| "Beautiful Stranger" | ||||
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| Single byMadonna | ||||
| from the albumAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | ||||
| Released | May 19, 1999 (1999-05-19) | |||
| Recorded | February 1999 | |||
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| Length | 4:22 | |||
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| Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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| "Beautiful Stranger" onYouTube | ||||
"Beautiful Stranger" is a song by American singer and songwriterMadonna. It was released on May 19, 1999, byMaverick andWarner Bros. Records as a single from the soundtrack of the film,Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the song withWilliam Orbit. The soundtrack forAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was a much expected release and Madonna's song was chosen by the album's executive producers to promote it. "Beautiful Stranger" has appeared on three separate Madonna greatest hits collections:GHV2 (2001),Celebration (2009) andFinally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). Musically, "Beautiful Stranger" is apsychedelic pop anddisco song that features heavily reverberated guitars and bouncy drum loops. Its lyrics tell the tale of a romantic infatuation.
The song received positive feedback frommusic critics who praised the production and Madonna's musical progression. It was a commercial success reaching the top of the charts in Canada, Finland, Iceland and Italy, number two in the United Kingdom and top-ten in many markets. Although the song was not commercially released in the United States, it reached number 19 on theBillboard Hot 100 due toairplay. It reached number one on the USdance charts. "Beautiful Stranger" also earned Madonna her fifthGrammy Award, winning the trophy forBest Song Written for Visual Media.
The song's music video, directed byBrett Ratner, prominently features Madonna singing in a club, visited byMike Myers as his characterAustin Powers. At the end of the video Madonna seduces Myers and goes off in his car. It won theMTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film in 1999. Madonna performed the song on her 2001Drowned World Tour, and it has beencovered by some artists, including a critically acclaimed version by Australian rock bandDMA's.
Madonna and Canadian actorMike Myers had previously collaborated for an episode ofSaturday Night Live in 1991, when the singer hosted the show and invited Myers' character,Wayne Campbell to play a game oftruth or dare, while pitching her documentaryMadonna: Truth or Dare. According to Gwen Ihnat fromThe A.V. Club, the "creative partnership [between them] works because Madonna, though serious, always seems game, and Myers, though frequently goofy, is also creatively inventive". In 1999, the singer was chosen to contribute a single on the soundtrack for Myers' second film about the spy characterAustin Powers, titledAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.[1] Madonna's former boyfriend, British screenwriter Andy Bird, was reportedly the inspiration for "Beautiful Stranger."[2][3]
The soundtrack toThe Spy Who Shagged Me led to the teaming up of two music executives,Warner Bros. Records senior vice president Danny Bramson and Madonna'sMaverick Records' co-ownerGuy Oseary; both of them served as executive producer on the soundtrack. By May 1999, expectations were already high for the release, so the producers decided to include Madonna's track along with a song from a number of other high-profile artists likeR.E.M.,Lenny Kravitz andMel B from theSpice Girls.[4]
As recalled by Oseary, there was intense competition among artists to have their songs placed in the soundtrack, with one manager connected to the project describing the fight for the first potential single release as "a blood bath". The main intention of the producers was to have the artists contribute music which would abide by the predominant 1960s mood of the film. Ultimately, it was decided that "Beautiful Stranger" was suitable for this, and it was chosen as the first single from the soundtrack.[4] However, Madonna's recording companyWarner Bros. decided not to release anyCD single or remix singles to accompany the release in the United States, onlypromo 12-inch discs were sent to the dance club DJs.[5] The song was only released to theCHR top 40 radio for airplay on May 19, 1999.[6] In the United Kingdom, the single was released on June 7, 1999, as a CD single,12-inch single, andcassette single, while in Canada, a CD was issued on July 20, 1999.[7][8] "Beautiful Stranger" has appeared on two separate Madonna greatest hits collections:GHV2 (2001) andCelebration (2009).[9][10] On May 21, 2021, Madonna released the "Beautiful Stranger" remix EP to all digital and streaming outlets.[11][12]
