On January 21 1984, Madonna earned her very first Canadian chart entry as Holiday entered RPM’s Canadian Top 50 Singles chart at #48.
Madonna would go on to collect a total of 25 #1 singles to date in Canada – the most for any solo artist in Canadian chart history. She has also racked up a staggering 68 Top 40 singles in Canada – 51 of which ascended into the Top 10.
On December 27 2003, Nothing Fails peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Singles Sales chart.
Unfortunately this chart position owed more to the disappearing physical singles market in the U.S. at the time than it did to the song’s overall popularity. Despite the remixes being relatively well-received (the maxi-single included club mixes of Nobody Knows Me), with no accompanying music video and a complete lack of radio support Nothing Fails failed to crack the Hot 100 singles chart. This marked the first time in Billboard’s history that a single topped the Singles Sales chart in the U.S. without making an appearance on the Hot 100.
In more reassuring chart news, Billboard announced in the same issue that Madonna was being crowned Top Dance Singles Sales Artist for 2003. Madonna had previously achieved this honour in 1985 and 1987, and held the runner-up position in 2000 and 2001.
On December 24 1983, Madonna was named runner-up for Top Dance/Disco Artist Of The Year in Billboard magazine’s year-end issue, while Michael Jackson took top honors.
The double-sided club hit Holiday/Lucky Star peaked at #3 on the Top Dance/Disco Singles Of The Year tally, while Madonna’s second entry at #26 combined points from her first two single releases, Everybody and Burning Up/Physical Attraction.
On December 22 2009, Madonna’s hits collection Celebration was released on vinyl in the U.S. by Warner Bros. Records following a one-week delay from its original street date.
The deluxe vinyl package featured four 120g black vinyl discs pressed at Record Industry (Netherlands) in a 2-pocket Stoughton gatefold jacket with expanded pockets (2 discs in each pocket) and included all of the 36 songs originally available on the 2-CD edition of the album. A vinyl edition for the European market also appeared in record shops on January 8th, 2010.
Although Warner made no indication of either pressing being a limited edition release, the sets disappeared from store shelves once their initial shipments had sold and were promptly deleted from circulation by Warner on both continents without explanation. Sealed copies of the sets now command more than $500+ USD in the collectors market.
On December 14 1985, Dress You Up peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart.
It was Madonna’s eighth UK Top-5 hit of 1985:
On December 13 1990, Madonna’s Blond Ambition World Tour Live was released exclusively on LaserDisc by the trek’s sponsor, Pioneer.
Recorded at the final show in Nice, France, the concert had originally aired as a live HBO special in the U.S.
The LaserDisc release would go on to win a Grammy award (Madonna’s first) for Best Music Video, Long Form in 1991.
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 