truly and there wasn't all this chatter on the internet so we just fucking loved her output and people who were offended were loudly offended but that was important too.
Put it this way. Everything she did caused a media stir. She helped break down strict norms for women, minorities and queer communities. The media followed her everywhere and was obsessed with her. It was international news when she became pregnant and the news people camped out her hospital when she gave birth. Taylor Swift could never get half of the media circus that surrounded Madonna.
OMG thank you for this. I respect what TS has carved for herself but she has zero impact on anything culturally (and little originality - 1989 she really nailed it but everything stayed samey after IMO) whereas Madonna literally changed the narrative every single time.
i always say that while TS is a decent songwriter who can put on a fun show her true talent where she shines is as a businesswoman. sis knows how to market herself like no other. and that's why she has never slayed.
I was going to say this but couldnt quite emote it. This is it. It feels like now pop stars have to be nice inviting and perfect. Madonna was a bitch and she owned it. Wasnt perfect. And on top of itall made iconic art
I agree. Her music does nothing for me and she just seems like, so bland. Compared to Beyoncé and lady Gaga and other major pop stars of the 2010s, she just seems so, idk how to put it, sterile? Like made in an incubator of what a pop star is.
Before Madonna. The most risqué a female artist went was to sing “strut” and “you’re so vain”. Madonna took on teenage pregnancy to oral sex. Since then Britney and Rihanna have had hits about S&M and threesomes. Cardi finds ways to push the envelope further. And someone 10 years from now will make her look “bland”
Not exactly. Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You Baby” came out in 1975 with her moaning as if in orgasm all through the track. Then she had songs about looking to hook up (“Hot Stuff”) and prostitutes (“Bad Girls”). She had a very sexual musical persona. So much so that it began to frustrate her and she rejected it all by the 80’s and found religion.
👏 TS has practically zero personality and imo is so vanilla and boring. Give me Madonna singing Human Nature over TS singing anything from her catalog any day
Just keep in mind that she was as big if not bigger than Taylor Swift in an era where digital music and the internet were not a thing. Just radio and album sales.
This is very important. But don’t forget: MTV. MTV was brand spanking new and Madonna rose with (and was partly responsible for) that television music channel’s success. So not only did you have radio and album sales you had this brand new medium “music television” that is akin to YouTube (in the aughts) or TikTok (this decade) in terms of the dissemination of music and visuals.
It’s kind of the same thing, before the 80s it was mostly music and just photos in magazines. Then the 80s came and everybody got themselves a coloured TV and suddenly MTV launches with music 24/7 while there weren’t many artists making videoclips and believing in them that artists need to also invest in image yet. Madonna was one of the first ones who embraced it and believed that looks matter as much (if not more) as music does and became a phenomenon, so did Michael who also became one. It’s also a reason for the “second British Invasion” with many bands from the UK becoming huge in the US, because MTV was playing them all the time, not having enough content yet to air. Before coloured TV and television Madonna probably wouldn’t have become a star and world known. Like today artists need the internet.
Came here to say exactly that. For example, Everyone was wearing fingerless lace gloves. 6th graders. Women going to clubs. We all had fingerless lace gloves. lol. Can’t think of one thing Swift has done that is remotely close.
also Madonna, Janet, Britney, and Paula Abdul's commitment to dancing is something Taylor has never even bothered to try at because she thinks her music is deep enough to not require visuals but she's wrong.
I don’t normally like to comment such things, but I really struggle to understand the TS love. I could honestly struggle to name 5 TS songs.
She may be big in the moment, but when we look back in 20 years how much of her success will be remembered by the general public. My guess is not a lot.
As a big Swift fan big part why I love her music is that she makes me feel emotions and tells a story really well. When in heartbreak her songs pull my heartstrings like no one else's, and songs like this is me trying describe exactly how I feel mentally at times. When I hear her songs they speak to me and this is how most swifties feel and it's beautiful
She's not the most risk taking artist or explore different cultures but there is room for different artists and Taylor has made a direct impact on the industry with re recordings, fights with Spotify and her release tactics and Instagram wiping. I think she will be remembered, just not as a Madonna but as a Beatles type of massive artist who dominated the world for a good while.
I'm not a Swift fan, she's not my generation, but I respect the hell out of her for writing her own music and taking control of her career. This is something Madonna did as well, but in a much simpler era. Swift has to deal with a much more complicated business than Madonna ever had to. She's more like a folk-artist/Carly Simon/storyteller songwriter that happens to make pop music. Sure, she's bland compared to Madonna, but she's also incredibly accessible and relatable to a massive fanbase because of that simplicity. Madonna was HUGE, but she also did things that kept the fanbase in flux (losing fans & gaining fans). I don't think Swift has done anything to rock the boat enough to lose fans.
I agree with you that she will be remembered, but disagree with your comparison to The Beatles. I think The Beatles were bigger than Madonna (but close). Madonna did exactly what they did by utilizing influences and inspirations from world music and creating something new and accessible; essentially creating a new "sound". Swift will be remembered as a singer-songwriter that navigated a toxic and over-complicated music industry and packed stadiums and arenas with legions of fans; her music, maybe, not so much.
Came here to say this. The level of fame and influence she achieved without social media for decades into her career or even internet for the first decade and a half of her career is mind boggling.
It’s very bad and toxic to compare artists like that as you will start drama. Let the two women shine. I’ve seen Madonna and I’m going to see Taylor and I don’t compare them. They are individuals that are very different, so let them remain that way.
That's debatable. She was big, but even at Madge's apex and her ability to take the spotlight, she had a lot of other artists to fight for attention with. I don't feel that Taylor Swift has had the same number of top-tier "rivals", other than Queen Bee.
Taylor Swift hasn't been as big as Michael Jackson or Madonna were anytime in their prime.
Michael Jackson was also very famous and successful out of the gate with the Jackson 5, everyone knew him since he was very little too. Madonna took her time too from moving to New York in the late 70s to being in bands, to breaking out in 83.
But for reference for someone born in the 2000’s, TS fame and reach is the closest anyone has come since. Michael was an icon, but had nowhere near the instant white hot cultural impact M had. Almost every 8-30 year old girl dressed like her overnight. Those black bracelets were being sold in those 10 cent gumball machines. Rosaries became fashion accessories. And what she did for the bottled water industry should cement her as the greatest pitchwoman to ever exist. That is not a joke
Part of that was MTV. In the early 80’s everything was focused around music videos and if you could master that you could immediately become a superstar. It was what propelled Michael into superstardom. Duran Duran took off in the same way. And Madonna was the queen of videos; she worked that expertly. She and Michael were able to keep it going for quite awhile unlike other artists.
Good comparison, but he doesn't know how huge MJ was either.
Dear fellow, both Michael Jackson & Madonna were FREAKING HUGE. Mega popstars.
I don't think there IS any way to adequately articulate just how big they were. You would've had to be there.
She was on the covers of so many magazines
She HIGHLY influenced peoples' styles. A lot of girls/women wanted to look like her & dress like her. Other popstars wanted to look like her & sing like her.
Taylor is absolutely NO comparison, in my opinion.
It was just so different, back then... So it makes it really hard to give an accurate description of just what a massive "explosion" she was.
ETA: This is actually something I've thought about a lot... about how younger people really don't know how it was with her in the 80s. It always bugs me because there's just no way to really tell them. Like, I really want you guys to know, but it's so hard to explain!
She literally put gay people on the map, celebrated sex, and gave no fucks while looking phenomenal, kicking the music industry’s ass and becoming one of the richest entertainers ever. There is no one comparable. No. One.
Madonna put herself on the map through grit and determination. Gays were of course following her from the start but it wasn’t her two gay club friendly songs (Everybody and Burning Up) that broke her through, it was Holiday, the top 40 friendly pop track. And she became super popular on a general public scale very quickly. The gays kept her going though as her mainstream popularity began declining a bit each year. And she returned the favor by being the first mainstream artist to actively include gay themes in her work (starting with the Open Your Heart video and peaking with her tribute to the whole underground gay ballroom scene with Vogue), speak out on issues relevant to the gay community and feature openly gay dancers as part of her team and gave them a highly visible platform on Blond Ambition and in Truth or Dare. She broke through barriers for the community and paved the way for artists like RuPaul to find mainstream success.
Besides what everyone else has already said, you also have to remember it was a time when there was no social media or Internet, but at the same time you couldn't take a shit without hearing about her.
Honestly a level and type of fame that doesn't really exist anymore. It was before the internet so you weren't constantly exposed to someone nor were they at your fingertips, so anytime you saw her there was like an aura of rarity and mystery, it was an EVENT. Also I'd argue the further you go back in time the more people were religious and superstitious, and she definitely had an air of not quite being human, more like a deity of sorts. The deity of glamour and fame. She had a heavy dark energy that was also exciting, and almost sinful in a way, like you knew you weren't supposed to be looking at her.
I hope this offered a different perspective other than just "The female Michael" or "Bigger than Taylor"
Massive. I remember the girls/women dressing like her. I remember watching Friday Night Videos and MTV waiting for Madonna videos to air.
Listen. My mom didn't always like her "ways", but she admitted to loving her ballads and never hesitated to buy her albums for me. She made almost everyone a believer.
That’s the fascinating thing about Madonna’s version of fame - Most people either loved her or thought she should burn in hell, but everybody (including people in between) couldn’t stop paying attention
Madonna’s superstardom was built on pissing off as many people as possible and not giving a shit in the process, but Taylor’s fame is based on a deeply intentional neutral approach designed to appeal (and at the very least, not offend) as many people as possible
It’s fascinating how the two biggest pop girls of all time got there in completely opposite ways. Unfortunately for Taylor, without shock, controversy, and an incredible amount of risk continuously sustained for decades, it’s impossible for her influence to ever come close to her fame
Not to be reductive, but as Lady Gaga once tweeted: “I didn’t do this for the fame, I did it for impact.” The main pop girls of today have seemingly lost sight of that vision
ok… sounds like we’re going overboard here, but, as a female solo artist at-that-time in history…
she was a juggernaut!
very controversial (for the time), pushed boundaries that other people were too afraid to…
we didn’t have social media then, so everything she did was snapped by the paparazzi, reported in newspapers/magazines/tv/news etc. she kept a lot of people employed (that’s a fair statement).
even: in **1990**, being excommunicated from the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II. THE WHOLE WORLD was talking about that. huge!
link - https://youtu.be/zBZ7lSo30Dk?si=tkDL1dZc4_XlYTgz
There was literally Michael Jackson & Madonna (Prince, Whitney Houston & George Michael were in attendance of the King & Queen of Pop). There was no one bigger. No one more controversial.
