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The Immaculate Breathless Blond Ambition Era


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·         The Pre- Madonna Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/11688-the-pre-madonna-era/?p=542015

·         The First Album Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/11796-the-madonna-first-album-era/?p=547412

·         The Like a Virgin Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12035-the-like-a-virgin-era/?p=557045

·         The True Blue Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12055-the-true-blue-era/?p=557777

·         The Who’s That Girl/You Can Dance Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12085-the-whos-that-girlyou-can-dance-era/?p=558619

·         The Like a Prayer Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12134-the-like-a-prayer-era/?p=560321

·         The Immaculate Breathless Blond Ambition Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562946

·         The Erotic Body of Girlie Sex Show Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12452-the-erotic-body-of-girlie-sex-show-era/?p=570519

 

 

Legacy: http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562947'>http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562947

 

Sources: http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562948

 

Timeline:

·         1988-1989 http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562950

·         1990 Jan-July http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562953

·         1990 Aug-Dec http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562954

·         1991-1992 http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562955

 

Unreleasedhttp://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562956

 

Press:   http://madonnaunderground.com/madonna-live/album-promo/the-immaculate-collection-promo-tour/

 

Memorabilia:  http://madonnaunderground.com/madonna-live/album-promo/the-immaculate-collection-promo-tour/'>http://madonnaunderground.com/madonna-live/album-promo/the-immaculate-collection-promo-tour/

 

Pictures:   http://madonnaunderground.com/madonna-live/album-promo/the-immaculate-collection-promo-tour/

 

Videos: http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562960

 

Articles:

  • Controversy over ''Justify My Love'' http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the

 

 

 

Overview

·         The Immaculate Collection was originally titled: Ultra Madonna – The Immaculate Collection, later the Ultra Madonna bit was left out

·         Originally Who’s That Girl was destined to be part of the setlist and only 1 new song was to be added. Later on they changed this by adding two new songs (Justify My Love and Rescue Me) and scrapping Who’s That Girl

·         It is the first album ever to use an audio technology called QSound

·         The album has sold 30 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling compilation album by a solo artist and one of the best selling albums of all time.

·         A special ep called The Holiday Collection was released to accompany the re-release of Holiday, adding missing tracks such as Who’s That Girl, Causing a Commotion and True Blue

·         Justify My Love became the first ever VHS video single due to the x-rated video, which was banned on MTV

·         The video to Justify My Love to this day is one of Madonna’s personal favorites

·         Crazy For You was also re-released as a single off The Immmaculate Collection

·         “Rescue Me†was released as a single and became the highest-debuting single on Hot 100 by a female artist at that time

·         The Immaculate Collection stayed atop the UK Albums chart for nine weeks, becoming the biggest selling UK album in 1990

·         The Immaculate Collection remains the best-selling compilation album ever released by a solo artist

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Legacy

·         "Justify My Love" has remained one of Madonna's most controversial singles to date.

·         As a result of all the controversy, the single was released as a video-single and went on to become the highest selling video single of all time, eventually becoming certified four-times platinum by the RIAA.

·         In 2003, Madonna fans were asked to vote for their Top 20 Madonna singles of all time by Q magazine. "Justify My Love" was allocated the number 12 spot.

·         Bill Lamb from About.com had listed the song at number 21 on his "The Biggest Madonna Songs". He also made a list entitled "Top 10 Madonna Music Videos", where it ended up at number four. 

·         PopCrush.com had listed the song at number one on their "Top 10 Sex Songs". 

·         Billboard.com had listed the song at number five on their Madonna's 40 Biggest Billboard Hits.

·         The Blond Ambition World Tour has been regarded as an iconic musical performance by many critics and media, such as the Rolling Stone magazine which acclaimed its elaborated choreography and sexual provocativeness, calling it the best tour of 1990 and later the best tour of the 1990s.

·         Within the show, Madonna continued to influence the fashion world in her most shocking and expensive way. She popularized the idea of wearing underwear as outerwear and has since been associated with the pink satin conical bra designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier. She also wore a long blonde ponytail hairpiece for the Japanese and North American legs of the tour. The ponytail was based on a Tressy Tessy doll Madonna had played with as a child, and she decided to use it as she felt it added a feminine playfulness and contrast to the hard fashions she was wearing. After the US leg of the tour ended, Madonna stopped wearing the ponytail on stage as it was reportedly causing her hair to break off.

·         Several of the dancers who performed on the tour are profiled in the 2016 documentary film Strike a Pose.

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Sources:

1.     Christgau, Robert (2000). "Madonna". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan PublishersISBN 0312245602.

2.     Cross, Mary (2007). Madonna: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing GroupISBN 0313338116.

3.     Guilbert, Georges-Claude (2002). Madonna As Postmodern Myth. McFarland. ISBN 0786414081.

4.     Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

5.     Metz, Allen; Benson, Carol (1999). The Madonna Companion: Two Decades of Commentary. Music Sales GroupISBN 0-8256-7194-9.

6.     Morton, Andrew (2002). MadonnaMacmillan PublishersISBN 0-312-98310-7.

7.     Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.

8.     Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin. Otava. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.

9.     O'Brien, Lucy (2008). Madonna: Like an IconBantam PressISBN 9780552153614.

10.  Rooksby, Rikky (2004). The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna. Omnibus PressISBN 0-7119-9883-3.

11.  Salaverri, Fernando (2003). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.

12.  Taraborrelli, Randy J. (2008). Madonna: An Intimate BiographySimon & SchusterISBN 9780330454469.

13.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Immaculate_Collection

14.   Genesis from MadonnaNation for the timeline

15.   FROM GENESIS TO REVELATIONS by Bruce Baron http://www.buysellmadonna.com/bruce.htm

16.   Taraborrelli, J. Randy (September 4, 2008). "Madonna: An Intimate Biography". Pan Macmillan – via Google Books.

17.   Sickels, Robert C. (August 8, 2013). "100 Entertainers Who Changed America: An Encyclopedia of Pop Culture Luminaries [2 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Pop Culture Luminaries". ABC-CLIO – via Google Books.

18.   "QSound Chronology". Qsound.com. Retrieved January 11, 2012.

19.   "'Vogue' Producer Shep Pettibone's First Interview in 20 Years: On Making a Madonna Classic & Why He Left Music Behind".

20.   Rooksby, Rikky (2004). The Complete Guide to the Music of MadonnaOmnibus PressISBN 0-7119-9883-3.

21.   Morton, Andrew (2002). Madonna: A BiographyMacmillan PublishersISBN 0-312-98310-7.

22.   "Madonna"Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 18, 2016.

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1988:

Feb 23: Madonna begins rehearsals in New York, NY for David Mamet's play Speed-The-Plow, co-starring with Joe Mantegna and Ron Silver, directed by Gregory Mosher.

 

May 3: Speed-The-Plow opens on Broadway at the Royale Theatre, New York, NY.

 

June 5: Madonna presents a special award to the founders of the South Coast Repertory of Costa Mesa, CA at the 42nd annual Tony Awards at the Minskoff Theatre, New York, NY.

 

July 1: Madonna makes a surprise unscheduled appearance on NBC-TV's Late Night With David Letterman.

 

September 4: Madonna plays her final performance in Speed-The-Plow on Broadway.

September 11: Madonna participates in "Sport Aid 88: The Race Against Time" marathon in New York, NY.

 

December 11: The Dick Tracy project has been announced and de-announced several times. But the folks at the Disney Co.'s Touchstone Pictures affirm, swear and insist that this time it's a go. Budgeted at a reported $22 million to $25 million, it will begin filming in January with Warren Beatty super-starring, directing and producing. Beatty won't discuss plot, but we have learnt that ladylove Tess Trueheart is on hand. Beatty's interest in playing Tracy-the project was then at Paramount-was first reported in June 1983. Then, in October, he took a hike. Reports in The Times said Beatty had exited because the studio wouldn't comply with his salary demands of $5 million plus 15% of the gross of the film (then budgeted at $25 million). (LA Times)

 

December 22: Barring a last-minute contractual snafu, Madonna will be Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy leading lady. The deal was just set this week for the picture Beatty will be making for Touchstone shortly after the holidays. (The Victoria Advocate)

 

1989:

January 18: Madonna purchases a $3 million estate in the Hollywood Hills, Hollywood, CA.

 

February 2: Madonna begins filming Dick Tracy, starring and directed by Warren Beatty. (During the year 1989-90, Madonna and Beatty will be involved in a highly-publicized romantic affair).

Principal photography for Dick Tracy began on February 2, 1989 and ended three months later. The filmmakers considered shooting the film on-location in Chicago, Illinois, but production designer Richard Sylbert believed that Dick Tracy would work better using sound stages and backlots at Universal Studios in Universal City, California. Other filming took place at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California. Beatty often encouraged dozens of takes of every scene.

February 15: Madonna records several songs for the film with Stephen Sondheim.

 

February 19: MADONNA INTERVIEW : INTERVIEW MAGAZINE (MAY 1989):

https://allaboutmadonna.com/madonna-library/madonna-interview-interview-magazine-may-1989

Madonna: In terms of Breathless Mahoney, I’ve probably been preparing for the role all my life. [laughs] But superficially, yes… I mean, I had to dye my hair, pluck my eyebrows, have a lot of fittings. Stephen Sondheim is writing songs of the period for the film, so I’ve been working on them, and they’re quite difficult.

Becky Johnson: Why’s that?

Madonna: Because Stephen Sondheim writes in a kind of chromatic wildness. They’re difficult songs to learn. I mean one song is written with five sharps. They’re brilliant, but really complex.

Becky Johnson: Are they mostly torch songs?

Madonna: One is. There are three songs. One is a torch song and another is more up-tempo. It’s kind of like “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend†or “Material Girl,†where she keeps singing about how she wants more and more. It’s about gluttony. And it’s funny, it’s ironic. And then the third song is a kind of slow, sad song. I’m going to be singing it with Mandy Patinkin, who plays my accompanist at the nightclub where I work. It’s the kind of song you sing at three in the morning, when the club is empty. It’s very melancholy… just a piano and a voice. But they’re all really different for me, and so I’ve been working very hard to get them right.

 

February 26: Madonna participates in an AIDS Dance-A-Thon benefit at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA.

 

March 19: Mr. Patinkin has at least one other commitment. After ''The Winter's Tale'' closes next month, he will fly to Los Angeles for work on Warren Beatty's movie, Dick Tracy, in which he has been offered the small role of 88 Keyes, the pianist for Madonna's character, Breathless Mahoney. (NY Times)

 

July 23: From a NY Times article about Patinkin's role in an upcoming off-Broadway show: The Broadway engagement follows a brief sojourn in California where Patinkin played a small role in Dick Tracy, the Warren Beatty movie about the famous comic strip detective. In the film, he appears as 88 Keys, piano player for Breathless Mahoney, played by rock star Madonna. They get to sing several songs written for the movie by Sondheim. Dick Tracy is expected to be released next summer, and Patinkin has several other movie projects waiting. But for now he will concentrate on his Broadway show and possibly more concerts with orchestras around the country after that.

 

August 16: Madonna celebrates her 31st birthday with Warren Beatty and other friends at the club Rubber, Los Angeles, CA.

August 22: Janet Jackson’s “Miss You Much†single is released. It is accompanied by a house remix by Shep Pettibone. Later, Tony Shimkin will admit that elements of this remix were used as the foundation for “Vogue.†[MTribe Interview with Tony Shimkin - http://www.madonnatribe.com/idol/tony_shimkin.htm ]

 

September 1: Madonna is named Top Female Artist Of The 80s and the Artist With The Most Consecutive Top 10 Hits In The 80s with a total of 16 on the American Top 40 Book of Records countdown of the 1980s.

September 21: Madonna is featured in People magazine's list of the "20 Who Defined The Decade".

 

October 13: Madonna has been doing a lot of solo midday dining at Columbia Bar and Grill, slinking into the trendy Hollywood eatery with her face hidden under a wide-brim hat and being led to an isolated table in the rear of the establishment. Then she takes off for the nearby recording studio. (LA Times)

October 14:  Madonna is named one of The Greatest Artists Of The Decade on NBC-TV's Friday Night Videos.

October 24:  Madonna is chairperson for the AIDS benefit premiere of film It Had To Be You (starring Joe Bologna & Renee Taylor) at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, Beverly Hills, CA.

 

November 2: Madonna is honored as Artist Of The Decade by Musician magazine.
November 3: Bloodhounds Of Broadway is released in New York, NY.
November 16: Madonna is #50 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Albums Of The 1980s".
 

November: Originally to be called the "Like a Prayer World Tour", Sire Records announced the Blond Ambition World Tour in November 1989, following the success of Madonna's fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, and Madonna's performance of "Express Yourself" at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards â€“ considered as a tour preview. Initially, the tour was only to reach Japan and North America, as Madonna was considering roles in several films.

By the end of 1989 plans were announced to bring the tour to Europe as well because of popularity and fan demand. In December 1989, when preparations for the tour began, Madonna herself announced during a pre-recorded interview on German TV channel ZDF, that she would tour Germany during 1990. In April 1990, additional dates in Europe were added. Stage preparations and dress rehearsals took place at the Disney Studios, Burbank, California, before the tour kicked off in Japan. Patrick Leonard declined to repeat his musical director role from The Virgin Tour: "She showed me the stage design, and the band was, like, down in the pit. So I said, Forget it."

 

The tour incorporated as central themes, sexuality and Catholicism, a combination which engendered controversy. Catholic associations called for a boycott of the show in Rome, and one of three scheduled Italian dates was eventually canceled. The show has achieved cult status, with elements such as the bullet bra and false ponytail hairpiece becoming cultural icons in their own right.

 

Madonna likened the concert to "musical theater" and choreographer Vincent Paterson stated she wanted to "break every rule we can... She wanted to make statements about sexuality, cross-sexuality, the church... But the biggest thing we tried to do was change the shape of concerts. Instead of just presenting songs, we wanted to combine fashion, Broadway, and performance art."

