The Girlie Show World Tour (billed and referred to as simply The Girlie Show) was the fourth concert tour by American singer and songwriter Madonna, in support of her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992). In October 1992, Madonna simultaneously released Erotica and the coffee table bookSex. The former ended up being Madonna's lowest selling album at the time, while the latter received extensive media attention, and backlash from fans and critics; nonetheless, it was commercially successful. After the critical and commercial failure of the erotic thriller Body of Evidence starring Madonna, the tour was announced in July 1993. According to some critics, it was the singer's way to "revive" her music career following the negative reaction to the thriller. The tour took its name after an Edward Hopper painting titled "Girlie Show". Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, was appointed tour director.
Like her previous Blond Ambition World Tour (1990), the concert was divided into different thematic sections: Dominatrix, Studio 54, Weimar Cabaret, and an encore. Madonna opened the show dressed as a dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers, while lighter moments included her descending from the ceiling on a giant disco ball wearing an Afro wig for "Express Yourself" (1989), as well as singing "Like a Virgin" (1984) in the guise of actress Marlene Dietrich. It began in London on September 25, 1993, and ended in Tokyo on December 12 of the same year. The 39-date tour marked the first time the singer visited places such as Turkey, Israel, Mexico, South America, and Australia. The Girlie Show received generally positive reviews from critics, who agreed that despite the controversy surrounding the singer, she could still please her audience. Upon completion, it was reported to have grossed US$70 million.[lower-alpha 1]
Several organizations in different countries protested to force the cancellation of the concerts, due to their explicit sexual nature. In Puerto Rico, Madonna passed the island's flag between her legs on stage, resulting in outrage among Puerto Rican society. A number of concerts were recorded and broadcast, with the show on November 19, 1993 in Sydney, Australia being aired as a special on HBO; the following year, it was released on video under the title The Girlie Show: Live Down Under. The concerts in Fukuoka, Japan were also filmed, but broadcast exclusively on Japanese television.
In October 1992, Madonna released simultaneously her fifth studio album Erotica, and her coffee table bookSex. Consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images, photographed by Steven Meisel, the book was met with a strongly negative reaction from the media and the general public, but was commercially successful.[2][3] The widespread backlash overshadowed Erotica which, despite positive reviews, ended up as the singer's lowest selling album at the time;[3][4] Madonna continued her provocative imagery in the 1993 erotic thrillerBody of Evidence, a film which contains scenes of sadomasochism and bondage but it was critically panned and a commercial failure.[5] On July 9, 1993, The Philadelphia Inquirer announced that Madonna would embark on The Girlie Show, a new concert tour.[6] Some critics suggested that the tour was as an attempt by the singer to "revive" her musical career after Body of Evidence.[6] Madonna's inspiration for the tour was a painting by Edward Hopper of the same name, depicting a burlesque dancer.[7]
The tour was set to kick off at London's Wembley Stadium on September 25, 1993.[8] Madonna then said she was "not interested in preaching to the converted", hence why she decided to begin The Girlie Show in London; "I am going to the places where I have the most enemies", she explained.[8] It was initially planned not to visit the United States, instead focusing on regions the singer had never toured before, such as Turkey, Israel, Puerto Rico, Mexico, South America, and Australia. However, due to demand, some shows were booked in certain US cities.[9] A concert in Beijing's Workers' Gymnasium was also planned; the official China News Agency reported that she would be allowed to perform as long as there wasn't include any "indecent exposure" in the show. Madonna allegedly agreed, since she was interested in visiting the agency's country. However, said concert never happened.[10] A promotional extended play, titled The Girlie Show, containing all six singles from Erotica, was released in Brazil to commemorate the singer's visit.[11] Similarly, limited editions of Erotica and The Immaculate Collection (1990) were released exclusively in Australia.[12][13] The tour was then chronicled in a photo book of the same name, released in November 1994. This release included a CD with three live tracks: "Like a Virgin", "In This Life", and "Why's It So Hard". Madonna wrote in the book:
"When I finished the Blond Ambition tour, I swore on my life that I would never even think of going on tour again as long as I lived. I was spent. I was exhausted. I was sick of traveling. I wanted stability. So, I threw myself into making movies, recording a new album, and I also put out a book called Sex. So much for stability.