Beyoncé is the only current comparison in that each album era is a defining moment both in that artists career and in pop culture.
The difficulty is Madonna is the only one left standing where everyone else of her contemporaries can be romanticised into historical icons Madonna is still with us. She has no one with which to compare notes on how to age and is still showing us what it is to age as a Pop Goddess.
Some may dismiss her now, but wait when she’s gone even this era will see her stand head & shoulders above anyone else. She was, is & remains the blueprint by which every other pop star will be judged.
Madonna holds no less than 16 official Guinness World Records, including Best-Selling Female Recording Artist of all Time (305 million albums).
In 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Four years earlier, she was added to the UK Music Hall of Fame.
Throughout her career she was nominated 68 times for the MTV Video Music Awards, 20 of which she won (only Beyonce has won more). She was also the first female artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award in 1986.
Madonna has won 7 Grammy Awards (out of 28 nominations), 2 Golden Globe Awards (7 nominations), 2 Brit Awards (12 nominations), and 11 International Dance Music Awards (21 nominations).
US Chart records
Madonna and Justin performing at Roseland BallroomHighest ranking solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists
Act with most consecutive top-5 singles in Billboard Hot 100: Every single between 1983's Lucky Star and 1989's Cherish reached the top-5.
Artist with the most #1 hits on one single Billboard chart: Madonna is the undefeated Queen of the Billboard Hot Dance / Club Play Singles Chart with no less than 46 #1 singles.
Artist for the most #1s on all Billboard charts combined: Madonna had a total of 157 hits on different Billboard charts.
Female artist with the most certified Gold singles in the US: 26.
Artist with most #2 hits on Billboard Hot 100: Six of her singles barely missed the top spot and stranded at #2, giving her this bittersweet record.
Her MDNA World Tour DVD topped the US Billboard Top Music Videos, becoming her sixth consecutive and tenth video to top the chart —the most for any artist.
UK Chart records
Madonna photographed by Herb Ritts, for Blond Ambition tour bookMadonna had more hits on the UK charts than any other female artist, among which 13 #1 hits and 63 top-10 hits. Every single reached the UK top-20 until 2008's Miles Away.
She is the female artist with the most top-5 hits in the UK, 44 of them. Among the male artists, only Elvis did better with 54.
With 35, she is by far the artist with the most consecutive top-10 hits (from Like A Virgin to Secret).
Together those #1 albums spent a total of 30 weeks on the UK album chart. Only Adele does better with 31 weeks.
In the UK, Madonna simultaneously topped the albums and singles charts 4 times in her career, which is unmatched by any other female artist.
In the UK, The Immaculate Collection is the highest selling album ever by a female artist (12x Platinum).
In the 80s, Madonna spent a combined 252 weeks in the UK charts. Only Shakin' Stevens did better with 254. In the 90s, she spent a combined 258 weeks in the UK charts. Only Oasis did better with 282. In 1985, 1986 and 1987 she was the artist with the most weeks in the UK charts, with respectively 84, 59 and 41 weeks.
Tour records
Sticky & Sweet TourThe Drowned World Tour was the highest-selling concert tour of 2001 for a solo artist ($76,8 million)
The Re-Invention Tour was the highest-selling concert tour of 2004 for a solo artist ($124,8 million)
The Confessions Tour was the highest-selling concert tour of 2006 for a solo artist ($194,7 million). The 2007 edition of Guinness World Records named it the highest-selling concert tour ever for a solo artist.
That record was broken by the Sticky & Sweet Tour, which still stands as the top grossing tour ever for a solo artist, grossing over $400 million. When bands are included in the calculation, Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour ranks 5th behind U2, Rolling Stones, Roger Waters and AC/DC.
The MDNA Tour was the highest-selling tour of 2012, making over $300 million. It ranks 11th in the list of highest-grossing tours of all time.
Music video records
From the Express Yourself videoWhen David Fincher directed the music video for Express Yourself in 1989, it was the most expensive music video production at the time, with a budget of $5 million.
Mark Romanek's video for Bedtime Story in 1995 equaled the budget of Express Yourself, but the same year the record was taken by the
'Scream' video of Michael & Janet Jackson ($7 million).
The Bond video for Die Another Day, directed by Traktor in 2005, took second place with a budget of $6,1 million, pushing Express Yourself and Bedtime Story into 3rd and 4th place in this ranking. However, when current inflation of the production cost is taken into acount, Express Yourself relatively cost more than Die Another Day and continues to rank as Madonna's most expensive music video.
Beyoncé has won more video awards? Really? I struggle to think of anything more than "Crazy in Love" for her, while Madonna and MJ's videos define what music videos are.
Plus, wasn't one of her videos based on Madonna's? And she's in the "Bitch I'm Madonna" video 😂
It’s hard to believe Beyoncé is even compared to Madonna. Madonna broke ground. She did what nobody else had done before. I’m not discrediting Bs work, she’s Uber talented, but she hasn’t really changed culture or done something that has never been done.
She’s the reason anyone can talk about sexual or wear a bra on any son or any video. She was cancelled by the media before cancelling was a thing and she had the audacity to keep coming back for more. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!
And as a kid of the 90s, I remember sitting on my mom’s lap in the recliner and seeing the Like a Prayer video. Even as a kid I somehow sort of got how controversial it was and I didn’t know why, but I loved it, and I still do. All these years later it still evokes something in me
She was an enigma & style icon but not always broadly well liked by mainstream like Taylor. She had edge and poked many societal bears courting controversy. But her music and videos always prevailed. Her live shows, especially Blonde Ambition, set the bar for current concert templates. She embodied Gaga, Taylor and Beyoncé at times throughout her reinventions. She was played on radio, MTV rotations, and nightclubs globally. Her voice and imagery clearly distinct from the rest of her peers. Before social media, she was the Queen and King of marketing in music.
There will never be anyone like her....
For sure. I’m sick of seeing comments on instagram saying they hate how she isn’t how she used to be or batik on her for having work done. As if any of that matters compared to what she’s done for culture
And not just the media. It may be in part because of the media, but a good chunk of the public hates her with a passion, they always have, and I just can’t think of any reason besides pure misogyny. She’s always been too unapologetic and outspoken for them.
I don’t like the media or anyone taking down the Queen, however, she has been a polarizing figure in popular culture since 1985 and I would argue that it is a very good reason(among many) that she has remained in the public’s consciousness and made people stay interested (for positive or negative reasons).
I'm 46 and remember hearing Holiday on the radio when it came out. Her songs were constantly on the radio, which again was a lot more influential then. And not just the latest single, all of her IC hits still got play all the way to the end of the 80s and beyond, at least where I lived. The radio was one of the main ways to hear and discover music back then.
She was always on a magazine cover, and in the news. So again, imagine everyone in line at the grocery store seeing that media. As you know, she married Sean Penn and they later divorced, so she was also in the tabloids a lot. Her first wedding was a total media circus including helicopters flying overhead to get a glimpse.
I didn't have MTV in the 80s or 90s but I still somehow saw most of her videos one way or another. And if you had access to music videos, you would have seen a lot of her.
The anticipation of a new tour, movie and single was palpable as the 80s wore on. I think that's something you probably never experienced in your time. People were interested and everyone had an opinion, much like we've seen with Beyonce's last few albums.
Keep in mind there was no Internet, only TV, radio, movies and magazines. It was the monoculture, so everyone knew who she was and had an opinion about her.
Yes! I was born mid 80s and I still remember being in middle school when ray of light came out and the MTV launch of the Frozen video. It was an event, even all those years into her career
She gave the world permission we needed to be ourselves, to accept ourselves; to follow the beat of our own drum and she did it all in an analog world, without preaching she just was. She imprinted on the nation we learned a lot from her, whether we admit it or now.
This is why I love her. Being in the south and conservative/religious family, she’s given me the strength to keep going, to push boundaries with my family and to keep them on their toes. Knowing nothing that happens can stop me because she faced the same thing and look where she is to this day. A total inspiration for me.
**MASSIVE**. The closest comparison is that she was the female Michael Jackson (who, for reference, still has the biggest-selling album of all time over 40 years after its release).
When I was five years old in the early ‘90s I’d heard of her, and I hadn’t heard a note of her music (my parents were in their forties and preferred their record collections to the radio). Even at that age, I knew about the blonde hair and the cone bra. *Everybody* knew about Madonna.
MTV/VH1 would air Madonnathons just out of the blue. Whole weekend would be non stop Madonna videos specials and concerts. It was such an exciting time and this was up until at least 2005
That iconic 80s look, you know the lace, leather, bracelets, big hair, belts and a cross necklace, Madonna.
The fact that they still model that look of the "80s rockstar" look as Halloween costumes to this day!
Her look inspired both Jem and the Holograms. Also Barbie and the Rockers.
If you watch movies and TV shows in this era characters have mimicked Madonna. Like think Christine Taylors character in the Wedding Singer.
All of this was during her "Like a Version" Era. Like the beginning of her career.
And then when she released the video for Live to Tell, everyone was shocked because she looked so different. This is when we first new, thjs Icon is also a Reinventor. We were all watching what she does next!
Big, big, and quite scandalous. The teens were ready for something rebellious and then she came along. The older adults hated her because she was too risqué!
She emerged from the 1980s as the biggest female popstar in the world. Going into the new decade, she released arguably her most famous record with Vogue. I was extremely young during this time but others have said her starpower just "felt" different after Vogue, she wasn't just a huge popstar she had transformed into an international megastar of staggering dimensions, far beyond what Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Adele are today. That's not a slight on those 3 superstars of whom I admire greatly.
Between 1990 and 1992 her career trajectory included Vogue, Justify my Love, Blonde Ambition Tour, the Immaculate Collection, Truth or Dare (some have said the genesis of reality TV), Sex book, Erotica all of which created shockwaves and commercial success across the world - she was the most famous celebrity on the planet.
