Beautiful Stranger
Encyclopedia
"Beautiful Stranger" is a Grammy Award
winning dance-pop
song written and produced by American
singer Madonna
and British
song-writer and musician William Orbit
, drawing heavily on the 1966 song "She Comes in Colors" by Love
. "Beautiful Stranger" was written for the film soundtrack
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
(1999). The song was released as a single
in the middle of 1999. It was the last single Madonna released during the 1990s.
It won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media in 2000.
soundtrack. The song has a similar lyrical theme and instrumentation as the song "Amazing", which is included on Madonna's album Music
(2000).
Madonna performed it as the fourth song in the setlist of the Drowned World Tour
, between "Candy Perfume Girl" and "Ray of Light
". The beginning of the performance features a short scene of Mike Myers
as Austin Powers, while another song from the movie's soundtrack, "Soul Bossa Nova
", was being played in the background. Near the end of the song, a "lost" technician appears on the stage playing the role of the 'beautiful stranger'.
"Beautiful Stranger" features on both of Madonna's later-day hits compilations, GHV2
and Celebration
.
The song also can be heard in the opening credits
of the TV film Sabrina Down Under.
, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
on June 1, 1999 at #78 and peaked at #19 on July 13, 1999 (after reaching the Top 40 on June 15) on the strength of radio airplay only, a considerable achievement at the time for a song that did not receive a commercial release. By not releasing a single, fans in the US had to purchase the soundtrack, which has sold two million copies in the US alone. "Beautiful Stranger" was also a hit on the Billboard dance charts, reaching number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart and number three on the Hot Dance Singles Sales Chart
.
In the United Kingdom
, the song was a huge hit, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart
, being kept from the number one spot by S Club 7
's "Bring It All Back
". The song spent sixteen weeks on the singles chart, with seven of those being within the top twenty. "Beautiful Stranger" also became one of the most played songs on UK radio ever. At one point the song received 2,462 broadcasts per week. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 520,000 copies there.
Elsewhere the song was also a hit, reaching number one in Canada
, South Africa
, Finland
and Italy
. It also went top five in Australia
and top twenty in France
, Germany
, the Netherlands
, Ireland
and Japan
. The single sold around 2.5 million copies worldwide.
that was directed
by Brett Ratner
and shot on May 1, 1999 at Universal Studios
in Universal City, California
.
In the lighthearted video Austin Powers is seen on the road as he gets the assignment to catch a spy. A spy that's "a master of disguise", who turns out to be Madonna. The music video, like the song, was extremely successful, winning an MTV Video Music Award
for Best Video from a Film
. It is available on Madonna's The Video Collection 93:99
, and Celebration: The Video Collection
, as well as on the DVD release of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
Source
Track listing:
-CD-Single-
1. Beautiful Stranger (Album Version)
2. Beautiful Stranger (Calderone Club Mix)
3. Beautiful Stranger (Calderone Mix)
http://www.amazon.de/Beautiful-Stranger-Madonna/dp/B00000JF6U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313625480&sr=8-3
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song written and produced by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
song-writer and musician William Orbit
William Orbit
William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
, drawing heavily on the 1966 song "She Comes in Colors" by Love
Love (band)
Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer/songwriter Arthur Lee and lead guitarist Johnny Echols...
. "Beautiful Stranger" was written for the film soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series that began with 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
(1999). The song was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in the middle of 1999. It was the last single Madonna released during the 1990s.
It won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media in 2000.
Song information
"Beautiful Stranger" is an up-tempo love song featuring heavily reverbed guitars and bouncy drum loops, with lyrics telling a tale of infatuation. The song was specifically written for an inclusion on the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged MeAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series that began with 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
soundtrack. The song has a similar lyrical theme and instrumentation as the song "Amazing", which is included on Madonna's album Music
Music (Madonna album)
Music is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on September 19, 2000 by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records...
(2000).
Madonna performed it as the fourth song in the setlist of the Drowned World Tour
Drowned World Tour
The Drowned World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums Ray of Light and Music. It was also her first tour in eight years, following The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993...
, between "Candy Perfume Girl" and "Ray of Light
Ray of Light (song)
A high-speed electronic dance song, "Ray of Light" has received stylistic comparisons to rave, psychedelic and acid music. The track contains strong techno elements, as well as disco, trance and Eurodance influences, and it sees Madonna deepen her dance roots and go for a more electronic sound...
". The beginning of the performance features a short scene of Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
as Austin Powers, while another song from the movie's soundtrack, "Soul Bossa Nova
Soul Bossa Nova
"Soul Bossa Nova" is a popular instrumental title, composed by and first performed by American impresario, jazz composer, arranger and record producer Quincy Jones. It first appeared on his 1962 Big Band Bossa Nova big band album on Mercury Records. Multi-reed player Rahsaan Roland Kirk played the...
", was being played in the background. Near the end of the song, a "lost" technician appears on the stage playing the role of the 'beautiful stranger'.
"Beautiful Stranger" features on both of Madonna's later-day hits compilations, GHV2
GHV2
GHV2 is the second greatest hits compilation album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on November 12, 2001, by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. It contains the most popular songs from the 1990s up until 2001. It is the follow-up to the 1990 release, The...
and Celebration
Celebration (Madonna album)
Celebration is the third greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, and the closing release under her contract with Warner Bros. Records, her record company since 1982. The release follows her two previous greatest hits albums, The Immaculate Collection and GHV2...
.
The song also can be heard in the opening credits
Opening credits
In a motion picture, television program, or video game, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There...
of the TV film Sabrina Down Under.