Needless to say, as rewarding as all these creative endeavors were to me, they could not take the place of performing live. Theater is my life--or is my life theater? I'm not sure and it really doesn't matter. Being on stage is where I feel most alive, and it's where I'm able to pull all of my creative energies into one outlet. It's the only place where I can combine all of my influences and all of my inspirations into one living, breathing animal. The stage is the only environment where cubist painting, burlesque, flamenco dancing and the circus can live together under one cozy roof. Taking the adventure one step further is to play in front of a different audience every night. dealing with different cultures, different expectations, different ways of expressing pleasure and bewilderment--this to me is the ultimate thrill. The ultimate risk. And I love taking risks. You may have heard that about me. There's no way this book could truly recapture the excitement of the "Girlie Show", but it comes pretty damn close.
By the way, if you ever hear me say, "I'm never going on tour again", don't believe me."[14]
Development
A large illuminated sign reading "Girlie Show" was hung above the stage
In early 1993, Madonna contacted her brother Christopher Ciccone, who had worked on her previous Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990, and appointed him tour director; besides directing, Ciccone was also in charge of supervising the crew, designing the stage set, and handling all the dancers.[15] Auditions for dancers took place in Los Angeles; an ad was displayed for "androgynous boyish girls with very short hair".[16] The singer said about the hiring process:
"First I had choreographed stuff I had them do. Then I asked them to dance and improvise, whatever the music moved them to do. Then I called back all the people who looked good and could really dance and I asked each of them to tell a joke or an amusing story. If they were really embarrassed and couldn't do it I didn't pick them. Then the ones that were left, I asked them if they would shave their heads. Not that I was going to shave their heads. I just wanted to see how far they were willing to go for me".[14]
Madonna and Ciccone decided to work with five different choreographers, one of them being American actor Gene Kelly, whom the singer wanted to choreograph the performance of single "Rain".[17] However, tension soon arose as Kelly was uncomfortable with the dancers; he believed they had been selected based on personality rather than for their abilities as dancers.[17] Feeling Kelly's position wasn't working out, Ciccone convinced the singer to fire him; eventually, Madonna, "shamefaced at having single-handedly conceived of such a terrible fate for this venerable American icon", agreed with her brother and dismissed Kelly.[17]Alex Magno was then appointed one of The Girlie Show's main choreographers.[18] For the show's main theme, Madonna and her brother agreed on a "burlesque circus" and, for inspiration, would watch Bollywood films, Thai dance numbers, Carol Reed's Trapeze (1956), as well as the work of Marlene Dietrich and Louise Brooks.[17]
The wardrobe was in charge of fashion designer duo Dolce & Gabbana; Madonna gave them instructions to watch a number of films, including My Fair Lady (1964) and Cabaret (1972), to bring to life the "striptease, Vegas type of show" she envisioned.[19] 1,500 costumes were created for the tour's troupe, that ranged from dominatrix boots, a sequined bra, and a Victorian-inspired dress to a simple white tank-top and cut-off denim shorts.[20]Domenico Dolce recalled that "both Madonna and I share a Fellinian version of the circus, but we also like those glamorous costumes that you can see in the movies from the '50s"; the duo agreed on "perfection" being the biggest challenge they encountered while working with the singer.[21] The designers would "redo" the stuff that would rip or come apart during the tour; "We followed the tour this way. From time, shorts and other things were missing. We followed the tour and assisted Madonna, despite being always in Milan", they explained.[22]
The show had a more complex stage than those from Madonna's previous tours; it included a catwalk that extended from the main stage and led out towards the audience, and two hydraulic risers that rose from beneath the stage to elevated platforms and several smaller balconies.[18][23] A large illuminated sign reading "Girlie Show" was hung above the stage. Two huge drawings, portraying the face of Madonna hidden behind a black mask, were placed on the sides.[24][25] Two aircraft were needed to ferry the tour around Europe, including the largest Soviet transport plane ever made; it took four full days and 100 employees to assemble the stage, with one additional day for the setting up of production.[26][27] During MTV Australia's special Girlie Talk, Madonna commented about having her hair cut before the tour: "my hair was hot pink. I went through this Pippi Longstocking phase where I just had to have, like, pink red hair and braids [...] and when I dyed my hair of all these crazy colors [...] I tried to make it blond again, [but it] started to break off everywhere so I kind of gave myself a haircut whatever I like it or not. For the tour I wanted something clean and after I cut all the dancers' hairs I was trying to decide what I wanted to do with my hair and I thought of having it dark like in my 'Rain' video, but then I didn't want to have the same color hairs of all the dancers, so I shortened and kept this color."[28]
