Madonna put spotlight on AIDS with 'Live to Tell' performance
Today's Morning Edition music is from 30 years ago today, when "Live to Tell" by Madonna was No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart.
It was her third No. 1 hit. The song was written for use in the film "At Close Range," which starred her then-husband Sean Penn.
In 2006, during her Confessions tour, she sang it while hanging on a giant mirrored cross and wearing a crown of thorns. The number 12 million flashed behind her, an estimate of the number of children orphaned by AIDS in Africa.
Religious leaders decried the performance as blasphemous.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.