THERE’S ONLY ONE

You can call her the Queen of Pop or you can call her the Material Girl, but there’s no moniker quite so evocative as simply: Madonna. The seven-time Grammy Award winner returns to the stage in an epic world tour billed as “a journey from darkness to light.” And whether you’re in it for Madonna’s trademark blend of controversial themes and killer dance moves, or simply some delicious pop hooks, you won’t be disappointed.

TOP 10 MDNA FACTS

1. A seasoned pro: this is Madonna’s ninth concert tour, in support of her 12th studio album MDNA.

2. Famous firsts: the MDNA tour marked Madonna’s first performances in the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Scotland and Colombia.

3. Deep, but with plenty of dancing, too: Madonna divides the MDNA show into sections titled Transgression, Prophecy, Masculine/Feminine and Redemption.

4. She’s still got it (duh): Billboard ranked this as the highest-grossing tour of 2012, with over $305 million grossed from 88 sold-out shows.

5. Double whammy: the MDNA tour’s success makes it the second highest grossing tour of all time by a female artist. Number one? Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour.

6. Fashion forward: Madonna’s long-time designer Jean Paul Gaultier created the costumes for this tour.

7. Can you blame them? Fans lined up 24 hours in advance to score tickets for Madonna’s first-ever show in Abu Dhabi.

8. And go! 60,000 tickets for Madonna’s performance at Yankee Stadium sold out in just 20 minutes, prompting concert promoters to add a second NYC date.

9. Not to be outdone by the Big Apple, Madonna’s Kansas City fans snapped up tickets so fast the show sold out in a mere 12 minutes.

10. For those about to rock: tickets for the show at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa sold out in 21 minutes to become the fastest-selling concert in the venue’s history, knocking off previous record holders AC/DC.

LONELY STAR

“Take a Bow” is a song by Madonna from her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories. Released as the second single from Bedtime Stories in December 6, 1994, the song appears on her compilation albums Something to Remember (1995), GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). It was written and produced by Madonna and R&B singer-songwriter Babyface and became her longest running number one hit in the United States. It was her first single to reach number one in the United States after “This Used to Be My Playground” (1992), and it was her last number one song in the United States in the 1990s.

The music video for “Take a Bow” was directed by Michael Haussman in Ronda and the bullring of Antequera, Spain. The plot sees Madonna as a bullfighter’s neglected lover, played by real-life Spanish bullfighter Emilio Muñoz, yearning for his presence. The video won Best Female Video honors at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna performed “Take a Bow” live with Babyface at the 1995 American Music Awards and at the 1995 San Remo Festival in Italy.

MAGICAL

LOS ANGELES, July 25, 2012 — Following overwhelming demand for tickets to Madonna’s intimate club show scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 26th at the historic Olympia in Paris, the Material Girl has invited her fans around the world to see her performance via a live global stream through LoveLive’s YouTube channel beginning 10:15pm Paris time CET; 4:15pm ET. There will also be a post stream of the show where the footage can be viewed in its entirety.

The show, which was confirmed by Live Nation – Madonna’s MDNA international tour partner -, will include songs from the artist’s current album, MDNA, along with her new single, “Turn Up The Radio” as well as several classics. MDNA which was released by Universal Records debuted at No. 1 in over 40 countries. The Olympia, founded in 1888 has been the site of legendary shows by performers such as Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour.

ILLUSION

“Get Together” is a song by Madonna from her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor. Produced by Madonna and Stuart Price, the song was released as the third single from the album by Warner Bros. Records on June 6, 2006. The decision was spurred by the fact that “Get Together” was the third most downloaded song from the album. It was also released to coincide with the start of Madonna’s Confessions Tour. Inspired by Stardust’s single “Music Sounds Better with You”, “Get Together” portrays an anthem-like picture with its lyrics, about the different possibilities of finding love on the dance floor.