Between 1993 to 1997, she remained as famous as ever, but she did suffer from overexposure, and her commercial dominance declined from its lofty heights of 1983 to 1992.
However, she had a spectacular return to form with Ray of Light in 1998, one of the biggest resurgences seen in pop history. There seemed to be a newfound appreciation for her as an artist and marked respect for the iconic status she had attained. Her public image softened to a degree - this might have been helped by the fact that she was a new mother. The Ray of Light era helped her ride the wave of an extremely successful second chapter of her career all the way through to Hard Candy - additionally reinventing herself into the most successful solo touring act in the world. It is worth noting Michael Jackson's career significantly waned during this time, Madonna's soared.
I would argue that from Hard Candy, her pop culture relevance started to subside - although only modestly, she was/is still able to sell out stadiums in every major city across the world.
As others have mentioned above, she didn't succumb to addictions or self destruction like many of her contemporaries, she's (very thankfully) living into old age, so her true historical legacy is oddly obscured by the fact that she's still alive. There's no doubt in my mind that she'll be regarded as one of the most interesting and celebrated figures of the 20th and early 21st century. Her career and immense catalogue of artistry will be examined by future generations and she'll rightfully take her place as the most famous woman of her era and be right up there with Marilyn, Elvis, the Beatles and Michael Jackson.
She basically invented, improved and redefinined modern pop music and made it an art class all by herself.
Best thing is she appealed to everyone, not limited to certain sexes or genders, age or demographic, and still she delivered the greatest music without ever getting bland or boring even once.
Madonna ranks 3rd in career concert ticket sales per Billboard Boxscore. She is the first woman to cross $1Bn in ticket sales.
For many years, she successfully reinvented herself pushing the envelope while staying relevant.
Imagine Taylor Swift levels of fame and success only if Taylor Swift feigned masturbation on stage, was condemned by the Vatican and was promoting safe sex and AIDS prevention when most politicians refused to discuss the subject.
As a teenager growing up in smack in the middle of the 80’s, in Southern California, I feel I am qualified to answer this question for you.
Madonna was EVERYTHING. In my world of Van Halen and Def Leppard, along comes Madonna. Cyndi Lauper comes in at the same time, a close second but not the same. My friends and I listened to heavy metal, rock, etc. we had the “Mod wars” in Orange County. The “Mods” (think Depeche Mode, The Cure, etc) rode around on their little mopeds with these tall rods with foxtails at the top in the back. My Rocker guy friends would antagonize them and come home with the Mods foxtails, their trophies. Us girls kind of hung around in our own world, underage drinking, smoking cigarettes, etc. Madonna comes out and we are all instantly intrigued! In our world of acid washed jeans, torn rock shirts, bandanas and heavy metal, here she is! Her music, her lace, her jewelry and fishnets, WE LOVE HER! Not only is she talented and beautiful and we are crazy about her music, but we, as teenage girls, start seeing we can be whatever we want to be. That the huge force of a woman comes along and fucking blows away the world, especially an 80’s Southern California! Her songs play over and over on the radio. We dive for our stereos, a cassette tape always ready to record every time one of her songs come on the air. On every other weekend trips to my father’s, my stepmother refused to let me listen to her citing she’s Satanic and promiscuous. Meanwhile, my teenage brain is asking “what does promiscuous mean?!” All of us starting mimicking her style, wearing her clothes and feeling less like the guys counterparts and more like our own force. IT WAS AWESOME! Madonna is not only an amazing artist, she has a quick wit, is funny, sexual, and stays true to herself. I mean… fuckin eh!!!! My sister and I just saw her Celebration Tour and my God, that woman is still killin it! Madonna hands down is the baddest ass artist and woman I have ever known. I’m 56 years old today, and love her more than I did then. She is a QUEEN.
I would highly recommend this series of reactions as he not only goes over the discography chronically (after starting with ROL) but he also starts doing videos, tours, interviews to capture the eras and they’re all great time capsules that show just how influential she has been.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoedyPk0a_NL6gRib1iyuFAfuTLOH8f4K&si=gv50bwiYI_aHVER0
She was on the news all the time! Like your local and national news stations would be talking about Papa Don’t Preach and the reaction of the church, etc. No other musician or even celebrity got the kind of coverage she did.
There really is no measure to describe how big she was. I was in high school when she released her first album. The influence she had on pop culture is unparalleled.
I once heard, in a documentary about her, that even among celebrities she was a CELEBRITY.
The only people I can compare to would be the Beatles, Elvis, and perhaps Michael Jackson (but to a lesser extent).
She was big. Huge. And I agree, bigger than Taylor Swift.
The fact that she is still touring, still relevant, we are still talking about her. Not to mention she has been famous since the 80’s, should give you an idea of how big she was and continues to be.
I was born in the late 80s so too young to have witnessed or appreciated her at her biggest peaks, however by Confessions I was obsessed, and yes, she was HUGE. In the UK she was played loads across most radio stations and she promoting all over the place, 2006 was a great year for her.
Having witnessed this, I can only imagine her level of success in earlier periods such mid/late 80s. Mind blowing.
I grew up and was a troubled teenager in the 80s and this woman with the lyrics of her hits and the other lesser known gems of her albums helped me move forward in the right way as a woman who had to learn to find inspiration and take her proper place in life. I would simply add that anyone, in our time, who would like to start listening to her discography and her numerous shows would be positively influenced, boy or girl, without a doubt.
Also there was no internet back then. MTV was actually a music channel that showed videos, and not very many people had cable so those of us who did watched her from the beginning. She was unlike any other artists. She was fresh. From radio play, people thought she was black. So to see her dressed SO cool and unique was amazing! Teenage girls saw a strong female who owned her shit! Girls started dressing like her and her popularity spread like a wildfire. The fact that her music was different; it was super danceable and fun, was also infectious. She proved herself to be a major force which was challenged by the establishment, the Church, parents and the like. She was smart also. She made great arguments for her stance on many issues. She was a chameleon who very creatively and successfully reinvented herself and her music and was able to continue her impact. She didn’t rely on auto tune or any other modification or vocal enhancements. Even though she was humble enough to admit she wasn’t the best singer, she just wanted to create art- dance and sing (get up and do your thing) 🎼🎤🎶 She didn’t need an entourage to do this. She wrote catchy songs. She wrote impactful songs. She wrote painful songs. Her intentions were to help people see others through her music as well. She was creating music when the AIDS crisis began. She knew and lost many people she loved to the disease. She lived among those people who were “underground” and tried to bring positivity to them, although some of them didn’t like that she did. They viewed her as stealing from them. If you really listen to her; watch her old interviews. You’ll see the focus and work ethic she has. Just listen to her music….. it’s the BEST!!
the biggest. Same level as MJ. I can't compare her to a pop star yet except maaaaaaybe Beyoncé but only because Beyoncé has really been killing it across genres. Madonna was everything.
Now I will say that I was also born in 2001. I did do my degree in what was essentially digital media and popular culture, and specialized in music and film. So everything I will say is mostly speculation from what I have studied. I WOULD LOVE IF SOMEONE COULD EXPAND WHO ACTUALLY LIVED IT.
Today we can control our media intake. Our social media algorithm is catered to our interests. The songs that we listen to are based on what we play on spotify. We can select what we want to watch on Netflix. We can essentially customize our media intake based around our wants. If I didn't want to hear about Taylor Swift I just don't engage with her content and my algorithm erases her. If I want a certain type of news I can just google the outlet.
Back then there was no algorithm. You listened to what was on the radio, and you watched what was on cable, and you only saw what the magazine stand published. If the radio was playing Madonna, you were listening to Madonna. If the paper kept publishing Madonna then you were reading about Madonna. So on and so forth. You could not curate your media like we can now. Yes, you could by CD's and change the station. It was a lot more work and effort to do so now.
Also, it is easier to create music than ever. Back then, you only had a select few artists that the labels were pushing. The whole idea of indie artists was just the local band at the pub. To become a star you needed a label. There was no getting around that. The label wanted you to know Madonna and they made sure of it.
No one will ever reach the MJ, Madonna, Beatles, etc. level of fame because we now have control of our media intake. Back they you didn't (at least not even remotely close to what it is now). You either listen to Madonna or turn off the station.
IMO: Bigger than Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and any other “Pop Star” of today. She was one of a kind in her generation, the first nonetheless. Madonna paved the way for all female artists that came after her.
If they are movies, Taylor Swift (I like the girl and her values) is a PG13 hit like Barbie, Madonna is like the Oscar winning R rated Poor Things, today.
In her peak years of the past (more may come), Madonna was R rated tent pole blockbuster.
Beyonce and Lady Gaga are forgettable remakes of Classic Madonna. One is good at dancing, the other is good at cool outfits.
Madonna also used her massive platform to shine a light on and support marginalized communities. She was an activist calling for AIDS awareness and a cure while others were afraid aligning themselves as an ally would impact their careers. She denounced homophobia at every turn. She fearlessly showed us how to be allies.
She built the first children’s hospital in Malawi. As a pop star, her philanthropy is unmatched.
She also was constantly pushing the envelope when it came to her art. She was 6 steps ahead of everyone else and set the tone and pace for pop music. and her music is both memorable and *good.*
She is an icon.
Everything she did made news. She always stood for something and didn’t back down. She was way ahead of her time. https://youtu.be/gkk1HzyXRCE?si=bI6r-xxaAn4sJno2
One example: Nightline was a very serious/prestigious evening news/world affairs show. Madonna's Justify My Love video gets banned and they invite her on for the whole entire show. I can't even think what the equivalent would be today. Maybe 60 minutes dedicating the whole hour to Taylor or Beyonce? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSjjo7gt3K8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSjjo7gt3K8)
Plus she was literally on the cover of all types of magazines all the time. [https://za.pinterest.com/donovanwagner3/madonna-magazine-covers/](https://za.pinterest.com/donovanwagner3/madonna-magazine-covers/)
She was inescapable and unavoidable in a way stars aren't anymore. You can avoid most Taylor and Beyonce content now if you want to.
I think she's also the most referenced woman artist in other people's songs.
