Beautiful Stranger

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"Beautiful Stranger"
Single by Madonna
from the album Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Soundtrack
Released	June 1, 1999 (Europe) July 14, 1999 (Japan)
Format	CD Single 12" Vinyl Single 7" Vinyl Single Cassette Single
Genre	Pop, Psychedelic
Length	4:21
Label	Maverick Records Warner Bros. Records WEA International
Producer(s)	Madonna William Orbit
Certification	Gold (UK & Australia) Silver (France)
Chart positions
#1 (Canada, Finland, Italy, Latvia) #2 (U.K.) #3 (Ireland) #5 (Australia) #13 (Germany) #17 (France) #19 (U.S.)
Madonna singles chronology
"Nothing Really Matters" (1999)	"Beautiful Stranger" (1999)	"American Pie" (2000)
GHV2 track listing
"The Power of Good-Bye" (album version) (7)	"Beautiful Stranger" (William Orbit radio edit) (8)	"Frozen" (edit) (9)

"Beautiful Stranger" is a pop—dance music song written by American singer Madonna and William Orbit for the movie soundtrack Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999). It was produced by Madonna and Orbit. The song was released as a single in the summer of 1999 (see 1999 in music) and was a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number two. The song did not receive a commercial release in the United States, where it was a smash hit and subsequently garnered respectable success on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nineteen, due to heavy radio airplay. In 2000 the song won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

Contents 1 Composition and inspiration 2 Music video 3 Chart performance 3.1 Charts 3.2 Remixes 4 References

[edit] Composition and inspiration

"Beautiful Stranger" is a 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 soundtrack. The song has a similar lyrical theme and instrumentation as the song "Amazing", which is included on Madonna's album Music (2000). Both songs were recorded during the same session and it is believed that both songs were offered for inclusion on the soundtrack with only "Beautiful Stranger" making it in the end.

Co-writer William Orbit used a very similar - if not almost identical - bassline in "Beautiful Stranger" as he did in "Ray of Light" (1998). Elements of the song are strongly reminiscent of Love's 1960s song "She Comes In Colours". Also, the opening chords of the song are reminiscent of those of "Light My Fire" by The Doors, though the progression in "Beautiful Stranger" ascends, while that in "Light My Fire" descends.

[edit] Music video

"Beautiful Stranger" featured a retro music video that was directed by Brett Ratner. The video begins with Austin Powers (Mike Myers) being assigned to catch a spy who is "a master in disguise". According to Austin's boss Basil Exposition (Michael York) who has a cameo in the video, Madonna (the spy) was responsible for the death of both 007 and 008. Austin heads to a club where Madonna is dancing at. While watching her perform a sexy dance on stage, Austin begins to have fantasies about him and Madonna in his car, with Madonna licking Austin's face, rubbing against him with her jacket open, and wiggling her ass at Austin. The videos ends with the two driving away, and Austin failing to complete his mission as he has fallen in love with Madonna. The video also features cameos by Dr. Evil (another character from the movie who is played by Mike Myers as well) and the little clone Mini-Me who is seen dancing in the club.

The music video, like the song, was extremely successful, winning a MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Motion Picture.

[edit] Chart performance

In the United States, the song debuted at number hundred and sixteen on the Billboard Bubbling Under Chart, before appearing on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nineteen on the strength of radio airplay only, an amazing achievement for a song with no generated sales. By not releasing the song commercially, 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" was also a radio airplay hit, becoming one of the most played songs on UK radio ever. Once the song received 2,462 broadcasts in one week.

Elsewhere the song was a hit, reaching number one in Canada, Finland and Italy. It also went top twenty in Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland and Japan.

[edit] Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Australia ARIA Top 50 Singles	5
Austrian Singles Chart	14
Canada Singles Sales Chart	1
Eurochart Hot 100	2
Finland Singles Chart	1
France Singles Chart	17
Germany Singles Chart	13
Ireland Singles Chart	3
Italy Singles Chart	1
Japan Foreign Singles Chart	1
Latvian Airplay Top	1
Swedish Singles Chart	15
UK Singles Chart	2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	19
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales	3
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40	9
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	23
U.S. Billboard Latin Pop Airplay	25
U.S. Billboard Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay	20
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	8
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks	6
United World Chart	4

[edit] Remixes

• Soundtrack Version (4:21)
• Instrumental (4:21)
• Acapella (3:41) Unreleased
• Video Version (4:32)
• Video Instrumental (4:32)
• William Orbit Radio Edit (3:59)
• William Orbit Radio Edit Instrumental (3:40)
• Edit from William Orbit Promo CD (3:50) promotinal release
• Victor Calderone Club Mix (10:13)
• Victor Calderone Dub Mix (6:20) promotional vinyl release
• Victor Calderone Radio Edit (4:03)
• Victor Calderone New Club Edit (5:11) promotinal release
• Bigglesworth Mix (4:09) Unreleased [questionable, mixer unknown]
• Orbit Long Demo (6:43) Unreleased
• Drowned World Tour Studio Version (4:38) Unreleased

[edit] References

• Billboard.com. link. Last accessed on Feb. 25, 2006. - US chart positions.
• MoCaW: Madonna on Charts around the World. link. Last accessed on Feb. 25, 2006. - Worldwide chart positions and certifications.
• Enlace Madonna link. Last accessed on Feb. 25, 2006. - Release and music video information.