Contemporary critics appreciated the song, calling it fluid in nature and a wonderful dance track. They complimented Madonna’s ability to turn cliché comments into pop slogans with the song. After its worldwide release, the song became a success on the dance charts of the United States but failed to enter the official Billboard Hot 100 chart, only peaked at #6 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. It reached the top ten in countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy and topped the chart in Spain.

The accompanying music video incorporated Madonna’s performance of the song at London’s Koko Club, but it was animated to make it different visually. The video showed Madonna singing the song amongst graphical visuals portraying volcanoes erupting and a cityscape. Madonna performed the song on her Confessions Tour where she was accompanied by two dancers wearing horse reins around their head. In 2007, the song was nominated in the category of Best Dance Recording at the 49th Grammy Awards but lost to Justin Timberlake’s 2006 single “SexyBack”.

NOBODY’S PERFECT

“Don’t Tell Me” is a song by Madonna. It was released as the second single from her eighth studio album Music on November 21, 2000 by Maverick Records. It received positive reviews from music critics, most of whom called it a highlight of the album. In 2005, the song was placed at #285 on Blender magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born”.

Recognized as Madonna’s first mainstream country-inspired song, “Don’t Tell Me” was commercially successful. It reached the top five slots in several international charts including Finland, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, and topping the charts in Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa. It topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It would remain Madonna’s last top ten hit until 2002’s “Die Another Day”. The single has sold around 4.5 million copies to date. Madonna has performed the song live on the Don’t Tell Me Promo Tour (2000), the Drowned World Tour (2001) and the Re-Invention World Tour (2004).

The music video for “Don’t Tell Me” was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, who worked with Madonna in her videos for “Open Your Heart”, “Justify My Love”, “Human Nature” and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore”, and filmed in October 2000. The choreography was done by Alex Magno, who also collaborated on the Drowned World Tour. The tour designers Dsquared and Arianne Phillips also designed Madonna’s cowgirl costume. The video features Madonna walking down an automated treadmill walkway in front of a projection screen, while cowboys dance and play on the sand in the video played on the screen behind her. Later, they join Madonna in front of the screen in a choreographed dance routine. The iconic final scene of the video depicts a cowboy riding a Skewbald horse in slow motion getting thrown to the ground, and getting up again.

BLOND AMBITION

Madonna gets Naked! The provocative black and white ad for the new fragrance, Truth or Dare Naked, captures Madonna in her truest form: confident and bold, exposed to the world.

Truth or Dare by Madonna Naked is a provocative and sexy scent that reveals Madonna’s sensual inner qualities. Blending a sense of richness and flirty femininity, the fragrance is playful yet confident. A bold combination of creamy woodiness is paired with addictive vanilla nuances and sparkling florals, for a scent that is immediately captivating.

• Top Notes: Honeysuckle, Peach Blossom, Neroli
• Mid Notes: Sensual Vanilla Orchid, Cocoa Flower, Lily of the Valley
• Base Notes: Texas Cedarwood, Oud Wood Accord, Sandalwood Australia

TRUTH OR DARE

Madonna
Magazine: Vanity Fair, April 1991
Photographer: Steven Meisel

DANCE AND SING

On October 6th, 1982, Madonna released her very first single titled “Everybody”. October 6th, 2012, will mark her 30th Anniversary in the entertainment world. “I was living on the Upper West Side, 99th and Riverside, and about 7:00 at night I had the radio on in my bedroom, on WKTU, and I heard ‘Everybody’. I said ‘Oh, my God, that’s me coming out of that box.’ It was an amazing feeling.” Madonna talking about hearing “Everybody” first time on radio.

SECRETS

“In the Closet” is a song by Michael Jackson from his 1991 Dangerous album. The song became that album’s second number one R&B single and its third top ten pop single, hitting number six on the Billboard Hot 100. “In the Closet” was originally conceived as a duet between Jackson and Madonna. According to a 1992 interview with British journalist Jonathan Ross, Madonna said she worked on some lyrical ideas for the song but when she presented them to Michael, he decided they were too provocative and they decided not to continue with the project. In the sepia colored music video, directed by Herb Ritts, Jackson is seen dancing with supermodel Naomi Campbell. The video was filmed in late March 1992 in Salton Sea, California and premiered on April 23, 1992. This video was Jackson’s most sexually provocative piece ever. This video was banned in South Africa due to its imagery. The video is featured on Dangerous – The Short Films and Michael Jackson’s Vision.