Recording for "Beautiful Stranger" took place in February 1999 at the Guerilla Beach Studios in Los Angeles, California, as well as the Enterprise Studio in Burbank, California.[13] Along with writing and producing the song with Madonna, Orbit also played the keyboards and the guitar on the track. Damian LeGassick did theprogramming and additional keyboard while Emma Fowler played theflute. Theengineering team includedPat McCarthy,Mark Endert and Dave Chelsea, with McCarthy alsomixing the track. Jeff Gregmay and Wassim Zartek were the assistant recording engineers.[14] According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, "Beautiful Stranger" is set incommon time and is composed in akey ofF♯ major with a mid dancetempo of 128 beats per minute. The song begins with a basic sequence of E–B–F♯–A–C♯ before moving to the mainchord progression of C♯sus4–C♯7.[15]
"Beautiful Stranger" is apsychedelic pop[16] anddisco[17] song and begins with a musicalinstrumentation reminiscent of "Light My Fire" (1967) byThe Doors and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (1967) byThe Beatles. The song's main structure is backed by guitar, while drums come in during the choruses. Around the 1:06 mark, there is a hint ofmellotron andflute being played like The Beatles' 1967 songs "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "The Fool on the Hill".[18] The song has similar composition to Madonna's endeavors with her previous albumRay of Light, mixed withpsychedelic music.[19]USA Today's Ken Barnes has suggested that the chorus, riff, instrumentation and structure of "Beautiful Stranger" were based on American rock bandLove's 1966 single "She Comes in Colors".[20][21][22] The band's record company—Rhino Records—executive Gary Stewart stated that "Certainly, the riff and instrumentation [of 'Beautiful Stranger'] are reminiscent of 'She Comes in Colors,'" and that the "da da da da da" chorus on the track seems to be based upon "an instrumental flourish that's an integral part of the [Love] record. It may be a conscious or an unconscious homage." Madonna denied any such influence, claiming that she had never heard of Love.[20]
According to Michael Paoletta fromBillboard, "no fierce-ruling club DJ in 1999 would [have] dared play the original jangly rock-etched version of the song". Hence the song was remixed byVictor Calderone, who kept the basic structure of the song, while mixing it with tribal infused beats. Unlike many of his then releases—where he removed the bulk of the song's lyrics for remixing—with "Beautiful Stranger" he kept them. Paoletta described the remixes as "if Calderone fully understands the importance of a song and understands how best to unite deft beats and a dazzling vocal performance."[5] The remixes include arock-leaning version as well as Calderone's Club and Radio mixes.[23]
"It's always a joy when a well-established artist is able to show that he or she is as creatively inspired as ever. ['Beautiful Stranger'] does nothing but further Madonna's essential place in pop culture through the '80s, '90s, and now, beyond. Credible and utterly exceptional."
"Beautiful Stranger" received generally positive reviews. Chuck Taylor fromBillboard denoted the song as a "new shift in the wind for [Madonna]", calling it another creative high for her. He also complimented the production saying that "this latest partnership with [Orbit] taps into a walloping romp of guitars andenough cascading organs to prompt an urge to listen to yourMonkees collection." Taylor ended the review with positive feedback for Madonna's vocals, likening them to those for theEvita album, along with commending the chorus.[24] In a different article forBillboard talking about the song's remixes, Paoletta described the track as "effervescent blast of psychedelicelectronica".[5] Writing for thePhilippine Daily Inquirer, Gino DeLa Paz found it "cute but forgettable".[25] Gwen Ihnat, from the entertainment websiteThe A.V. Club, labeled it as "Madonna's best song that never appeared on one of her regular albums [...] a psychedelic pop confection that offered a few of her most indelible hooks". Ihnat also wrote that "although less ethereal than 1998'sRay of Light, ['Beautiful Stranger'] is just as dance-floor ready [...] dance flute has never sounded so enticing, and Madonna's voice so sweetly seductive".[1]AllMusic's Jose F. Promis listed the track "as one of the singer's more memorable moments, coupling1960sgo-go rock with1990s electronica, resulting in nothing less than a true slice of old fashionedrock & roll"; Promis also praised the two Calderone mixes.[23]
Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani gave the song a rating of B− and wrote: "Like any good throwaway track, 'Beautiful Stranger' doesn't pretend to be much more than it is. Whiny guitars and flutes abound, Madonna and Orbit concocted a perfect theme song for friend Mike Myers's cookyAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Playful, wispy and ultimately forgettable".[26] In August 2018, Paul Schrodt from the same magazine, placed it at number 53 on his ranking of the singer's singles, calling it "the antithesis ofRay of Light. The hooky, psychedelic track is more accessible than Madonna’s previous work with Orbit. The innocuous lyrics could’ve been ghostwritten for anyone, but the song endears due to Madge’s playful delivery and Orbit’s sonic details".[27] Ken Tucker fromEntertainment Weekly, declared it as the "song of the summer", and praised it for being "a piece of psychedelic pop at once so 60s and so 90s that to sully it with a 'shagalicious' joke would be an insult... The way [Madonna] has of making her voice merge into indistinguishability with the surging instrumentation in the chorus, the way she sings the title phrase with an ache in her voice, that's at once urgent and playful."[16] Matthew Jacobs fromThe Huffington Post ranked the song 22 on their list of "The Definitive Ranking Of Madonna Singles".[28]Medium's Richard LaBeau called it a "bold, clever and interesting bridge between theRay of Light andMusic eras".[29] In March 2023,Billboard ranked the song as Madonna's 88th greatest ever, with Andrew Unterberger writing: "Madonna's still in too reflective a mindset to go fullincense and peppermints with it, but she's game enough to meet Orbit's woozyreverb-soakedgroove..."[30]
Louis Virtel, fromTheBacklot.com, placed "Beautiful Stranger" at number 36 of his list "The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs"; he felt that "Orbit's psychedelic styling suit Madonna's groovy wistfulness perfectly".[31] Author Phil Dellio wrote in his bookInterrupting My Train of Thought that although "Beautiful Stranger" had similarities to Madonna's own "Ray of Light" (1998), it had "better melody, better vocal, better light show. It's about the trippiest, most propulsive above-ground dance music since the first two minutes ofLed Zeppelin's 'How Many More Times'."[32] J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote inMadonna: An Intimate Biography that Madonna's 2000 song "Amazing", from her eighth studio albumMusic sounded like a cousin to "Beautiful Stranger" with its inspired composition.[33] While ranking Madonna's singles, in honor of her 60th birthday,The Guardian'sJude Rogers placed "Beautiful Stranger" at number 34, calling it a "gorgeously slinky, impish love song".[34] In a list of the "99 Best Songs of 1999",Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield placed the track at number 27 and praised it for being "the most shagadelic disco hit by a megastar shimmying into the big 4-0", adding that "Madonna has never sounded so loose, so lithe, so funny".[17] The song received aGrammy Award at the42nd ceremony, in the category ofBest Song Written for Visual Media. It was also nominated in the category ofBest Female Pop Vocal Performance.[35] It was also nominated for aGolden Globe award forBest Original Song, but lost toPhil Collins's "You'll Be in My Heart".[36] At the 2000ASCAP Pop Awards it was awarded the Most Performed Song.[37] It also won theIvor Novello Award for Most Performed Work, while also being nominated for Best Contemporary Song.[38] The1999 MTV Europe Music Awards also nominated the track in the category ofBest Song.[39] "Beautiful Stranger" was nominated as Favorite Song From a Movie at the 1999Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.[40]
In the United States, "Beautiful Stranger" debuted on theBillboard Hot 100 at number 78 on June 12, 1999.[41] It was Madonna's first soundtrack single to chart on the Hot 100 since her rendition of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" reached number eight in March 1997. "Beautiful Stranger" also debuted at number 28 on theMainstream Top 40 chart.[42] It gradually climbed up the Hot 100 and peaked at number 19 on July 13, 1999, on the strength of radio airplay only.[43][44] Promis said that the relative low placement was due to the CD singles not being released.[23] "Beautiful Stranger" was successful on theBillboardDance Club Play chart, reaching number one.[45] It placed at number 31 on the year-end ranking for the Dance Club Play chart in 1999.[46] In Canada, "Beautiful Stranger" was able to top both theRPM 100 Hit Tracks and Adult Contemporary charts, while also reaching a peak of number four on the Dance 30 chart.[47][48][49] While the song was commercially released in Canada, it was ineligible to chart on theCanadian Singles Chart as Warner did not submit the necessary barcode information toNielsen SoundScan.[50]
