STRIKE A POSE- STEVEN KLEIN, W MAGAZINE SHOOT, 2003

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER

     By the summer of 1995, many people were saying Madonna's career was in decline. Granted she had just scored a mammoth, #1-for-seven-astounding-weeks smash hit "Take A Bow", but her career was in the toilet nonetheless. Madonna had something to say about that. She released a greatest ballads compilation, titled SOMETHING TO REMEMBER, which represented a somewhat softer image for Madonna. Featuring such standouts as "Rain", "Live To Tell", and "This Used To Be My Playground", the album also featured three newly recorded tracks- and along with her previous studio album BEDTIME STORIES, managed to successfully tone down her image and remind people what got her famous in the first place. Her music.

     "You'll See" was the first of the newly recorded tracks to be released. The song was a worldwide hit, peaking at #6 on the US Billboard charts. Madonna filmed the music video as a direct sequel to her previous ballad, "Take A Bow". "One More Chance" is an extremely underrated but beautiful ballad that deserves more attention!



   

     Madonna filmed two more videos for the album, a new cover of her own previous recording of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" from her LIKE A VIRGIN album and a delicious version of the Marvin Gaye classic "I Want You" with a little help from Massive Attack. The song is a fan favorite with a lush and haunting video. You cannot deny that Madonna's artistry in the 90's is untouchable, and these songs are a perfect example of that.

"MADONNA, THE MDNA TOUR" WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING at the PARIS THEATER, NEW YORK

     Madonna channeled Marlene Dietrich at the world premiere of her MDNA tour screening in New York City.

TRUTH OR DARE PROMOTIONAL PHOTOS SHOT BY STEPHEN MEISEL 1991

MUSIC

     Released in August of 2000, "Music" became Madonna's 12th #1 hit. The song was a worldwide smash, often cited as one of the best songs of the 2000's. "Music" has become a staple in Madonna's live shows, as she has performed it in five of her tours.

     Madonna first performed the song on her DROWNED WORLD tour from 2001, and it's one of her best live performances, if you ask me. The energy is off the charts here.







     Madonna brought back the song in her following tour, the RE-INVENTION tour. This one is always special to me as it was my very first Madonna concert.







     Madonna completely re-imagined "Music" in her CONFESSIONS tour. Brilliantly mashing it with "Disco Inferno", it's an amazing performance with Madonna pulling out all the stops here.








     Madonna slays us yet again with this next performance of "Music". Once again fusing a disco classic in the mix this time with "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life", it's a stellar singing-and-dancing extravaganza that only Madonna could deliver.








     Madonna skipped the song on her 2012 MDNA tour, but brought it right back in a deliciously jazzy, 20's-inspired number on her REBEL HEART tour in 2015. The Queen of Re-Invention, she effortlessly proves time and time again how to give us a fresh new take on a beloved song every time.

STRIKE A POSE- STEVEN MEISEL, 1991

TRUE BLUE ALBUM

     On June 30, 1986, an album would be released that would go on not only to become Madonna's most successful studio album to date, but one of the top selling albums of all time. Madonna's third studio album, the follow-up to the massively successful LIKE A VIRGIN album, was called TRUE BLUE and dedicated to her new husband, Sean Penn. Madonna stripped off all the makeup and jewelry and delivered a more mature and sophisticated look and sound. Taut and stylish, the album was a bona-fide extravaganza, yielding five top ten smashes, including three #1's.

"Live To Tell" was the first single off the album. A powerful ballad, it was a different direction than before when it came to Madonna's songs. "Crazy For You" had proven Madonna could pull off a ballad, and she took it to another level with "Live To Tell". The song was also featured in Sean Penn's film, AT CLOSE RANGE. "Live To Tell" quickly went to #1 on the charts and is easily one of Madonna's most powerful and beloved songs.

   



     "Papa Don't Preach" was the second single off the album, and repeating the success of "Live To Tell", it quickly shot to the top spot on the charts. Controversial as hell, the song became a smash summer hit, with Madonna delivering some of her most passionate singing to date. Madonna was quickly becoming one of MTV's most daring and artistic video artists, and "Papa Don't Preach" pretty much cemented that fact. Shot like a mini-movie, the clip was immensely popular, sweeping the MTV Video Music Awards as VIDEO OF THE YEAR. A classic video.






     The third single off the TRUE BLUE album was the title track- a sweet, catchy ditty dedicated to her husband and gleefully inspired by the girl groups of the 1960's. "True Blue" was a top 5 hit, peaking at #3 on the Billboard charts. It sounded like nothing else on the radio at the time.






     Madonna wasn't finished hitting #1 on the charts yet. For her fourth single, she went all out with a knockout song and music video that was daring, sexy, and like nothing we had ever seen before. "Open Your Heart" was relentlessly catchy and tore up the airwaves yet again. The song was a huge hit, and the video was just as successful. She looks absolutely smashing here- yet another timeless, iconic clip that was also nominated for Best Video of the Year.

 





     The fifth and final song released off the album would once again go on to become one of her most legendary and loved songs- "La Isla Bonita". Stalling at #4, the song was a sizzling ode to Latin culture that came with another delicious music video. Madonna delivered another iconic costume and look for the video, looking sensational in that red Spanish dress. Only Madonna could pull this off.