ON AND ON

“Give It 2 Me” is a song by Madonna, featured on her 11th studio album Hard Candy. It was released on June 4, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the album. The song was written by Madonna as an anthemic, self-manifesto song which, although it appears to be about dance and sex, is a reference to Madonna’s career spanning three decades in the music industry. Musically, “Give It 2 Me” is an upbeat dance song, featuring instrumentation from West African percussion and cowbells. Backing vocals are provided by Pharrell Williams.

“Give It 2 Me” received positive reviews from contemporary critics. The song became Madonna’s 39th number-one single on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It charted on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week, and reached a peak of 57 only, due to limited radio play. The song topped the music charts in Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain, while it attained top-ten positions on the charts of many other nations.

The music video featured Madonna recreating her look from the Elle magazine May covergirl photo shoot, and was directed by photographer Tom Munro. Williams had a guest appearance in the video. It received positive response for her retro-inspired look. Madonna performed “Give It 2 Me” on both the promotional tour for Hard Candy, and the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour, where she performed it as the final song of the concert. “Give It 2 Me” received a Grammy nomination in 2009 in the Best Dance Recording category.

CHERISH

Madonna recorded a cover version of “I Want You” with British trip-hop group Massive Attack for her ballads compilation album Something to Remember and the Marvin Gaye tribute album Inner City Blues: The Music of Marvin Gaye in 1995. It was released as a promotional single in 1995.

After the release of her successful single “Take a Bow”, Madonna was approached by Earle Sebastian about a cover of this song for a tribute album. She originally turned down the offer because of her vocal training for Evita but later decided to release a compilation album to hold fans over while she was working on Evita. When Warner Bros. asked for three new tracks, Madonna accepted the proposal of Massive Attack.

Originally, “I Want You” was slated to become the first single from the compilation album, Something to Remember. The song was released as a promotional single in September 1995 and a music video was shot and released to many media outlets. Many problems arose internally, which resulted in “You’ll See” being quickly released as a single instead. The video received heavy airplay on both MTV and VH1. Along with medium radio airplay, many fans speculated as to why the song was never released as an official single. Neither Massive Attack nor Madonna have commented on this matter.

The song appears on the album in two versions: the original album version and an orchestral version. Dance remixes by Junior Vasquez and Warren Rigg have also surfaced and are available on the internet, as well as various mixes of the orchestral and original versions.

“I Want You” was shot on August 5 and 6, 1995 at Empire Stages in Long Island City, New York and directed by Earle Sebastian. Directed by Earle Sebastian, produced by Joel Hinman, edited by Bruce Ashley, the video was inspired by and pays hommage to A Telephone Call, a short story written by American writer, Dorothy Parker. The video was promoted to VH1 and MTV. MTV Europe did and still does air the video, especially in the late-night show “Chill Out Zone”. “I Want You” received a nomination for “MTV Amour” at the MTV Europe Music Awards 1996, but lost to The Fugees’s “Killing Me Softly”. Julian Hirsh did several mixes of the track, while rare promos featuring nearly a dozen slightly altered versions of the original song exist. The video was also the only case in Madonna’s career where a non-released single was given the full video treatment. The video was commercially released in 2009 on Celebration: The Video Collection.

SKY FITS HEAVEN

Ray of Light is the seventh studio album by Madonna, released on March 3, 1998. After giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, Madonna started working on her new album with producers Babyface, Patrick Leonard and English producer William Orbit. Following failed sessions with Babyface and Leonard, Madonna pursued a new musical direction with Orbit. The recording took place over four months, and experienced problems with the hardware Pro Tools arrangement by Orbit, which would break down, and recording would have to be delayed until they could be repaired, as well as the absence of live bands.

