♫Breaking the Cookie-Cutter Boundaries♫

Lifestyles of flamboyant excess both on and off stage are not uncommon. Such has been the case with entertainers like Liberace, "Mr. Showmanship" American pianist and entertainer; Freddie Mercury of the band Queen, flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals; Lady Gaga, pop icon of show-stopping performances; Reginald Kenneth Dwight, aka Elton John, fabulous, over-the-top costumes and glasses; Little Richard, dynamic music and charismatic showmanship, Jerry Lee Lewis, incendiary style, to name a few with today's spotlight not unknown to the list as she broke the cookie-cutter boundaries of pop stardom.

Today in Music History: January 5

Welcome into the Spotlight...

Stereotyping You by Your Favorite Madonna Song

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone: Pop legend known for her constant reinvention as a performer and that puts it mildly!

Madonna went solo as a pop singer becoming a sensation on the then male-dominated '80s music scene. It did not take long for girls globally to begin imitating Madonna's distinct sense of fashion: fishnet stockings, lace lingerie, fingerless gloves and large crucifix necklaces. 

Madonna in the 90s

By 1991, she had achieved 21 Top 10 hits in the United States and sold more than 70 million albums internationally. In January 2008, she was named the world's wealthiest female musician by Forbes magazine.The remarkable, hyper-ambitious Material Girl who never stops reinventing herself, Madonna is a seven-time Grammy Award-winner who has sold over three hundred million records and CDs to adoring fans worldwide. Her film career, however, is another story. Her performances have consistently drawn scathing or laughable reviews from film critics, and the films have usually had tepid, if any, success at the box office.

1991 Madonna went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Justify My Love', a song co-written with Lenny Kravitz. The song was a No.2 hit in the UK.

Madonna broke the cookie-cutter boundaries of pop stardom, integrating sexuality and controversy into her music with tracks like 'Like a Virgin,' 'Papa Don't Preach' and of course, 'Justify My Love'. 

 A Bit of 'Madonna' Trivia...

• Madonna suffers from brontophobia: being terrified of thunder and storms that bring the booming sound.
• During the 70s, Madonna played the drums in a band until switching to lead vocals.
• Before Madonna hit it big, she worked at a Dunkin' Donuts (she actually got fired after squirting jelly in a customer's face); she also worked as a hatcheck girl at a Russian Tea Room in Manhattan.
• In 2006, scientists named a new species of tardigrade (aka water bear), which is a microscopic water-dwelling animal, after the Material Girl. The name: "Echiniscus madonnae." Although it's quite the accolade, these "water bears" are kind of freaky looking. Seriously, check out a picture here. 

Earlier Awakenings spotlights who had hits on this day...

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  1973 Bruce Springsteen released his debut album 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.' Recorded in a single week the album only sold about 25,000 copies in the first year of its release. Both 'Blinded By The Light' and 'Spirit In The Night' were released as singles but neither made a dent in the charts. Manfred Mann's Earth Band later released a version of 'Blinded By The Light' on their album 'The Roaring Silence,' which reached #1 on the US charts in 1977.

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  1980 Donna Summer scored her third US No.1 album with On The Radio- Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & II.

• 1980 KC and the Sunshine Band had their 5th US No.1 single and scored the first No.1 of the 80's when 'Please Don't Go' went to No.1 in the UK.

• 2008 Josh Groban was at No.1 on the US album chart with his Christmas album 'Noel'. The best selling US album of 2007 selling over 3.5 million copies in 10 weeks.

1991 Iron Maiden went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter'' It became the lowest selling No.1 since 1960, with just over 42,000 copies sold in its first week.

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times...