The concert was divided into four different thematic sections: Dominatrix, Studio 54, Weimar Cabaret and an encore.[29] It began with a calliope fanfare as a pierrot – who made several cameos later – appeared on stage. This was followed by a topless dancer sliding down a 20-foot pole high above the stage. Then, Madonna emerged as a short-haired dominatrix, wearing a black sequined ensemble consisting of jacket, bra, hot pants, elbow-length gloves, knee-high boots, domino mask while brandishing a crop to perform "Erotica"; her dancers posing suggestively in the background.[18][30][31] The next number was "Fever", which Madonna performed alongside half-naked male dancers. Towards the end, the singer and the two men disappeared in a flamed circle on the stage.[31] The third song, "Vogue", featured Madonna wearing an elaborate Asian beaded headdress and engaging in a Thai-inspired choreography.[32] For "Rain", Madonna and back-up singers and dancers Niki Haris and Donna De Lory wore long see-through black robes and sat on stools in the center of the stage.[33] An instrumental interlude closed the act: the pierrot, along with several dancers dressed in black and twirling umbrellas, did a choreography reminiscent of the 1952 musical film Singin' in the Rain.[34]
The Studio 54 act began with "Express Yourself"; a distorted voice from off-stage claimed "I'm gonna take you to a place you've never been before". Then, Madonna descended from the ceiling on a giant disco ball, wearing a blond afro wig, 1970's style halters and royal blue Bell-bottom pants. She was joined by Haris and De Lory in similar outfits.[30][35] The end of the performance was connected to the next song, "Deeper and Deeper", which featured a male member from the audience jumping onstage, seemingly trying to dance with a startled Madonna, ripping off his tearaway pants and revealing himself as one of the dancers from the show.[36] "Why's It So Hard" saw Madonna simulating an orgy with all the dancers, while "In This Life", the act's final song, saw her singing alone on the stage while being watched by the pierrot from afar.[31] The show's second interlude, "The Beast Within", featured two men doing an apocalyptic dance with sexual overtones as Madonna, from off-stage, recited the lyrics.[36][37]
"Like a Virgin" opened the Weimar Cabaret segment: Madonna wore top hat and a tailcoat while singing in the guise of actress Marlene Dietrich, pronouncing the word "virgin" as "wirgin".[37][38][39] "Bye Bye Baby" saw Madonna, Haris, and De Lory performing with three scantily clad women in a choreographed, highly sexual routine.[40] "I'm Going Bananas" was then sung in "Judy Holliday/Betty Boop/Cyndi Lauper-ish vocals."[37] For the next number, "La Isla Bonita", Madonna removed the tailcoat, and performed in a blue and white striped shirt. She sang on top of a rising platform while one of the musicians walked around bare chest playing the acoustic guitar.[31][36] The final song before the encore was "Holiday"; it featured Madonna and the dancers wearing long trenchcoats and doing a military parade while an American flag was hung in the background.[37][41] The final numbers were "Justify My Love" and a mashup of Sly and the Family Stone's "Everybody Is a Star" and Madonna's own "Everybody":[36] the former had the singer and dancers wearing Victorian costumes and her holding a lorgnette, and the latter saw them change into white tops and denim shorts.[37] Afterwards, as a red curtain fell and carnival music played, the pierrot emerged yet again, only to reveal its identity as Madonna herself. The singer closed the show by singing the phrase "Everybody is a Star" as the curtain fell once again.[31]
Critical response
The second act of the tour featured performances such as "Why's It So Hard" (left) and "Express Yourself" (right); the latter one was performed by the singer atop a giant disco ball
The Girlie Show was generally well received by critics. In his book Madonna: An Intimate Biography, J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote: "While still sexy, it was still more of an innocent burlesque rather than a blatant attempt to shock [...] this concert had the feeling of a racy Barnum and Baileys circus", and praised it for revealing a "softer" side of the singer.[42] On a similar note, Gar Graff from the Detroit Free Press noted the tour revealed a revealed a more personal side to Madonna than her previous tours; he called it a "stylish, theatrical affair [...] a sophisticated, tightly scripted, two hour cabaret."[43] Thom Duffy from Billboard said the tour "transcended its own playfully erotic hype and earned kudos as pure entertainment", also noticing a "sense of humor and burlesque" that the Blond Ambition World Tour lacked. Duffy concluded that, despite the controversy surrounding Madonna at the time, she could still "confound and excite her audience."[44] Similarly, Richard Corliss, writing for Time, expressed that "Madonna, once the Harlow harlot and now a perky harlequin, is the greatest show-off on earth", and deemed the tour "at once a movie retrospective, a Ziegfeld revue, a living video, an R-rated take off on Cirque du Soleil."[45]