Musically, the album is a pop and dance record, yet, it incorporates strong elements of electronic music within its composition, making it a departure from her previous work. Additionally, it incorporates several genres and subgenres, including techno, trip hop, drum and bass, ambient, rock and classical music. Vocally, the album saw Madonna sing using greater breadth and a fuller tone. Oriental themes are also present on the album, as a result from her conversion to Kabbalah, her study of Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as her daily practice of Yoga; songs like “Sky Fits Heaven” and “Shanti/Ashtangi” are examples from these activities.

Upon release, the album received acclaim and was lauded by contemporary critics as a masterpiece. Reviewers commended the singer’s new musical direction, calling it her “most adventurous” record, as well as its mature, restrained nature; the singer’s vocals were also praised. Ray of Light won four Grammy Awards from a total of six nominations. Commercially, the album also was a success, peaking at number one in fourteen countries. On the US Billboard 200, the album debuted and peaked at number two. With estimated sales of 20 million copies worldwide, Ray of Light remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Five singles were released from the album, including global top-five hits “Frozen” and “Ray of Light”. In order to support Ray of Light and her following album, Madonna embarked on the Drowned World Tour in 2001. Critics and scholars have noted the album’s influence on popular music, especially how it helped bring electronic music into mainstream pop culture. They also noted the way in which Madonna was able to re-invent herself and remain fresh and contemporary amidst the more teen pop-based music of the period. In such a way, the album has been included in many critic lists and polls, including Rolling Stone magazine’s “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

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

BIRTHDAY GIRL

Madonna, 1998
Photographer: Mario Testino

OPEN YOUR HEART

LOS ANGELES, July 25, 2012 — Following overwhelming demand for tickets to Madonna’s intimate club show scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 26th at the historic Olympia in Paris, the Material Girl has invited her fans around the world to see her performance via a live global stream through LoveLive’s YouTube channel beginning 10:15pm Paris time CET; 4:15pm ET. There will also be a post stream of the show where the footage can be viewed in its entirety.

The show, which was confirmed by Live Nation – Madonna’s MDNA international tour partner -, will include songs from the artist’s current album, MDNA, along with her new single, “Turn Up The Radio” as well as several classics. MDNA which was released by Universal Records debuted at No. 1 in over 40 countries. The Olympia, founded in 1888 has been the site of legendary shows by performers such as Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour.

THERE IS A LIGHT

SHAKE UP

FEVER

“Bad Girl” is a song by Madonna, released as the third single from her 1992 studio album Erotica in February 1993 by Maverick Records. Written by Madonna, Shep Pettibone, and Anthony Shimkin and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, the single was released a month after the controversial erotic thriller Body of Evidence, which also starred Madonna. The song was a modest success on the charts, reaching number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the UK Singles Chart, falling off the chart shortly after. This caused the release of the next UK single “Fever” to be released only four weeks later.

Madonna has only ever performed the song live once during an appearance on Saturday Night Live in January 1993. In North America the single included remixes of the album track “Fever”, which was released independently in Europe as the fourth single from Erotica.

The music video to accompany the single was directed by David Fincher, who had previously collaborated on Madonna’s “Express Yourself”, “Oh Father” and “Vogue” videos. It also features the American actor Christopher Walken who plays “a guardian angel (or the angel of death)”.

The video features Madonna as “Louise Oriole” (Madonna’s middle name is Louise and Oriole is a street she once lived on), a high-powered Manhattan female executive who is an alcoholic and has a penchant for one-night stands with many different men (from affluent yuppies to shady low-lifes). She behaves this way in order to try to deal with her depression and sadness over a relationship with someone she loves deeply, but ultimately has no future. Through her days, Louise gets distracted by cigarettes, cocktails, and random hook-ups, as lamented in the song’s lyrics. Christopher Walken plays her guardian angel, who watches over her activities and delivers Louise with a “kiss of death” before her final encounter with a man, during which she is suggested to have been strangled with pantyhose.