 

The show's explicit overtone caused problems. In Toronto, police were alerted that the show might possibly contain lewd and obscene content (particularly a simulated masturbation scene) and threatened charges unless parts of the show were changed. The show went on unaltered, however, and no charges were made after the tour manager gave the police an ultimatum: "Cancel the show, and you'll have to tell 30,000 people why."

 

French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier designed the costumes for the tour, including the now-infamous cone brassiere. Additional costume pieces were designed by Marlene Stewart, who had previously worked with Madonna on the 1987 Who's That Girl World Tour.

 

Director Alek Keshishian captured more than 250 hours of film of Madonna and her troupe during the tour. This footage was edited and released to movie theaters as Truth or Dare (aka In Bed with Madonna).

 

Due to ongoing throat problems, six shows had to be canceled, bringing the tour down from 63 shows to 57; altogether, 125,000 tickets had to be refunded. The proceeds of the last American date in New Jersey, was donated to the Nonprofit organization amfAR and dedicated to her friend Keith Haring who died of AIDS, grossing over $300,000.

 

The show was separated into five different sections: Metropolis, Religious, Dick Tracy, Art Deco and Encore. It began with the Metropolis segment, which was inspired by the Fritz Lang silent film.

 

Two shows were released commercially; the August 5 show in Nice, France, was taped and aired on HBO in the United States becoming the most-watched entertainment special in HBO's 18-year history, the program had a 21.5 rating, reaching an audience of more than 4.3 million households. Time Warner's HBO paid $1 million for the rights to broadcast the final concert in Nice. The show was released worldwide with the title Blond Ambition World Tour Live on LaserDisc, as part of a sponsorship deal with Pioneer Electronics. One of the Yokohama, Japan dates was also taped and released on VHS and LaserDisc in the Japanese market as Blond Ambition Japan Tour 90. In addition to these shows, the August 1 show in Barcelona, Spain was taped and aired on television in Europe, Australia and Canada by SACIS-RAI.

 

In the UK, BBC Radio 1 broadcast the full show, live from Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 21 July which led to controversy over the amount of swear words Madonna uttered live on air and the BBC had to issue an apology. Highlights of the show were later aired after the 1992 interview with Madonna and Simon Bates. The second show in Dallas was recorded for radio broadcast in the USA with the in-between song chatter removed. 'Express Yourself' and 'Open Your Heart' are recorded from the first Dallas show, whereas the remainder of the recording is from the second Dallas show. Radio NRG broadcast highlights from the first European show in Sweden on June 30.

 

Extensive media attention surrounding the clash between Toronto police and Madonna at the final Toronto date is often cited as one of the tour's biggest moments. Versions of the story are portrayed in the documentary film Madonna: Truth or Dare and revisited in the subsequent 2016 documentary Strike a Pose about the tour dancers.

 

Frank Bergen, then a 29-year-old Toronto Police constable, would revisit his experiences at the SkyDome show during a 2016 interview. He said despite the appearance of heightened drama, as its portrayed in Madonna: Truth or Dare, he feels the police came across on screen "as being real knobs." Kevin Stea, one of the dancers, says the group really wanted to be arrested over the performance, suggesting it "may have been the most powerful moment I ever felt with Madonna. As a team we were all together.â€

 

November 27: From a NY Times interview with Stephen Sondheim:

As for his movie work, Mr. Sondheim says he wound up writing the songs for Madonna because Mr. Beatty asked him to. "I'd done a score for him for Reds, and I'd never quite finished it," he says. "Warren was very patient, but there was so much work to do at the time on Merrily We Roll Along, so I always felt I owed him one." In Dick Tracy, which is set in the late 1930's and is scheduled for release next summer, Madonna plays a nightclub singer named Breathless Mahoney. Mr. Sondheim wrote two nightclub-type songs for her and a duet for her and her accompanist, who is played by Mandy Patinkin.

"They're 1930's-type songs," Mr. Sondheim says, "or at least the two nightclub songs are." One is sort of Cole Porterish, he says, and the second, called "I Always Get My Man," "is kind of a Harold Arlen blues." The duet, however, "has a faintly modern tinge to it."

 

December: Madonna is voted Artist Of The Decade by her fans on MTV's Rate The 80s special.

December 15: Madonna, who changes her hair as often as some people change their minds, was seen the other night [Dec. 11] at the Los Angeles hang-out China Club, sporting her very closely cropped, short, dark brown 'do with bangs. "Madonna is a big fan of silent film actress Louise Brooks and was more than likely inspired by her look on the silver screen," says Liz Rosenberg, the Material Girl's press agent. With Madonna was Warren Beatty, soon to be starring as Dick Tracy in the new film of the same name; Madonna is writing songs for the sound track album, Listen hears. Between time, she's gearing up for a world tour next spring and has consulted with Jean Paul Gaultier, the Paris designer, about her stage wardrobe. (LA Times Gossip section)

MADONNA INTERVIEW : HARPER’S BAZAAR (JUNE 1990) :

The seven songs she and Leonard co-wrote (over a three-week period) for Dick Tracy and her I’m Breathless album were shrewdly composed to give psychological oomph to her role as the slinky Breathless Mahoney. The Gershwinesque ballad “Something To Remember†is about Breathless’ heartbreak over Tracy’s brushoff. “Hanky Panky†is a campy Big Band take on S & M (“Ain’t nothin’ like a good spanking!â€), the naughtiest version of which Disney Studios reportedly ordered sanitized.

Mid-to-late-December: Madonna writes “Vogue†with Shep Pettibone in a one-off session. It is originally planned to be a B-side for her upcoming single, “Keep It Together.â€

 

THE GLOBAL FORCE OF MADONNA : ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY (MAY 11 1990)

https://allaboutmadonna.com/madonna-library/global-force-madonna-entertainment-weekly-may-11-1990

As sharp as Madonna’s instincts are, they can be wrong. Last fall when she tossed off the song “Vogue†with co-composer Shep Pettibone, it was meant to be an obscure flip side to one of the singles from Like a Prayer. “We were just after a fun club record,†Pettibone recalls. “But when the record company bigwigs heard it, they said, ‘This is a No. 1 smash record. Let’s not put it on a B-side and lose it.â€â€˜ The music executives, as the charts now prove, heard something that Madonna missed.

https://books.google.com/books?

Shep Pettibone says, “She really liked what I did on “Express Yourself†and “Like A Prayer,†so we jelled very well together. I was asked to come up with some music for a song. She liked it a lot, and she came to New York on the red-eye, very tired, and wrote most of the lyrics on the plane coming in. Pettibone was surprised at the subject matter of the song. “Vogueing was in the underground clubs. It had been around for awhile and it was also semi-passé. People were saying, “What’s the next thing? That’s over.†She came in and said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I am going to call the song “Vogue.â€

 

December 24: Madonna is #4 on the list of "Top 20 Pop Artists of The 80s" voted by readers of The Los Angeles Times newspaper.

December 25: Madonna is named one of the "25 Most Intriguing People In The World For 1989" by People magazine.

December 25: Madonna does costume fittings in Paris with Jean Paul Gaultier for her upcoming tour.

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1990:

January: Warner Bros Records releases a full-page advertisement in magazines which proclaims Madonna as "Artist Of The Decade".
January 6: "Oh Father" hits US #20 and completes her run of 16 consecutive Top 5 singles in US.

January 9,10,11: Madonna holds open auditions for male dancers for her new world tour at Landmark Studios, Hollywood, CA.
January 23: Like A Prayer is certified 3x platinum (3 million units).
 

February 2: "Keep It Together" single is released.
February 14: Bloodhounds Of Broadway is released on home video.

 

February 9-11: Madonna shoots the “Vogue†video with her brand new tour dancers (auditioned last month).

The video was directed by David Fincher and shot at The Burbank Studios in Burbank, California on February 10–11, 1990. According to Lucy O'Brien in her book Madonna: Like an Icon, the video was brought together after a "huge casting call" in Los Angeles where hundreds of different sorts of dancers appeared.

The music video for "Vogue", directed by David Fincher, was shot in black-and-white and takes stylistic inspiration from the 1920s and 1930s. Madonna and her dancers can be seen voguing to different choreographed moves. The video has been ranked as one of the greatest of all times in different critic lists and polls and won three awards at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards out of a total of nine nominations.

Filmed in black-and-white, the video recalls the look of films and photography from The Golden Age of Hollywood with the use of artwork by the Art Deco artist Tamara de Lempicka and an Art Deco set design. Many of the scenes are recreations of photographs taken by noted photographer Horst P. Horst, including his famous "Mainbocher Corset", "Lisa with Turban" (1940), and "Carmen Face Massage" (1946). Horst was reportedly "displeased" with Madonna's video because he never gave his permission for his photographs to be used and received no acknowledgement from Madonna. Some of the close-up poses recreate noted portraits of such stars as Marilyn Monroe, Veronica Lake, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Garland and Jean Harlow. (Additionally, several stars of this era were name-checked in the song's lyrics.) Several famous Hollywood portrait photographers whose style and works are referenced include George Hurrell, Eugene Robert Richee, Don English, Whitey Schafer, Ernest Bachrach, Scotty Welbourne, Laszlo Willinger, and Clarence Sinclair Bull.

The video features the dancers for Madonna's then-upcoming Blond Ambition Tour - Donna De Lory, Niki Harris, Luis Xtravaganza Camacho, Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza, Salim Gauwloos, Carlton Wilborn, Gabriel Trupin, Oliver Crumes and Kevin Stea. The choreography was set by "Punk Ballerina" Karole Armitage.

 

March: Madonna breaks box-office records as 1,500 concert tickets are sold to fans across America in only 68 seconds.
March 1: "Vogue" video premieres on MTV.
March 8: Madonna wins Worst Female Singer and Worst Video ("Like A Prayer") in Rolling Stone magazine's 14th annual Readers Poll.
March 12: Like A Prayer is named The Grand Prix Album Of The Year at the 4th annual Japan Gold Disc Awards in Tokyo.

March 27: "Vogue" -from her second soundtrack album I'm Breathless (1990)- was released as the first single from the album on March 27, 1990, by Sire Records.

Madonna was inspired by vogue dancers and choreographers Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza from the Harlem "House Ball" community, the origin of the dance form, and they introduced "Vogueing" to her at the Sound Factory club in New York City. 

While I'm Breathless was being completed, it still needed a lead single. At the same time, Madonna and producer Shep Pettibone decided to compose a new song called "Vogue" to be placed on the B-side of "Keep It Together", the final single from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989), to ensure that the song would fare better on the charts. When Warner executives heard the song, they decided to release it as an A-side, and was eventually included on I'm Breathless.

Lyrically, the song is about enjoying oneself on the dance floor no matter who one is, and it contains a theme of escapism. Critically, "Vogue" has been met with appreciation ever since its release; reviewers have praised its anthemic nature and listed it as one of the singer's career highlights. Commercially, the song remains one of Madonna's biggest international hits, topping the charts in over 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It became the world's best-selling single of 1990, selling over six million copies.

After its release, "Vogue" reached number one in over 30 countries worldwide, becoming Madonna's biggest hit at that time. It was also the best-selling single of 1990 with sales of more than two million,  and has sold more than six million copies worldwide to date.

"Vogue" was also a huge success in Europe by topping the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles chart for eight consecutive weeks. In the United Kingdom, the song knocked Snap!'s "The Power" off the number one slot and stayed there for four weeks, continuing a trend of club/pop crossovers going to number one. It was helped in the UK by multi-formatting. As well as the 7", 12", CD and cassette singles, the label released four limited editions: 12" with Face of the 80s poster, 12" with 'X-rated' poster and an extra remix on the b-side, 7" picture disc and 12" picture disc. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 505,000 copies there and is her 11th biggest selling single in the UK. Released as a double A-side to "Keep It Together", "Vogue" also topped Australian ARIA singles chart for five weeks

Madonna and Pettibone were sued by VMG Salsoul in June 2012 based on the accusation that they had sampled the 1976 song "Love Break" by the Salsoul Orchestra. The case was decided in Madonna's favor; the judge found that "no reasonable audience" would be able to discern the sampled portions, as they were insignificant to "Vogue". That decision was affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
 

March 29: MTV launches the stylish premiere for “Vogue†- Madonna's latest video on Thursday [March 29] at 2, 4, 9 and 10 p.m. “Vogue†is the first single from Madonna's upcoming album I'm Breathless, music from and inspired by her role in the film Dick Tracy. A sneak preview of the video revealed Madonna in various looks, ranging from a risque black lace see-through outfit to a slinky white gown. Madonna is a Marilyn Monroe-like blonde now, hence the name of her new tour, "Blonde Ambition" scheduled for the spring. (LA Times)

The video world-premiered on MTV on March 29, 1990, and it also premiered on Black Entertainment Television on November 22, 1990 (making the first video by Madonna to air on an African-American channel).

There are two versions of the video, the regularly aired television music video, and the 12" remix, which is the extended version over three minutes longer.

MTV placed the video at second on their list of "100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made" in 1999. In 1993, Rolling Stone magazine listed the video as the twenty-eighth best music video of all-time. Also, the same magazine listed "Vogue" as the #2 music video of all time in 1999 second only to Michael Jackson's Thriller. It was also ranked at number five on "The Top 100 Videos That Broke The Rules", issued by MTV on the channel's 25th anniversary in August 2006. It was the third time Fincher and Madonna collaborated on a video (the first being 1989's "Express Yourself" and the second being 1989's "Oh Father"). About.com listed as the best Madonna video.

There was some controversy surrounding the video due to a scene in which Madonna's breasts and, if the viewer looks closely, her nipples could be seen through her sheer lace blouse, as seen in the picture on the right. MTV wanted to remove this scene, but Madonna refused, and the video aired with the shot intact.