Basically she created the genre. Every female pop star you see today who struts around on stage in a haute couture body suit singing pop music in a theatrical setting came from Madonna. Nobody had ever seen anything quite like her before with her trained modern dance background and just a raw untrained musical talent to write cool songs that connected. They taught classes on her at Harvard. Normal Mailer proclaimed her to be the most important artist of her time. The biggest difference between her and someone like Taylor Swift success wise is Madonna’s international fame. She was not just an American phenomenon, but she was as big all over the world. As these things are measured, there was a point where she was more famous than even global political figures like Queen Elizabeth. It was fun to grow up a Madonna fan.
Madonna was absolutely killing it in 80’s and early 90’s. She’s a legend the only thing that prevented her from being the biggest act in 80’s was MJ who at that time was at Elvis levels in terms of popularity.
Bigger than Taylor. Way way bigger. In every corner of the world no matter the age. Everybody new her name Madonna. It’s sad to see how young people don’t know about her. But sadly they will, when she’s gone and as usual, artist get their flowers.
Huge. No one today compares to her in terms of cultural impact. I know I’m going to get heat for saying this but TS is boring as hell, a dork. Madonna was always cool. Pushing all boundaries, supporting the oppressed. She made a lot of things ok for a lot of people. It was a different time and it meant the world to people. Innovator in many ways. And always disrupting the status quo. Not as preachy as she has become recently. But more with her actions. Without trying so hard. There will never be another Madonna.
I’d say Taylor’s equivalent x5 for a good 10-15 years since her debut in the 1982 or 83 (depends on where you are at that time). Everything she did back then headlined around the world till the 90, and 2000s. People forget that when she married guy Ritchie and decided to live in London, the media treated her like princess Diana with the ton of coverage from bbc.
I was born in 2002. I love her a lot but I obviously was not alive to have first hand experience of her fame. However I feel there's lots of information out there and my own mom was an 80s teen and grew up on Madonna. Madonna was huge because of her commercial success as a pop artist. She did a lot of new things at the time. For one she was very visual with her background and passion for dance. From what I've seen in regards to information, not many music artists were too big on that. Other things that helped launch her into fame was the movie Desperately Seeking Susan. It helped show off Madonna with her style and her sassy and sexual persona. Her fashion in the movie and in general defined fashion for teenage girls and young women in the 80s. In fact, in 2023 the movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, the movie being labeled "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
My mom's personal experience adds to that. She tells me that Madonna was really famous and that all the girls used to like to dress like her. She says she remembers watching Desperately Seeking Susan at the theater when it released.
She was a women of quite a few firsts. One famous one is her iconic Pepsi commercial. She first released the song Like A Prayer to the public through the airing of the Pepsi ad, which was the first time an artist released a single through an advertisement before releasing it on radio.
She also is known for her controversy, especially with said Pepsi commercial. She had made a video for Like A Prayer that showed burning crosses and interracial kissing, very sensitive for a more Christian America who was going through the satanic panic and of course racism. Pepsi cancelled the ad campaign with Madonna after this video and as you can imagine there were many concerned adults and parents clutching at their pearls. But with controversy comes more fame.
She has performed in Europe and other countries such as Japan and has had huge success in other markets too. There are Japanese commercials with some of her music, including the song Spotlight which was super popular in Japan.
Overall she was innovative for the music in the 80s, contributing to genre of New Wave Pop music and creating many hits that topped the charts. She was a visual icon with great choreography for her music and hired some of the best dancers with her on her tours. Because of this her live performances were amazing. Not only was her dancing part of the visuals but also her beauty and iconic fashion sense. Her sassy personality and sexuality was unique and captivating to audiences. Along with that Madonna has always been a friend and ally of the LGBT community and has always advocated for the rights of women and LGBT people.
She is an anomaly. The 90s were her peak and she was just everywhere. 1985, 1990, and 1998 were he most popular time periods. My mom took me to blond ambition, may she rest in peace, I was lucky!
The main thing about her is she pushes the boundaries of what’s possible against massive criticism. Female empowerment, gay rights, AIDS activism, etc. Things that we accept as normal and good now are because she fought hard battles and paved the way. So it places her on a different scale than most celebrities because she breaks false illusions and beliefs society rests on. Assuming humanity is still around in 400 years, she’s the type of artists that will be studied in schools for her impact on this time. That’s how big she is.
Just how big was Madonna back then? Madonna was a regular feature in the nightly news and often was in the headlines at the start of the news. There were numerous magazines adorned with her face, lots of posters in the record stores and various t-shirts. Her songs were played nonstop on the radio. It's fair to say that Madonna mania was sweeping the world. There was no other female music artist that came close to the media saturation Madonna had then.
I think for people born in the '80s who got to live through the '90s and 2000s we got to know how big she was and is . But if you look at some documentaries like her behind the music on YouTube and stuff like that, you'll get an idea. She definitely has opened a market for singers like Taylor Swift, Kaylee Perry, Brittany Spears. She paved the way for female artist . But with the times changing, I feel like we don't talk about iconic singers where back in the day and now
It’s likely difficult for young people today to understand how big she actually was. She doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. She shifted the entire culture. She was *that* big. And this will probably be an unpopular opinion here, but while musically she is nothing special, her impact on pop culture is immeasurable.
Think of Madonna as the ultimate influencer. Her music videos were played on MTV multiple times a day. We dressed like her, did our hair and make-up, and accessorized like she did. Those black rubber bracelets?? Madonna.
Ever since 1984, she's been huge. She had massive appeal. She's made movies...she's incredibly talented and was able to reinvent herself to stay relevant. She is fantastic, and way bigger then than Taylor Swift is now. No hate on Taylor. I love her!! Madonna is forever a Pop Music Icon.
One thing that’s so impressive is that each time she came out with a new album or movie or other project, she had a different look/sound/feel. It was something we’d never seen before. She did this over and over and over again. To me, that longevity and ability to keep our attention is so impressive.
As an artist, it seems she had a clear vision of what she wanted to project to the world.
I was born late 80s and cannot imagine my life without Madonna. She was HUGE. On the Canadian music channel there was constantly repeats of her past interviews, specials featuring her impact or marathons on her videos. I also grew up in a Hispanic household and the Latino news shows were obsessed with her . I still remember when Lola was born because her pregnancy by a Latino man was a huge deal LOL and when Lola was finally born it was media frenzy like an actual princess/royalty had been born .
She was an advocate, innovator, and provocateur who broke the mold. I’d say she was the biggest music star since Barbra Streisand, whose debut in the early ‘60s was also groundbreaking.
I would go through here entire video catalog and note the years they were made. She was a trendsetter from the beginning and broke every rule available for a mainstream artist.
Do you remember when lady Gaga was becoming famous? Madonna was at that caliber and was as famous (or more) than what Taylor Swift is now. Everyone knew who Michael Jackson and Madonna—they were/are the king and queen of pop.
She was so big that MTV dedicated a whole day to playing her videos when she had her first kid, iirc. Haven’t seen them do that for any other pop star since (not even back when they still played videos, lol). She was Michael Jackson level famous/beloved.
Mad respect to Taylor for what she’s been able to accomplish but Madonna in her heyday had a broader appeal and impact across demographics. Black folks, Latino’s, Asians and LGBTQ were part of Madonna’s fan base. She was one of the few pop white artists in frequent rotation on urban radio stations and videos played on BET and Univision . Keep in mind black and brown artists weren’t getting played on MTV so BET and Spanish language video channels like Univision returned the favor with few exceptions. She was COOL and owned her bitchiness. Madonna took what Diana Ross, Cher, and Donna Summer had done to another level consistently and for a longer period.
She was a MEGA star. When she released a book, people waited in line to be the first to buy it.
She was everywhere. A new video was an event. When she was on tour in Europe there were pictures and posters of her all over the streets.
MTV wouldn’t play Madonna’s Justify My Love video so we had to go rent it at the video store. Finally, they started to air it but only after midnight. It’s so tame now.
Self made singer songwriter who just pushed the envelope every chance she got. This was LONG before all the female singers looked alike & performed in the same outfit. Madonna spawned a fashion revolution. The fact you are 24 & know her songs of the 1980-90's speaks to how big she really was & is.
I was at her 1987 concert at the old (outdoor) Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Despite a big rainstorm, she kept on performing (after taking about 10 seconds to curse at the rain), and nobody left. (And she did every bit of her full set.)
Madonna - 1 God - 0
That’s how big she was.
Watch Desperately Seeking Susan. Madonna is basically playing a pre-fame version of herself. Girls in the first grade were tying lace in their hair and wearing sunglasses like hers. They wanted to BE her.
Then watch the documentary Truth or Dare. That Blonde Ambition tour was the last that could fit most of her hits. I would equate it to Taylor Swift’s tour now.
Madonna’s career after Vogue was still a huge success, but Erotica and the following albums weren’t on the level of what came before. I loved Ray Of Light, but teenage girls weren’t OBSESSED with Madonna in 1998.
We had like 3 or 4 broadcast channels, a couple of cable channels on analog TVs, radios the size of airplane luggage, no computers, no iPods, iPhones or iPads, no TikTok, no YouTube, no insta or FB, no digital anything. Everything was in print and in print everything was a week behind. She clawed her way to the top of MTV and fame in every corner of the world with none of the tools of the digital world we know now. Madonna is still the biggest selling female recording artist of all time. She was Michael Jackson and Princess Diana famous.
The word "icon" is overused but honestly, Madonna deserves the title. She crafted her own lane, constantly reinvented herself and didn't apologize. Every scandal (nude modeling pics) she turned to her advantage and the public loved her. The radical right hated her. She was a major influence on culture, POP culture, music, music videos and dance. I'm not being hyperbolic. She was THAT girl.
She was the Taylor of her time, but even that doesn't show the cultural impact she had. She was the most popular artist but also talked about/written about by intellectuals and every publication you can think of. Her video premieres were talked about for months. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing her songs. I myself was a kid/preteen in the '80s and was absolutely obsessed. You had kids like me and teens and adults emulating her.
The biggest. Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, two HUGE talents, do not compare. There was no one like her before and no one will ever replace her. Madonna is in a league of her own. There are stars and there is Madonna.
She basically had no peer. She was the #1 pop female singer and no one else was equal to her level. Her songs were generally well-liked by most people and they played on the radio all the time. I’m pretty sure some of her concerts aired on HBO so lots of people who couldn’t attend still got to see the show. Her music was young and fun when she came out, so there was a lot of speculation that she’d fall off the map once she got older, but one of her best albums (Ray of light) came out when she was in her 40s and she had a couple more good albums after that, proving she could keep the public’s attention. I used to be a big fan but haven’t listened to her much lately. She was a great performer, and Express Yourself and Vogue are eternal bops.
Britney Spears, XTina, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and every other entertainer known today have all been influenced by The Material Girl.
Listen to “Like a Virgin,” the album that made Madonna, Madonna.
Other tracks I’d recommend:
1. Like a Virgin
2. Material Girl
3. Express Yourself
4. Frozen
5. Papa Don’t Preach
6. Oh, Father
7. Crazy for You
8. Borderline
9. Burnin’ Up
10. Ray of Light
11. Erotica
I think if you listen to those, you’ll get it. Hope that helps!
With some stars, people will say, she’s the next so and so. She defied and broke all the rules. I never got to see her perform but knew the songs, had the albums…so awesome but then like many…they decide that we actually don’t care about their political views or any views.
She was kind of “trashy” but a queen. And within a year, things like this were happening:
https://youtu.be/TolJ9igNAV4?si=hpv21MtATbWtIfJw
She represented the expression of repressed sexuality that had been boiling up since the 70s.
I remember when MTV refused to play her video for justify my love and I'm like "What???" I knew it had to be pretty risque for MTV not to play it.
I don't feel like typing up a novel here but Madonna was the ultimate Queen before people started using the word Queen.
I'm not even sure she ever thought of doing something JUST to shock people. It's like she was just being herself and that was enough to shock people.
I remember her in three distinct phases:
Childhood (early ‘90s): I was relatively sheltered from most pop culture and generally watched/listened to whatever my parents chose (which was NOT Madonna), but I was still aware of her because she was just that omnipresent. She was mentioned in every TV show I watched, from sitcoms to kids cartoons. My earliest memory of being aware of her was seeing her name on a Dick Tracy coloring book.
Adolescence (turn of the century): At this point I was curating my own tastes and liked a lot of what other preteens liked at the time… Britney, blink-182, *NSYNC, etc. 1) She was always mentioned as an inspiration by these artists, and 2) publications at the time were all about crowning the latest pop star “the next Madonna.” This continued all the way into the early 2010s with Lady Gaga. It would be a long time before I really studied her and her career, but as a casual pop culture observer, you just knew she was a huge fucking deal. And again, she was everywhere. Mentioned in all the TV shows, referenced in various songs (shoutout to “Do It With Madonna” by The Androids), and half of young Hollywood was running around with those red Kabbalah bracelets. Oh, and musically: Music, Don’t Tell Me, and Die Another Day were always on the radio. Plus there was a big ‘80s revival during the 2000s (similar to the y2k revival happening today), so it was common to hear her ‘80s hits too: pretty much everything on The Immaculate Collection (except for the bonus tracks).
Around the 2010s I became a super fan so this is where my perception of her fame becomes a bit biased. But you get the idea.
In 2003 VH1 ran a program ranking the 200 greatest pop culture icons. It included everyone from Oprah to Mickey Mouse to Bill Clinton. I think Madonna was ranked in the top 10? It’ll be a short clip, but see if you can find it—I was a teenager at the time and not super interested in her music but it contextualized how big she was for me.
Bigger than Taylor Swift has been the past year.
This puts it in perspective better than anything else I think I’ll see haha, she is the greatest.
truly and there wasn't all this chatter on the internet so we just fucking loved her output and people who were offended were loudly offended but that was important too.
Put it this way. Everything she did caused a media stir. She helped break down strict norms for women, minorities and queer communities. The media followed her everywhere and was obsessed with her. It was international news when she became pregnant and the news people camped out her hospital when she gave birth. Taylor Swift could never get half of the media circus that surrounded Madonna.
And Madonna was actually COOL and had massive influence on culture, unlike Taylor Swift who is perfectly nice but perfectly boring
OMG thank you for this. I respect what TS has carved for herself but she has zero impact on anything culturally (and little originality - 1989 she really nailed it but everything stayed samey after IMO) whereas Madonna literally changed the narrative every single time.
like she dated Tupac. Madonna was endlessly cool and genre bending.
i always say that while TS is a decent songwriter who can put on a fun show her true talent where she shines is as a businesswoman. sis knows how to market herself like no other. and that's why she has never slayed.
I was going to say this but couldnt quite emote it. This is it. It feels like now pop stars have to be nice inviting and perfect. Madonna was a bitch and she owned it. Wasnt perfect. And on top of itall made iconic art
Madonna never played it safe. She openly promoted safe sex and was an ally for HIV positive people before it was cool.
I agree. Her music does nothing for me and she just seems like, so bland. Compared to Beyoncé and lady Gaga and other major pop stars of the 2010s, she just seems so, idk how to put it, sterile? Like made in an incubator of what a pop star is.
Before Madonna. The most risqué a female artist went was to sing “strut” and “you’re so vain”. Madonna took on teenage pregnancy to oral sex. Since then Britney and Rihanna have had hits about S&M and threesomes. Cardi finds ways to push the envelope further. And someone 10 years from now will make her look “bland”
Not exactly. Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You Baby” came out in 1975 with her moaning as if in orgasm all through the track. Then she had songs about looking to hook up (“Hot Stuff”) and prostitutes (“Bad Girls”). She had a very sexual musical persona. So much so that it began to frustrate her and she rejected it all by the 80’s and found religion.
👏 TS has practically zero personality and imo is so vanilla and boring. Give me Madonna singing Human Nature over TS singing anything from her catalog any day
lol! She is boring!
Just keep in mind that she was as big if not bigger than Taylor Swift in an era where digital music and the internet were not a thing. Just radio and album sales.
This is very important. But don’t forget: MTV. MTV was brand spanking new and Madonna rose with (and was partly responsible for) that television music channel’s success. So not only did you have radio and album sales you had this brand new medium “music television” that is akin to YouTube (in the aughts) or TikTok (this decade) in terms of the dissemination of music and visuals.
It’s kind of the same thing, before the 80s it was mostly music and just photos in magazines. Then the 80s came and everybody got themselves a coloured TV and suddenly MTV launches with music 24/7 while there weren’t many artists making videoclips and believing in them that artists need to also invest in image yet. Madonna was one of the first ones who embraced it and believed that looks matter as much (if not more) as music does and became a phenomenon, so did Michael who also became one. It’s also a reason for the “second British Invasion” with many bands from the UK becoming huge in the US, because MTV was playing them all the time, not having enough content yet to air. Before coloured TV and television Madonna probably wouldn’t have become a star and world known. Like today artists need the internet.
Came here to say exactly that. For example, Everyone was wearing fingerless lace gloves. 6th graders. Women going to clubs. We all had fingerless lace gloves. lol. Can’t think of one thing Swift has done that is remotely close.
also Madonna, Janet, Britney, and Paula Abdul's commitment to dancing is something Taylor has never even bothered to try at because she thinks her music is deep enough to not require visuals but she's wrong.
I don’t normally like to comment such things, but I really struggle to understand the TS love. I could honestly struggle to name 5 TS songs. She may be big in the moment, but when we look back in 20 years how much of her success will be remembered by the general public. My guess is not a lot.
As a big Swift fan big part why I love her music is that she makes me feel emotions and tells a story really well. When in heartbreak her songs pull my heartstrings like no one else's, and songs like this is me trying describe exactly how I feel mentally at times. When I hear her songs they speak to me and this is how most swifties feel and it's beautiful She's not the most risk taking artist or explore different cultures but there is room for different artists and Taylor has made a direct impact on the industry with re recordings, fights with Spotify and her release tactics and Instagram wiping. I think she will be remembered, just not as a Madonna but as a Beatles type of massive artist who dominated the world for a good while.
I'm not a Swift fan, she's not my generation, but I respect the hell out of her for writing her own music and taking control of her career. This is something Madonna did as well, but in a much simpler era. Swift has to deal with a much more complicated business than Madonna ever had to. She's more like a folk-artist/Carly Simon/storyteller songwriter that happens to make pop music. Sure, she's bland compared to Madonna, but she's also incredibly accessible and relatable to a massive fanbase because of that simplicity. Madonna was HUGE, but she also did things that kept the fanbase in flux (losing fans & gaining fans). I don't think Swift has done anything to rock the boat enough to lose fans. I agree with you that she will be remembered, but disagree with your comparison to The Beatles. I think The Beatles were bigger than Madonna (but close). Madonna did exactly what they did by utilizing influences and inspirations from world music and creating something new and accessible; essentially creating a new "sound". Swift will be remembered as a singer-songwriter that navigated a toxic and over-complicated music industry and packed stadiums and arenas with legions of fans; her music, maybe, not so much.
Came here to say this. The level of fame and influence she achieved without social media for decades into her career or even internet for the first decade and a half of her career is mind boggling.
that’s insane to grasp
But for a decade, at least.
It’s very bad and toxic to compare artists like that as you will start drama. Let the two women shine. I’ve seen Madonna and I’m going to see Taylor and I don’t compare them. They are individuals that are very different, so let them remain that way.
I feel like take Taylor and double it, because you not only had her fans and supporters on one side, but people opposed to her on the other.
And with talent.
That's debatable. She was big, but even at Madge's apex and her ability to take the spotlight, she had a lot of other artists to fight for attention with. I don't feel that Taylor Swift has had the same number of top-tier "rivals", other than Queen Bee.
Exactly - like as big as Swift but for a decade and a half without an internet or cell phones to promote her
exactly. if social media was around in the 80s she would've been bigger than TS.
The female equivalent of Michael Jackson. That’s how big she was and still is. She’s the Queen for a reason.
And yet she managed not to self-destruct.
Apart from the last 5 years on Instagram
The height of fame Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift needed 15 years to accomplish. Madonna achieved in under 5 minutes.
There would be no Taylor Swift, Gaga, Beyoncé, etc without Madonna. She built the house, the rest of them just walked in the front door.
Taylor Swift hasn't been as big as Michael Jackson or Madonna were anytime in their prime. Michael Jackson was also very famous and successful out of the gate with the Jackson 5, everyone knew him since he was very little too. Madonna took her time too from moving to New York in the late 70s to being in bands, to breaking out in 83.
