In June 1986, Madonna released her third studio album, True Blue, which was inspired by and dedicated to Sean Penn. Rolling Stone magazine was generally impressed with the effort, writing that the album sound[s] as if it comes from the heart.It spawned three number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: Live to Tell, Papa Dont Preach and Open Your Heart, and two more top-five singles: True Blue and La Isla Bonita. The album topped the charts in over 28 countries worldwide, an unprecedented achievement at the time and became her best-selling studio album of her career to this date with sales of 25 million. In the same year, Madonna also starred in the critically panned film Shanghai Surprise for which she was awarded the Golden Raspberry Award for worst actress. She also made her theatrical debut in a production of David Rabes Goose and Tom-Tom, both co-starring Penn. The next year, Madonnas second feature film, Whos That Girl, was released. She contributed four songs to its soundtrack, including the title track and Causing a Commotion. Madonna embarked on the Whos That Girl World Tour in July 1987, which continued until September. It broke several attendance records, including over 130,000 audience in a concert near Paris, which remains her biggest concert attendance ever. Later that year, she released a remix album of past hits, titled You Can Dance, which reached number 14 on the Billboard 200. After an annulment in December 1987, Madonna filed for divorce from Penn in January 1989 citing irreconcilable differences. In Like a Prayer Ive been dealing with more specific issues that mean a lot to me. Theyre about an assimilation of experiences Ive had in my life and in relationships. Theyre about my mother, my father and my bonds with my family about the pain of dying, or growing up and letting go. [The album] was a real coming-of-age record for me emotionally..... I had to do a lot of soul-searching and I think it is a reflection of that. —Madonna talking about the inspiration behind Like a Prayer. In January 1989, Madonna signed an endorsement deal with soft-drink manufacturer, Pepsi. In one of her Pepsi commercials, she debuted her song Like a Prayer. The corresponding music video featured many Catholic symbols such as stigmata and cross burning, and a dream about making love to a saint, leading the Vatican to condemn the video. Religious groups sought to ban the commercial and boycott Pepsi products. Pepsi revoked the commercial and canceled her sponsorship contract.The song was included on Madonnas fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, which was co-written and co-produced by Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray.Madonna received positive feedback for the album, with Rolling Stone writing that it was as close to art as pop music gets. Like a Prayer peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 15 million copies worldwide, with 4 million copies sold in the U.S. alone. Six singles were released from the album, including Like a Prayer, which reached number one, and Express Yourself and Cherish, both peaking at number two. By the end of the 1980s, Madonna was named as the Artist of the Decade by MTV, Billboard and Musician magazine.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 23:08:10 +0000