Post by goodie on Sept 16, 2007 7:31:51 GMT -5
#5. Madonna
Biggest Hit of the 90s: Vogue
Biggest Album of the 90s: The Immaculate Collection
Other Singles from the 90s: Keep It Together, Hanky Panky, Justify My Love, Rescue Me, This Used To Be My Playground, Erotica, Deeper And Deeper, Bad Girl, Fever, Rain, Bye Bye Baby, I'll Remember, Secret, Take A Bow, Bedtime Story, Human Nature, You'll See, One More Chance, You Must Love Me, Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Another Suitcase In Another Hall, Frozen, Ray Of Light, Drowned World, Substitue For Love, The Power Of Goodbye, Little Star, Nothing Really Matters & Beautiful Stranger.
Biography of the 90s: Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie, better known as Madonna, is an American dance-pop singer-songwriter. She is noted for her ambitious music videos and stage performances as well as using political, sexual, and religious themes in her work.
Madonna has been one of the best selling artists in popular music since her debut in 1982. Guinness World Records lists her as the most successful female recording artist of all time. She has released many chart topping albums since that time. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimates that she had sold 200 million albums worldwide by August 2006. She has also appeared in several movies over the decades, including Evita, as well as contributing to their soundtracks. Madonna has had many worldwide tours. Billboard reported that her 2006 Confessions Tour held the record for the top-grossing concert tour by a female artist. According to both the 2007 Guinness Book of Records, and Billboard Magazine, she is the top earning female singer. Forbes magazine has estimated her net worth at $325 million.
In 1990, Madonna starred as "Breathless" Mahoney in a film adaptation of the popular comic book series Dick Tracy. To accompany the launching of the film, in May 1990 she released I'm Breathless, which included songs from and inspired by the film's 1930s setting. It featured the #1 house music anthem "Vogue" (which was an homage to Hollywood stars), the Gershwin-esque "Something to Remember", and three songs by Stephen Sondheim, including "Sooner or Later", which won an Academy Award for 'Best Original Song', I'm Breathless was a success in Europe, Australia and the United States, and sold 5 million copies worldwide (2x platinum in the U.S.).
From April until August 1990, Madonna toured Japan, North America, and Europe on her Blond Ambition World Tour, which the singer likened to musical theatre. Featuring now familiar religious and sexual themes and symbolism, the tour drew controversy from Madonna's performance of "Like a Virgin", during which she allowed two male dancers to caress her body before she simulated masturbation.
In November 1990, Madonna released her first greatest hits compilation album, The Immaculate Collection, which included two new songs: “Justify My Love” and “Rescue Me.” "Rescue Me," became the highest-debuting single by a female artist in U.S. chart history, entering the charts at number 15. The music video for “Justify My Love,” again directed by Mondino, showed Madonna at the Royal Monceau Hotel in Paris, in suggestive scenes with her then-lover, model/actor Tony Ward, as well as scenes of S&M, bondage with gay and lesbian characters, and brief nudity. It was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV, and was subsequently banned from the station. Warner Bros Records released the video as a video single — the first of its kind — and it became the highest-selling video single of all time. The album went on to sell over 22 million copies worldwide.
In 1991, Madonna starred in her first documentary film, Truth or Dare (also known as In Bed with Madonna outside North America), which chronicled her successful 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, as well as her personal life. The following year, she appeared in the baseball film A League of Their Own with a mostly critically praised (one of her few film honors) portrayal of Italian American Mae Mordabito and recorded the film's theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground", which became her tenth #1 single in the United States.
