 in 1986, November Tags: Billboard, Into The Groove, Live Videos, Spotlight, Turin, Who's That Girl World Tour, You Can Dance 2 Comments

On November 29 1986, Billboard’s dance music editor Brian Chin reported on the postponed Madonna remix project, You Can Dance.

While a release the following spring would also come to pass, the accuracy of details regarding the album’s content would suggest it was already in the can a year ahead of its eventual release.

An early preview would be granted for one of the remixes, albeit in live form, when Madonna’s Who’s That Girl World Tour performance of Into The Groove the following summer would borrow heavily from Shep Pettibone’s remix for You Can Dance.

Today in Madonna History: November 24, 1984

November 24, 2018 By sonicboy19 in 1984, November Tags: Billboard, Like A Virgin (Album), Malcolm Middleton, Review, Stay, Stephen Bray 5 Comments

On November 24 1984, Madonna’s Like A Virgin album was reviewed in Billboard magazine.

Check out Malcolm Middleton’s excellent cover of Stay, a pre-fame Madonna & Stephen Bray collaboration that later became the closing track on Like A Virgin: