On March 10 1996, Madonna lip-synched Don’t Cry For Me Argentina for a scene in Evita before a crowd of 2,000 extras on the balcony of the Casa Rosada, the same location where the late Eva Peron addressed her people 50 years earlier.
Tag Archives: Evita
Today in Madonna History: February 1, 1997
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: December 25, 1996
On December 25 1996, EVITA was given a limited released in New York and Los Angeles.
Wide release for the film followed on January 10, 1997.
Critic Zach Conner commented:
“It’s a relief to say that EVITA is pretty damn fine, well-cast, and handsomely visualized. Madonna once again confounds our expectations. She plays Evita with a poignant weariness and has more than just a bit of star quality. Love or hate Madonna-Eva, she is a magnet for all eyes.”
Newsweek ’s David Ansen wrote:
“It’s gorgeous. It’s epic. It’s spectacular. But two hours later, it also proves to be emotionally impenetrable.”
Today in Madonna History: October 27, 1996
On October 27 1996, Madonna’s You Must Love Me (the lead single from Evita) was released.
Kathleen Guerdo’s review for Billboard:
“Madonna delivers what is by far one of the strongest vocal performances of her career, comfortably scaling to the song’s demanding soprano heights while infusing it with delicate, heart-rending emotion. This bodes well for the creative potency of the rest of the soundtrack, which is due Nov. 14. Prepare for wall-to-wall airplay of this flawless ballad on pop and AC radio.”
Today in Madonna History: August 23, 1997
On August 23 1997, Evita: Music from the Motion Picture (the highlights disc) debuted at #168 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart in the USA.
The highlights disc included 19 tracks from the film, and was released on July 29 1997 in North America to help promote the home video release. The single disc was released in select markets around the world in 1996 at the same time as the double disc complete soundtrack, but not in North America.
Evita: The Motion Picture Music Soundtrack featured all 34 tracks from the film, and was released on November 12 1996.
The highlights disc didn’t perform very well in the late summer of 1997 because it was released a full 8 months after the original release. No single was released to radio to promote it, and most die-hard fans had already secured an imported version of the single disc soundtrack the previous year. Why it was released at all in July 1997 remains a mystery. Why the single-disc set wasn’t released in North America in November 1996 is a better question. Why not release the double-disc set (expensive) and the single disc set (average price of a CD at the time) and appeal to the largest possible group of consumers? That was the approach around the world, but not in North America, we can’t help but wonder why? – Jay
Today in Madonna History: June 19, 2012
On June 19 2012, Evita: 15th Anniversary Edition was released on Blu-ray, with the You Must Love Me music video included as a bonus feature.
The music video for You Must Love Me was directed by Alan Parker. Madonna was eight months pregnant (with Lourdes) when the video was shot. Madonna stood behind a piano to conceal her pregnancy during the video shoot.
Today in Madonna History: March 24, 1997
On March 24 1997, Madonna’s version of Another Suitcase In Another Hall was released as the third and final single from the Evita soundtrack.
The single was only available in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and a small number of European countries.
The lyrics for Another Suitcase In Another Hall were written by Tim Rice, with the music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
A music video was released to promote the single. The video was the actual performance sequence from the film Evita, directed by Alan Parker.
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