Today in Madonna History: February 23, 1998

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On February 23 1998, Frozen was released by Maverick records as the lead single from Madonna’s seventh studio album, Ray of Light. The song was written by Madonna & Patrick Leonard and was produced by Madonna, Leonard & William Orbit.

Madonna has mentioned that she considers Frozen as part of a thematic trilogy with The Power Of Good-Bye and To Have And Not To Hold. In an interview with Barry Walters for Spin magazine, Madonna commented on the inspiration behind the song:

“I was so obsessed with the movie The Sheltering Sky and that whole Moroccan/orchestral/super-romantic/man-carrying-the-woman-he-loves-across-the-desert vibe. So I told [Patrick Leonard] that I wanted something with a tribal feel, something really lush and romantic. When he started playing some music, I just turned the DAT on and started free-associating and came up with the melody.”

Initially unsure of which song should be released as the album’s first single, Madonna was eventually convinced by Warner Bros. executives that Frozen would be a perfect way to bridge the Adult Contemporary leanings of her most recent hits (Take A Bow, You’ll See and the singles from Evita) with the more cutting-edge, electronic sounds of Ray Of Light.

Today in Madonna History: February 20, 2001

On February 20 2001, Madonna’s official website announced that Madonna planned to record a Spanish version of her next single, What It Feels Like For A Girl, with a tentative release date of late March.

While the Spanish version (titled Lo Que Siente La Mujer) featured on the maxi-single and serviced to Latin radio stations was set to the album version of the song, Madonna would blend the Spanish lyrics with the music from the Calderone & Quayle Dark Side Mix for the live version performed during the Drowned World Tour.

Today in Madonna History: February 10, 2008

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On February 10 2008, Madonna won her 7th Grammy Award. The Confessions Tour film, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, took home the award for Best Long Form Music Video.

It marked Madonna’s fourth Grammy nomination for Best Long Form Music Video, and her second win in the category:

  • Blond Ambition World Tour Live – Won (1992)
  • The Girlie Show: Live Down Under – Nominated (1995)
  • I’m Going To Tell You A Secret – Nominated (2007)
  • The Confessions Tour – Won (2008)

Today in Madonna History: January 18, 1986

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On January 18 1986, Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour hit #1 on Billboard’s Top Music Videos chart in the US. It went on to become the country’s top-selling music video of 1986.

Today in Madonna History: January 14, 1984

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On January 14 1984, Madonna made her North American network television debut, performing Holiday on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand – hosted by Dick Clark.

Dick Clark asked Madonna, “What do you hope will happen, not only in 1984 but for the rest of your professional life? What are your dreams? What’s left?”

Madonna answered simply, “To rule the world.”

Today in Madonna History: January 11, 2005

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On January 11 2005, Madonna.com announced that Madonna would perform during NBC’s Tsunami Aid: A Concert Of Hope, to air on January 15th:

“More than a dozen musical acts have signed on to perform in NBC Universal’s tsunami benefit special, which will raise money for the American Red Cross’s relief efforts. Among those scheduled to perform in the special, titled Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope, are Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton, Mary J. Blige, Kenny Chesney, Brian Wilson, India.Arie, John Mayer and Gloria Estefan. A number of other stars, including George Clooney, Usher, Halle Berry and Uma Thurman, are also set to appear. The concert, airing ET Saturday (Jan. 15), will be broadcast on NBC and all its cable networks. The PAX network, which is partly owned by NBC, and Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo will also air the benefit. During the benefit, viewers will be directed to a phone number and web site for the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which is working to provide victims of the Dec. 26 disaster with food and water and to prevent disease in the areas hit by the tsunamis. The Red Cross is at work on long-term aid efforts that include mental health counseling and disaster preparedness initiatives.”

Madonna performed a cover of John Lennon’s Imagine during the broadcast, which had been part of the set-list of the previous year’s Re-Invention Tour.

Today in Madonna History: December 16, 1989

On December 16 1989, Billboard magazine’s dance music section reported that Madonna had written and recorded a new song with Shep Pettibone titled Vogue. The article noted that the track was set to appear on the b-side of Madonna’s next single, Keep It Together.

These plans would soon change when it was decided that Vogue had too much hit potential to be released as a b-side, and it would instead be issued as a single in its own right once Keep It Together had run its course on the charts. In Europe, where Keep It Together was not promoted as a single, it would in fact be used as the b-side to Vogue.

Vogue would go on to become the best-selling physical single of Madonna’s career.