Erotica, produced primarily with Shep Pettibone, was labeled a "porn" album, many assuming that all of the album's tracks contained sexual themes, though in reality the album only featured three (out of fourteen) overtly sexual songs: "Erotica", "Where Life Begins", and "Did You Do It?". The album peaked at number two in the U.S. and produced six singles, the most successful being its title track “Erotica,” which became the highest-debuting (number two) single in the history of the U.S. Hot 100 Airplay chart.[citation needed] The controversial music video that accompanied the song only aired three times on MTV due to its highly charged sexual content. The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993 featured Madonna dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix, surrounded by topless dancers, including Luca Tommassini and Carrie Ann Inaba. The controversy surrounding the tour continued when she caused an uproar in Puerto Rico by rubbing the island's flag between her legs on stage, while Orthodox Jews protested against her first-ever show in Israel. Madonna would later comment that this period of her life was designed to give the world every single morsel of what they seemed to be demanding in their invasion of her private life. She hoped that once it was all out in the open, people could settle down and focus on her work.
Madonna released her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories, co-produced by Nellee Hooper and Dallas Austin. At the time, she was inspired by R&B/rock singer Joi's debut album Pendulum Vibe, and was so in love with it that she recruited producer Dallas Austin to help with her project. The album features Madonna turning to a more R&B-flavored sound. It was a success in Europe, Australia, and the United States, where it peaked at number three and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Pop Vocal Album category With its title track partially written by Björk, the album gave a hint of what would come musically a few years later. It produced four singles, including "Take a Bow", co-written and produced with Babyface. The song was a success on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number one for seven consecutive weeks, but became the first Madonna song not to chart in the UK Top 10, peaking at number 16. The Michael Haussman Spanish-themed video, meanwhile, would later help her win the lead role in Evita.
On 7 November 1995, Madonna released Something to Remember, a collection of her best ballads, which featured three new tracks, including a cover of the Marvin Gaye classic “I Want You,” which she recorded with British band Massive Attack, and the top ten hit “You'll See.” The album just missed the top five on the U.S. charts; it has since been certified triple platinum.
In 1996, Madonna’s most critically successful film, Evita, was released. The film's soundtrack became her twelfth platinum album and produced two hit singles, “Don't Cry for Me Argentina” - her nineteenth number one in the US, and “You Must Love Me”, the latter of which was written specifically for the film. “You Must Love Me” won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song From a Motion Picture the following year. Madonna herself also won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy but failed to receive an Academy Award nomination.
Madonna's seventh studio album, 1998's Ray of Light, blended personal and introspective lyrics with Eastern sounds, down-tempo, electronic instrumentation, strings by Craig Armstrong and a strong rave flavor. The album reached number two on the U.S. albums chart and since its release has been certified 4x platinum. It earned Madonna the strongest reviews of her career since Like a Prayer. After some errors in her pronunciation of Sanskrit shlokas on Ray of Light, the BBC, London, arranged for her to take telephonic lessons to learn the basic correct pronunciation of Sanskrit words from eminent scholar Dr B P T Vagish Shastri. She then made the necessary pronunciation corrections on the album.
Amazon.com described the album as "her richest, most accomplished record yet", while Rolling Stone credited Madonna and her co-producer William Orbit for "creating the first mainstream pop album that successfully embraces techno", stating that musically Ray of Light is her "most adventurous record" yet. Ray of Light produced five singles, including the European number one "Frozen" . The album won three awards at the 1999 Grammy Awards and has been ranked #363 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Microsoft used the Ray of Light title track in its 2001 advertising campaign Yes you can, to introduce Windows XP.
In 1998, Madonna was signed to play the role of violin teacher Roberta Guaspari Demetras in the film Music of the Heart, but left the project before filming began, citing "creative differences" with director Wes Craven. She has already studied for many months to play the violin. The children of Opus 118 - Harlem School of Music, led by Roberta Guaspari, performed with Madonna twice in 1998: "Frozen" at the Annual Rain Forest Benefit at Carnegie Hall, New York and at the 1998 VH1 Fashion Awards performing "The Power of Good-Bye".
Madonna followed the success of Ray of Light with the top-twenty single "Beautiful Stranger", a late 60s psyche-pop song she wrote with William Orbit and recorded for the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack (1999).