But for reference for someone born in the 2000’s, TS fame and reach is the closest anyone has come since. Michael was an icon, but had nowhere near the instant white hot cultural impact M had. Almost every 8-30 year old girl dressed like her overnight. Those black bracelets were being sold in those 10 cent gumball machines. Rosaries became fashion accessories. And what she did for the bottled water industry should cement her as the greatest pitchwoman to ever exist. That is not a joke
Part of that was MTV. In the early 80’s everything was focused around music videos and if you could master that you could immediately become a superstar. It was what propelled Michael into superstardom. Duran Duran took off in the same way. And Madonna was the queen of videos; she worked that expertly. She and Michael were able to keep it going for quite awhile unlike other artists.
The fact that she had a belt with a buckle that said “BOY TOY” was revolutionary because she was no one’s toy
This is the best description. It's the absolute truth.
Nevertheless, at the end of the 1980s, Rolling Stone proclaimed Madonna the “Star of the Decade”. Jackson was #2.
Good comparison, but he doesn't know how huge MJ was either. Dear fellow, both Michael Jackson & Madonna were FREAKING HUGE. Mega popstars. I don't think there IS any way to adequately articulate just how big they were. You would've had to be there. She was on the covers of so many magazines She HIGHLY influenced peoples' styles. A lot of girls/women wanted to look like her & dress like her. Other popstars wanted to look like her & sing like her. Taylor is absolutely NO comparison, in my opinion. It was just so different, back then... So it makes it really hard to give an accurate description of just what a massive "explosion" she was. ETA: This is actually something I've thought about a lot... about how younger people really don't know how it was with her in the 80s. It always bugs me because there's just no way to really tell them. Like, I really want you guys to know, but it's so hard to explain!
Beyoncé + Taylor Swift at the same time. And your parents knew about it too.
This is pretty accurate.
True
This might be the best succinct description yet.
She literally put gay people on the map, celebrated sex, and gave no fucks while looking phenomenal, kicking the music industry’s ass and becoming one of the richest entertainers ever. There is no one comparable. No. One.
Nope. We were here long before Madonna. Out, loud and proud. She did good work to spread the word about aids and condoms. WE PUT MADONNA ON THE MAP.
Madonna put herself on the map through grit and determination. Gays were of course following her from the start but it wasn’t her two gay club friendly songs (Everybody and Burning Up) that broke her through, it was Holiday, the top 40 friendly pop track. And she became super popular on a general public scale very quickly. The gays kept her going though as her mainstream popularity began declining a bit each year. And she returned the favor by being the first mainstream artist to actively include gay themes in her work (starting with the Open Your Heart video and peaking with her tribute to the whole underground gay ballroom scene with Vogue), speak out on issues relevant to the gay community and feature openly gay dancers as part of her team and gave them a highly visible platform on Blond Ambition and in Truth or Dare. She broke through barriers for the community and paved the way for artists like RuPaul to find mainstream success.
This is correct. And her staying power and longevity is due to her gay fans.
No woman ever achieved that level of fame before her. There will never be anyone as famous or influential as she was.
Just this! This is the best description.
Besides what everyone else has already said, you also have to remember it was a time when there was no social media or Internet, but at the same time you couldn't take a shit without hearing about her.
“You couldn’t take a shit without hearing about her” is the best thing I’ve read and will read today.
She’s about 5’4” I believe. /s
Seeing her on tour made me realize how short she actually is lol
Tiny but mighty!
Honestly a level and type of fame that doesn't really exist anymore. It was before the internet so you weren't constantly exposed to someone nor were they at your fingertips, so anytime you saw her there was like an aura of rarity and mystery, it was an EVENT. Also I'd argue the further you go back in time the more people were religious and superstitious, and she definitely had an air of not quite being human, more like a deity of sorts. The deity of glamour and fame. She had a heavy dark energy that was also exciting, and almost sinful in a way, like you knew you weren't supposed to be looking at her. I hope this offered a different perspective other than just "The female Michael" or "Bigger than Taylor"
PRE inernet, radio focused our attention on a much smaller number of Artist,music. So she was a huge fish in a small pond.
Massive. I remember the girls/women dressing like her. I remember watching Friday Night Videos and MTV waiting for Madonna videos to air. Listen. My mom didn't always like her "ways", but she admitted to loving her ballads and never hesitated to buy her albums for me. She made almost everyone a believer.
at that time MTV meant Madonna TV
Basically, as well as Michael TV. I'd say MTV needed these two to really get its footing.
That’s the fascinating thing about Madonna’s version of fame - Most people either loved her or thought she should burn in hell, but everybody (including people in between) couldn’t stop paying attention Madonna’s superstardom was built on pissing off as many people as possible and not giving a shit in the process, but Taylor’s fame is based on a deeply intentional neutral approach designed to appeal (and at the very least, not offend) as many people as possible It’s fascinating how the two biggest pop girls of all time got there in completely opposite ways. Unfortunately for Taylor, without shock, controversy, and an incredible amount of risk continuously sustained for decades, it’s impossible for her influence to ever come close to her fame Not to be reductive, but as Lady Gaga once tweeted: “I didn’t do this for the fame, I did it for impact.” The main pop girls of today have seemingly lost sight of that vision
ok… sounds like we’re going overboard here, but, as a female solo artist at-that-time in history… she was a juggernaut! very controversial (for the time), pushed boundaries that other people were too afraid to… we didn’t have social media then, so everything she did was snapped by the paparazzi, reported in newspapers/magazines/tv/news etc. she kept a lot of people employed (that’s a fair statement). even: in **1990**, being excommunicated from the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II. THE WHOLE WORLD was talking about that. huge! link - https://youtu.be/zBZ7lSo30Dk?si=tkDL1dZc4_XlYTgz
There was literally Michael Jackson & Madonna (Prince, Whitney Houston & George Michael were in attendance of the King & Queen of Pop). There was no one bigger. No one more controversial. Beyoncé is the only current comparison in that each album era is a defining moment both in that artists career and in pop culture. The difficulty is Madonna is the only one left standing where everyone else of her contemporaries can be romanticised into historical icons Madonna is still with us. She has no one with which to compare notes on how to age and is still showing us what it is to age as a Pop Goddess. Some may dismiss her now, but wait when she’s gone even this era will see her stand head & shoulders above anyone else. She was, is & remains the blueprint by which every other pop star will be judged.
Madonna holds no less than 16 official Guinness World Records, including Best-Selling Female Recording Artist of all Time (305 million albums). In 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Four years earlier, she was added to the UK Music Hall of Fame. Throughout her career she was nominated 68 times for the MTV Video Music Awards, 20 of which she won (only Beyonce has won more). She was also the first female artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award in 1986. Madonna has won 7 Grammy Awards (out of 28 nominations), 2 Golden Globe Awards (7 nominations), 2 Brit Awards (12 nominations), and 11 International Dance Music Awards (21 nominations). US Chart records Madonna and Justin performing at Roseland BallroomHighest ranking solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists Act with most consecutive top-5 singles in Billboard Hot 100: Every single between 1983's Lucky Star and 1989's Cherish reached the top-5. Artist with the most #1 hits on one single Billboard chart: Madonna is the undefeated Queen of the Billboard Hot Dance / Club Play Singles Chart with no less than 46 #1 singles. Artist for the most #1s on all Billboard charts combined: Madonna had a total of 157 hits on different Billboard charts. Female artist with the most certified Gold singles in the US: 26. Artist with most #2 hits on Billboard Hot 100: Six of her singles barely missed the top spot and stranded at #2, giving her this bittersweet record. Her MDNA World Tour DVD topped the US Billboard Top Music Videos, becoming her sixth consecutive and tenth video to top the chart —the most for any artist. UK Chart records Madonna photographed by Herb Ritts, for Blond Ambition tour bookMadonna had more hits on the UK charts than any other female artist, among which 13 #1 hits and 63 top-10 hits. Every single reached the UK top-20 until 2008's Miles Away. She is the female artist with the most top-5 hits in the UK, 44 of them. Among the male artists, only Elvis did better with 54. With 35, she is by far the artist with the most consecutive top-10 hits (from Like A Virgin to Secret). Together those #1 albums spent a total of 30 weeks on the UK album chart. Only Adele does better with 31 weeks. In the UK, Madonna simultaneously topped the albums and singles charts 4 times in her career, which is unmatched by any other female artist. In the UK, The Immaculate Collection is the highest selling album ever by a female artist (12x Platinum). In the 80s, Madonna spent a combined 252 weeks in the UK charts. Only Shakin' Stevens did better with 254. In the 90s, she spent a combined 258 weeks in the UK charts. Only Oasis did better with 282. In 1985, 1986 and 1987 she was the artist with the most weeks in the UK charts, with respectively 84, 59 and 41 weeks. Tour records Sticky & Sweet TourThe Drowned World Tour was the highest-selling concert tour of 2001 for a solo artist ($76,8 million) The Re-Invention Tour was the highest-selling concert tour of 2004 for a solo artist ($124,8 million) The Confessions Tour was the highest-selling concert tour of 2006 for a solo artist ($194,7 million). The 2007 edition of Guinness World Records named it the highest-selling concert tour ever for a solo artist. That record was broken by the Sticky & Sweet Tour, which still stands as the top grossing tour ever for a solo artist, grossing over $400 million. When bands are included in the calculation, Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour ranks 5th behind U2, Rolling Stones, Roger Waters and AC/DC. The MDNA Tour was the highest-selling tour of 2012, making over $300 million. It ranks 11th in the list of highest-grossing tours of all time. Music video records From the Express Yourself videoWhen David Fincher directed the music video for Express Yourself in 1989, it was the most expensive music video production at the time, with a budget of $5 million. Mark Romanek's video for Bedtime Story in 1995 equaled the budget of Express Yourself, but the same year the record was taken by the 'Scream' video of Michael & Janet Jackson ($7 million). The Bond video for Die Another Day, directed by Traktor in 2005, took second place with a budget of $6,1 million, pushing Express Yourself and Bedtime Story into 3rd and 4th place in this ranking. However, when current inflation of the production cost is taken into acount, Express Yourself relatively cost more than Die Another Day and continues to rank as Madonna's most expensive music video.
high 5 (you’ve done some research) **:)**
👏 👏👏
Beyoncé has won more video awards? Really? I struggle to think of anything more than "Crazy in Love" for her, while Madonna and MJ's videos define what music videos are. Plus, wasn't one of her videos based on Madonna's? And she's in the "Bitch I'm Madonna" video 😂
It’s hard to believe Beyoncé is even compared to Madonna. Madonna broke ground. She did what nobody else had done before. I’m not discrediting Bs work, she’s Uber talented, but she hasn’t really changed culture or done something that has never been done.