In Australia, "Beautiful Stranger" debuted at number eight on theARIA Singles Chart and reached its peak of number five the next week, staying there for two weeks in total. It gradually descended down the charts, present within the top 50 for a total of 16 weeks.[51] It was certified gold by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 35,000 copies of the single.[52] On the year end tabulation, the song ranked at number 34.[53] In New Zealand, "Beautiful Stranger" debuted at its peak position of number five. The single gradually descended down the chart and was present for a total of 14 weeks.[54]
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at its peak of number two on theUK Singles Chart with first-week sales of over 135,000 copies. The song spent 16 weeks on the singles chart, with seven of those being within the top 20.[55][56] "Beautiful Stranger" also became one of the most played songs onUK radio, receiving over 2,462 plays per week, breaking the previous record held byCher with her single "Believe".[57] According to theOfficial Charts Company, the song has sold 535,000 copies in the United Kingdom as of August 2016 and was certified gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI).[58][55] Across Europe, "Beautiful Stranger" reached the top 20 of the charts in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, while reaching the top of the charts in Finland and Italy.[51] It received a silver certification in France for shipment of 125,000 copies.[59] The song reached a peak of number two on theEuropean Hot 100 Singles chart, also ranking number two in the 1999 year-end tabulation behindBritney Spears' "...Baby One More Time".[60][61]
The song's accompanyingmusic video was directed byBrett Ratner and filmed atUniversal Studios inLos Angeles on May 1, 1999.[62] Madonna had previously shown interest in working with Ratner after seeing his video forD'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" (1995).[63] Her make-up was done byKevyn Aucoin, with whom she had previously worked on her music video for "The Power of Good-Bye".[64] According to Ratner, it was a rather jovial shooting:
Mike was in character the entire time. He and Madonna really had a great chemistry together. This video shows her absolutely hysterical sense of humour, and it's great for everyone to see that side of her. This was by far the most fun I've ever had making a video.[6]
The video begins with Myers asAustin Powers, receiving a call from his bossBasil Exposition (Michael York), who warns him against a dangerous spy describing her as a "master of disguise". The screen of his car depicts five images of Madonna wearing different looks, and Exposition clarifies that she has been "seducing our top agents". He also warns Powers "whatever you do don't fall in love. We've already lost007 and 008".[19][65] As the video continues, Powers finds Madonna at a club performing in front of a crowd, which includesVerne Troyer in character asMini-Me.[66] As he watches her perform, Powers finds himself fantasizing about the two of them dancing in front of a white background with psychedelic fluorescent whirls. He also imagines her in the passenger seat of his car, where she playfully teases him whilst he is driving through London at night.[66]
According to Ratner, Myers was not comfortable with these scenes, as he felt it was too sexual and inappropriate; he even asked him to cut that particular shot. Madonna on the other hand, thought it was fun and convinced the director to keep it.[63] The video ends with Powers' car fantasy, with Powers telling Madonna “You’re going the right way for a smackbottom”, to which Madonna replies “I hope so”.[67] Author Georges Claude Guilbert wrote in his book,Madonna as Postmodern Myth, that "Beautiful Stranger" denoted one of the series of looks reinvented by Madonna around that time, and was a "radical" change from the geisha look of her previous video for "Nothing Really Matters", released the same year.[68]Matthew Rettenmund wrote in hisEncyclopedia Madonnica that "Madonna probably gave very little thought [behind the video]" but he felt that it was better than being a "couple of steps above a clips compilation".[19]