Paul Taylor from The Independent was positive on his review of the show's opening night at London; "her performance-which featured spanking, four-letter outbursts and suggestive references to oral sex and the size of one dancer's manhood clearly delighted most of her fans."[46] Also of the opening night, Entertainment Weekly's Tyler Brule commented that "Madonna may have lost some of her glitter lately. But as she demonstrated in the kickoff of her Girlie Show tour at London's Wembley Stadium, she hasn't forgotten the twin pillars of her success—how to put on a show, and how to make a buck."[26] Frances Hubbard from the Daily Express opined that the singer is "at her worst when she turns moody and pretentious" and that "if Madonna is on her way down, it's a gentle descent. The world's best-marketed pop goddess will be around for a while yet."[47] In his review at the show at New York's Madison Square Garden, Jon Pareles from The New York Times noted that "after the proudly uningratiating "Blond Ambition" tour in 1990 [...] "The Girlie Show" tweaks fewer taboos." Pareles pointed out that the singer "sings just enough solo parts to prove she's not lip-synching" and concluded that with the Blond Ambition World Tour she was "pop's least flirtatious sex symbol", but was "likeable again" on The Girlie Show.[37] The Los Angeles Times's Jeff Kaye wrote that "despite the scanty costumes adorning the star and her troupe of singers and dancers, and the liberal doses of group groping and gender-bending, there wasn't anything that could be called shocking [...] there was a sense that this adoring crowd had seen and heard all this stuff before."[30]
However, not all reviews were positive. The British press took what Kaye called a "mean-spirited stance" against the singer and the tour; after she arrived in London, a British magazine proclaimed itself a "Madonna-Free Zone", refusing to publish or show any pictures of the concerts.[26][30] Bruce Elder from The Sydney Morning Herald gave a mixed review; "the best that could be said [...] was that it was an event, an occasion, a place to be seen at, but as pure dance, pop or rock entertainment, it was nothing special." He also wondered if the singer is "really committed to celebrating sexual liberation or [did she] simply hijacked sadomasochism and homosexuality in the name of good old American capitalism." Elder further noticed a "kind of coldness and distance" in the performances and pointed out "too many flat spots [...] to make this a truly memorable concert."[48] More negative was The Washington Post's Tom Shales, who wrote that "her attempts now to shock and titillate have become belabored self-parodies [...] Madonna's 'Girlie Show' is silly, not shocking."[49] Mark Steyn from The Mail on Sunday also gave a negative review, feeling that The Girlie Show was more focused on production and staging than on the actual music; "the stages are pure showbiz. The songs have been reduced to wallpaper. If her musical arranger was half as droll as her choreographer, her record sales wouldn't be in the doldrums."[50]
Commercial reception
The Girlie Show proved to be commercially successful. In London, 15,000 tickets were sold within two hours, while the opening night was attended by 72,000 people.[30][51] Madonna's very first concert in Israel attracted an audience of 50,000 people.[52] The three shows at New York City's Madison Square Garden grossed US$2,020,475 million, while the three Mexican concerts grossed $8,927,703 million; prices ranged from $28.13 to $125.[53][54] The first show at Argentina's River Plate Stadium saw the singer playing to an audience of 50,000.[55] In Brazil, she broke attendance records: 88,000 and 120,000 people attended the concerts in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, respectively. It remains the second largest crowd ever on Rio's Maracanã Stadium for a female artist, behind Tina Turner's 1988 Break Every Rule World Tour (attended by 188,000 people).[56] The average ticket price for the shows was $15.[57] In Australia, Madonna set the record for the biggest ticket sales with over 360,000 tickets sold; the single concert at the Adelaide Oval attracted over 40,000 people, standing as one of the most attended concerts in the venue's history.[58][59] The dates in Melbourne and Sydney sold 147,241 and 135,000 tickets, respectively.[60] In Sydney, over 90,000 tickets were sold in an hour.[61]Billboard then reported that the eight Australian concerts had grossed over US$18.5 million.[62] Upon completion, the tour was reported to have grossed a total of $70 million[lower-alpha 1] from 39 concerts.[63]
