It was released on May 19, , by Maverick and Warner Bros. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the song with William Orbit. The soundtrack for Austin 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. Musically, "Beautiful Stranger" is a psychedelic pop and disco song that features heavily reverberated guitars and bouncy drum loops.
Its lyrics tell the tale of a romantic infatuation. The song received positive feedback from music 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 the Billboard Hot due to airplay. It reached number one on the US dance charts. The song's music video, directed by Brett Ratner , prominently features Madonna singing in a club, visited by Mike Myers as his character Austin Powers.
At the end of the video Madonna seduces Myers and goes off in his car. Madonna performed the song on her Drowned World Tour , and it has been covered by some artists, including a critically acclaimed version by Australian rock band DMA's. Madonna and Canadian actor Mike Myers had previously collaborated for an episode of Saturday Night Live in , when the singer hosted the show and invited Myers' character, Wayne Campbell to play a game of truth or dare , while pitching her documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare.
According to Gwen Ihnat from The A. Club , the "creative partnership [between them] works because Madonna, though serious, always seems game, and Myers, though frequently goofy, is also creatively inventive". Records senior vice president Danny Bramson and Madonna's Maverick Records ' co-owner Guy Oseary ; both of them served as executive producer on the soundtrack. By May , 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 like R.