At the1999 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was nominated in the categories ofBest Female Video andBest Cinematography, and won forBest Video from a Film.[69] It also received a nomination for Best Pop Clip of the Year at the 1999Billboard Music Video Awards.[70] The clip won Best Cinematography and Best Make-Up at the 2000 MVPA Awards; it was also nominated for Soundtrack Video of the Year.[71] At the 1999 VH1 Fashion Awards, the video received a nomination in the category of Most Stylish Video.[72] The video can be found on the Madonna compilations,The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) andCelebration: The Video Collection (2009).[73][74]
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Madonna performed "Beautiful Stranger" on her 2001Drowned World Tour, where it was the fourth song on the setlist. It began with an introduction by Myers as Austin Powers on the video screens, the singer then asked the crowd "Do I make you horny?" (one of Powers' catchphrases) before performing the song. She was joined by backup singers Niki Haris and Donna DeLory, who also contributed with background vocals on the track.[75] Costumes for the performance included spikeddog collars, Swarovski crystal-encrusted bracelets and tattered tops; Madonna herself wore a sleeveless black top, crossover top with one net sleeve, jeans with zips and bondage straps and a tartankilt.[76] The backdrop during the performance displayed scenes from the movie and psychedelic fluorescent whirls. It also featured a lost technician at the end and elements of "Soul Bossa Nova (Dim's Space-A-Nova)", another song from the film's soundtrack.[77][78] On September 15, 2001, the tour's final date, Madonna's then husbandGuy Ritchie joined her onstage as the lost technician.[79] Michael Hubbard fromMusicOMH noted that "things quickly hotted up with [...] 'Beautiful Stranger'".[77] The performance on August 26, 2001, atThe Palace of Auburn Hills, outside of Madonna's hometown of Detroit was recorded and released in the livevideo album,Drowned World Tour 2001.[80]
On October 26, 2008, Madonna performed a snippet of "Beautiful Stranger" as the request song during theChicago stop of herSticky & Sweet Tour.[81] Ana cappella version of the song was also performed during the Nashville stop of herRebel Heart Tour in January 2016.[82] In December 2016, Madonna performed "Beautiful Stranger" during herTears of a Clown show as part of a benefit dinner for her charity,Raising Malawi, atMiami, Florida.[83]
Jon Auer, co-founder of the Americanpower pop bandThe Posies, recorded a cover of the song on his 2001 soloEP6 ½. WebsiteStereogum listed the cover at number five on their list of The 20 Best Indie Rock Madonna Covers.[84] A 2007folk music tribute compilation to Madonna, entitledThrough the Wilderness, features a cover of the song by Golden Animals.[85] Australianrock bandDMA's covered the song during theirBBC Radio 1 sessions withAnnie Mac on March 8, 2016.[86] Michelle Geslani fromConsequence of Sound website praised the cover saying that it would "undoubtedly be hailed as yet another successful entry in DMA's young career" and described the cover as "easily tweaking the swirling, retro number into a psychedelic, arena-ready anthem".[87] Michael Carr fromMusic Feeds magazine also praised the cover saying "Lending itself surprisingly well to the boys’ shoegazey brit pop treatment, the lads absolutely nail it... To be honest though, they kind of won on song choice alone".[88]
Most recently, American punk bandSkating Polly released a cover of the song on the 2020 re-release of their album, The Make It All Show, as one of the bonus tracks.[89] The band had previously covered the song on their 2016 tour.[90]
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Credits and personnel are adapted fromBeautiful Stranger promo single liner notes.[14]
Weekly charts[edit] | Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[52] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[142] | Gold | 25,000* |
| France (SNEP)[59] | Gold | 250,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[58] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Version(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | May 19, 1999 | Radio airplay | Original | Maverick | [6] |
| United States | May 25, 1999 | Contemporary hit radio |
| [143] | |
| June 4, 1999 | [144] | ||||
| United Kingdom | June 7, 1999 |
| Maverick | [7] | |
| Japan | July 17, 1999 | CD | Original |
| [145] |
| Canada | July 20, 1999 |
|
| [8] | |
| Various | May 21, 2021 | Remixes | Warner | [98] |
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