Today in Madonna History: July 24, 1999

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On July 24 1999, Beautiful Stranger reached its peak position of #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was based on the strength of airplay alone, as Maverick Records opted to boost sales of the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack album by not releasing the song as a physical single in the US. Had it been issued commercially, it would have easily given Madonna another Top 10 hit. The single was released in most major markets outside the US including Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan.

Today in Madonna History: July 8, 1991

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On July 8, 1991, Madonna began filming A League Of Their Own, starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis, directed by Penny Marshall.

Today in Madonna History: June 21, 1993

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On June 21 1993, Madonna’s Rain video premiered on MTV.  The video was directed by Mark Romanek, and filmed from May 16 – 19 at an airport hanger in Santa Monica, California.  Romanek and Madonna set the video to look like Ryuichi Sakamoto was directing it, giving it a backstage feel. It was entirely shot in black and white and then hand-painted with blue tones.

It’s strange
I feel like I’ve known you before
I want to understand you
More and more
And more
When I’m with you
I feel like a magical child
Everything is strange
Everything is wild

Today in Madonna History: May 12, 1998

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On May 12 1998, Madonna’s Ray of Light video premiered on MTV.

The video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, with Madonna’s scenes being shot on March 25–26, 1998 at Raleigh Studios and Florentine Gardens nightclub in downtown Los Angeles. The images of various cities include Los Angeles, New York, London, Las Vegas and Stockholm.

The video was ranked No. 40 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Videos, listed No. 1 on Back In… 98’s Top 5 Best Videos, ranked No. 7 on Listed’s Top 40 Memorable Videos Pt. 1 & 2, on MuchMoreMusic, and ranked No. 26 on MuchMusic’s 100 Best Videos. It was ranked at number four on “The Top 100 Videos That Broke The Rules”, issued by MTV on the channel’s 25th anniversary in August 2006.

The video received a total of eight MTV Video Music Awards nominations, becoming Madonna’s second most-nominated video at the award show, after “Vogue” in 1990. It won five awards for Video of the Year, Best Female Video, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Choreography, becoming her most-winning song at the show.

Today in Madonna History: May 10, 1989

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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.

Today in Madonna History: April 16, 2003

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On April 16 2003, Madonna released an edited version of the American Life video on VH-1.

The edited version (also called the “flag” version) featured Madonna singing in front of a backdrop of ever-changing flags of different countries.

Today in Madonna History: April 7, 2000

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On April 7 2000, Madonna’s Beautiful Stranger won Best Cinematography In A Music Video at the 9th annual Music Video Production Association (MVPA) Awards at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, California.

The video was directed by Brett Ratner.