Chart performance
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on June 1, 1999 at #78 and peaked at #19 on July 13, 1999 (after reaching the Top 40 on June 15) on the strength of radio airplay only, a considerable achievement at the time for a song that did not receive a commercial release. By not releasing a single, fans in the US had to purchase the soundtrack, which has sold two million copies in the US alone. "Beautiful Stranger" was also a hit on the Billboard dance charts, reaching number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart and number three on the Hot Dance Singles Sales Chart
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...
.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the song was a huge hit, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, being kept from the number one spot by S Club 7
S Club 7
S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, were a pop group created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, consisting of members Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, de facto lead singer Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens. The group rose to fame by starring in their...
's "Bring It All Back
Bring it All Back
"Bring It All Back" is the debut single by British pop group S Club 7. It was co-written by S Club 7, Eliot Kennedy, Mike Percy and Tim Lever for the group's debut album S Club, which was released in 1999. Kennedy, Percy and Lever also produced the song, which received a mixed reception from music...
". The song spent sixteen weeks on the singles chart, with seven of those being within the top twenty. "Beautiful Stranger" also became one of the most played songs on UK radio ever. At one point the song received 2,462 broadcasts per week. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 520,000 copies there.
Elsewhere the song was also a hit, reaching number one in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It also went top five in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and top twenty in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The single sold around 2.5 million copies worldwide.
Music video
"Beautiful Stranger" featured a retro music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
that was directed
Music video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
by Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...
and shot on May 1, 1999 at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in Universal City, California
Universal City, California
Universal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, that encompasses the 415 acre property of Universal Studios...
.
In the lighthearted video Austin Powers is seen on the road as he gets the assignment to catch a spy. A spy that's "a master of disguise", who turns out to be Madonna. The music video, like the song, was extremely successful, winning an MTV Video Music Award
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
for Best Video from a Film
MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film was first awarded in 1987, recognizing the best videos whose songs were a part of a movie soundtrack or featured in a film. As time went on, though, music videos taken from movie soundtracks became more rare, and so the last of this award was...
. It is available on Madonna's The Video Collection 93:99
The Video Collection 93:99
The Video Collection 93:99 is the second music video compilation by American singer-songwriter Madonna. Released by Warner Music Vision on November 2, 1999, it contained the music video of Madonna's singles released between 1993 to 1999...
, and Celebration: The Video Collection
Celebration: The Video Collection
Celebration: The Video Collection is a greatest videos DVD compilation by American singer-songwriter Madonna. Released by Warner Bros. Records on September 29, 2009, the release accompanied the greatest hits Celebration. The collection follows on from her other greatest videos compilations The...
, as well as on the DVD release of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
- Director: Brett Ratner
- Producer: Rebecca Morley
- Director of Photography: Thomas Kloss
- Editor: Mark Helfrich
- Production Company: Villains
Personnel
- Writing - Madonna, William Orbit
- Producing - Madonna, William Orbit
- Additional remix - Victor Calderone
- Additional production - Victor Calderone
Source
Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Singles Chart |
5 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 14 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
1 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
6 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 Singles Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
2 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 1 |
| French SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... Singles Chart |
17 |
| German Singles Chart | 13 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
3 |
| Italian FIMI Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... Singles Chart |
1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
5 |
| South African Singles Chart | 1 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 4 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 15 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 6 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
19 |
| U.S. Hot 100 Airplay | 11 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
1 |
| U.S. Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
23 |
Certifications
| Country | Certifications |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Gold |
| France Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
Silver |
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Gold |
Official versions
| Remix/Version | Run Time |
|---|---|
| Album/LP Version | 4:22 |
| Acapella | 3:41 |
| Instrumental | 4:21 |
| Edit from William Orbit Promo CD | 3:50 |
| Lite Radio Mix | 5:00 |
| Victor Calderone Club Mix | 10:13 |
| Victor Calderone Dub Mix | 6:20 |
| Victor Calderone New Club Edit | 5:11 |
| Victor Calderone Radio Edit | 4:03 |
| Video Instrumental | 4:32 |
| Video Version | 4:32 |
| William Orbit Radio Edit | 3:59 |
| William Orbit Radio Edit Instrumental | 3:40 |
Track listing:
-CD-Single-
1. Beautiful Stranger (Album Version)
2. Beautiful Stranger (Calderone Club Mix)
3. Beautiful Stranger (Calderone Mix)
http://www.amazon.de/Beautiful-Stranger-Madonna/dp/B00000JF6U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313625480&sr=8-3
Cover versions
- Jon Auer, co-founder of the American power popPower popPower pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band The PosiesThe PosiesThe Posies are an alternative rock/power pop group. The band was formed in 1987 in Bellingham, Washington by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. They are best known for their radio hits "Golden Blunders" , as well as "Dream All Day", "Solar Sister" and "Flavor of the Month"...
, recorded a cover of the song on his 2001 solo EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
6 ½. - A 2007 folk musicFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
tribute compilation to Madonna, entitled Through the WildernessThrough the WildernessThrough the Wilderness is a tribute album to Madonna by various folk artists, released on November 27, 2007 on Manimal Vinyl Records.*7 out of 10- Pitchforkmedia.com*3.5 Stars - Spin Magazine-Tracks included:...
, features a cover of the song by Golden Animals. - Alternative power pop band Cats & Jammer covered the song. A sample can be heard on their official MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. - Indie artist Ed Shepp recorded a cover of the song for his EP The Madonna Within.