Biggest Hit of the 90s: Vogue
Biggest Album of the 90s: The Immaculate Collection
Other Singles from the 90s: Keep It Together, Hanky Panky, Justify My Love, Rescue Me, This Used To Be My Playground, Erotica, Deeper And Deeper, Bad Girl, Fever, Rain, Bye Bye Baby, I'll Remember, Secret, Take A Bow, Bedtime Story, Human Nature, You'll See, One More Chance, You Must Love Me, Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Another Suitcase In Another Hall, Frozen, Ray Of Light, Drowned World, Substitue For Love, The Power Of Goodbye, Little Star, Nothing Really Matters & Beautiful Stranger.
Biography of the 90s: Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie, better known as Madonna, is an American dance-pop singer-songwriter. She is noted for her ambitious music videos and stage performances as well as using political, sexual, and religious themes in her work.
Madonna has been one of the best selling artists in popular music since her debut in 1982. Guinness World Records lists her as the most successful female recording artist of all time. She has released many chart topping albums since that time. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimates that she had sold 200 million albums worldwide by August 2006. She has also appeared in several movies over the decades, including Evita, as well as contributing to their soundtracks. Madonna has had many worldwide tours. Billboard reported that her 2006 Confessions Tour held the record for the top-grossing concert tour by a female artist. According to both the 2007 Guinness Book of Records, and Billboard Magazine, she is the top earning female singer. Forbes magazine has estimated her net worth at $325 million.
In 1990, Madonna starred as "Breathless" Mahoney in a film adaptation of the popular comic book series Dick Tracy. To accompany the launching of the film, in May 1990 she released I'm Breathless, which included songs from and inspired by the film's 1930s setting. It featured the #1 house music anthem "Vogue" (which was an homage to Hollywood stars), the Gershwin-esque "Something to Remember", and three songs by Stephen Sondheim, including "Sooner or Later", which won an Academy Award for 'Best Original Song', I'm Breathless was a success in Europe, Australia and the United States, and sold 5 million copies worldwide (2x platinum in the U.S.).
From April until August 1990, Madonna toured Japan, North America, and Europe on her Blond Ambition World Tour, which the singer likened to musical theatre. Featuring now familiar religious and sexual themes and symbolism, the tour drew controversy from Madonna's performance of "Like a Virgin", during which she allowed two male dancers to caress her body before she simulated masturbation.
In November 1990, Madonna released her first greatest hits compilation album, The Immaculate Collection, which included two new songs: “Justify My Love” and “Rescue Me.” "Rescue Me," became the highest-debuting single by a female artist in U.S. chart history, entering the charts at number 15. The music video for “Justify My Love,” again directed by Mondino, showed Madonna at the Royal Monceau Hotel in Paris, in suggestive scenes with her then-lover, model/actor Tony Ward, as well as scenes of S&M, bondage with gay and lesbian characters, and brief nudity. It was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV, and was subsequently banned from the station. Warner Bros Records released the video as a video single — the first of its kind — and it became the highest-selling video single of all time. The album went on to sell over 22 million copies worldwide.
In 1991, Madonna starred in her first documentary film, Truth or Dare (also known as In Bed with Madonna outside North America), which chronicled her successful 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, as well as her personal life. The following year, she appeared in the baseball film A League of Their Own with a mostly critically praised (one of her few film honors) portrayal of Italian American Mae Mordabito and recorded the film's theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground", which became her tenth #1 single in the United States.
Erotica, produced primarily with Shep Pettibone, was labeled a "porn" album, many assuming that all of the album's tracks contained sexual themes, though in reality the album only featured three (out of fourteen) overtly sexual songs: "Erotica", "Where Life Begins", and "Did You Do It?". The album peaked at number two in the U.S. and produced six singles, the most successful being its title track “Erotica,” which became the highest-debuting (number two) single in the history of the U.S. Hot 100 Airplay chart.[citation needed] The controversial music video that accompanied the song only aired three times on MTV due to its highly charged sexual content. The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993 featured Madonna dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix, surrounded by topless dancers, including Luca Tommassini and Carrie Ann Inaba. The controversy surrounding the tour continued when she caused an uproar in Puerto Rico by rubbing the island's flag between her legs on stage, while Orthodox Jews protested against her first-ever show in Israel. Madonna would later comment that this period of her life was designed to give the world every single morsel of what they seemed to be demanding in their invasion of her private life. She hoped that once it was all out in the open, people could settle down and focus on her work.