 

March 30: "Vogue" single is released.
March 31: "Keep It Together" hits US #8.
 

April: MADONNA INTERVIEW : VANITY FAIR (APRIL 1990)

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April: Breakfast With Madonna - Madonna interviewed by Kurt Loder for MTV's "Breakfast With Madonna" TV Special in Tokyo rec: April 1990

 

April 11: "Keep It Together" single is certified gold (500,000 units).

 

April 13: The Blond Ambition Tour kicks off in Japan today.

The Blond Ambition World Tour was launched in support of Like a Prayer and I'm Breathless. The tour reached North America, Europe and Asia. It was a highly controversial tour, mainly for its juxtaposition of Catholic iconography and sexuality. Rolling Stone called it an "elaborately choreographed, sexually provocative extravaganza" and proclaimed it "the best tour of 1990."  In 1991, a documentary film, Truth or Dare (In Bed with Madonna outside North America), was released chronicling the tour. The tour received the "Most Creative Stage Production" at the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. The tour was named the Greatest Concert of the 1990s by Rolling Stone. In 2015, the BBC credited the tour with "invent[ing] the modern, multi-media pop spectacle".

The tour grossed over $60 million. In North America only, 482,832 tickets were sold in the first two hours, during the pre-sale, grossing $14,237,000. The tour also broke the record at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena with takings of $456,720, becoming the highest-grossing musical event of all time.

The tour was met with strong reaction from religious groups for her performance of "Like a Virgin", during which two male dancers caressed her body before she simulated masturbation. The Church of England and the Catholic Church criticised her performance and the Pope asked the general public and the Christian community not to attend the concert. A private association of Catholics calling themselves Famiglia Domani also boycotted the tour for its eroticism. In response, Madonna said, "The tour in no way hurts anybody's sentiments. It's for open minds and gets them to see sexuality in a different way. Their own and others'."

The concert was filmed several times, including dates in the United States, France, Japan and Spain. An HBO TV special, titled Madonna – Live! Blond Ambition World Tour 90, was filmed in Nice, France and was later released commercially as Blond Ambition World Tour Live by Pioneer Artists, exclusively on the Laserdisc format. The title went on to win a Grammy Award in 1992 for Best Long Form Music Video. Another title, Blond Ambition Japan Tour 90, was released exclusively in Japan by Warner-Pioneer.

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April 14: In the US, massive airplay and sales demand in response to the popular music video in April 1990 made way for "Vogue"'s number 39 debut in the week of April 14. 

April 13,14,15: "Blond Ambition World Tour 1990" opens with 3 sold-out concerts at the Marine Stadium, Makuhari, Japan.
April 20,21,22: Madonna performs 3 sold-out concerts at Nishinomiya Stadium, Osaka, Japan.
April 25,26,27: Madonna performs 3 sold-out concerts at Yokohama Stadium, Yokohama, Japan.
 

May: MADONNA INTERVIEW : COSMOPOLITAN (MAY 1990)

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May 1: Madonna guests on Fox-TV's The Arsenio Hall Show. Madonna interviewed by Arsenio Hall on his "The Arsenio Hall Show" air: May 01 1990

May 4,5: Madonna opens the 12-city North American leg of "Blond Ambition World Tour 1990" at The Summit, Houston, TX.
May 7,8: Madonna performs at the Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX.

 

May: THE GLOBAL FORCE OF MADONNA : ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY (MAY 11 1990)

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May 11,12,13,15: Madonna performs 4 sold-out concerts at the Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA.
May 18,19,20: Madonna performs at the Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA.
 

May 19: "Vogue" hits US #1 for 3 weeks.

The song shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in its sixth week on the chart, dated May 19, 1990, displacing Sinéad O'Connor's four-week run in the top spot with "Nothing Compares 2 U". The song also reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, remaining there for two weeks.
 

May 22: I'm Breathless: Music From & Inspired By The Film Dick Tracy CD is released.

I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy is the second soundtrack album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on May 22, 1990, by Sire Records to promote and accompany the film Dick Tracy. 

Musically, I'm Breathless consists predominantly of jazz, swing and pop songs. The tracks reflected Madonna's showgirl personality and were influenced by her relationship with Beatty. The singer wanted to create music that would fit the style and production of the film, set in the days of the Untouchables law enforcement, and sang the songs accordingly. In some areas she pitched her vocals and belted the notes when necessary. She even smoked cigarettes in order to portray the vocals of her character Breathless. Beatty and singer Mandy Patinkin were featured as duet partners on three of the songs. After the shooting for Dick Tracy was over, Madonna started working on the soundtrack. She had begun recording three songs by Stephen Sondheim for the film—"Sooner or Later", "More" and "What Can You Lose"—which would be part of the album, but also had to write and develop new songs comparable in style to her previous releases. She produced the entire album, including the Sondheim songs. "I want people to think of me as a musical comedy actress. That's what this album is about for me. It's a stretch. Not just pop music, but songs that have a different feel to them, a theatrical feel", she said at the time.

Madonna recruited producer Patrick Leonard and engineer Bill Bottrell to help her with the project. She and Leonard toiled to create music that would fit the style and production of the film, set in the days of the Untouchables law enforcement.

The singer and Leonard enlisted a ten-piece live band and jazz musicians. The sessions took place at Johnny Yuma Recording and Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, California, and concluded by three weeks. The songs on the album reflect Madonna's showgirl personality where her singing ranged from "rootsy, rocking" in nature to slow, "laid-back and soulful" vocals. A studied approach was evident in most of them, which O'Brien compared to "an actress playing a part and performing a vocal exercise in technique". Some of the songs had Madonna pitching her vocals and belting the notes only when necessary. A dryness was prevalent in most of the singing, which was required for the songs and the setting. Guy Pratt, who also played bass, said that the singer "was in character and started smoking. She actually ponced a cigarette off me. Her character smoked, so therefore she did.

 

May 23: Bloodhounds Of Broadway (originally filmed in 1987-88) premieres on PBS-TV as an "American Playhouse" presentation.
May 23,24: Madonna performs at the Rosemont Horizon, Chicago, IL.
May 25: Madonna cancels a third scheduled concert at the Rosemont Horizon, Chicago, IL, due to laryngitis.
May 26: Madonna is honored with Pop Artist Of The Decade, Dance Artist Of The Decade and Dance Single Of The Decade ("Into The Groove") in Billboard magazine's "Music Of The 80s" Poll.
May 27,28,29: Madonna performs 3 sold-out concerts at the SkyDome, Toronto, ON, Canada: on May May 29: Police officers threaten to arrest her on the grounds of lewd and obscene behavior for a masturbation sequence but no charges are filed.
May 31: Madonna performs at The Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI.

 

June: Madonna is featured in:

MADONNA INTERVIEW : HARPER’S BAZAAR (JUNE 1990)

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MADONNA INTERVIEW : INTERVIEW MAGAZINE (JUNE 1990)

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June: Madonna on TV-AM / Madonna interviewed by David Foster for TV-AM Show

rec: June 1990air: July 09 1990

 

June 1: Madonna performs at The Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI and invites her father onstage to sing him "Happy Birthday". Madonna is controversially featured grabbing her crotch and breast on the cover of Interview magazine.

 

June 3: In Australia, the album debuted at number one on the ARIA Charts, during the week of June 3, 1990, where it remained for three consecutive weeks, and a total of twenty-three weeks on the chart. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 70,000 copies.

I'm Breathless entered the New Zealand Albums Chart at number twenty-eight during the week of June 3, 1990. The next week, it peaked at number two, spending a total of twenty-two weeks in the chart. In Japan, I'm Breathless became Madonna's second number-one album on the Oricon Albums Chart and had sold an estimated 329,382 units by the year end. At the 1991 Japan Gold Disc Awards, Madonna was honored by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) with Best Album of the Year â€“ Pop Female, Grand Prix Album of the Year, and Grand Prix Artist of the Year; the last two were given for the best-selling international album and the best-selling international artist of the year, respectively.

The album also experienced success in European markets. In Germany, I'm Breathless topped the Media Control albums chart and was certified gold by Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) for shipping 250,000 copies. In France, the album peaked at number seventeen, and was certified double-gold by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP), with estimated sales of 411,900 copies. In the Netherlands, I'm Breathless entered the MegaCharts at number twelve during the week of June 3, 1990. It eventually peaked at number five, staying a total of nineteen weeks on the chart. The Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers (NVPI) certified the album gold for shipment of 30,000 copies. On the Swiss Albums Chart dated June 3, 1990, I'm Breathless debuted on its peak position of number three. After nineteen weeks, it was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for shipment of 25,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, during the week dated June 2, 1990. Soon after, I'm Breathless was certified double-platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments of over 600,000 units. In Spain, the album peaked at number two, and was certified double platinum for shipping 200,000 copies. In total, the album has sold seven million copies worldwide.

 

June 4,5: Madonna performs at The Centrum, Worcester, MA.
June 6: Madonna cancels a third scheduled concert at The Centrum, Worcester, MA, again due to recurring throat problems.
June 8,9: Madonna performs at the Capital Centre, Landover, MD.

 

June 9: I'm Breathless debuted at number 44 on Billboard 200 during the week of June 9, 1990, peaking at number two weeks later. In total, the album remained on the chart for twenty-five weeks. I'm Breathless was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipment of over two million copies throughout the country. On June 2, 1990, I'm Breathless entered the Canadian RPM Albums Chart at number 39, eventually peaking at number two, three weeks later.

 

June 10: Madonna and Warren Beatty attend the premiere of Dick Tracy in Washington, DC.
June 11, 12,13: Madonna performs at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY.

 

June 12: "Hanky Panky†was released on June 12, 1990, by Sire Records as the album's second and final single. Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the song was developed from a line in the parent film, Dick Tracy, talking about a woman who enjoys being spanked by her partner. Performed in an almost comical style, "Hanky Panky" is a jazz and swing song with a changing bassline and minor to major key-shift in the chorus. It caused some controversy in Ireland because of its innuendo and racy lyrics, with women's groups deeming them as harmful; Madonna later clarified that the lyrics were intended as a joke. "Hanky Panky" was recorded within the three weeks time taken for the whole project.[

Hanky Panky" was written and produced by Madonna and Leonard and was released as the second and final single from I'm Breathless on June 12, 1990.

The cassette and the 7" versions had "More", another song from the album as its B-side, while the 12" releases had additional two remixes of the song by Kevin McGuilbert. Cover photograph for the single was done by Patrick Demarchelier with Jeri Heiden designing the sleeves.
 

June 14: "Vogue" single is certified 1x platinum (1 million units).
June 15: Madonna cancels a concert at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, again due to laryngitis.

 

June 15: Dick Tracy is released nationwide.

Dick Tracy had its premiere at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The film was released in the United States in 2,332 theaters on June 15, 1990, earning $22.54 million in its in opening weekend. This was the third-highest opening weekend of 1990. Dick Tracy was the ninth-highest-grossing film in the US in 1990, and number twelve globally. Dick Tracy eventually grossed $103.74 million in US totals and $59 million elsewhere, coming to a worldwide total of $162.74 million. Dick Tracy was also the ninth-highest-grossing film of America in 1990, and number twelve in worldwide totals.

The film also received positive reviews from critics. Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times praised the matte paintings, art direction and prosthetic makeup design, stating: "Dick Tracy is one of the most original and visionary fantasies I've seen on a screen"

 

June 15: Dick Tracy is released worldwide. It ends up grossing around $163 million worldwide.

Madonna stars as Breathless Mahoney, with Warren Beatty playing the titular character. Madonna told Premiere magazine that initially she had waited for Beatty to call her for the film. But when he did not, the singer decided to involve herself voluntarily. She pursued the part of Mahoney, but offered to work for minimum wages to avoid favoritism.

 

June 16,17: Madonna performs at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA.
June 17: Dick Tracy grosses $23 million at the US box-office on its opening weekend.
June 20,21: Madonna performs 2 sold-out concerts at the Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, NJ.
June 22:  "Hanky Panky" single is released.
June 23: I'm Breathless: Music From And Inspired By The Film Dick Tracy hits US #2.
June 24: Madonna performs an AIDS benefit concert in memory of artist Keith Haring at the Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, NJ, which raises $300,000 for the American Foundation For AIDS Research (AMFAR).
 

June 28: "Vogue" single is certified 2x platinum (2 million units) - the biggest-selling single by a female artist ever.

On June 28, 1990, "Vogue" was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of two million copies of the physical single across United States. To date, it remains Madonna's best-selling physical single in the country. After digital sales began in 2005, "Vogue" has sold additional 311,000 digital downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

 

June 30: Madonna opens the European leg of "Blond Ambition World Tour 1990" at Eriksberg Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden.
LATER: Also this month in Los Angeles, Madonna meets with Archer Communications (a Canadian sound tech company) and they convince her to use their new Q-Sound 3-D audio technology on her greatest hits.

Following its release, "Hanky Panky" was initially blacklisted at some radio stations when they faced objections from audiences about the lyrical content. Nevertheless, it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 40 the week of June 30, 1990, as "Vogue" was descending from the top ten.

 

July 2: In Italy, Roman Catholic groups condemn Madonna's concert as blasphemous due to her controversial show's sex and religion themes and plan to cancel her concerts in Rome and Turin.
July 3,4,6: Madonna performs 3 sold-out concerts at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France.
July 9: Madonna arrives on tour in Rome, Italy and holds a press conference at Rome Airport in which she defends her concert and also voices her opinions on artistic expression and freedom of speech.
July 10: Madonna performs at Stadio Flaminio, Rome, Italy.
July 11: Madonna's second scheduled concert at Stadio Flaminio, Rome, Italy is cancelled due to poor ticket sales and a union strike.
July 13: Madonna performs at Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin, Italy.
July 15: Madonna performs at the Olympic Stadium, Munich, Germany.
July 17: Madonna performs at Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany.
July 20,21,22: Madonna performs 3 sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium, London, England.
July 24: Madonna performs at Feyenoord Stadium, Rotterdam, Holland.
July 27: Madonna performs a sold-out concert at Vicente Calderon Stadium, Madrid, Spain.

