Today in Madonna History: October 16, 2002

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On October 16 2002, Billboard released their review of Madonna’s Die Another Day:

The theme to the latest James Bond instalment, Die Another Day, is certainly a far cry from the melodic musings of Shirley Bassey, Nancy Sinatra, Paul McCartney, and even Duran Duran. Die Another Day in many ways picks up on the heels of Madonna’s inventive, experimental Music — thanks to her reunion with writer/producer Mirwais Ahmadzai — with a predominance of squiggly blips and zaps and enough effects on Madonna’s vocal to render it practically non-human. It’s an odd number, somewhat disjointed, a bit nonsensical, and not so much melodic as a highly stylized jam — but one must never underestimate the motivations of the long-and-lasting Madonna; and sure enough, with repeated listening, there are enough clever goings on and a hook that sinks into the consciousness to make this a captivating journey. James Bond purists may find themselves fitful that the traditional melodrama that marks such theme songs is remiss here, but radio jumped on the track weeks ahead of its official release, which will certainly fan the flames of publicity for the upcoming flick, out Nov. 22 in the U.S. On the horizon: an onslaught of remixes. Score another bull’s-eye for Madonna.

Today in Madonna History: November 18, 2002

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On November 18 2002, Madonna met Queen Elizabeth II at the world premiere of Die Another Day at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

Isn’t Madonna adorable when she’s nervous? 

Today in Madonna History: November 12, 2002

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On November 12 2002, the Die Another Day soundtrack for the 20th James Bond film of the same name, was released by Warner Bros. Records. The title song for Die Another Day was sung by Madonna, who also had a small cameo in the movie as Verity, a fencing instructor.  The Die Another Day song was written and produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï.

What is your favourite James Bond theme song?

Today in Madonna History: May 30, 2002

On May 30, 2002, People magazine mistakenly reported that Madonna was set to record a cover version of Gordon Lightfoot’s If You Could Read My Mind:

Madonna fans who are looking forward to seeing and hearing her on the new James Bond film, Die Another Day, will be chuffed to hear that her Madgeness will be taking a slightly bigger role in the flick than previously thought. Mrs R will record a cover of a song called If You Could Read My Mind for a spicy scene where Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan, seduces Halle Berry’s character, Jade. The song was originally recorded in 1970 by Gordon Lightfoot.

In fact, an original song titled Can’t You Read My Mind, written by Madonna & Mirwais, is registered in ASCAP’s database. String arranger Michel Colombier confirmed in May of 2002 that he had recorded a string arrangement for the song, referring to it as the theme for the upcoming Bond film. This suggests that it was likely an early version of the released theme song, Die Another Day, possibly featuring alternate lyrics that were later revised to tie in with the film’s title.

Today in Madonna History: November 23, 2002

On November 23 2002, Madonna’s Die Another Day single peaked at #1 on the Canadian Soundscan Singles Sales chart where it would stay for an impressive seven (non-consecutive) weeks.

Today in Madonna History: November 22, 2002

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On November 22 2002, the twentieth James Bond film,  Die Another Day,  was released by MGM.  Die Another Day was the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

Die Another Day was directed by Lee Tamahori.  The film marks the James Bond franchise’s 40th anniversary.  The series began in 1962 with Sean Connery.

The title song for Die Another Day was written and produced by Madonna & Mirwais. Madonna also had a cameo in the film as Verity, a fencing instructor.

Today in Madonna History: October 19, 2002

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On October 19 2002, Madonna’s Die Another Day debuted at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA.  The hit single spent 17 weeks on the chart, eventually peaking at #8 on November 9.