American Bandstand January 14, 1984, 21 years ago today

I grew up in Mobile, Alabama here in the US and as a kid I used to watch American Bandstand every Saturday. It would come on ABC after the the morning cartoons, and I remember seeing Madonna perform “Holiday” on it even though I didn’t give it a second thought as anything special. I was 16 years old then, and it wasn’t until I saw the video “Borderline” that I became enthralled with Madonna. Years later, though, when I saw clips of this American Bandstand performance, I finally realized just how special it was.

The famous line that Madonna said to Dick Clark that day is almost always quoted as “I want to rule the world” … when in fact the actual quote was just “Mmmm, to rule the world.” It’s one of those things that has become so legendary that the misquote is more famous than the actual one (like “Play it again, Sam” from Casablanca when it was really just “Play it, Sam.”)

For 21 years now, Madonna has ruled my world. I have constantly loved her talent and beauty, and I think she’s one of the coolest gals in the universe.

Steve