July 27: In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and after two weeks, reached its peak of number two the week of July 27, 1990; spending a total of nine weeks within the top 100 of the chart
 

July 28: "Hanky Panky" hits US #10.

The single quickly climbed up the chart, ultimately peaking at number ten the week of July 28, 1990. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 19, 1990, for shipments of 500,000 copies. Billboard ranked it at number 36 on their list of "Madonna's 40 Biggest Hits" on the Hot 100.[

 

July 29: Madonna performs at Balaidos Stadium, Vigo, Spain.

July 29: In Australia, "Hanky Panky" debuted at number 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart the week of July 29, 1990, and peaked at number six four weeks later. It was ranked at number 45 on the ARIA year end chart. In New Zealand, the single debuted at number 23 on RIANZ Singles Chart and, after fluctuating for the next three weeks, reached a peak of number six, becoming Madonna's 18th top-ten single in the country. In the European nations, "Hanky Panky" reached the top-ten of the charts in Ireland and Italy, as well as topping the charts in Finland. On the year-end Italian charts, the song was ranked at number 38. In other countries such as Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands, it managed to peak within the top 20 of the charts.

 

July 30: I'm Breathless: Music From And Inspired By The Film Dick Tracy is certified 2x platinum (2 million units).

 

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August 1: Madonna performs at Olympic Stadium, Barcelona, Spain.

HP was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on August 1, 1990, for shipments of 200,000 copies. According to the Official Charts Company, the single has sold over 210,000 copies as of October 2010.

 

August 5: Madonna - Live! Blond Ambition World Tour 90 is broadcast live on HBO-TV from Stade de l'Ouest, Nice, France and seen in more than 4.3 million households - it is the most-watched entertainment special in the network's 18-year history.

 

Mid-August: Madonna attends Herb Ritt's birthday party in Malibu where she meets model and fledgling singer, Nick Scotti. After hitting it off, Madonna will land Scotti a recording contract with Warner's Reprise Records 3 months later (in November 1990). A song she wrote around this time with Steve Bray, "Get Over" was co-produced by her and Shep Pettibone for her upcoming greatest hits collection. It will instead be given to Scotti with Madonna on backing vocals. Scotti's version will also be featured on the soundtrack of the Warner comedy Nothing But Trouble - which is released February 15, 1991. Madonna's complete version (with just her vocals) has not yet been leaked but does exist.

 

Late August/September: Lenny Kravitz brings Madonna the song "Justify My Love" to record. He will later reveal this information:

"The response at the time [1990] was enormous. I wrote the song soon after the success of Let Love Rule[which was released in September 1989 and peaked at No. 61 on The Top 200 on Feb. 10, 1990]. At the time I was the newest kid on the block. I wrote the song in the studio and when it was finished I thought: "This is not right for me". I didn't know Madonna at the time but I called her and said: "I have a number one hit song for you." And she said: "Oh really?" and I said: "Yes, a number one song." She asked to meet me in the studio and play the music for her.

She heard it one time, then a second time and said: "Ok let's record it." It was crazy, it really went to number one. It was my first number one in the charts." (Feb. 19, 2005)

 

LATER:

In an interview for Truth or Dare with Kurt Loder (April 1991), Madonna says Lenny Kravitz brought her the musical track "Justify My Love" with lyrics already written but she changed the things she wanted to change lyrically (and vocally).

 

September 1: In Canada, the song debuted at number 92 on the RPM Top Singles chart, and reached a peak of number 18 on the week of September 1, 1990. It was present for a total of 13 weeks on the chart.

 

September 6: Madonna performs "Vogue" at the 7th annual MTV Video Music Awards at the Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, CA; "Vogue" wins Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Cinematography.
 

September 7: Madonna is honored with the Commitment To Life Award and performs "Vogue" at the Commitment To Life IV benefit for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA.
MTV Video Music Awards

 

September 13: Paris Is Burning debuts at the Toronto Film Festival.

Paris Is Burning, Jenne Livingston's stirring documentary on the Harlem drag balls, may have introduced vogueing to the masses, but it got a big push from Madonna's "Vogue" (directed by David Fincher). "I remember being in a drug store," says Livingston, "and there was a white woman with two children, and one of the kids said, 'Look Mommy, Johnny's vogueing!' I was shocked, and that was really all because of Madonna."

Although the black-and-white video perfectly showcases the dance, it's also a gorgeous tribute to '40s style glamour, complete with flawless close-ups borrowed from fashion photographer Horst P. Horst. "What impressed me was how many people from the ball loved it and embraced it," says Livingston.

 

September 15: Although it won’t be known until much later, “Now I’m Following You,†the odd duet with Warren Beatty, was to be the final single from I'm Breathless, in it's full two-part glory.

Sire went to the trouble of commissioning remixes for the release and a host of 7" Remixes were made to try and find a way of making the odd mix of styles that make up the album version(s) into a radio friendly mix. Five different ones were prepared, but in all honesty, they aren't particularly inspiring and all that different from each other.

A Dance Mix was also prepared and considered for inclusion on the set. None of them have ever been released commercially. A further mix was commissioned - the Tiny Little Circles Mix which did slip out commercially, via the Razormaid DJ mailorder service where upcoming mixes are sent out to influential DJs to test reaction in clubs. The Mix was included on the 15th issue on lovely swirled mustard vinyl and a much rarer CD.

mid-September: Shep Pettibone begins work on assembling Madonna's greatest hits collection and re-mastering them in QSound with engineer Goh Hotoda. The process will take about a month and half (per his statements in the Erotica Diaries, 1992). It is during this time that he and Madonna also record "Rescue Me." Both "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me" are recording at studios in NYC & NJ.

 

September 18: Madonna attends the New York premiere of Martin Scorsese film GoodFellas at the Museum Of Modern Art with Herb Ritts and her new boy toy Tony Ward - who will later appear with her in the "Justify My Love" video.

September 19: "Hanky Panky" single is certified gold (500,000 units).

September 24: This fall will usher in a number of ‘best-ofs’ including one from Madonna (tentative). (St. Petersburg Times)

 

October 1: Madonna is named the top-earning female entertainer of 1990 by Forbes magazine with an annual income of $39 million. "Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour Live" is released only on laserdisc.
 

October 2: Madonna attends the opening night of Martha Graham's 180th ballet "Maple Leaf Rag" at the City Centre, New York, NY.

 

October 3: Madonna does a photoshoot with Patrick Demarchelier today and he says in a documentary (released later – possibly 1997) that he photographed Madonna in a session and then afterward, when she changed to go out that night, he stopped her and took a few more shots – these extra last-minute snapshots became the cover for the “Justify My Love†single with Madonna in a leather hat and vest.

 

October 13: MADONNA, "The Immaculate Collection,"Sire. Her first greatest-hits collection will feature 17 tunes, including two new songs-one written with Lenny Kravitz and one co-written by Shep Pettibone, who also co-wrote "Vogue" with Madonna. Nov. 13. Her first collection of video clips since the Like A Virgin era comes out November 15. (LA Times)

 

October 16: Madonna visits Paris, France to attend fashion shows by Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler.
 

October 17: Archer's QSound is in vogue with Madonna (The Gazette. Montreal, Que.: Oct 17, 1990.)

TORONTO -

A Calgary company that has had mixed reviews for its three-dimensional sound system is hoping to get into the groove with pop star Madonna. Archer Communications Inc. said yesterday it has signed a deal for its 3-D audio technology, known as QSound, to be used on a greatest- hits package by the corset-clad chanteuse. The album release, on CD, cassette and vinyl formats, is scheduled for Nov. 13 on the Sire-Warner Bros. label. Through a licensing arrangement with Warner Bros., Archer will earn a royalty from each album sold, said company president Larry Ryckman. He would not reveal how much the company will receive.

"This is a case of a Canadian technology being used by one of the biggest stars in the world," said Ryckman. "I'm very excited about that."

Madonna chose to use the QSound system after Archer engineers demonstrated it for her in Los Angeles, he said. Spokesmen for Madonna could not be reached for comment. Madonna's Greatest Hits will be the first album released with QSound, a computer-based system that modifies recorded sounds so they seem to be coming from somewhere other than loudspeakers. By separating and mixing in the recording studio, engineers can "place" the apparent origin of the sounds anywhere within the listening room. Listeners need only a regular stereo system to hear the 3-D effect.

In August, Archer announced it had signed a licensing agreement with PolyGram, one of the world's biggest record companies. The deal allows PolyGram to release at least 20 recordings using the QSound system over the next 18 months. The company's biggest splash in the marketplace was supposed to be a Coca-Cola commercial shown during the Super Bowl game last January. But many viewers failed to notice any difference in the sound because they did not have access to a stereo broadcast of the game.

Madonna's Greatest Hits, is a remix of some of the artist's most popular songs, including Like A Virgin, Into The Groove and Lucky Star. The upcoming album will feature QSound remixes of her multi-platinum hits including Like a Virgin, Lucky Start and Into the Groove and two previously unreleased tracks. Archer's stock closed unchanged at $13.75 yesterday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

 

October 22: Madonna is featured in a public service announcement on MTV's Rock The Vote in which she is wrapped in the US flag and urges young people to register and vote; the ad causes a controversy with US Veterans of Foreign Wars who are enraged by her provocative use of the American flag and say that it borders on desecration.

October 30: "Justify My Love" was released on October 30, 1990, by Sire Records as the lead single from The Immaculate Collection.

October 19: Rock the Vote - Madonna calling people to vote in MTV's Rock The Vote Commercial

October 19 1990

 

November 8: The single for “Justify My Love†is released to radio today.

 

November 8: "Justify My Love" single is released.

"Justify My Love" is a trip hop song with mid-tempo settings and instrumentation. The lyrics of the song are primarily about sex and romance. It contains spoken word vocals by Madonna. Madonna's vocals are primarily spoken and whispered, but almost never sung, a style which she again employed on her following studio album Erotica (1992).

A remix of the song, titled "The Beast Within", was included on some single releases. The remix uses only the chorus and certain lines of the original song, with the verses being replaced by passages from the Book of Revelation. The song first garnered media attention early in 1991 when the Simon Wiesenthal Center accused the song of containing anti-semitic lyrics, specifically the lyric "those who say that they are Jews, but they are not. They are a Synagogue of Satan". Madonna promptly responded: "I certainly did not have any anti-Semitic intent when I included a passage from the Bible on my record. It was a commentary on evil in general. My message, if any, is pro-tolerance and anti-hate. The song is, after all, about love".

"Justify My Love" was originally written by Ingrid Chavez, Prince's protégé and friend, and Lenny Kravitz: he and producer André Betts composed the music while Chavez penned the lyrics based on a poem she had written for Kravitz. Kravitz added the title hook and chorus to the demo while Madonna corrected one line. Chavez was not credited for the song and later sued Kravitz in 1992: she received an out-of-court settlement, and gained a co-writing credit for her work. When the lawsuit was settled, Chavez's attorney Steven E. Kurtz clarified that Madonna's additional writing credit was not questioned in the lawsuit. 

The song was also successful in the Oceanic region. It debuted at number 14 in the Australian Singles Chart, peaking at number four. It was present on the chart for 14 weeks and was certified Gold by the ARIA. It debuted at number 22 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, peaking at number five for two consecutive weeks. It was present on the New Zealand chart for a total of 16 weeks.

 

November 9: The Immaculate Collection is the first greatest hits album by Madonna. It was released on November 9, 1990, by Sire and Warner Bros. Records. It contains new remixes of fifteen of her hit singles from 1983 to 1990, as well as two new songs, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". The title of the album is a loose pun on the Immaculate Conception, the conception of the Virgin Mary without the stain of original sin. An extended play titled The Holiday Collection was issued in Europe to accompany the compilation and the re-release of the single "Holiday". It is the first album ever to use an audio technology called QSound.

The actual title of the album, The Immaculate Collection, is a loose pun on the Immaculate Conception, the conception of the Virgin Mary without the stain of original sin. In the booklet, Madonna dedicated the album to "The Pope, my divine inspiration". This led to many believing it was dedicated to Pope John Paul II, but it was actually dedicated to her brother, Christopher Ciccone, who had spent the year on tour with Madonna on the Blond Ambition World Tour and whose nickname is "The Pope". It became the first album ever to use an audio technology called QSound.

All the songs on The Immaculate Collection, with the exception of the two new songs, were remixed by Shep Pettibone alongside Goh Hotoda and Michael Hutchinson and some were also edited down from their original lengths in order to decrease the overall running time. While all the vocals remain the same as in the original recordings, "Like a Prayer" and "Express Yourself" feature different music backing Madonna's vocals than their original album release. Pettibone commented,

"Well, actually some of the songs we changed up a bit, but most of the songs we kept in their original form. Like "Holiday", "Lucky Star", et cetera, et cetera, those were all the original productions. The remix was just really to create the Q Sound, and make the song kind of envelop you when you listened to it in a certain sweet spot in front of the speakers [...] That wasn't easy to do. But then again, that was one of those -- you know, "Hurry up, this has to be out last week". That was a rush rush job".

Warner Bros. released an extended play (EP) in the United Kingdom and Europe titled The Holiday Collection which had the same design as The Immaculate Collection. The full-length version of "Holiday" was included alongside "True Blue", "Who's That Girl", and a remix of "Causing a Commotion". The re-released "Holiday" eventually went to number five in the UK charts.

The Immaculate Collection received universal acclaim from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic graded the album five out of five stars. He starts by saying that "On the surface... [the album] appears to be a definitive retrospective of Madonna's heyday in the '80s". However, his opinion is that remastering in Q-Sound, making some of the songs faster than the original versions and other changes, makes it so "while all the hits are present, they're simply not in their correct versions." Nevertheless, he concludes that "until the original single versions are compiled on another album, The Immaculate Collection is the closest thing to a definitive retrospective." Robert Christgau gave the album an A+ rating and called it "the greatest album of [Madonna's] mortal life". He said that the album features "seventeen hits, more than half of them indelible classics."