Controversies
The Girlie Show was controversial due to its highly sexual nature. The images show the performances of "Like a Virgin" (left) and "La Isla Bonita" (right), which were included on the concert's third act
Like previous Madonna tours, The Girlie Show was subject to controversy. One planned concert in Frankfurt was condemned by a German politician who declared it "exceeded the bounds of decency" and should be banned to those under 16.[64]Norbert Geis, parliamentary spokesman for Chancellor Helmut Kohl's party, had previously warned: "Either Madonna drops these obscenities... or she will not be allowed to appear". The concert ended up being cancelled, with the organizers citing "technical difficulties" as the reason.[64] Trouble in Israel occurred when Orthodox Jews staged protests to force the cancellation of the singer's first show in the country. However, rallies were unsuccessful as the sold-out show went on as scheduled.[38]
In Puerto Rico, certain groups feared Madonna's influence over teenagers and demanded the concert's cancellation.[65] During the show, Madonna held a small Puerto Rican flag to her bosom and then slipped it slowly through her legs. This was met with backlash: the leader of the Independence Party called the act "an infamy without parallel in the history of our country"; Governor Pedro Rosselló described it as "an unfortunate incident", and urged the people from the country to repudiate the singer.[66][67] Senator Enrique Rodríguez Negrón filed a censure resolution, which was rejected by President of the legislature Roberto Rexach Benítez.[68] Representative David Noriega called Madonna "vulgar and insensitive", and accused her of abusing the country's hospitality.[67] Luis de Rosa, president of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of South Florida, said Madonna "has no right to go to someone's homeland and pass their flag through her private parts".[69] The chamber and other Puerto Rican groups urged Hispanic citizens to gather outside the singer's Miami home to wave Puerto Rican flags and destroy her records; about 30 people showed up.[69][70] Madonna's supporters claimed she meant no harm, and had simply put the flag there because she couldn't find her pocket.[67]
More controversy arose in Argentina; cardinal Antonio Quarracino, archbishop of Buenos Aires, called the singer "blasphemous and pornographic" and asked then-president Carlos Menem not to receive her. Additionally, Bishop Osvaldo Musto called for a cancellation and recommended confession for any practicing Catholic who attended the concerts elsewise. Jorge María Storni, president of the organization Tradición, Familia y Propiedad, supported the cancellation of the concerts, since according to his words, Madonna's main goal was to "undermine the foundations of social order". Alexander Molinas ―consultant of Menores e Incapaces de la Cámara Civil― went as far as to ask civil judge Marcela Perez Pardo to ban the shows because they threatened "intimacy and religious conscience"; the request was dismissed but the judge did order that anyone under 13 be accompanied by an adult.[55]
In Mexico, an anti-abortion organization urged Interior Ministry officials to deny the singer's entry to the country. A spokesman dismissed this request and explained that there was no reason to deny her a visa. Pro Life President Jorge Serrano Limón said Madonna was mocking the Catholic people, and that those attending the concerts did not have "the right to publicly mock the moral and religious values of Catholics or the patriotic values of Mexicans".[67] Additionally, social communicologist Nino Canún presented a television special called ¿Y usted qué opina? (English: So what's your opinion?), where the audience, among them a priest, presented their arguments as to why "this morally clueless singer shouldn't be allowed to perform in the country".[71] A ministry official dismissed the controversy by saying that "whoever likes it can go [to the concert] and whoever doesn't, well don't go".[67] Later, during the concert, Madonna wore a sombrero and simulated an orgy as response.[71]
Upon Madonna's arrival in Australia, controversy aroused when she was given by Michael Gudinski, one of the promoters of the tour's Australian leg, a didgeridoo, a traditional instrument among the Aborigines which is allowed to be played only by men;[72] "the fact [Madonna] is a Westerner and the didgeridoo as a gift does not change the fact she should not be carrying it around", said Badangthun Munmunyarrun, an Aboriginal elder.[73] Gudinski later explained that he was working with Yothu Yindi at the time, and presented Madonna with the didgeridoo Yindi had given him, but planned to get the instrument back from her and replace it with a new one.[74] In 2015, Madonna confirmed she still had the didgeridoo.[72]
"Holiday" was the last number performed before the encore
