On December 26 1987, RPM magazine – Canada’s definitive music industry publication at the time – issued its year-end singles tally.
All four of Madonna’s eligible Canadian singles charting in 1987 made the list:
On July 20 2006, Madonna’s Get Together single peaked at #4 on the SoundScan Canadian Singles chart.
On May 16, 1994, Madonna’s I’ll Remember (Theme From With Honors) hit #1 on the Canadian Top 100 Singles chart by RPM.
The song remained at the top of the Canadian singles chart for five weeks, surpassing Like A Prayer to become Madonna’s longest-running #1 single on the Canadian charts at that time. It was finally displaced on June 20th by All-4-One’s hit, I Swear – the same song that blocked I’ll Remember from reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., where it spent four weeks locked at #2.
On March 29 1999, Nothing Really Matters peaked at #7 on the Canadian Top 100 Singles chart (RPM).
Warner Music Canada issued Nothing Really Matters as a CD maxi-single and as a two-track CD single featuring the b-side, To Have And Not Hold. While their U.S. counterparts were housed in “FLP” and “draw pack” sleeves, in Canada standard jewel cases with inserts were used for both configurations.
On February 17 2001, Don’t Tell Me hit #1 on the SoundScan Canadian Singles chart, spending a single week at the top.
After the long-running Canadian music industry publication RPM folded in late 2000, Nielsen SoundScan (which had tracked music sales across Canada since 1996) became the country’s recognized national singles chart publisher until the introduction of Billboard’s Canadian Hot 100 in 2007. Don’t Tell Me was Madonna’s first single to reach its peak during the SoundScan Canadian chart era.
On December 27 1986, RPM magazine published their list of the top charting singles of 1986 in Canada.
Here’s how Madonna’s singles stacked up in the year-end ranking:
A stark departure from her earlier pop hits, Live To Tell was initially considered by her record label to be a risky choice for a single. Its success showed that programmers were willing to give Madonna some room to grow on radio.
On November 6 2000, Madonna’s Music single entered its 9th consecutive week at #1 on the Canadian Top 100 Singles chart in the final issue of RPM magazine, which ceased publication after 36 years as the voice of the Canadian music industry.
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