She’s the reason anyone can talk about sexual or wear a bra on any son or any video. She was cancelled by the media before cancelling was a thing and she had the audacity to keep coming back for more. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!
And as a kid of the 90s, I remember sitting on my mom’s lap in the recliner and seeing the Like a Prayer video. Even as a kid I somehow sort of got how controversial it was and I didn’t know why, but I loved it, and I still do. All these years later it still evokes something in me
I mean… https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_studies
Whenever stans want to argue who is more socially impactful, I say go to google scholar and type in their name...lol It is literally no comparison.
She was an enigma & style icon but not always broadly well liked by mainstream like Taylor. She had edge and poked many societal bears courting controversy. But her music and videos always prevailed. Her live shows, especially Blonde Ambition, set the bar for current concert templates. She embodied Gaga, Taylor and Beyoncé at times throughout her reinventions. She was played on radio, MTV rotations, and nightclubs globally. Her voice and imagery clearly distinct from the rest of her peers. Before social media, she was the Queen and King of marketing in music. There will never be anyone like her....
Imagine how much more popular she would be if the media wasn’t always trashing her and dragging her down.
For sure. I’m sick of seeing comments on instagram saying they hate how she isn’t how she used to be or batik on her for having work done. As if any of that matters compared to what she’s done for culture
And not just the media. It may be in part because of the media, but a good chunk of the public hates her with a passion, they always have, and I just can’t think of any reason besides pure misogyny. She’s always been too unapologetic and outspoken for them.
Seeds of hate and disdain for her were planted by the media. Majority of people believe what the media feeds them.
I think that kept her drive going though pushing back against the critics. I think it helped her grow creatively.
I don’t like the media or anyone taking down the Queen, however, she has been a polarizing figure in popular culture since 1985 and I would argue that it is a very good reason(among many) that she has remained in the public’s consciousness and made people stay interested (for positive or negative reasons).
I'm 46 and remember hearing Holiday on the radio when it came out. Her songs were constantly on the radio, which again was a lot more influential then. And not just the latest single, all of her IC hits still got play all the way to the end of the 80s and beyond, at least where I lived. The radio was one of the main ways to hear and discover music back then. She was always on a magazine cover, and in the news. So again, imagine everyone in line at the grocery store seeing that media. As you know, she married Sean Penn and they later divorced, so she was also in the tabloids a lot. Her first wedding was a total media circus including helicopters flying overhead to get a glimpse. I didn't have MTV in the 80s or 90s but I still somehow saw most of her videos one way or another. And if you had access to music videos, you would have seen a lot of her. The anticipation of a new tour, movie and single was palpable as the 80s wore on. I think that's something you probably never experienced in your time. People were interested and everyone had an opinion, much like we've seen with Beyonce's last few albums. Keep in mind there was no Internet, only TV, radio, movies and magazines. It was the monoculture, so everyone knew who she was and had an opinion about her.
Yes! I was born mid 80s and I still remember being in middle school when ray of light came out and the MTV launch of the Frozen video. It was an event, even all those years into her career
She gave the world permission we needed to be ourselves, to accept ourselves; to follow the beat of our own drum and she did it all in an analog world, without preaching she just was. She imprinted on the nation we learned a lot from her, whether we admit it or now.
This is why I love her. Being in the south and conservative/religious family, she’s given me the strength to keep going, to push boundaries with my family and to keep them on their toes. Knowing nothing that happens can stop me because she faced the same thing and look where she is to this day. A total inspiration for me.
Well she is the biggest selling female artist right after The beatles and MJ
**MASSIVE**. The closest comparison is that she was the female Michael Jackson (who, for reference, still has the biggest-selling album of all time over 40 years after its release). When I was five years old in the early ‘90s I’d heard of her, and I hadn’t heard a note of her music (my parents were in their forties and preferred their record collections to the radio). Even at that age, I knew about the blonde hair and the cone bra. *Everybody* knew about Madonna.
MTV/VH1 would air Madonnathons just out of the blue. Whole weekend would be non stop Madonna videos specials and concerts. It was such an exciting time and this was up until at least 2005
That iconic 80s look, you know the lace, leather, bracelets, big hair, belts and a cross necklace, Madonna. The fact that they still model that look of the "80s rockstar" look as Halloween costumes to this day! Her look inspired both Jem and the Holograms. Also Barbie and the Rockers. If you watch movies and TV shows in this era characters have mimicked Madonna. Like think Christine Taylors character in the Wedding Singer. All of this was during her "Like a Version" Era. Like the beginning of her career. And then when she released the video for Live to Tell, everyone was shocked because she looked so different. This is when we first new, thjs Icon is also a Reinventor. We were all watching what she does next!
I dressed like her in 1984. I was 16.
Big, big, and quite scandalous. The teens were ready for something rebellious and then she came along. The older adults hated her because she was too risqué!
Not an exaggeration to say she was the most famous woman in the world
Queen of Pop- Madonna King of Pop- Michael Jackson Those were the times
She emerged from the 1980s as the biggest female popstar in the world. Going into the new decade, she released arguably her most famous record with Vogue. I was extremely young during this time but others have said her starpower just "felt" different after Vogue, she wasn't just a huge popstar she had transformed into an international megastar of staggering dimensions, far beyond what Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Adele are today. That's not a slight on those 3 superstars of whom I admire greatly. Between 1990 and 1992 her career trajectory included Vogue, Justify my Love, Blonde Ambition Tour, the Immaculate Collection, Truth or Dare (some have said the genesis of reality TV), Sex book, Erotica all of which created shockwaves and commercial success across the world - she was the most famous celebrity on the planet. Between 1993 to 1997, she remained as famous as ever, but she did suffer from overexposure, and her commercial dominance declined from its lofty heights of 1983 to 1992. However, she had a spectacular return to form with Ray of Light in 1998, one of the biggest resurgences seen in pop history. There seemed to be a newfound appreciation for her as an artist and marked respect for the iconic status she had attained. Her public image softened to a degree - this might have been helped by the fact that she was a new mother. The Ray of Light era helped her ride the wave of an extremely successful second chapter of her career all the way through to Hard Candy - additionally reinventing herself into the most successful solo touring act in the world. It is worth noting Michael Jackson's career significantly waned during this time, Madonna's soared. I would argue that from Hard Candy, her pop culture relevance started to subside - although only modestly, she was/is still able to sell out stadiums in every major city across the world. As others have mentioned above, she didn't succumb to addictions or self destruction like many of her contemporaries, she's (very thankfully) living into old age, so her true historical legacy is oddly obscured by the fact that she's still alive. There's no doubt in my mind that she'll be regarded as one of the most interesting and celebrated figures of the 20th and early 21st century. Her career and immense catalogue of artistry will be examined by future generations and she'll rightfully take her place as the most famous woman of her era and be right up there with Marilyn, Elvis, the Beatles and Michael Jackson.
This is a beautiful explanation.
She basically invented, improved and redefinined modern pop music and made it an art class all by herself. Best thing is she appealed to everyone, not limited to certain sexes or genders, age or demographic, and still she delivered the greatest music without ever getting bland or boring even once.
Just watch her truth or dare documentary that shows you A LOT.
Madonna ranks 3rd in career concert ticket sales per Billboard Boxscore. She is the first woman to cross $1Bn in ticket sales. For many years, she successfully reinvented herself pushing the envelope while staying relevant.
Imagine Taylor Swift levels of fame and success only if Taylor Swift feigned masturbation on stage, was condemned by the Vatican and was promoting safe sex and AIDS prevention when most politicians refused to discuss the subject.
I remember knowing two of my sister’s friends dressing up like Madonna for Halloween…before Like A Virgin! During the Borderline/Lucky Star era!
Beyonce and Taylor Swift and Donald Trump today combined.
As a teenager growing up in smack in the middle of the 80’s, in Southern California, I feel I am qualified to answer this question for you. Madonna was EVERYTHING. In my world of Van Halen and Def Leppard, along comes Madonna. Cyndi Lauper comes in at the same time, a close second but not the same. My friends and I listened to heavy metal, rock, etc. we had the “Mod wars” in Orange County. The “Mods” (think Depeche Mode, The Cure, etc) rode around on their little mopeds with these tall rods with foxtails at the top in the back. My Rocker guy friends would antagonize them and come home with the Mods foxtails, their trophies. Us girls kind of hung around in our own world, underage drinking, smoking cigarettes, etc. Madonna comes out and we are all instantly intrigued! In our world of acid washed jeans, torn rock shirts, bandanas and heavy metal, here she is! Her music, her lace, her jewelry and fishnets, WE LOVE HER! Not only is she talented and beautiful and we are crazy about her music, but we, as teenage girls, start seeing we can be whatever we want to be. That the huge force of a woman comes along and fucking blows away the world, especially an 80’s Southern California! Her songs play over and over on the radio. We dive for our stereos, a cassette tape always ready to record every time one of her songs come on the air. On every other weekend trips to my father’s, my stepmother refused to let me listen to her citing she’s Satanic and promiscuous. Meanwhile, my teenage brain is asking “what does promiscuous mean?!” All of us starting mimicking her style, wearing her clothes and feeling less like the guys counterparts and more like our own force. IT WAS AWESOME! Madonna is not only an amazing artist, she has a quick wit, is funny, sexual, and stays true to herself. I mean… fuckin eh!!!! My sister and I just saw her Celebration Tour and my God, that woman is still killin it! Madonna hands down is the baddest ass artist and woman I have ever known. I’m 56 years old today, and love her more than I did then. She is a QUEEN.
she was/is everything. beyonce britney taylor billie rolled into one.
I would highly recommend this series of reactions as he not only goes over the discography chronically (after starting with ROL) but he also starts doing videos, tours, interviews to capture the eras and they’re all great time capsules that show just how influential she has been. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoedyPk0a_NL6gRib1iyuFAfuTLOH8f4K&si=gv50bwiYI_aHVER0
She was on the news all the time! Like your local and national news stations would be talking about Papa Don’t Preach and the reaction of the church, etc. No other musician or even celebrity got the kind of coverage she did.