Cashbox magazine reported on November 6, 1993 that one of the shows at the Sydney Cricket Ground stadium would be broadcast through HBO on November 20; this marked the second time Madonna worked with the network following the Blond Ambition World Tour broadcast three years earlier.[75] Initially, Madonna intended to film the tour in Argentina or Mexico, but she ultimately chose Australia instead, as she liked the event being billed as "Madonna Down Under".[76] On November 13, 1993, Billboard reported Westwood One would do a simultaneous broadcast of the special; it officially aired on HBO as Madonna Live Down Under: The Girlie Show. HBO started its broadcast from Club USA in New York City, leading to the concert itself.[18][77] With a 17.0 rating and 27 share overall, it became the network's second most-watched original program of the year, following the George Foreman vs. Tommy Morrison fight.[78][79]
On April 26, 1994, the special was released on LaserDisc and VHS under the title The Girlie Show: Live Down Under.[80] It earned Madonna a nomination for Best Long Form Music Video at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards and peaked at number 31 and 32 on Billboard's Year-end Top Music Videos and Top Video Sales charts, respectively.[81][82] In addition to the official release, British radio station BBC Radio 1 broadcast the London show on December 26, 1993; the concerts in Fukuoka, Japan were filmed and aired exclusively on Japanese television.[83][84]
Setlist
Setlist and samples adapted per Madonna's official website and the liner notes of The Girlie Show: Live Down Under.[85][36]
The Blond Ambition World Tour was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album Like a Prayer (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film Dick Tracy, I'm Breathless. It began on April 13, 1990, in Chiba, Japan, and concluded on August 5, 1990, in Nice, France. The 57-show tour marked Madonna's first shows in Sweden and Spain.
Niki Haris is an American actress, dancer, and singer of pop, R&B, dance music and jazz, perhaps best known for having been one of Madonna's backing vocalists from 1987 to 2001, and as being the guest lead vocalist on various Snap! singles in the early 1990s.
Erotica is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Madonna, released on October 20, 1992 by Maverick and Sire Records. The album was released simultaneously with Madonna's first book publication Sex, a coffee table book containing explicit photographs featuring the singer, and marked her first release under Maverick, her own multimedia entertainment company. Erotica is a concept album about sex and romance, incorporating her alter ego Mistress Dita, inspired by actress Dita Parlo. Some of its songs also take on a more confessional tone, influenced by the loss of two of Madonna's close friends to AIDS.
The Drowned World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums Ray of Light (1998) and Music (2000), respectively. The tour began on June 9, 2001 in Barcelona, Spain and ended in Los Angeles, California on September 15 of the same year. It was her first tour in eight years, following The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993. The tour was supposed to start in 1999, but was delayed until 2001 as Madonna gave birth to her son, married Guy Ritchie, was working on Music, and was busy filming The Next Best Thing. When the tour was decided, Madonna appointed Jamie King as choreographer and the tour was planned in a short timespan of three months, including signing up the dancers, musicians and technicians. Designer Jean-Paul Gaultier was the costume designer who designed the costumes in such way that they indicated different phases of Madonna's career. The poster and logo for the tour included references to Kabbalah, which Madonna studied.
"Holiday" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her eponymous debut album Madonna (1983). Sire Records released it as the album's third single on September 7, 1983. Written by Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens of Pure Energy, the track was offered to Madonna by her producer John "Jellybean" Benitez when she was looking for a potential hit track to include on her debut album. After accepting the song, she and Benitez worked on it and altered its composition by the addition of a piano solo performed by their friend, Fred Zarr. "Holiday" features instrumentation from guitars, electronic handclaps, a cowbell, and a synthesized string arrangement, while its lyrics speak about the universal sentiment of taking a holiday.
"Into the Groove" is a song by American singer Madonna from the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan. It was featured on the re-issue of her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984), outside North America. Sire Records released it on July 15, 1985 as the album's fourth single. Madonna's inspiration behind the song was the dance floor and she wrote it while watching a handsome Puerto Rican man, across her balcony. Initially written for her friend Mark Kamins, Madonna later decided to use it as the soundtrack of the film Desperately Seeking Susan.