 

LATER: In a MadonnaTribe FACT OF THE DAY (dated 3.19.2007):

http://www.madonnatribe.com/decade/2007/the-muddled-immaculate-super-heavyweight-collection/

Firstly the name ‘The Ultimate Collection‘ was scrapped in favour of the now familiar ‘The Immaculate Collection‘. Why this was changed is unknown, but it was changed too late to notify the UK chain of Sam Goody stores who listed it on their catalogue for years to follow, together with a video collection of the same name – causing collectors no end of headaches trying to order and hunt down these elusive (an non-existant) releases.

However, the two vast changes which ‘The Immaculate Collection’ underwent were the tracklisting and the cover design! Coming to the tracklisting you can see, from the following UK promotional press folder sent out to the media in anticipation of the collection’s release that the tracklisting was due to run non chronologically and the set was to feature only ONE new song, not two, as came to be the case upon release in November 1990.

 

Original Tracklisting:

sJNYGX4.jpg

It is unknown whether the one extra track was to be Justify My Love or Rescue Me as completed test pressings of the album from that far back are not known to exist, but considering the lead up time required for such a project, and the resultant lack of a video or any promotion for Rescue Me it is likely that the one extra track was Justify My Love.

FT27YTp.jpg

The photo design which was due to be the front cover.

The most startling change which happened to the album though must surely be it’s sleeve design!

As every fan knows, Madonna did a daringly different photo shoot with legendary photographer and long time Madonna collaborator Herb Ritts for the album’s artwork, showing arty black and white shots of Madonna lurking about and larking about in a men’s restroom.

What most fans probably don’t know is the photo which was due to be the front cover was this design on the right.

Keen eyed readers will spot that this image ended up actually being the rear sleeve to the LP and CD releases, and the small logo designed by Jeri and John Heiden was meant to be a small shield design purely to house the title.

So, why was this most unusual shot of Madonna, with her newly collagen stuffed lips relegated to the rear of the sleeve and the Heiden’s shield image promoted to the entire front cover? Because Madonna decided, upon closer inspection of the image, that she looked (in her words) ‘too much like Mike Tyson‘!

 

 

 

November 9: Madonna begins filming "Justify My Love" video at Royal Monceau Hotel in Paris, France, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino. (filming also continues November 10-12)

The music video for "Justify My Love" was directed in Paris on November 9, 1990 by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, who had also worked with Madonna in her video for "Open Your Heart". It features Madonna's then-boyfriend, model and actor Tony Ward. Some of the dancers featured in the video were also dancers from her Blond Ambition World Tour. It is a tribute to Jeanne Moreau of La Baie des Anges.
 

LATER:

"When Madonna called me," says director Jean Baptiste Mondino, "about filming 'Justify,' I said, 'Why don't you come over here (to Paris)? It would be nice to do something simple.' We locked ourselves in the Royal Monceau (a Paris hotel) for two days and one night without any idea of what we were going to do. The only idea I had was for her to come with a suitcase, like she was going for a fantasy. We rented to whole floor and shot everyone in their own room; there was no set. That's why the video shocked people. You could see it was not a fake.

"We didn't think we were going to do something wild," he says, "None of what you see was planned. But when I started to edit, I said, 'This is never gonna be shown.'" Sure enough, MTV refused to air it, unwittingly paying Madonna a favor: She got to play the clip on "Nightline" an made a bundle off it on home video.

The video features Madonna’s current boyfriend Tony Ward, dancer Jose Guiterrez and French model-fashion muse Wallis Franken (in the “night porter†role – tall, skinny, no boobs, short black hair). In May 1996, Wallis will commit suicide by jumping out of a window. She was apparently a masochist who went from homelessness to a life of luxury via her husband, and bisexual fashion designer, Claude Montana - with whom she had an abusive relationship.

 

November 10: During the week of November 10, 1990, the album spent its last week on the chart, exiting at number 99, after spending 24 weeks on the album's chart. To date, the album has been certified double-platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of 200,000 copies.

 

November 11: Madonna wins Best Female Solo Singer and Most Fanciable Female at the 3rd annual Smash Hits Awards in London, England.
 

November 11: Madonna on BBC Omnibus - Madonna interviewed for BBC1's Omnibus Special

rec: November 11 1990air: December 07 1990

 

November 13: The Immaculate Collection greatest hits CD and video are released.
November 15: Madonna is crowned "The Image of The Eighties" by Rolling Stone magazine.
November 21: A $1 million lawsuit is filed against Madonna by her neighbor, Donald Robinson, who complains that the trees on her property are obstructing his view of the Hollywood Hills, CA.
 

November 24: The Immaculate Collection hits UK #1 for nine weeks and is the biggest-selling album in UK by a female solo artist.
On November 24, 1990, The Immaculate Collection debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, remaining there for nine weeks, becoming the biggest selling UK album in 1990, also breaking the record for the longest consecutive weeks at number one by a solo female artist, a record that would not be matched until 2011 by Adele's album 21. In the United Kingdom, The Immaculate Collection was certified 12× Platinum by British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipment of 3.6 million copies. In France, the album was certified Diamond for shipment of one million copies of the album.

 In July 2016, the album was confirmed by the Official Charts Company to have sold 3.7 million copies, making it the biggest-selling album by a solo female artist in British history, the fourth biggest-selling greatest hits album in the UK by any artist, and the twelfth biggest-selling album of all time in the UK.

The Immaculate Collection was certified 12× Platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association, becoming one of the best-selling albums in Australia. The Immaculate Collection has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it Madonna's best-seller and one of the world's best-selling albums of all time. It also remains the best-selling compilation album ever released by a solo artist

 

November 26: The video for "Justify My Love" is submitted to MTV for review and approval. It is rejected outright and ban it from the network the very next day.

The video was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and was banned from the network. Madonna responded to the banning: "Why is it that people are willing to go and watch a movie about someone getting blown to bits for no reason at all, and nobody wants to see two girls kissing and two men snuggling?" On December 3, 1990, ABC's Nightline played the video in its entirety, then interviewed Madonna live about the video's sexual content and censorship. When asked whether she stood to make more money selling the video than airing it on MTV, she appeared impatient and answered, "Yeah, so? Lucky me." She also expressed during the interview that she does not understand why the video was banned, while videos containing violence and degradation to women continued to receive regular airplay. The video was then released in VHS, and became a bestselling "video single".

The video for "Justify My Love" was banned also from regular rotation on MuchMusic in Canada, although the controversy (as well as the subsequent banning of a video by Mitsou) led MuchMusic to launch a new series, Too Much 4 Much, which played controversial music videos accompanied by panel discussions on their artistic and cultural context. In 2002, the video was aired in its entirety on MTV2 as part of a special countdown showing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was shown only late at night because of the graphic imagery of "Justify My Love" and several other videos on the countdown.

 

November 27: MTV network excecutives announce it has banned "Justify My Love" video due to extremely strong displays of sexuality.
November 28: In Canada, "Justify My Love" video is also banned by MuchMusic network because of its sexual content.

 

December 1: Madonna is named one of the 10 "Women Of The Year" by Glamour magazine.

"Justify My Love" received massive success in Europe as well. In the United Kingdom the single reached number two and was certified silver by the BPI on December 1, 1990. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 235,000 copies in the UK. The song debuted at number 16 on the Swedish Singles Chart, eventually peaking at number eight for one week. In Norway, the song entered the chart at number seven and peaked at number three for one week, staying on the chart for nine weeks. The song entered at number 79 on the Dutch Top 40, peaking at number five. The song entered the French Singles Chart at number 42, and peaked at number 17, staying on the chart for 11 weeks. The song also peaked at number nine in Austria and number three in Switzerland.

In the United States, The Immaculate Collection debuted at number 32 on the Billboard 200 chart on the week dated December 1, 1990. It later reached number two, and remained 141 weeks on the chart, and has sold 10 million copies across the nation. The album was certified Diamond (10× Platinum) by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after its shipments. As of 2016 the album has sold over 5,992,000 copies in the US after the advent of the Nielsen SoundScan era in 1991.
 

December 3: Madonna is interviewed by via satellite from Los Angeles, CA by Forrest Sawyer to discuss censorship and her "Justify My Love" video world premieres in its entirety on ABC-TV's Nightline.

 

December 3: Madonna appears on Nightline to defend the video.

The accompanying music video portrayed Madonna as a woman walking in a hotel hallway, looking distressed and tired from work, until being seduced into having sex with a mysterious man and woman. It caused controversy worldwide, due to its explicit sexual images, and was subsequently banned from MTV and other TV networks. The video, which contained imagery of sadomasochism, voyeurism, and bisexuality, made its US television debut December 3, 1990 on ABC during its late-night news program Nightline. The song was part of the setlist of three of her concert tours, most recently being on her MDNA Tour in 2012

Madonna on Nightline-Madonna interviewed by Forrest Sawyer on ABC's "Nightline" TV Show

rec: December 03 1990

 

December 6: A Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismisses the $1 million lawsuit against Madonna filed by Donald Robinson and orders her to trim the trees on her property.

 

December 7: "Justify My Love" is released as the first-ever video single, priced at $9.98. In 6 month's time it will sell over 500,000 copies - the biggest selling video single of its time.

Justify My Love was the first VHS video single to be released by Madonna. This was the first time an artist had released a single in this format. Released on VHS only, the packaging in North America was a plain black slip cover with a sticker around it, so that it resembled a "seedy video". In Europe, it was given the full cover artwork treatment, and they also included a bonus video of Madonna's performance of "Vogue" at the 1990 MTV Music Video Awards, which was ironic as MTV had banned the title track. In the UK, the video was given an "18" certificate by the BBFC, meaning no one under that age could legally buy or see the release. At the time of its release, the video peaked at #2 on the Billboard's Top Music Videos Chart for two weeks and spent 39 weeks in the chart overall. The music video was released on DVD for the first time on the greatest hits package Celebration: The Video Collection in 2009. This version of the video was censored with black bars in a scene that contains female nudity.

 

December 11: The Royal Box, a box-set which includes The Immaculate Collection CD/video, postcards and poster, is released.


 91adamossrL._SX522_.jpg

LATER: The art director at Warner Brothers tells VH-1 that the cover art and design for The Immaculate Collection was meant to represent the Gaultier corset that Madonna wore for the Blond Ambition Tour in 1990 (the gold triangular points, I assume). The cover was modeled after hosiery and lingerie packaging from the 1940’s and 50’s.

 

December 19: Dick Tracy is released on home video.
December 24: Madonna In Concert (taped at Olympic Stadium, Barcelona, Spain on Aug 1, 1990) is broadcast on BBC2-TV.

 

1990: TV

Elleseine Pure Aesthetic - Madonna's Commercial for Japanese Salon and Cosmetics

https://vimeo.com/187612543

 

Madonna on Oggi e Domani Lady Madonna Italian TV Special air: 1990

https://vimeo.com/87346496#at=1

 

Grand Prix Album of The Year Award - EXPRESS YOURSELF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDSJqf806wg

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1991:

January: Madonna begins filming Shadows And Fog, starring John Malkovich and Mia Farrow, directed by Woody Allen.
January 3: Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles, CA, accuses Madonna of anti-semetism over the lyrics of "Justify My Love" CD single remix called "The Beast Within" and wants copies of her single removed from record stores
January 4: Madonna releases a statement of denial about the anti-semetic lyrics of "Justify My Love" CD single remix: "I certainly didn't have any anti-semetic intent when I included a passage from the Bible on my record. It was a commentary on evil in general. My message, if any, is pro-tolerance and antihate. The song is, after all, about love".
January 5: “Justify My Love" hits US #1.
January 13: Madonna presents the Best Foreign Film award for The Nasty Girl to its director Michael Verhoeven at the 56th annual New York Film Critics Circle Awards in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY.
January 18: The Immaculate Collection is certified 2x platinum (2 million units).
January 19: "The Immaculate Collection" hits US #1 and "Justify My Love" hits US #2 on Top Music Videos chart.
January 26: The Immaculate Collection hits US #2.
January 28: "Vogue" wins Favorite Dance Single at the 18th annual American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA.

 

February 2: "Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour Live" hits US #2 on Top Laserdisc Sales chart.
February 6: "The Immaculate Collection" video is certified multi-platinum (150,000 units).

 

February 12: Rescue Me" was written by Madonna and Shep Pettibone. Sire Records released "Rescue Me" as the second single from The Immaculate Collection on February 12, 1991. It peaked in the top-five in countries such as Ireland, the UK, Italy, and South Africa, and at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Lyrically, "Rescue Me" expresses the extinguishing of deranged behavior in a relationship. The song opens with a heartbeat and thunder, followed by a prominent bass line, a piano, snaps, and percussion. Madonna begins singing "I'm talking /I believe in the power of love /I'm singing /I believe that you can rescue me" before engaging in the breathy, spoken word vocals, like on "Justify My Love". She sings "Rescue me /It's hard to believe your love has given me hope /Rescue me /It's hard to believe I'm drowning" over the chorus. At one point of the song, Madonna sings the line "And right while I am kneeling there I suddenly begin to care", which was likened to oral sex.

 

February 18: "Crazy For You" is re-released as a UK single.
February 21: "Rescue Me" single is released.
February 22: "Justify My Love" single is certified 1x platinum (1 million units), "Justify My Love" video is certified 8x platinum (400,000 units).

In the United States, "Justify My Love" peaked at number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts and peaked at number 42 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The RIAA certified it platinum on February 22, 1991 for sales of over a million units. On 1991's Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart "Justify My Love" was allocated the number 21 spot.

 

February 25: Madonna presents a lifetime achievement award to Andrew Lloyd Webber at the Los Angeles Music Centre Benefactors' dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA.

