Synopsis

Madonna performs "Beautiful Stranger" in a smoky nightclub while Austin Powers watches from the crowd, instantly smitten. After receiving a warning about a dangerous master of disguise, Powers tries to resist her charms, but his imagination quickly takes over. Psychedelic dance sequences, changing images of Madonna, and a playful car ride blur the line between spy mission and seduction. Mike Myers appears as Austin Powers, with Verne Troyer as Mini-Me, turning the clip into a comic extension of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was created to promote the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack, on which "Beautiful Stranger" was released as the lead single on May 19, 1999.

• Filming took place at Universal Studios in Los Angeles on May 1, 1999. Madonna had reportedly wanted to work with the same filmmaker after seeing the video for D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar."

• Madonna and William Orbit wrote and produced the song together. Orbit had also collaborated with Madonna on Ray of Light, giving the soundtrack single a clear connection to her then-current electronic-pop sound.

• Kevyn Aucoin handled Madonna's makeup, marking another collaboration after The Power of Good-Bye.

• Mike Myers reportedly stayed in character as Austin Powers throughout the shoot. He was apparently uncomfortable with one especially suggestive moment and asked for it to be removed, but Madonna liked the joke and persuaded the production to keep it.

• The clip won the 1999 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film, reinforcing its role as both a Madonna release and an unusually successful piece of movie promotion.

• "Beautiful Stranger" also won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 2000 ceremony, shared by Madonna and William Orbit.