"Erotica" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It is the title track from her fifth studio album Erotica (1992), and was released as the album's lead single on September 29, 1992 by Maverick Records. It was later included on her greatest hits albums GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). The song was written by Madonna, Shep Pettibone and Anthony Shimkin, while production was handled by the singer and Pettibone. Musically, "Erotica" contains spoken word vocals, and is an ode to S&M, with Madonna using a pseudonym called "Dita". She invites her lover to be passive while making love to her and leads him to explore boundaries between pain and pleasure.
"Bye Bye Baby" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna, for her fifth studio album Erotica (1992). It was released on November 15, 1993, as the sixth and final single from the album only outside the US. "Bye Bye Baby" was written by Madonna, Shep Pettibone, and Anthony Shimkin and was produced by Madonna and Pettibone. The song is inspired by Madonna's emotions of that time and her S&M thoughts. Musically, it is a hip hop song, sampling a hook from LL Cool J's track "Jingling Baby", released in 1990. Madonna's vocals were filtered to make them appear as sound coming out from an antique radio. "Bye Bye Baby" features instrumentation from keyboard and lyrically finds Madonna asking questions to a lover she is about to abandon.
The Virgin Tour was the debut concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. The tour supported her first two studio albums, Madonna (1983) and Like a Virgin (1984). Although initially planned for an international audience, the tour was restricted to the United States and Canada. Warner Bros. Records decided to send Madonna on tour after Like a Virgin became a success. After an official announcement on March 15, 1985, Madonna and her team began production plans. She wanted the tour to be a reflection of her own self and collaborated with designer Maripol for the costumes.
"Deeper and Deeper" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album Erotica (1992). The song was written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, with additional writing from Anthony Shimkin. It was released by Maverick Records as the album's second single on November 17, 1992. A shortened version of the song was included on Madonna's second greatest hits compilation, GHV2 (2001). "Deeper and Deeper" is a disco, dance-pop and deep house song, and features instrumentation from acoustic guitars and castanet beats on its bridge. Lyrically, the song talks about sexual desire, though it has been argued that it's actually about a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality.
"Rain" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album Erotica (1992). The song was released on August 5, 1993 by Maverick Records as the album's fifth single internationally and the fourth single in North America. It was later included on her ballad compilation album Something to Remember (1995). The song was written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone. A pop and R&B ballad with influences from trip hop and new-age music, "Rain" features a more "friendly" composition than the other singles released from the album. Lyrically the song likens rain to the empowering effect of love, and as with water's ability to clean and wash away pain. Like the other songs on Erotica, sexual contact is also a possible interpretation of the song.
The Who's That Girl World Tour was the second concert tour by American singer and songwriter Madonna. The tour supported her 1986 third studio album True Blue, as well as the 1987 soundtrack Who's That Girl. It was Madonna's first world tour, reaching Asia, North America and Europe. Musically and technically superior to her previous initiative, the Who's That Girl Tour incorporated multimedia components to make the show more appealing.
Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour is the second video album and the first live release by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released by Warner Music Video and Sire Records on November 13, 1985 and contains the concert footage from The Virgin Tour, filmed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on May 25, 1985. Director Daniel Kleinman, who presided over the shooting of the tour on video, submitted the footage to Warner Bros. Records, who decided to release it as a video album. Madonna wanted to have a proper introduction added before the concert footage and asked director James Foley to shoot one, which portrayed her with her first image makeover, reciting lines related to how she became famous.
Drowned World Tour 2001 is the fifth video album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 13, 2001, by Warner Music Vision, Warner Reprise Video, and Maverick Records to accompany Madonna's second greatest hits album GHV2. The video chronicles a live date from Madonna's Drowned World Tour, which visited Europe and North America, grossing over US $76.8 million in total. It was recorded at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan on August 26, 2001 and was originally broadcast live on HBO as Madonna Live! Drowned World Tour 2001.
The Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna, launched in support of her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). The tour began in Inglewood on May 21, 2006, and ended in Tokyo on September 21 of the same year. Visiting Eurasia and North America, it marked Madonna's thirteen-year return to Japan and her overall first concerts in Wales, Denmark, Czech Republic, and Russia.