February 27: "The Immaculate Collection" video is certified 2x platinum (200,000 units).

 

March: Dinner with Madonna - Madonna interviewed by Kurt Loder for MTV's "Dinner with Madonna" TV Special rec: March 1991

 

March: Madonna on Between The Sheets - Madonna and Alek Keshishian interviewed for MTV's "Between The Sheets" TV Special rec: March 1991

 

March 2: "Crazy For You" hits UK #2. "Rescue Me" enters the US singles chart at #15 - the highest entry by a female artist.

In the United States, "Rescue Me" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles survey at number 15 the week of March 2, 1991, and was one of the first singles in the 1990s that would debut at such a high position due to heavy pre-sales airplay. It was the highest debut for a single on the Hot 100 since Michael Jackson debuted at number 20 the week of February 11, 1984 with "Thriller". "Rescue Me" reached the top-five in airplay. However, by the time the single was commercially available, the song had already peaked at radio and eventually placed at number nine on the Hot 100 singles chart. Elsewhere, "Rescue Me" placed within the top-five in countries such as the UK, Ireland, Italy, and South Africa, and peaking at number three on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles chart.

 

March 3: "Vogue" wins International Single Of The Year at the 20th annual Juno Awards at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, BC.
March 7: Madonna wins Best Single ("Vogue"), Best Video ("Vogue"), Best Tour (Blond Ambition Tour), Best-Dressed Female Artist and Sexiest Female Artist in Rolling Stone magazine's 15th annual Readers Poll.
March 20: Madonna" video is certified multi-platinum (100,000 units).
March 23: "Rescue Me" hits US #9.
 

March 25: Madonna performs “Sooner or Later†at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The song wins composer Stephen Sondheim the Oscar for Best Original Song. Dick Tracy wins two other Academy Awards: Best Make-Up and Best Art Direction in a Film.

 

LATER: Madonna recorded several tracks for this project that will end up unreleased:

• “Dick Tracy†(Madonna/Pat Leonard): Copyrighted but not included on the LP.

• “To Love You†(Madonna/Andy Paley): Recorded but not included.

• “Dog House†& “Time After Time†(rumored but nothing is known)

Truth Or Dare MTV Contest

 

March: Madonna appeared in a commercial for MTV's Contest to attend "Truth or Dare" Premiere

March 1991

 

April: MADONNA INTERVIEW : VANITY FAIR (APRIL 1991)

1991-madonna-vanity-fair-s.jpg

 

April 7: Sire Records released "Rescue Me" as the third single on April 7 in the United Kingdom.

April 21: Madonna participates in the 3rd annual AIDS Dance-A-Thon at the Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA.

 

May: MADONNA INTERVIEW : LOS ANGELES TIMES (MAY 05 1991)

1991-madonna-los-angeles-times-s.jpg

 

May 6: Madonna attends the Los Angeles premiere of Truth Or Dare, a film documentary of "Blond Ambition World Tour 1990", directed by Alek Keshishian, at the Pacific Cinerama Dome.

May 7: MADONNA INTERVIEW : THE ADVOCATE (MAY 7 1991)

]img]https://allaboutmadonna.com/images/madonna-library/1991-madonna-advocate-s.jpg[/img]

Madonna admits to her bisexuality in a controversial 2-part interview with The Advocate magazine.

 

May 8: Madonna attends the New York premiere of Truth Or Dare at the Ziegfeld Theatre.
May 9: "Like A Virgin" video (from Truth Or Dare) premieres on MTV. Madonna is interviewed on ABC-TV's Good Morning America.
May 10: Truth Or Dare is released nationwide.

 

May: Good Morning America - Madonna recorded a short promo for ABC's Good Morning America May 1991

 

May: TF1 Cinestars - Teaser for Madonna's Interview on TF1 Cinestars May 1991

 

May: Madonna on 60 Minutes - Madonna interviewed for Australian TV Show 60 Minutes rec: May 1991

 

May: Madonna on Veronica - Madonna interviewed by Rene Mioch for Veronica Television in Cannes rec: May 1991

 

May: Madonna on TVE 1 - Madonna interviewed for TVE 1 in Cannes rec: May 1991

 

May: Madonna on Good Morning America - Madonna interviewed by Steve Fox for ABC's Good Morning America air: May 09 1991

 

May 10: (limited release) Madonna: Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with Madonna outside of North America) is a 1991 American documentary film chronicling the life of American singer and songwriter Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour. The film was generally well received by critics and was successful at the box office, at that point becoming the highest-grossing documentary of all time with a worldwide gross of $29,012,935. It was screened out of competition at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.

 

May 11: makes a special guest appearance in "Wayne's World" skit on NBC-TV's Saturday Night Live.
May 12: Madonna arrives in Cannes, France for the 44th International Cannes Film Festival.
May 13: Madonna attends the premiere of Truth Or Dare at the Cannes Film Festival. (In Europe, it is re-titled In Bed With Madonna).

 

May 13: Madonna on Ciné Stars - Madonna interviewed by Michel Drucker for TF1's "Ciné Stars" TV Show rec: April 1991 air: May 13 1991

https://vimeo.com/88270218#at=1

 

May 13: Madonna on Live With Regis & Kathie Lee - Madonna interviewed by Regis Philbin for "Live With Regis & Kathie Lee" TV Show air: May 13 1991

https://vimeo.com/86973022#at=0

 

May 13, 14: Madonna is featured in a 2-part interview with Regis Philbin on CBS-TV's Live With Regis & Kathie Lee.
May 15: In Bed With Madonna is released in France.
May 16: Madonna attends the premiere of Spike Lee's Jungle Fever at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

May 17: MADONNA INTERVIEW : ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY (MAY 17 1991)

1991-madonna-entertainment-weekly-s.jpg

 

May 17: Truth Or Dare is released to 538 US movie theatres.
May 19: Truth Or Dare hits #3 at the US box-office with $3.38 million on its opening weekend.
May 22: Madonna attends model Naomi Campbell's 21st birthday party at Laura Belle restaurant, New York, NY.

May 24: "Rescue Me" single is certified gold (500,000 units).

On May 24, 1991, "Rescue Me" was certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of over 500,000 copies; as of August 2008, it has sold 134,767 copies in the United Kingdom according to the Official Charts Company.

May 17: (wide release) Madonna: Truth or Dare 

 

June 6: "Holiday" video (from Truth Or Dare) premieres on MTV.

 

June 13: Madonna is featured in:

MADONNA INTERVIEW : ROLLING STONE (JUNE 13 1991)

1991-madonna-rolling-stone-s.jpg

 

MADONNA INTERVIEW : US MAGAZINE (JUNE 13 1991)

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June 15: "Holiday" is re-released as a UK single and hits #5.

 

July: Madonna on Hey It's Hollywood - Madonna interviewed by Molly Meldrum for "Hey It's Hollywood" TV Special rec: July 1991 

https://vimeo.com/88572655#at=3
 

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

July 17: In Bed With Madonna premieres at the Marble Arch Odeon in London, England.

July 18: Madonna is named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People Of 1991" by People magazine.

 

July 22: Wogan Meets Madonna - Madonna interviewed by Terry Wogan for "Wogan Meets Madonna" TV Special in Cannes rec: May 1991air: July 22 1991

https://vimeo.com/87065295#at=0

 

August 7: Madonna interviewed for E! at the "Paris is Burning" Film Premiere in Los Angeles

rec: August 07 1991 

https://vimeo.com/90471182

 

September 5: "The Immaculate Collection" wins Best Long-Form Video at the 8th annual MTV Video Music Awards at the Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, CA.

 

September 9: Madonna on ET - Madonna interviewed on "A League of Their Own" press conference in Evansville, Indiana for Entertainment Tonight air: September 09 1991  https://vimeo.com/88505154#at=0

 

October 9: Truth Or Dare is released on home video.

The film was released on home video by LIVE Entertainment in North America on October 9, 1991. Outside of North America it was released as In Bed with Madonna. In the UK an additional VHS "15" certificate, edited version was released in November 1991, to allow younger teenagers to watch it. The packaging was slightly changed to a 'blue' format otherwise identical to the original. In 1992, it was re-released on VHS in the US with two additional live videos of "Like a Prayer" and "Hanky Panky", which played after the end credits. The DVD version was released on August 26, 1997 by LIVE Entertainment in North America but did not get a worldwide DVD release until January 6, 2003 by MGM Entertainment.

In March 2009, a new HD master of the film premiered on Palladia HD (MTV's new name). It included the new Miramax logo at the beginning of the film and a Warner Bros. Television logo at its closing. The Blu-ray version of the film, along with a new DVD release, which is a reprint to the 1997 release, was released by Lionsgate in North America on April 3, 2012. The typography for the new release was changed from the original design and is similar to the fashion brand and perfume, Truth or Dare by Madonna which was released at the same time.

 

October 27: Madonna wins Best Female Solo Singer and Most Fanciable Female at the 4th annual Smash Hits Awards in London, England.

October 30: Madonna completes filming A League Of Their Own in Evansville, IN.

 

November 23: Madonna is named Most Popular International Solo Female Artist at the 1st annual Australian Music Awards.

November 27: Madonna contributes a pre-taped monologue on ABC-TV special MTV 10.

 

December 4: The Immaculate Collection is certified 3x platinum (3 million units). A rumor is announced that Madonna has tested HIV positive for AIDS: a statement denying the rumor is released by her representatives.

December 8: In a TV Guide magazine interview, Madonna causes a controversy when she complains about filming A League Of Their Own in Evansville, IN: she calls the town "boring", complains that the house she rented didn't have cable and says, "I may as well have been in Prague" - the citizens of Evansville are enraged by her comments: 300 townspeople gather in a parking lot to spell her name inside a circle with a line through it and send her a televised message: "Madonna, get a life!".

December 10: Madonna is honored with the Award Of Courage by the American Foundation For AIDS Research (AMFAR) at a Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel dinner, Beverly Hills, CA.

 

1991

Elleseine Pure Aesthetic #1 - Madonna's Commercial for Japanese Salon and Cosmetics 1991

https://vimeo.com/187612469

 

Elleseine Pure Aesthetic #2 - Madonna's Commercial for Japanese Salon and Cosmetics 1991

https://vimeo.com/187612468

 

 

1992

January: Madonna and photographer Steven Meisel begin work on a book of erotica and sexual fantasies in Miami, FL.

January 21: A lawsuit is filed against Madonna by 3 ex-dancers: Oliver Crumes, Kevin Stea and Gabriel Trupin - they are charging her with invasion of privacy, fraud and deceit, intentional misrepresentation, suppression of fact, and intentional infliction of emotional distress for exposing their private lives in her 1991 film documentary Truth Or Dare.

 

February 22: Madonna makes a surprise guest appearance in "Coffee Talk" skit with Mike Myers, Roseanne Arnold and Barbra Streisand on NBC-TV's Saturday Night Live.

February 25: "Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour Live" wins Best Music Video - Long Form at the 34th annual Grammy Awards at Radio City Music Hall, New York.
 

March 5: Madonna wins Best-Dressed Female Artist in Rolling Stone magazine's 16th annual Readers Poll.
March 20: Shadows And Fog is released.
March 30: Madonna attends Swifty Lazar's annual post-Academy Awards party at Spago's restaurant, Los Angeles, CA.

 

April: Madonna begins filming Body Of Evidence, co-starring Willem Dafoe and directed by Uli Edel.

 

April 15: MADONNA INTERVIEW : SMASH HITS (APRIL 15 1992)

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April 20: Madonna signs a $60 million, seven-year contract with Time Warner Inc. as a joint venture to form a new multi-media entertainment company: she is made CEO of her own record and music publishing company called Maverick, which will also include TV, film, merchandising and book publishing divisions; she also re-negotiates and extends her contract with Sire Records: a $5 million advance per album, a 20% royalty rate and all her future recordings will be released by Maverick/Sire Records.
 

April 30: A black bustier worn by Madonna in "Open Your Heart" video is stolen from Frederick's Of Hollywood's lingerie museum during the 3-day riots in Los Angeles, CA.
 

May 6: Frederick's Of Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA offers a $1,000 reward for the return of Madonna's bustier.

May 29: The FBI recovers 44 nude photographs of Madonna from a collection used for her upcoming Sex book: a man is arrested in West Hollywood, CA for trying to sell the pictures for $100,000 to an undercover FBI agent.

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Unreleased by Bruce Baron

The "I'm Breathless" album, Music From and Inspired by the film Dick Tracy wasn't supposed to be a complete album at all. Originally Madonna was only going to do a few songs, but the project grew into her own separate release. The most unlikely, but lucrative addition to the project was "Vogue", the gay-underground influenced dance anthem that was first planned as the B-side of the "Keep It Together" single until Warner executives heard the track. This massive hit was co-written and co-produced with Shep Pettibone who had remixed many of Madonna's "Like A Prayer" dance singles. Madonna once explained to Interview magazine that she had to change some of the lyrics because the song was on an album for a Disney movie. Some have suspected that the original lyrics to this favorite may have been more controversial. There are in fact two different copyright registrations for "Vogue". The first was in Feb 1990 and the second was submitted in May 1990 which supports the revision theory.

 

There are alternate rehearsal versions of "Sooner Or Later", "More" and "What Can You Loose" which have all surfaced on a bootleg 7" vinyl release in Europe. Another title called "Dog House" was reported by the media to have been recorded for this album, but the evidence does not support this claim. A song called "To Love You" co-written by Madonna and Andy Paley listed at the Warner-Chappell Publishing database is thought to be from this album period, but it also remains unreleased under that title.
http://www.warnerchappell.com

 

Madonna's first greatest hits "The Immaculate Collection" included two new songs, "Rescue Me", and "Justify My Love", but another title called "Get Over" didn't make the final selection. This Madonna-Bray collaboration remains unreleased with Madonna's lead vocal. Another version was recorded and released by Nick Scotti who had met Madonna at a party. It first appeared on the Soundtrack to the film "Nothing But Trouble". This was produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone and features prominent Madonna backing vocals. Another remixed version appears on his debut Reprise album. This was Stephen Bray's last released collaboration with Madonna before he began a five-year hiatus that started with the birth of his daughter. During that time Bray built a recording studio and today lives in southern California.

