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The Girlie Show: Live Down Under

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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. 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.

The Girlie Show: Live Down Under
Video by
Madonna
ReleasedApril 26, 1994
RecordedNovember 19, 1993
VenueSydney Cricket Ground
Length117 mins
Label
DirectorMark "Aldo" Miceli
ProducerMarty Callner
Madonna video chronology
Blond Ambition World Tour Live
(1990) 		The Girlie Show: Live Down Under
(1994) 		The Video Collection 93:99
(1999)

Background

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The Girlie Show was Madonna's fourth concert tour. It supported her fifth studio album Erotica, and was seen as an attempt to revive her musical career after the album and her film Body of Evidence impressed neither critics nor audiences.[1] The tour received generally positive reviews from critics and reportedly grossed US$70 million ($147.64 million in 2023 dollars)[2] from 39 concerts.[3] It was subject of controversy in several countries it visited due to its sexual imagery; in Israel, Orthodox Jews staged protests to force the cancellation of the concert. However, rallies were unsuccessful as the show went on as scheduled.[4] During the concert in Puerto Rico, she caused further controversy by rubbing the country's official flag between her legs,[5] resulting in about 30 Puerto Ricans protesting against the singer outside her house in Miami, asking for a boycott of Madonna's music until she apologized.[6]

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".[7] The show on November 19, 1993, at Sydney Cricket Ground was aired on HBO on November 21, 1993, as Madonna Live Down Under: The Girlie Show. HBO started its broadcast from Club USA in New York City, leading to the concert itself.[8] The program became the company's most-watched original program of the year.[9] The video was released on VHS and Laserdisc on April 26, 1994, under the title The Girlie Show: Live Down Under.[10][11] In 1998, it was released on DVD, becoming one of the first video albums to be published in this format.[12] The music video appears in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (4:3) on the single-sided, single-layered DVD, featuring "bright and vivid" colors.[13] In addition to this release, the concerts in Fukuoka were filmed for a Japanese television special,[14] while British radio station BBC Radio 1 broadcast the entire second show at Wembley Stadium on December 26, 1993.[15]

Reception

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Critical reception

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Madonna's performance of "Vogue" on the tour was deemed "eye-popping" by Billboard's Catherine Applefield.[16]

The video received generally positive reviews from music critics. The Hollywood Reporter deemed it a "showcase not only for the superstar's prodigious talents as a singer and dancer, but also for her ability to orchestrate and film an appropriately mammoth production". The New Yorker praised the release for being "great entertainment" and highlighted the singer's stage presence as "a wonder of our times".[17] Dominic Griffin, from Variety, praised the way the video was shot, and wrote that the show "never once let up", highlighting Madonna's "great energy and amazing stamina throughout".[8] Heather Phares from AllMusic gave the release four out of five stars. Although she criticized the lack of additional features, she praised the video, sound and the "dynamic" performances; she concluded it was a "decent presentation of a spectacular, two-hour concert, and worthwhile for fans looking to upgrade from the laser disc or VHS versions".[18]

Billboard's Catherine Applefield called it a "revue-style-concert-cum-fashion show that parades itself in grand fashion" which "occasionally degenerates into a silly, sexpot exercise". She said it was a release that "fans will proudly purchase".[16] In a more negative review, Jeff Gordiner from Entertainment Weekly wrote that the video "is the point where shock turns to schlock", and criticized the singer's "goosestep precision", which he felt made the concert "as sexy as a swig of Pepto-Bismol".[19] For Richard Cromelin from the Los Angeles Times, "Mark Miceli's direction seemed to be winging it, alternating between spectacle and intimacy. [...] Instead of conveying the magic, it documented the labor, and failed to unify [Madonna's] succession of personas into a coherent whole".[20] At the 37th Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Long Form Music Video, but lost to U2's Zoo TV: Live from Sydney.[21][22]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, The Girlie Show: Live Down Under debuted at number three on Billboard's music videos chart, on the issue dated May 14, 1994.[23] It received a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[24] In the United Kingdom, the release debuted at the top of the music videos chart, on the week dated May 1, 1994.[25] It was eventually certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for shipments of more than 50,000 copies.[26] Additionally, it was certified gold in Brazil,[27] and three times platinum in Australia.[28]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Girlie Show Theme"Jai Winding2:25
2."Erotica"
4:10
3."Fever"
4:48
4."Vogue"
  • Madonna
  • S. Pettibone
5:29
5."Rain"
  • Madonna
  • S. Pettibone
9:51
6."Express Yourself"
5:16
7."Deeper and Deeper"
  • Madonna
  • S. Pettibone
  • Anthony Shimkin
7:27
8."Why's It So Hard"
  • Madonna
  • S. Pettibone
  • A. Shimkin
5:00
9."In This Life"
  • Madonna
  • S. Pettibone
6:44
10."The Beast Within"
5:42
11."Like a Virgin"
6:04
12."Bye Bye Baby"
  • Madonna
  • S. Pettibone
  • A. Shimkin
4:15
13."I'm Going Bananas"
1:44
14."La Isla Bonita"
5:10
15."Holiday"
  • Curtis Hudson
  • Lisa Stevens
12:32
16."Justify My Love"
  • L. Kravitz
  • I. Chavez
  • Madonna
8:05
17."Everybody Is a Star" / "Everybody"Sylvester Stewart / Madonna12:08
18."Credits" 3:12