The Girlie Show: Live Down Under is a video album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released by Warner-Reprise Video, Maverick and Sire Records on April 26, 1994 on VHS and Laserdisc formats and included the concert that took place on November 19, 1993 at Sydney Cricket Ground from The Girlie Show World Tour. The concert had previously been broadcast on American network HBO as Madonna Live Down Under: The Girlie Show and became the channel's most-watched original program of the year. The video received generally positive reviews from music critics, and reached numbers one and three in the music videos charts in the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively. At the 37th Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Long Form Music Video. It was released on DVD in 1998, becoming one of the first music videos to be published in this format.
Blond Ambition World Tour Live is a video album by American singer-songwriter Madonna released exclusively on Laserdisc by Pioneer Artists on December 13, 1990. It contained the Blond Ambition World Tour's final show, filmed at the Stade Charles-Ehrmann in Nice, France on August 5, 1990. The concert had previously been broadcast on American network HBO as Live! Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour 90, and became one of its highest rated specials. The decision to release it exclusively on Laserdisc grew when Pioneer Artists signed up to sponsor the tour; the company also wanted to use Madonna to reach a new demographic and increase Laserdisc sales. It received positive reviews, with some critics saying it captured the concert better than the documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) and the HBO broadcast. At the 34th Annual Grammy Awards, it won for Best Music Video-Long Form, becoming the first Grammy award Madonna received in her career. With over 100,000 copies sold, Blond Ambition World Tour Live was one of the highest selling laserdiscs of the time.
The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth concert tour by American singer Madonna. Staged to promote her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy (2008), it began in August 2008 and was her first tour under a new recording and business deal with Live Nation. The tour was announced in February 2008, with dates for European and North American venues revealed. Though initially planned, the tour did not visit Australia due to financial problems and the financial recession. Costume designer Arianne Phillips designed the costumes, supported by a number of famous designers and brands. The stage for the main show was planned similarly to that of her previous 2006 Confessions Tour. After the tour concluded in 2008, Madonna announced plans of playing a second European leg in 2009 to play in territories she either had never been to or had not played for a long time.
The MDNA Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It showcased material from her twelfth studio album, MDNA (2012). Comprising 88 shows, the tour began on May 21, 2012 in Ramat Gan and concluded in Córdoba on December 22 of the same year. It visited the Americas and Eurasia, thus marking the singer's thirteen-year return to Turkey, since 1993's The Girlie Show World Tour, and her first overall performances in the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Scotland, and Colombia. The tour was initially planned to reach Australia in January 2013 but was canceled; Madonna apologized through a video letter on her official YouTube account.
↑ Cooper, Mike (May 14, 1993). "Music Now!"(PDF). Hard Report (325): 53. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
↑ The Girlie Show (Media notes). Madonna. Warner Music Brazil. 1993. CDP0893.CS1 maint: others (link)
↑ Erotica (Limited Australian Tour Edition) (Media notes). Madonna. Warner Music Australia. 1993. 9362450312.CS1 maint: others (link)
↑ The Immaculate Collection (Limited Australian Tour Edition) (Media notes). Madonna. Warner Music Australia. 1993. 0 7599-26440-2 0.CS1 maint: others (link)
1 2 Madonna (1993). The Girlie Show tour book (Sleeve cover). p.12.
↑ Ciccone 2008, p.210 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFCiccone2008 (help)
1 2 Jenna, Clarke (October 13, 2011). "Madonna going Down Under". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
↑ The Girlie Show Tour book. Madonna. Boy Toy, Inc., Sire Records Merchandise. 1993.CS1 maint: others (link)
Bibliography
Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2008). Cherry Bomb: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Better Flirt, a Tougher Chick, and a Hotter Girlfriend--and to Living Life Like a Rock Star. Simon & Schuster. ISBN141696116X.
Robinson, Billy (2018). Madonna en 30 secondes: Sa vie, sa musique et son influence, expliquées en moins d'une minute. Hurtubise. ISBN9782897811723.
Strobel, Lee (1994). What Jesus Would Say to: Rush Limbaugh, Madonna, Bill Clinton, Michael Jordan, Bart Simpson, Donald Trump, Murphy Brown, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Mother Teresa, David Letterman, & You. Zondervan. ISBN0310485118.
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