 

http://s3.invisionfree.com/Madonna_Dot_Refugees/ar/t144.htm

1989 DOG HOUSE Existence not confirmed. Unreleased track inspired by Brenda Lee's "You're In The Dog House Now" for Dick Tracy "Im Breathless" album. Media rumor 
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1989 QUEEN OF MISERY There seems to some confusion about this song. In an old Rolling Stone magazine interview, frequent Madonna collaborator Pat Leonard mentioned writing this song with Kevin Gilbert (aka: Hank Panky remixer). From what I understand this song was written about Madonna, not neccessarily for her to record. Some fans feel that it may have been offered to her and that a Madonna demo may exist. I have never found any evidence to support this idea. The song appeared on the first Toy Matinee album (band featuring Leonard and Gilbert) with no Madonna participation. This song is about a woman who looks for love through a series of one night stands. You can link to lyrics at http://www.kevingilbert.com/40abc/misery.html
Kevin Gilbert had a hand in breaking Sheyl Crow as a solo artist (she used to sing with Toy Matinee in LA), but he died shortly after her first album took off. He also worked on Madonna's "I'm Breathless" album. 
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1989 MORE "I'm Breathless" album studio rehersal demo surfaced on bootleg 7" 
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1989 PIPELINE Unused song, existence unconfirmed. 
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1989 SOONER OR LATER "I'm Breathless" album studio rehersal demo surfaced on bootleg 7" 
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1989 TO LOVE YOU Never released written by Madonna and Andy Palley, existance confirmed at Warner-Chappell Publishing website. 
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1989 VOGUE PAu-1-331-762 (Alternate version reportedly featured controversial in lyrics removed for "Dick Tracy" (Disney Film) inspired soundtrack "I'm Breathless"). Mentioned in Interview Magazine 1990. Bruce Baron notes that the tape had no case to hold it and was sent into the copyright office by Pettibone a few months before Madonna had her submission sent in my Warner Bros. There is no mention of Madonna even though she's the one singing. In fact, the label says S.Pettibone as if he is the only performer. The tape was at the end of this song when I picked it up to discover that Pettibone had taped over a pop-rock male vocal of another song to recycle this cassette. I was interrupted by the office vacuum cleaning service during this one (no joke), so I did not have full attention to the recording. From what I can tell, it is nearly identical to the single mix of the released version of "Vogue" but it fades out at the ending instead of the cold ending. It also seems to be missing the whispered "vogue" in parentheses after the words "come on vogue" (vogue). 
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1989 WHAT CAN YOU LOSE "I'm Breathless" album studio rehearsal demo           
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1990 DICK TRACY Unreleased collaboration with Pat Leonard. Bruce Baron notes that this unreleased track is from the "I'm Breathless" sessions which is music inspired by the 1990 film, Dick Tracy. It can be confirmed at the ASCAP database ACE on the web at http://www.ascap.com as work #340325268. ASCAP is an organization that collects money from radio play for its members. Madonna belongs to this group with her affiliated Webo Girl Publishing, Inc. This song was written with her frequent partner, Patrick Leonard.

 

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Music Videos

Vogue Music Video

Directed by David Fincher

Cast: Madonna, Luis Camacho, Carlton Wilborn, Salim Gauwloos, Oliver Crumes Jr., Jose Guitierez, Kevin Alexander Stea, Gabriel Trupin, Niki Harris and Donna DeLory

 

Vogue Extended Remix Video

Directed by David Fincher

Cast: Madonna, Luis Camacho, Carlton Wilborn, Salim Gauwloos, Oliver Crumes Jr., Jose Guitierez, Kevin Alexander Stea, Gabriel Trupin, Niki Harris and Donna DeLory

 

Vogue MTV Video Music Awards Video

Directed by Bruce Gowers

Cast: MadonnaLuis Camacho, Carlton WilbornSalim GauwloosOliver Crumes Jr.Jose GuitierezKevin Alexander SteaGabriel TrupinNiki Harris and Donna DeLory

 

Justify My Love Music Video

Directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino

Cast: Madonna, MadonnaTony WardAmanda CazaletJose Guitierez

 

Justify My Love Censored Music Video

Directed by David Fincher

Cast: Madonna, Luis Camacho, Carlton Wilborn, Salim Gauwloos, Oliver Crumes Jr., Jose Guitierez, Kevin Alexander Stea, Gabriel Trupin, Niki Harris and Donna DeLory

 

Hanky Panky Blond Ambition Tour Live Video

Directed by Alek Keshishian

Cast: MadonnaNiki Harrisand Donna DeLory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7crzDEjmTw

 

Rescue Me Video Montage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLmYHD9XhFw

 
Like A Virgin Truth or Dare Blond Ambition Tour Live Video

Directed by Alek Keshishian

Cast: MadonnaChristopher CicconeLuis Camacho and Jose Guitierez

 
Holiday Truth or Dare Blond Ambition Tour Live Video

Directed by Alek Keshishian

Cast: MadonnaLuis Camacho, Carlton WilbornSalim GauwloosOliver Crumes Jr.Jose GuitierezKevin Alexander SteaGabriel TrupinNiki Harris and Donna DeLory

 

 

Videos


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Queen Of Misery

(Patrick Leonard, Kevin Gilbert)

Bouncing off the walls
Blind and dancing out of frame
Easy friends who will remain
Looking for a home
She wonders who will have the Queen alone

Every night the same
Another man, a dirty boy
Takes a turn they both enjoy
Destiny unknown
He asks if he can take her highness home

She's looking for someone to give the love that I denied
Some stranger's brief embrace
To fill the emptiness inside
(Take her home, she's the queen of ecstasy)
(Makes you warm, she's the queen of misery)

Insane domain
Checks her makeup, bites her nails
One more tab, a dreamer's vail
Such a shallow scene
She asks for God to save the queen

She's just looking for someone to give the love that I denied
Some stranger's brief embrace
To fill the emptiness inside
(Take her home, she's the queen of ecstasy)
(Makes you warm, she's the queen of misery)

Queen of ecstasy
Queen of misery

Bouncing on my knee
The innocence so quickly killed
A father's love left unfilled
How could I have known?
I wouldn't have left my princess all alone

(Takes you in, she's the queen of ecstasy)
(Heaven's sin, she's the queen of misery)

She's looking for someone to give the love that I denied
Some stranger's brief embrace
To fill the emptiness inside
(Take her home, she's the queen of ecstasy)
(Makes you warm, she's the queen of misery)

Queen of ecstasy
Queen of misery

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I didn't know that the "Pope" was Christopher indeed, and also that the Immaculate collection logo was meant to represent the Gaultuer corset, which is actually kind of evident right know! Thanks @@groovyguy for the info!



EDIT One more question: I also didn't know that the Nick Scotti album version of Get over was actually a remix. Is this the original soundtrack version?

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Yes, that's the soundtrack version which to me sounds more r&b. But I enjoy both versions.

 

Unfortunately the first video you posted is not available in Italy but I suppose it's the same as mine.

I am more familian with the remix version but I enjoy both, too!

The other version you posted seems to be the album edit featured in the single (3:56), while this is the album version (4:20):

 

 

 

It is even more evident now that we are missing Madonna's SOLO VERSION!!

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For those who are hungry for Get Over you can still download the remixes made available by @@Frank the Great:

 

http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/1223-rq-nick-scotti-get-over-lossless/

 

 

And you may also want to check @@Inco's topic with Immaculate Rarities:

 

http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/11170-dlrq-the-immaculate-collection-rarities/

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Controversy over ''Justify My Love''

February 1, 1991

 

 

The controversy over Madonna’s â€Justify My Love†video may have cooled, but now there are disputes over the song itself. The credits on the record say the song was cowritten by Madonna and rocker Lenny Kravitz, who also produced the single. But Ingrid Chavez, an actress-singer who was the female lead in the Prince movie Graffiti Bridge, says she wrote most of the lyrics. Kravitz now publicly acknowledges Chavez’s contribution, for which she’s receiving one-quarter of the songwriting royalties. Chavez is satisfied with this arrangement, even though she says the finished Madonna version of the song is practically a heavy-breath-for-heavy-breath copy of Chavez’s original demo tape. â€Lenny told me he was obsessed about getting it the same,†she says. So why didn’t he use Chavez? â€Because Madonna can make more money,†Chavez says.

The second charge against â€Justify My Love†comes from the rap group Public Enemy, which says the song’s beat was sampled from â€Security of the First World,†a song on their million-selling 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. While Public Enemy’s lawyer, Lisa Davis, concedes that the legal situation concerning sampling is â€absolutely not clear-cut,†she says, â€If you just take someone else’s track, remove their vocals, and add your own rap, that’s copyright infringement.†Public Enemy and their label, Def Jam Records, are now contemplating legal action against Kravitz and Madonna. Says Public Enemy coproducer Hank Shocklee, who created the rhythm riff: â€I’m going on a rampage.â€

Many in the music industry think Public Enemy’s threats are ludicrous because they believe the group sampled the â€Security†beat from a 1969 James Brown tune called â€Funky Drummer.†Kravitz’s manager, Stephen Smith, says, â€If there is a lawsuit, it should be by James Brown.†Hank Shocklee flatly denies this accusation. â€My beat is original, man,†he says. â€There was no sampling. None whatsoever. Yes, it’s a James Brown style, but it’s definitely not a rip- off.†Shocklee has just recycled the beat in question in a song, â€To My Donna,†by Young Black Teenagers (a group he produces), which sarcastically responds to â€Justify My Love†with sexual teasing.

A Madonna spokeswoman says the singer never heard the Public Enemy song and â€didn’t write the music.†Kravitz’s manager, Smith, says, â€There hasn’t been any copyright infringement. From my recollection there never has been any copyright enforcement on a drumbeat. Otherwise half the songs of rock & roll would infringe on Chuck Berry.†Smith says the claims by Chavez and Public Enemy are â€publicity stunts.†And the beat goes on.

 

From:

http://ew.com/article/1991/02/01/controversy-over-justify-my-love/

 

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The Immaculate Collection

DAVID BROWNE

POSTED ON 

 

DECEMBER 14, 1990 AT 5:00AM EDT

 

If you think the hoo-ha over Madonna’s banned but purchasable â€Justify My Love†video is the woman’s only contribution to the gift-giving season, you’ve underestimated her. Continuing her tradition of having a media-fueled controversy coincide with something fans can actually buy, out comes the inevitable hits package, The Immaculate Collection. At 17 tracks totaling 73 minutes — 15 top 20s plus two newly recorded tunes — Immaculate is as relentless as the woman herself. It never lets you forget for one dance-remixed second that few artists have racked up such a string of hits over such a relatively short period of time.

 

But the collection, which shares a title with a simultaneously released anthology of her increasingly self-conscious videos, also serves a more important function. In light of her videos, her still-unresolved movie career, and her shameless knack for self-promotion, it’s easy to forget that Madonna is more than a living breathing manual for careerism. The Immaculate Collectionis a welcome reminder of what drew many of us to the Material Girl in the first place: her music. The album refocuses our attention on how brilliant her records have been over the years — and gives us a peek into the obstacles she might face as her career enters the ’90s.

 

Madonna’s first major hit, â€Holiday,†was a spunky dance-beat trifle that seemed to come out of nowhere. At the time, few thought it more than a one-shot. But â€Holiday†turned out to be the first of a seemingly endless string of sly, expertly crafted singles. Though a common assumption is that her main talent is pushing the limits of our collective libido, Madonna has pushed musical boundaries as well. And The Immaculate Collection, sequenced chronologically for maximum impact, proves it. In theory, a 30-ish urban sophisticate singing in the voice of a pregnant teen (in â€Papa Don’t Preachâ€), making Carmen Miranda-does-MTV moves (in â€La Isla Bonitaâ€), and sprouting implausible gospel roots (in â€Like a Prayerâ€) ought to sound ridiculous. With the help of collaborators like Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard, though, each number turns into a perfectly conceived pop record. And when â€Into the Groove,†the best of her early, back-alley singles, is followed on Immaculate by â€Live to Tell,†one of her few successful shots at being a balladeer, the range of Madonna’s music-making becomes breathtakingly evident.

 

Its title notwithstanding, Immaculate is hardly pure. Many of the songs have been remixed by New York producer Shep Pettibone. Yet, unlike the extended, bass-heavy productions on her 1987 You Can Dance remix album, Pettibone’s work here enhances, rather than overpowers, the songs. â€Like a Prayer†has a lighter, frothier texture that adds poignancy to its vaguely spiritual lyrics, while the remixing brings out the power chords under â€Lucky Star.†Pettibone can’t do much with Madonna’s throaty vocal style, though as the album demonstrates, he doesn’t have to. Madonna may not be an angelic thrush like Mariah Carey, but Carey has only one-fifth her vocal personality. And great pop is nothing if not personality.

 

Immaculate also contains two new songs: â€Rescue Me,†a flimsy â€Vogue†rewrite, and the instantly notorious â€Justify My Love,†a collaboration with retro rocker Lenny Kravitz that is basically heavy breathing with a backbeat. Neither breaks new ground for her. But then her most recent album, I’m Breathless, didn’t either. That Dick Tracy-uninspired shot at â€adult†pop found Madonna adapting to roles rather than creating them. But even if The Immaculate Collection is the end of an era, it stands as the story of one woman’s journey from fledgling self-promoter to rich self-promoter, with the aid of a good beat and uncanny marketing instincts. It proves that in all of recent pop, there are few stories more fascinating. 

