Madonna, The #7 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Six

 

(Continued from Part Five)

Madonna starred in the movie Swept Away, directed by Ritchie, which was a failure.  Her fate did not improve when a starring role in the play Up For Grabs in London's West End flopped.  She released "Die Another Day" from the James Bond movie of the same name, #1 in Switzerland, Italy and Spain, #3 in the U.K. and #8 in the U.S.  In a career that previously included three separate streaks of #1 Dance hits, her fourth streak of amazing success on the dance floor now reached 10 more.

 

"Die Another Day" was nominated for Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video at the Grammy Awards, Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards and Best Video form a Film at the MTV Video Music Awards.  In 2003, Madonna released the album American Life, which sold four million copies worldwide.  The title song peaked at #1 in Canada, Italy and Switzerland and #2 in the U.K. and Spain.

 

She released the album Remixed & Revisited later in the year, an EP of remixes from American Life.  "Hollywood" rose to #2 in the U.K., Switzerland and Spain, and was another #1 Dance hit in the United States.

Ahmadzai returned to produce American Life, which includes "Nobody Knows Me".

Madonna signed a contract to write children's books, hoping would-be buyers would overlook the fact that she was a horrible role model for children.  She toured North America and Europe in another #1 tour of the year, which earned $120 million.  The documentary film I'm Going to Tell You a Secret was released with scenes from the tour. 

Madonna performed at Live 8 in 2004 and released the album Confessions on a Dance Floor the following year, which won a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album.

Both the album and the lead single "Hung Up" rose to #1 in virtually every country in the world and gave Madonna her 16th straight #1 on the Dance chart.  She earned a Grammy for Best Electronic/Dance Album, and "Hung Up" has now topped five million in worldwide sales.  

 

Madonna wrote this about her adopted hometown--"I Love New York".

"Hung Up" was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Pop Video, Best Female Video and Best Dance Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.  The Confessions Tour in 2006 earned $193.7 million from 1.2 million fans.  By this time, Madonna had gone over 200 million in worldwide album sales.   

Madonna won a World Music Award for World's Best Pop Artist.  While she was in Malawi, Madonna formed the charitable group Raising Malawi and partially funded an orphanage.  She also adopted a boy there named David Banda.  In 2007, Madonna left Warner Brothers and signed a new ten-year, $120 million deal with Live Nation.  

Madonna wrote and produced the documentary I Am Because We Are, about the problems faced by Malawians.

In 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and won a World Music Award for Best-Selling American Artist.  

 

She released the album Hard Candy, which debuted at #1 in 37 countries.  The single "4 Minutes" reached #3, making Madonna the all-time leader in most Top 10 hits with 37, passing Elvis Presley for that distinction.  It also gave Madonna 20 consecutive #1 Dance hits.  "Give It 2 (sic) Me" also reached #1 on the Dance chart to give her a record 21 straight.

"4 Minutes" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the Grammy Awards, while "Give It 2 Me" was in the running for Best Dance Recording, and the former also earned an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Dance Video.  A world tour followed, which grossed 408 million, second-most of all-time.  But another Madonna relationship fell by the wayside when she and Ritchie divorced.  In 2009, Madonna adopted another child from Malawi, daughter Mercy.  

 Madonna told the Sunday Telegraph that this song is about a long-distance relationship and was inspired by her marriage to Ritchie--"Miles Away".

Madonna released the compilation album Celebration in 2009, a #1 album in the U.K., Germany, Canada, and Italy.  She finished the decade as the third top-touring artist behind only the Rolling Stones and U2, with a total gross of over $801 million with 6.3 million tickets sold.

In 2010, Madonna performed at the benefit concert Hope for Haiti Now and released her live album Sticky & Sweet Tour.  Madonna directed the movie W.E. about the affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson of the U.K.  The song "Masterpiece" earned Madonna a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

In 2012, Madonna headlined the halftime show of Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

She released the album MDNA, featuring the lead single "Give Me All Your Luvin'".

The album was Madonna's fifth straight to debut at #1.  The accompanying world tour grossed $305 million, the top tour of the year and the 10th-highest of all-time.  Madonna earned World Music Award nominations for Best Female Artist, Best Entertainer, Best World Album, Best World's Live Act and Best World Song and Best World Video for "Give Me All Your Luvin'" and she scored a Billboard Music Award for Top Touring Artist and two more for Top Dance Artist and Top Dance Album.

 

In 2015, Madonna released the album Rebel Heart, which included "Ghosttown", a fifth straight #1 Dance hit on another run that would reach 10 by 2020.  Her tour of North America, Europe and Asia earned a gross of $169.8 million from 82 shows. 

In 2017, Madonna adopted twin sisters Estere and Stella from Malawi and moved to Lisbon, Portugal with her adopted children.  She opened the Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care in Malawi.  Madonna's time in Lisbon led her to record the album Madame X, featuring local music in Portugal, which she released in 2019.   Madame X debuted at #1 on the Album chart, her ninth of her career.  "Come Alive" is the top song on the album.

Madonna has influenced many female artists for good or bad, mostly for bad.  She was the top-selling female artist of the 20th century.  She is tied with Barbra Streisand for the most Multi-Platinum albums in the U.S. with 12.

Madonna has won eight Grammy Awards out of 29 nominations, three American Music Award from 18 nomination, 20 Billboard Music Awards, two World Music Awards out of eight nominations, two Golden Globe Awards from seven nominations, three People's Choice Awards out of five nominations and 9 MTV Video Music Awards out of 33 nominations. 

She has 38 Top 10 songs to her credit, more than any other female artist in history, among 57 career hits and 12 #1's.  Madonna has dominated the Dance chart since her first album, piling up 68 career hits, with an incredible 62 of those reaching the Top 10 and 50 #1 Dance smashes.  She has always been much more popular among teenagers than adults, but Madonna has managed to post 37 career hits on the Adult Contemporary chart with 15 Top 10 songs and 5 #1's.