It’s August 16th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1958, Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan to French-Canadian mother Madonna Fortin and Italian father Silvio Ciccone. After taking an early interest in dance and music, she became one of the most iconic pop stars in the world with a long list of hits including “Like A Virgin,” “Holiday,” “Vogue, “Frozen” and “Music.”
- In 1985, Madonna married actor Sean Penn after only six months of dating. She filed for divorce in December 1987 but later withdrew the petition, only to file a new one in January 1989.
- In 1986, Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach” started a two-week run at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Taken from her third studio album, True Blue, the song became Madonna’s fourth to top the chart.
- In 2005, Madonna suffered three cracked ribs, a broken collarbone and a broken hand after falling from a horse she was riding at her estate in England.
- In 1977, Elvis Presley was found dead on the floor of his bathroom. He was 42.
- In 2018, Aretha Franklin died in Detroit at the age of 76. The Queen of Soul had numerous hits during her career, including “Respect” and “I Say A Little Prayer” as well as her duet with pop star George Michael, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).”
- In 1983, Paul Simon married actress Carrie Fisher in front of famous friends including musicians Billy Joel and Randy Newman. The marriage lasted only a year.
- In 1994, Barenaked Ladies release their sophomore studio album, Maybe You Should Drive. With tracks like “Jane,” it was the Canadian band’s first album to enter the Billboard 200 chart, where it peaked at No. 175.
And that’s what popped on this day.