Madonna released her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories, co-produced by Nellee Hooper and Dallas Austin. At the time, she was inspired by R&B/rock singer Joi's debut album Pendulum Vibe, and was so in love with it that she recruited producer Dallas Austin to help with her project. The album features Madonna turning to a more R&B-flavored sound. It was a success in Europe, Australia, and the United States, where it peaked at number three and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Pop Vocal Album category With its title track partially written by Björk, the album gave a hint of what would come musically a few years later. It produced four singles, including "Take a Bow", co-written and produced with Babyface. The song was a success on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number one for seven consecutive weeks, but became the first Madonna song not to chart in the UK Top 10, peaking at number 16. The Michael Haussman Spanish-themed video, meanwhile, would later help her win the lead role in Evita.
On 7 November 1995, Madonna released Something to Remember, a collection of her best ballads, which featured three new tracks, including a cover of the Marvin Gaye classic “I Want You,” which she recorded with British band Massive Attack, and the top ten hit “You'll See.” The album just missed the top five on the U.S. charts; it has since been certified triple platinum.
In 1996, Madonna’s most critically successful film, Evita, was released. The film's soundtrack became her twelfth platinum album and produced two hit singles, “Don't Cry for Me Argentina” - her nineteenth number one in the US, and “You Must Love Me”, the latter of which was written specifically for the film. “You Must Love Me” won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song From a Motion Picture the following year. Madonna herself also won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy but failed to receive an Academy Award nomination.
Madonna's seventh studio album, 1998's Ray of Light, blended personal and introspective lyrics with Eastern sounds, down-tempo, electronic instrumentation, strings by Craig Armstrong and a strong rave flavor. The album reached number two on the U.S. albums chart and since its release has been certified 4x platinum. It earned Madonna the strongest reviews of her career since Like a Prayer. After some errors in her pronunciation of Sanskrit shlokas on Ray of Light, the BBC, London, arranged for her to take telephonic lessons to learn the basic correct pronunciation of Sanskrit words from eminent scholar Dr B P T Vagish Shastri. She then made the necessary pronunciation corrections on the album.
Amazon.com described the album as "her richest, most accomplished record yet", while Rolling Stone credited Madonna and her co-producer William Orbit for "creating the first mainstream pop album that successfully embraces techno", stating that musically Ray of Light is her "most adventurous record" yet. Ray of Light produced five singles, including the European number one "Frozen" . The album won three awards at the 1999 Grammy Awards and has been ranked #363 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Microsoft used the Ray of Light title track in its 2001 advertising campaign Yes you can, to introduce Windows XP.
In 1998, Madonna was signed to play the role of violin teacher Roberta Guaspari Demetras in the film Music of the Heart, but left the project before filming began, citing "creative differences" with director Wes Craven. She has already studied for many months to play the violin. The children of Opus 118 - Harlem School of Music, led by Roberta Guaspari, performed with Madonna twice in 1998: "Frozen" at the Annual Rain Forest Benefit at Carnegie Hall, New York and at the 1998 VH1 Fashion Awards performing "The Power of Good-Bye".
Madonna followed the success of Ray of Light with the top-twenty single "Beautiful Stranger", a late 60s psyche-pop song she wrote with William Orbit and recorded for the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack (1999).
Thanks for the great banner Steph!
I really enjoyed most of his stuff from 1991-95, and then again around 98-99... wasn't a big fan of the "18 Til I Die" era.
I had to go check out that song