After Ellen von Unwerth and Tim Burton had rejected the offer to direct the music video, it was eventually directed by David Fincher, who worked with Madonna in her videos for “Express Yourself”, “Oh Father” and “Vogue”, and filmed on location in New York City from January 12–18, 1993. The video also features an uncredited cameo appearance from Matt Dillon, who plays a crime scene cop.

FALLING FREE

DON’T STOP

Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by Madonna, released on October 25, 1994 by Maverick Records. Madonna collaborated with Dallas Austin, Babyface, Dave “Jam” Hall and Nellee Hooper, deciding to move into a more R&B direction. Madonna tried to soften her image after releasing several sexually explicit works earlier in the decade.

The album was inspired by contemporary R&B and new jack swing, developing a generally more mainstream, radio-friendly sound. Like its predecessor Erotica (1992), Bedtime Stories explores lyrical themes of love, sorrow, and romance, but with a toned-down, less sexual approach. Critics described the album as “autobiographical”. The album’s final single “Human Nature” addresses the controversy surrounding Erotica, while “Bedtime Story” was written by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk. Bedtime Stories received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised the album’s candid lyrics and production.

Commercially, the album proved to be successful. Debuting and peaking at number three on the Billboard 200, the album was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It peaked in the top five in most territories, topping the charts in Australia. Four singles were released from the album. The lead single, “Secret”, gave Madonna her record-breaking 34th consecutive top ten single in the United Kingdom, while “Take a Bow” spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 (the longest run for any of Madonna’s chart-toppers). Other singles released were “Bedtime Story” and “Human Nature”. The album was not accompanied by a tour. At the 38th Grammy Awards, Bedtime Stories received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album.

CLOSE YOUR EYES

“Erotica” is the lead single from Madonna’s fifth studio album, Erotica (1992). The single was released in October 1992 by Maverick Records, and later included on her greatest hits albums GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). Released amidst a blaze of publicity and hype for the single and other projects at the time, “Erotica” became her first lead single from an album not to hit number one in the U.S. since her debut album in 1983. Fourteen years after its original release, the song received renewed attention with its inclusion in the set list for the Confessions Tour (2006). This song, along with “Secret Garden”, was the only Madonna song used in her feature film debut as a director, Filth and Wisdom (2007).

“Erotica” continued Madonna’s exploration of potent spoken-word vocals (as introduced in “Justify My Love”) and was highly controversial when it was released due to its sexual theme and suggestive lyrics. Upon the song’s release, the Vatican banned Madonna from entering the state and her music was banned on its radio stations. The song and its accompanying album are also banned in Lebanon.

In 2011, Slant Magazine listed “Erotica” at number thirty-four on their list of the “Best Singles of the 1990’s”, stating that the song is Madonna’s “invitation to the dance, a slithering, sinister snake rising from a gaudily ornate chalice. The beats are, by design, hypnotic, at once alluring and devious. With “Erotica,” Madonna promises to get you off, but not without giving you something.”

The music video for “Erotica” is one of Madonna’s most infamous videos, directed by fashion photographer Fabien Baron. The clip depicts Madonna as a a masked dominatrix with a golden tooth and a whip; interspersed are scenes from the making of the Sex book. The American MTV aired it a total of three times (all of these in the “safe harbor”) due to its highly charged sexual content, and it was eventually Madonna’s second video to be banned from airing by that channel. There are two versions of the video – the “standard” version which contained no nudity was released in the United States (it can be viewed on Madonna’s official web page); and a more explicit version of the video was released only in Europe and Australia, which contained full-frontal nudity of Madonna and variation in the editing. The video was ranked #16 on VH1’s “50 Sexiest Video Moments”. An uncensored version was also made available and features full nudity, very course language, fellatio, anal sex and extreme bondage.