Notes[29]

Credits and personnel

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Credits per the notes of The Girlie Show: Live Down Under.[29]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[38]
Video album 		Platinum 8,000^
Argentina (CAPIF)[38]
DVD-5 edition 		Platinum 8,000^
Australia (ARIA)[28] 3× Platinum 45,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[27] Gold 25,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Platinum 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[24] Gold 50,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Madonna's Got A Girlie Act To Show Off To The World". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 9, 1993. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Lenig 2010, p. 145
  4. ^ Smith, Neil (May 24, 2004). "Show-stealer Madonna on tour". BBC Music. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  5. ^ Welch III, Robert C. (March 2, 2015). "Madonna 'Rebel Heart' Tour: 'Living for Love' Singer to Return to Puerto Rico 22 Years After Disrespecting Flag". Latin Post. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  6. ^ "Puerto Ricans rally outside Madonna's seaside mansion". Gainesville Sun. November 7, 1993. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  7. ^ "Showbiz Today". Showbiz Today. Series 10. October 14, 1993. 40:00 minutes in. CNN.
  8. ^ a b Griffin, Dominic (November 21, 1993). "Review: 'Madonna Live Down Under: The Girlie Show'". Variety. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  9. ^ "HBO To Air Madonna Live -- Again". Madonna.com. May 24, 2001. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  10. ^ Madonna - The Girlie Show (Live Down Under) [VHS]. ASIN 6303066798.
  11. ^ Madonna the Girlie Show Live Under Laser Disc. ASIN 6303066984.
  12. ^ "10 years on and the DVD is still going strong". British Video Association. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  13. ^ Jacobson, Colin. "Madonna: The Girlie Show - Live Down Under (1993)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on April 26, 2002. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "Fukuoka". Icon. 14 (1): 22. 1994.
  15. ^ "Madonna - by Public Demand - BBC Radio 1 England - 27 December 1993 - BBC Genome". The Radio Times (3650). BBC Music: 202. 16 December 1993. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Applefield, Catherine (May 21, 1994). "Video Previews". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 21. p. 61. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  17. ^ "The Girlie Show". Icon. 15 (2): 8. 1994.
  18. ^ Phares, Heather. "Girlie Show: Live Down Under [Video] - Madonna". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  19. ^ Gordiner, Jeff (May 6, 1994). "Madonna: The Girlie Show -- Live Down Under". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  20. ^ Cromelin, Richard (November 22, 1993). "TV REVIEW: 'Girlie Show' Lacks Magic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Madonna". Grammy Awards. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  22. ^ "U2". Grammy Awards. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  23. ^ a b "Music Video Sales: 1994-05-14". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2014. (subscription required)
  24. ^ a b "American video certifications – Madonna – The Girly Show". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  25. ^ a b "Official Music Video Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  26. ^ a b "British video certifications – Madonna – The Girlie Show: Live Down Under". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  27. ^ a b "Brazilian video certifications – Madonna – The Girlie Show: Live Down Under" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  28. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  29. ^ a b Madonna (1994). The Girlie Show: Live Down Under (DVD). Warner Music Vision.
  30. ^ "Top Laserdisc Sales For Week Ending May 21, 1994" (PDF). Billboard. May 21, 1994. p. 62. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 11, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  31. ^ "Top Video Sales For Week Ending June 4, 1994" (PDF). Billboard. June 4, 1994. p. 92. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  32. ^ "Top 20 DVD/Video: Eβδομάδα 27/8- 2/9/2006" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  33. ^ "Archívum › Kereső - előadó/cím szerint" (in Hungarian). Archívum – Slágerlisták – Mahasz. Retrieved April 29, 2021. Under ELŐADÓ/CÍM: type: Madonna or DVD's name into the search box, and click "ELŐADÓ › Keresés".
  34. ^ "TOP 30 DVD'S MUSICAIS SEMANA 40 de 2004" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa — Artistas-Espectaculo.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  35. ^ "TOP 20 DVD MUSICAL: Lista de los títulos mas vendidos del 03.07.06 al 09.07.06" (in Spanish). PROMUSICAE. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  36. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  37. ^ a b "Top Video Sales . Top Music Videos" (PDF). Billboard. January 7, 1995. pp. 48, 69. Retrieved April 25, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  38. ^ a b "Discos de Oro y Platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2021.

Bibliography

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