 

A-

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25 YEARS SINCE – MADONNA'S IMMACULATE COLLECTION

By James Rose

 

November 29, 2015

 

My 12-year-old daughter listens to the usual bevy of flashy female singers: Swift to Gomez, Perry to Goulding. Now they all seem a little generic, warbling on about their conception of life’s numerous struggles, all against a catchy back beat. It all sounds like it’s been there forever. But it hasn’t. Female artists singing about more than pleasing their boyfriends and being pathetic is not standard. The career of Madonna Ciccone tracks a large curve in the arc towards strong female lyrics and a power persona. In pop music, her influence is unmatched. Her Immaculate Collection, released in November 1990, tells one of the major storylines in the progression of women artists in popular music.

 

She was born lucky, with the name Madonna, a name perfect for pop Diva’dom (imagine if it was Sharon). Her early career as a dancer and in a few post-punk bands hardly identified her as a major talent. Her first solo album, Madonna(1983) simmered rather than set the world alight initially, entering Billboard’s charts almost unnoticed at 190.

 

Her third single from the album, Holiday, became a worldwide hit and set Madonna on the path that was to see her become one of the biggest acts in recording history. Her eponymous debut album soon began to gain on the momentum of Holiday and two further big singles, Lucky Star and Borderline established her globally.

 

These three songs open Immaculate Conception. The first, Holiday, is a fairly sappy, empty pop number. Hearing this track today it’s hard to understand how Madonna went so far. The vocals are ordinary, even chirpy, and the lyrics are Gidgetish. Which is what makes hearing it at the base of Immaculate so interesting. This was a conventional, ’80s dance number and gives a sense of what the mainstream was listening to when Madonna landed. The journey from here is largely that of female pop music to today.

Lucky Star runs a pretty mundane lyric through a killer, bassy, moog beat. It’s perfect for the ’80s dance floor, but already it has additional layering to Holiday and though not vastly different from that track, it builds on it and offers an incrementally more complex and interesting sound.

 

The ability of Madonna to write catchy pop hooks is already in evidence in these two tracks, even if her lyrical sophistication was yet to come. Borderline gives an insight to an emerging wordsmith, with a deeper sensibility married to her unerring aim on manufactured pop hooks.

 

Pop took a turn with Madonna at the wheel in 1984, with the release of her second album, Like a Virgin. Already by now the bleached hair, the weightlifter’s bangles, the lace tops and fishnet stockings — all developed from the punk look — were becoming essential items and creating a fashion moment in their own right. Madonna was driving her career through her look as much as anything.

 

But Like a Virgin and its cheeky title track put the artist onto another level. The word “virgin†was still a little risque and singing about it, titling a song with it even, was a touch rebellious (she and Richard Branson broke some barriers there). And with lines like “It feels so good insideâ€, Madonna’s habit of the sexually infused innuendo was perhaps first heard.

 

Like a Virgin is track four on Immaculate, and is a signpost to Madonna’s unwillingness to stay still. She seems to have been determined to make her star as much out of talent and ambition as out of perennial statement making, although, interestingly, she is not given any writing credit for the song.

 

Material Girl is in a similar vein, laying down the sassy, wordly ingenue line which Madonna was fashioning into her stock in trade. 

 

Her take on femininity and on the world at large, as channelled through her art, was becoming not only a useful career move, but culturally iconic. Her lyrics were becoming woven with broader themes not generally at the centre of dance tracks and pop songs. Immaculate‘s next tracks Live to Tell, Papa Don’t Preach and Open Your Heart, all from the True Blue album (1986) define the moment perfectly.

 

The stand-out of this trio is Papa Don’t Preach. This is an extraordinary, complex and expansive track, perhaps a watershed in pop history. In dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, it also layers the narrative with the pregnant woman’s relationship with her father. For Madonna was raised a Catholic and she lost her mother when she was young. She subsequently held tight to her dad, and in the context of her that upbringing the song is emotionally honest and explosively raw.

 

In drawing threads between a woman’s conjugal relationship with a man, fears of her father’s judgement and her daughter’s love, it enters some dark and surely unchartered pop music territory.

 

Like a Prayer, taken from the 1989 album of the same name, takes Madonna’s by now mega career into further outlandish territory. This remarkable track, and the now legendary video, cooks up a spicy stew of religion, social injustice, racism and authority. The video, with its black Jesus, burning crosses, church choir and its To-Kill-A-Mockingbird narrative, was highly controversial. It was another savvy Madonna PR victory.

 

It fairly blew the minds of conservative belts all around the world and kept Madonna in the news columns as well as in the charts. Express Yourself, the next track, captured Madonna’s aim for her and her audience. She was making a major career on doing just that.

 

By the final tracks, Vogue, Justify My Love and Rescue Me, Madonna is beginning a phase of her career that oscillates between cynical self-exploitation and courageous self-expression. Raunchy videos, explicitly themed lyrics and boudoir beats became de rigueur for the lady now arguably bearing the biggest name in popular music. While occasionally PR overtook the music, there is no denying that the journey from Holiday to Justify My Love traverses a large expanse of female pop artistry.

 

This latter phase – in this album’s time frame at least – saw Madonna’s always fine balance between presentation and pure musicality on an ever finer keel. As such, while her efforts at this time can come across as camp titillation, Madonna’s work was also courageous and ground breaking. In standing up to convention she was making a new one, one that female artists would run with in the subsequent years. Many women, and men, can thank for her spinning the gears a little more towards not only greater gender equality, but sexual freedom too.

 

Immaculate Collection is the biggest selling compilation album by any solo artist. With around 30 million sales worldwide, it is one of the best selling albums of all time, period. In Australia, the album stayed at number one for a total of 10 weeks over the Christmas/New Year months in 1990/91, and is certified 12 times platinum with almost 1 million units moved here.

 

Immaculate Collection is a narrative in itself. It is a story of women and pop music in the decade leading to 1990.

 

Madonna was a creative force, morphing and inventing styles as she went. Musically, she can be under-rated; as a pop songwriter, lyricist and producer she excelled. In terms of the songs, there is not a blank track on Immaculate.

 

Immaculate Collection is pop music history, in itself a living timeline of an era. And a great really album.

 

My daughter has never heard of her, but she’ll get it one day.

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SoulBounce’s Class Of 1990: Madonna ‘The Immaculate Collection’

http://www.soulbounce.com/soul/2010/12/soulbounces_class_of_1990_madonna_the_immaculate_collection/

December 6, 2010 
 
That The Immaculate Collection is the biggest selling compilation album by a solo artist OF ALL TIME is no big surprise when you factor in the consummate icon that is Madonna Louise Ciccone. That even her greatest hits album would set the bar for all greatest hits albums to follow it is a no-brainer given the astronomical number of bars she's raised. Let's set the stage, though: 1990 was a huge year for The Material Girl even prior to The Immaculate Collection. The movie Dick Tracy, which Madonna starred in with then-paramour Warren Beatty, and the movie's soundtrack, I'm Breathless, which includes the Academy Award winning Stephen Sondheim ballad "Sooner Or Later" and "Vogue," one of the biggest hits of Madonna's career, were both released mid-1990 to much fanfare and many accolades. Madonna also embarked on a huge concert tour in the spring of '90, the Blonde Ambition World Tour, while simultaneously shooting her concert documentary, Truth or Dare. She had already solidified her place as the most successful female artist of the '80s with three number one albums and seven number one singles. So it's only fitting that The Immaculate Collection, which served as a venerable summary of Madonna's entire career up to that point, closed out her mammoth year.

 

Many artists have used their "Best of" albums to fulfill quota obligations to their record companies. Even if that's all The Immaculate Collection aspired to be, it still would have been damn good. A compilation album, when assembled correctly, is a joyous non-stop reminder of why you really love an artist and what impact their music has played in your life. And love her or hate her (and I LOVE her), Madonna makes insanely listenable and memorable music. It's hard to hear those first Casio chords of "Holiday" or the synthesized intro of "Into The Groove" ("And you can dance! For inspiration!") and not shimmy a little. "Like A Virgin" is a bonafide pop classic, ditto "Borderline." No Madonna collection means much without "Express Yourself" ("Come on, girls! Do you believe in love?") or even "Papa Don't Preach" (sidenote: it took me years after this song was released to realize she was singing about her pregnancy. I thought "[my] baby" was her boyfriend. I was young.) So the anticipation of The Immaculate Collection, even to those of us who already owned all of the albums the songs came from, matched that built by any Madonna release. Her albums were considered huge events back in those days, and this was no different. But The Immaculate Collection had something else going for it, too--two brand new songs. The insanely danceable club banger "Rescue Me" and an achingly sexy, thumping, bass heavy track entitled "Justify My Love" which was co-written by Lenny Kravitz, closed out the compilation. Both of these new songs, the latter especially, began a new Madonna era that would carry over into her next album, 1992's Erotica.

 

The BDSM art film noir-ish "Justify My Love" video wasn't the first controversial Madonna moment, of course. The frenzy over burning crosses, stigmata and making out with a black saint in "Like a Prayer" the year before had barely died down. Nor was Madonna a neophyte to censorship as her "Like a Prayer" themed Pepsi commercial only saw the light of day once before it was yanked from TV. However, she was new to being banned from MTV, so when they refused to play the video, she was quite pissed. A live Nightline interview soon followed and marks the first and only time "Justify My Love" has been played in it's entirety on network television. Madonna also may have invented the very concept of a video single as "Justify My Love" was sold on VHS soon after it was banned to much success. Twenty years later and the video has still never been played on MTV. But Madonna's an old pro at getting banned by MTV now; her videos for "Erotica," "What It Feels Like For A Girl," and the original version of "American Life" would also later be banned.

 

The Immaculate Collection has been certified diamond (10-plus times platinum) by the RIAA in several different countries, selling over 30 million copies worldwide; in fact, it remains the best-selling album by a female artist in Britain to this day. The album periodically reappears on the world charts when Madonna releases new music and has also been re-released several times with the addition of new songs, most notably as The Holiday Collection in the UK and Europe and The Royal Box, which includes all the videos from the album as well as Madonna's Marie Antoinette inspired 1990 MTV Video Music Awards performance of "Vogue."

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I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy

http://ew.com/article/1990/05/25/im-breathless-music-and-inspired-film-dick-tracy/

 

WE GAVE IT AN A

 

Madonna’s new album is far more than music. It’s part of an extraordinary, ongoing Madonna Event. First there was a cover story about her in Vanity Fair, followed by her new single and video, â€Vogue,†in which she proclaimed the latest dance craze. Earlier this month Madonna appeared on Arsenio Hall’s show and confessed that she likes being spanked. Then she began her concert tour, for which she premiered a new hairstyle and dressed her male dancers in brassieres.

 

Now comes this naughty and triumphant album, â€from and inspired by†the movie in which Madonna costars as Breathless Mahoney. The film has been hyped as this summer’s blockbuster, but its June 15 premiere is starting to look like the finale of the great 1990 Madonna Event.

 

Only three songs on the album, one a duet with Mandy Patinkin, are actually from the film. They were written — two of them in a pastiche of ’30s and ’40s show-tune styles — by Stephen Sondheim, who, as Broadway’s most sardonic and intellectual composer, would seem to be entirely un-Madonna-like.

 

But Madonna rises to the challenge. Forget the piping-voiced pop star of the past. Madonna now knows how to project Sondheim’s characteristic verbal wit. She even invents a new Broadway vocal persona, built around a chest voice not yet perfectly under control but still much richer and duskier than her low range sounded before.

 

The songs inspired by the film (four written by Madonna with Patrick Leonard, two written for her by others) provide an even sharper surprise. Amazingly, they validate Madonna’s claim in Vanity Fair that, good as Sondheim’s Dick Tracy songs might be, hers, which are not in the film, are â€the real shit.†They don’t have the depth of Sondheim, but, except for a bland (though somewhat smoky) ballad called â€Something to Remember,†they’re spicier.

 

â€I can show you some fun/And I don’t mean with a gun,†Madonna sings in â€He’s a Man,†while the music behind her bumps and grinds. In â€Back in Business†she taunts an enemy, seconded by a male chorus and a sultry sax. And in â€Cry Baby,†a parody of ’30s cartoon-like novelty songs, Madonna and Leon- ard dare to match Sondheim wit for wit in their lyrics, and win. These songs are just as true to the film’s period ambience as Sondheim’s, and, as Madonna sings them, more memorable.

 

Even â€Vogue,†which is ’90s-style dance music not inspired by the film, somehow fits in. It ends the album, and improbably sounds like a genuine culmination. Vogueing is about striking poses, and that is exactly what the other songs do. Sondheim poses as Gershwin; Madonna poses as Sondheim; and Warren Beatty, who unsteadily sings a duet with Madonna called â€Now I’m Following You,†poses as the kind of singer popular two generations ago. After nearly 40 minutes of that, â€Vogue†makes perfect sense.

 

So does the outrageous sex in the songs. Sex has always been a central subject of Madonna’s art. She challenges traditional limitations and tries to clear space for everybody to live more easily with the varied forms sexuality might take.

 

Her Breathless Mahoney character functions, she has said, as Dick Tracy’s temptress — Tracy being an American hero of the old school who favors business over pleasure. Maybe that’s why she pushes sexual barriers farther than ever in I’m Breathless.

 

In one song, â€Hanky Panky,†Madonna sings (over a rolling boogie bass) about erotic spankings — the kind she told Arsenio Hall she likes to receive. And in â€Now I’m Following You (Part II),†she splices a line from the movie and a line from â€Hanky Panky†together, producing this delightful challenge to censorship: â€Dick. . .that’s an interesting name. My bottom hurts just thinking about you.â€

 

Since the album carries no warning sticker, will censors now go after Madonna, a star far more established than any they’ve seriously challenged before? That’s a fight I’d love to see — especially with Madonna riding the crest of her fame, basking in the glow of an album 10 times more accomplished than any record she has made before.

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