Today in Madonna History: February 16, 1998

February 16, 2020 By sonicboy19 in 1998, February Tags: Frozen, MTV, Much Music, Ray Of Light (Album), Remix Videos 1 Comment

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On February 16 1998, Madonna’s Frozen music video premiered on MTV.

The video was delivered to select music video outlets (such as MTV and MuchMusic) in a block of dry ice. Leading up to the video premiere, the VJs had to melt or chip away at the block to get to the video inside.

Select radio stations also received a promotional ice chest, which included a 3-track CD and a flyer promoting the lead single from Ray Of Light. The CD included the following tracks:

Frozen – Radio Edit
Frozen – Album Version
Frozen – Hook For Call Out Research

Today in Madonna History: February 15, 1984

February 15, 2020 By sonicboy19 in 1984, February Tags: Borderline, Jellybean Benitez, Reggie Lucas, Remix Videos, Single Release, The First Album 2 Comments

On February 15 1984, Madonna’s Borderline single was released in North America. Borderline was the fourth North American single to be released from her self-titled debut album, while in most other markets Lucky Star was released ahead of Borderline. It was written and composed by producer Reggie Lucas, and remixed by Madonna’s then-boyfriend John “Jellybean” Benitez.

In an interview recalling the launch of Madonna’s recording career, Sire Records head Seymour Stein stated, “I dared to believe this was going to be huge beyond belief, the biggest thing I’d ever had, after I heard Borderline. The passion that she put into that song, I thought, there’s no stopping this girl.”

In the United States, Borderline became Madonna’s first top-ten hit when it reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 16, 1984. In Canada, it peaked at #25 on September 15, 1984.

Today in Madonna History: February 1, 1985

February 1, 2020 By sonicboy19 in 1985, February Tags: Like A Virgin (Album), Mary Lambert, Material Girl, Music Videos, Remix Videos 2 Comments

On February 1 1985, Madonna’s music video for Material Girl premiered in the U.S. on MTV.

The Mary Lambert-directed clip was a tongue-in-cheek homage to Marilyn Monroe’s performance of Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend from the 1953 film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Today in Madonna History: January 7, 1998

January 7, 2020 By sonicboy19 in 1998, January Tags: Chris Cunningham, Demo, Frozen, Music Videos, Ray Of Light (Album), Remix Videos 2 Comments

On January 7 1998, filming began for Madonna’s Frozen music video in the California desert with director Chris Cunningham.

Cunningham recalled the initial concept for the video in his book, Directors Label:

“The original treatment was, like, massive piles of bodies in the desert. All these figurative sculptures made up of bodies that were all multiple Madonnas. They were all going to split and break up and change into ravens and then change into dogs. Just a performance video, but a really elaborate one using her, her clothes, and any shapes that would come out of her clothes.”

Today in Madonna History: December 29, 2005

December 29, 2019 By sonicboy19 in 2005, December Tags: Confessions on a Dance Floor, How High, ICON - Official Madonna Fan Club, Remix Videos, Stuart Price 3 Comments

On December 29 2005, Madonna’s Official Fan Club, ICON, published an interview with Stuart Price about his experiences working with Madonna on Confessions on a Dance Floor.

Here’s part of the interview they posted:

ICON: What’s the best part in being involved with Madonna’s new album?

STUART: Watching it take shape from a few demos done for fun into an entire spectacle with dancers, videos and nightclubs full of people!

ICON: What made you want to record this album in your home studio? Why not a big studio instead?

STUART: It wasn’t really thought about that much, we just found that we had got into several songs before we even thought about it. But that was the thing for much of the album concept; it wasn’t over-thought or analyzed. We liked the sound of my studio and so thought why go elsewhere?

ICON: How would you describe your collaboration with Madonna?

STUART: Like finding your favourite musician, comedian and friend all in one!

ICON: How is working on a Madonna project different from working with a new artist?

STUART: It’s not in many ways. She is very fresh, exciting and full of ideas the same way as someone is when they do their first record. The difference is she has the experience and integrity of someone who understands the creative process very deeply and can therefore suggest directions and ideas that can inspire greater heights.

Today in Madonna History: December 22, 1984

December 22, 2019 By sonicboy19 in 1984, December Tags: 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years, 100 Greatest Pop Songs, Billboard, Hot 100 Alll-Time Top Songs, Like A Virgin (Single), MTV, Number One, Q Magazine, Remix Videos, Rolling Stone, Top 20 Madonna Singles of All-Tme, VH1 2 Comments

On December 22 1984, Madonna’s Like A Virgin single hit #1 in the USA. It was her first number one single in the USA, and it remained at number one for six weeks.

In 2000, Like A Virgin, was honored by Rolling Stone and MTV, as the fourth song on their list of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs. It was voted ten on VH1’s 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years. The song was listed at ninety-five on Billboard’s Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs. In 2003, Madonna fans were asked to vote for their Top 20 Madonna Singles of All-Time, by Q magazine. Like A Virgin was allocated the fifth spot on the list.