On July 2 2005, Madonna performed Like A Prayer, Ray Of Light and Music in front of an audience of over 200,000 during the Live 8 benefit concert at London’s Hyde Park. Part of a series of concerts, many of which were held simultaneously at various locations around the world, Live 8 was broadcast live on television and radio to an estimated global audience of two billion.
Madonna is one of only eight acts – and the only female artist – to have been a headlining performer at both 1985’s Live Aid and 2005’s Live 8. Other returning performers were U2, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting, The Who, George Michael, and organizer, Bob Geldof. It took a bit of arm twisting on Geldof’s part to win Madonna’s commitment the second time around, as Madonna explained to MTV’s John Norris in a backstage interview after her performance:
Bob Geldof sent me a letter asking ‘will you do Live 8?’ and he didn’t really tell me anything and I went ‘Oh common dude, you gotta do better than that! Prove to me that it’s gonna make a difference and I’ll be there for you.’ And he did!”
In what turned out to be one of the event’s most moving moments, Madonna was introduced to the stage by Geldof with Birhan Woldu – the starving African child featured in the CBC News report twenty years earlier who had prompted Geldof to organize Live Aid. When Geldof had asked Woldu which artist she would like to appear with on stage, she immediately selected Madonna for the simple reason that she was the only artist on the bill that she had ever heard of. In a later interview, Woldu recalled the experience:
The crowd seemed to stretch for miles, but I’d been telling myself not to be nervous. There was just a huge picture of me as a child on the screen. That photo still upsets me. It was taken 20 years ago, when both my mother and sister died. I knew I must be strong for them but when I walked on I could feel my body shaking. Then Madonna took my hand and looked into my eyes, the crowd roared and I realised the world wanted to help my continent. I felt myself grow stronger.”
Madonna’s memorable performance at Live 8 was largely praised by mainstream media and fans alike.
On May 13 1989, Madonna’s Like A Prayer single peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot Adult Contemporary chart in the USA. The hit single also peaked on the Hot R&B Single Sales at #18 and the Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart at #20 during the same week.
On May 10 1989, Madonna’s Express Yourself video premiered on MTV. The video was filmed on a $5 million budget – the highest in music video history (at the time). The video was directed by David Fincher.
On May 4 2022, Warner Bros. issued the press release for Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones:
Madonna made history once again when she topped the Dance Club Songs chart for the 50th time, making her the first and only recording artist to have 50 #1 hits on any single Billboard chart.
To celebrate this historic milestone, Madonna curated two new collections: FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE: 50 NUMBER ONES, a new 50-track collection that includes her favorite remixes of those chart-topping dance hits that have filled clubs worldwide for four decades, and an abridged 16-track version, simply titled FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE.
These new collections will mark the first album releases to be part of the newly announced partnership between Madonna and Warner Music Group, which will feature an extensive series of catalog releases across her groundbreaking career.
50 NUMBER ONES spans her entire dance club chart reign with dozens of remixes by the world’s top producers. In addition to fan favorites, the collection also includes a selection of rare remix recordings, with more than 20 being officially released for the first time or making their commercial/digital debut. The collection will be available digitally on August 19, along with a 3-CD ($29.98) version. A limited edition, 6-LP version on red and black vinyl ($149.98) will also be available, exclusively at Madonna’s official store and Rhino.com. Pre-order now.
The 16-track version, FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE, will be available for streaming on June 24, with 1-CD ($14.98) and 180-gram 2-LP ($34.98) versions coming on August 19. Pre-order and Pre-save now.
As a first listen to these collections, the “You Can Dance Remix Edit” of “Into The Groove” is available today digitally for the first time. Listen Now.
Boasting more than 220 minutes of remixes, FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE: 50 NUMBER ONES flows in mostly chronological order, showcasing the many musical reinventions that made Madonna an international icon, from 1983’s “Holiday” to 2019’s “I Don’t Search I Find,” with remixes by some of the biggest and most influential DJs of all time including Shep Pettibone, William Orbit, Honey Dijon, and Avicii.
On several songs, Madonna is joined by other incredible artists, including Britney Spears (“Me Against The Music”); Justin Timberlake and Timbaland (“4 Minutes”); and Nicki Minaj (“Bitch I’m Madonna.”) Each remix was newly remastered for the collection by Mike Dean, who produced Madonna’s two most-recent studio albums, Rebel Heart (2015) and Madame X (2019).
Both of these new collections also highlight You Can Dance, Madonna’s first ever remix collection. Celebrating 35 years this year, You Can Dance has sold more than five million copies worldwide and is still the second best-selling remix album of all time. The collection also pays homage to “Everybody,” Madonna’s first single, celebrating its 40th Anniversary on October 6. Madonna redesigned the album’s chronology by picking three edits from You Can Dance, including “Into The Groove”, “Everybody” and “Physical Attraction,” which reflects the underground club vibes that inspired her first recordings as a Sire artist.
Along with those rarities, these albums also introduce versions that are seeing their first ever official release, including the “Alternate Single Remix” of “Keep It Together,” the “Offer Nissim Promo Mix” of “Living For Love,” and more.
In advance of the debut of FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE in June, one of the 50 chart toppers – “Causing A Commotion” – was spotlighted early as an exclusive release for this year’s Record Store Day on April 23. Three remixes of the track appeared on the limited edition, five-track, red vinyl 12” EP Who’s That Girl Super Club Mix.
Expect more surprises to be revealed later this year around the celebration of Madonna’s 40 years in music.
FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE
16-Track Album
Streaming June 24
1-CD, 2-LP & Digital Download Versions Out August 19
Track Listing
1. “Everybody” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
2. “Into The Groove” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
3. “Like A Prayer” (Remix/Edit)
4. “Express Yourself” (Remix/Edit)
5. “Vogue” (Single Version) +
6. “Deeper And Deeper” (David’s Radio Edit) +#
7. “Secret” (Junior’s Luscious Single Mix)
8. “Frozen” (Extended Club Mix Edit)
9. “Music” (Deep Dish Dot Com Radio Edit)
10. “Hollywood” (Calderone & Quayle Edit) +#
11. “Hung Up” (SDP Extended Vocal Edit)
12. “Give It 2 Me” (Eddie Amador Club 5 Edit) °+
13. “Girl Gone Wild” (Avicii’s UMF Mix)
14. “Living For Love” (Offer Nissim Promo Mix) *+
15. “Medellín” (Offer Nissim Madame X In The Sphinx Mix) – Madonna and Maluma
16. “I Don’t Search I Find” (Honey Dijon Radio Mix)
FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE: 50 NUMBER ONES
50-Track Album
3-CD, 6-LP, Streaming & Digital Download Versions Out August 19
Track Listing
1. “Holiday” (7” Version) +
2. “Like A Virgin” (7” Version)
3. “Material Girl” (7” Version)
4. “Into The Groove” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
5. “Open Your Heart” (Video Version) +
6. “Physical Attraction” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
7. “Everybody” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
8. “Like A Prayer” (Remix/Edit)
9. “Express Yourself” (Remix/Edit)
10. “Keep It Together” (Alternate Single Remix) *+
11. “Vogue” (Single Version) +
12. “Justify My Love” (Orbit Edit)
13. “Erotica” (Underground Club Mix)
14. “Deeper And Deeper” (David’s Radio Edit) +#
15. “Fever” (Radio Edit) +
16. “Secret” (Junior’s Luscious Single Mix)
17. “Bedtime Story” (Junior’s Single Mix)
18. “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” (Miami Mix Edit)
19. “Frozen” (Extended Club Mix Edit)
20. “Ray Of Light” (Sasha Ultra Violet Mix Edit) +#
21. “Nothing Really Matters” (Club 69 Radio Mix) +
22. “Beautiful Stranger” (Calderone Radio Mix)
23. “American Pie” (Richard ‘Humpty’ Vission Radio Mix)
24. “Music” (Deep Dish Dot Com Radio Edit)
25. “Don’t Tell Me” (Thunderpuss Video Remix) +#
26. “What It Feels Like For A Girl” (Above And Beyond Club Radio Edit)
27. “Impressive Instant” (Peter Rauhofer’s Universal Radio Mixshow Mix) +#
28. “Die Another Day” (Deepsky Radio Edit) +#
29. “American Life” (Felix Da Housecat’s Devin Dazzle Edit) *+
30. “Hollywood” (Calderone & Quayle Edit) +#
31. “Me Against The Music” (Peter Rauhofer Radio Mix) + – Britney Spears feat. Madonna
32. “Nothing Fails” (Tracy Young’s Underground Radio Edit) *+
33. “Love Profusion” (Ralphi Rosario House Vocal Edit) +#
34. “Hung Up” (SDP Extended Vocal Edit)
35. “Sorry” (PSB Maxi Mix Edit) +#
36. “Get Together” (Jacques Lu Cont Vocal Edit) +
37. “Jump” (Axwell Remix Edit)
38. “4 Minutes” (Bob Sinclar Space Funk Edit) + – feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland
39. “Give It 2 Me” (Eddie Amador Club 5 Edit) +#
40. “Celebration” (Benny Benassi Remix Edit)
41. “Give Me All Your Luvin’” (Party Rock Remix) – feat. LMFAO & Nicki Minaj
42. “Girl Gone Wild” (Avicii’s UMF Mix)
43. “Turn Up The Radio” (Offer Nissim Remix Edit) *+#
44. “Living For Love” (Offer Nissim Promo Mix) *+
45. “Ghosttown” (Dirty Pop Intro Remix)
46. “Bitch I’m Madonna” (Sander Kleinenberg Video Edit) +# – feat. Nicki Minaj
47. “Medellín” (Offer Nissim Madame X In The Sphinx Mix) – Madonna and Maluma
48. “I Rise” (Tracy Young’s Pride Intro Radio Remix)
49. “Crave” (Tracy Young Dangerous Remix) – feat. Swae Lee
50. “I Don’t Search I Find” (Honey Dijon Radio Mix)
* previously unreleased
+available digitally for the first time
# available commercially for the first time
On May 1 1989, Like A Prayer spent its second week at #1 on the Canadian Top 100 Singles chart published by RPM magazine.
The Like A Prayer single would spend four consecutive weeks in the top spot, becoming Madonna’s longest-running #1 on the Canadian Top 100 Singles chart until 1994 when I’ll Remember spent five consecutive weeks at #1.
On March 19 1989, Madonna’s Like A Prayer stormed on to Australia’s ARIA Singles Chart, entering at #3. It would hit ARIA’s top spot the following week, nudging out The Fine Young Cannibal’s She Drives Me Crazy.
The two songs entered into an extended dance for the pole position, with Crazy reclaiming its spot for two weeks before handing it back again to Prayer. Then back to Crazy. Then Prayer.
Dizzy yet?
Our Aussie mates may be a tad indecisive with their hits – but they sure know how to pick ’em!
Today In Madonna History 