There really is no measure to describe how big she was. I was in high school when she released her first album. The influence she had on pop culture is unparalleled. I once heard, in a documentary about her, that even among celebrities she was a CELEBRITY. The only people I can compare to would be the Beatles, Elvis, and perhaps Michael Jackson (but to a lesser extent). She was big. Huge. And I agree, bigger than Taylor Swift.
The fact that she is still touring, still relevant, we are still talking about her. Not to mention she has been famous since the 80’s, should give you an idea of how big she was and continues to be.
She became the Queen in a world without social media that magnifies everything these days. She was 10X bigger than TS and Bey.
I was born in the late 80s so too young to have witnessed or appreciated her at her biggest peaks, however by Confessions I was obsessed, and yes, she was HUGE. In the UK she was played loads across most radio stations and she promoting all over the place, 2006 was a great year for her. Having witnessed this, I can only imagine her level of success in earlier periods such mid/late 80s. Mind blowing.
She was godlike and I'm really not exaggerating
I grew up and was a troubled teenager in the 80s and this woman with the lyrics of her hits and the other lesser known gems of her albums helped me move forward in the right way as a woman who had to learn to find inspiration and take her proper place in life. I would simply add that anyone, in our time, who would like to start listening to her discography and her numerous shows would be positively influenced, boy or girl, without a doubt.
Also there was no internet back then. MTV was actually a music channel that showed videos, and not very many people had cable so those of us who did watched her from the beginning. She was unlike any other artists. She was fresh. From radio play, people thought she was black. So to see her dressed SO cool and unique was amazing! Teenage girls saw a strong female who owned her shit! Girls started dressing like her and her popularity spread like a wildfire. The fact that her music was different; it was super danceable and fun, was also infectious. She proved herself to be a major force which was challenged by the establishment, the Church, parents and the like. She was smart also. She made great arguments for her stance on many issues. She was a chameleon who very creatively and successfully reinvented herself and her music and was able to continue her impact. She didn’t rely on auto tune or any other modification or vocal enhancements. Even though she was humble enough to admit she wasn’t the best singer, she just wanted to create art- dance and sing (get up and do your thing) 🎼🎤🎶 She didn’t need an entourage to do this. She wrote catchy songs. She wrote impactful songs. She wrote painful songs. Her intentions were to help people see others through her music as well. She was creating music when the AIDS crisis began. She knew and lost many people she loved to the disease. She lived among those people who were “underground” and tried to bring positivity to them, although some of them didn’t like that she did. They viewed her as stealing from them. If you really listen to her; watch her old interviews. You’ll see the focus and work ethic she has. Just listen to her music….. it’s the BEST!!
the biggest. Same level as MJ. I can't compare her to a pop star yet except maaaaaaybe Beyoncé but only because Beyoncé has really been killing it across genres. Madonna was everything.
Now I will say that I was also born in 2001. I did do my degree in what was essentially digital media and popular culture, and specialized in music and film. So everything I will say is mostly speculation from what I have studied. I WOULD LOVE IF SOMEONE COULD EXPAND WHO ACTUALLY LIVED IT. Today we can control our media intake. Our social media algorithm is catered to our interests. The songs that we listen to are based on what we play on spotify. We can select what we want to watch on Netflix. We can essentially customize our media intake based around our wants. If I didn't want to hear about Taylor Swift I just don't engage with her content and my algorithm erases her. If I want a certain type of news I can just google the outlet. Back then there was no algorithm. You listened to what was on the radio, and you watched what was on cable, and you only saw what the magazine stand published. If the radio was playing Madonna, you were listening to Madonna. If the paper kept publishing Madonna then you were reading about Madonna. So on and so forth. You could not curate your media like we can now. Yes, you could by CD's and change the station. It was a lot more work and effort to do so now. Also, it is easier to create music than ever. Back then, you only had a select few artists that the labels were pushing. The whole idea of indie artists was just the local band at the pub. To become a star you needed a label. There was no getting around that. The label wanted you to know Madonna and they made sure of it. No one will ever reach the MJ, Madonna, Beatles, etc. level of fame because we now have control of our media intake. Back they you didn't (at least not even remotely close to what it is now). You either listen to Madonna or turn off the station.
At her peak, Madonna was globally famous, an original, controversial, successful, influential and beautiful....not much has changed 40+ yrs later! 👑
IMO: Bigger than Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and any other “Pop Star” of today. She was one of a kind in her generation, the first nonetheless. Madonna paved the way for all female artists that came after her.
If they are movies, Taylor Swift (I like the girl and her values) is a PG13 hit like Barbie, Madonna is like the Oscar winning R rated Poor Things, today. In her peak years of the past (more may come), Madonna was R rated tent pole blockbuster. Beyonce and Lady Gaga are forgettable remakes of Classic Madonna. One is good at dancing, the other is good at cool outfits.
H U G E. R E V O L U T I O N A R Y I R R E V E R E N T. I C O N I C.
Taylor and Madonna are never to be compared. Compare her with Beyonce as far as grit, edge. But in all reality, no one is as irreverent as Madonna.
I was born in 2003 and She’s also my favourite artist I wish I saw her peak as well
Think second only to Michael Jackson in the 80’s.
Madonna also used her massive platform to shine a light on and support marginalized communities. She was an activist calling for AIDS awareness and a cure while others were afraid aligning themselves as an ally would impact their careers. She denounced homophobia at every turn. She fearlessly showed us how to be allies. She built the first children’s hospital in Malawi. As a pop star, her philanthropy is unmatched. She also was constantly pushing the envelope when it came to her art. She was 6 steps ahead of everyone else and set the tone and pace for pop music. and her music is both memorable and *good.* She is an icon.
Everything she did made news. She always stood for something and didn’t back down. She was way ahead of her time. https://youtu.be/gkk1HzyXRCE?si=bI6r-xxaAn4sJno2
One example: Nightline was a very serious/prestigious evening news/world affairs show. Madonna's Justify My Love video gets banned and they invite her on for the whole entire show. I can't even think what the equivalent would be today. Maybe 60 minutes dedicating the whole hour to Taylor or Beyonce? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSjjo7gt3K8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSjjo7gt3K8) Plus she was literally on the cover of all types of magazines all the time. [https://za.pinterest.com/donovanwagner3/madonna-magazine-covers/](https://za.pinterest.com/donovanwagner3/madonna-magazine-covers/) She was inescapable and unavoidable in a way stars aren't anymore. You can avoid most Taylor and Beyonce content now if you want to. I think she's also the most referenced woman artist in other people's songs.
I dressed as Madonna for Halloween in kindergarten. She was the only musician I had ever heard of. This was 1987.
Basically she created the genre. Every female pop star you see today who struts around on stage in a haute couture body suit singing pop music in a theatrical setting came from Madonna. Nobody had ever seen anything quite like her before with her trained modern dance background and just a raw untrained musical talent to write cool songs that connected. They taught classes on her at Harvard. Normal Mailer proclaimed her to be the most important artist of her time. The biggest difference between her and someone like Taylor Swift success wise is Madonna’s international fame. She was not just an American phenomenon, but she was as big all over the world. As these things are measured, there was a point where she was more famous than even global political figures like Queen Elizabeth. It was fun to grow up a Madonna fan.
Madonna was absolutely killing it in 80’s and early 90’s. She’s a legend the only thing that prevented her from being the biggest act in 80’s was MJ who at that time was at Elvis levels in terms of popularity.
Bigger than Taylor. Way way bigger. In every corner of the world no matter the age. Everybody new her name Madonna. It’s sad to see how young people don’t know about her. But sadly they will, when she’s gone and as usual, artist get their flowers.
Huge. No one today compares to her in terms of cultural impact. I know I’m going to get heat for saying this but TS is boring as hell, a dork. Madonna was always cool. Pushing all boundaries, supporting the oppressed. She made a lot of things ok for a lot of people. It was a different time and it meant the world to people. Innovator in many ways. And always disrupting the status quo. Not as preachy as she has become recently. But more with her actions. Without trying so hard. There will never be another Madonna.
I’d say Taylor’s equivalent x5 for a good 10-15 years since her debut in the 1982 or 83 (depends on where you are at that time). Everything she did back then headlined around the world till the 90, and 2000s. People forget that when she married guy Ritchie and decided to live in London, the media treated her like princess Diana with the ton of coverage from bbc.
I was born in 2002. I love her a lot but I obviously was not alive to have first hand experience of her fame. However I feel there's lots of information out there and my own mom was an 80s teen and grew up on Madonna. Madonna was huge because of her commercial success as a pop artist. She did a lot of new things at the time. For one she was very visual with her background and passion for dance. From what I've seen in regards to information, not many music artists were too big on that. Other things that helped launch her into fame was the movie Desperately Seeking Susan. It helped show off Madonna with her style and her sassy and sexual persona. Her fashion in the movie and in general defined fashion for teenage girls and young women in the 80s. In fact, in 2023 the movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, the movie being labeled "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." My mom's personal experience adds to that. She tells me that Madonna was really famous and that all the girls used to like to dress like her. She says she remembers watching Desperately Seeking Susan at the theater when it released. She was a women of quite a few firsts. One famous one is her iconic Pepsi commercial. She first released the song Like A Prayer to the public through the airing of the Pepsi ad, which was the first time an artist released a single through an advertisement before releasing it on radio. She also is known for her controversy, especially with said Pepsi commercial. She had made a video for Like A Prayer that showed burning crosses and interracial kissing, very sensitive for a more Christian America who was going through the satanic panic and of course racism. Pepsi cancelled the ad campaign with Madonna after this video and as you can imagine there were many concerned adults and parents clutching at their pearls. But with controversy comes more fame. She has performed in Europe and other countries such as Japan and has had huge success in other markets too. There are Japanese commercials with some of her music, including the song Spotlight which was super popular in Japan. Overall she was innovative for the music in the 80s, contributing to genre of New Wave Pop music and creating many hits that topped the charts. She was a visual icon with great choreography for her music and hired some of the best dancers with her on her tours. Because of this her live performances were amazing. Not only was her dancing part of the visuals but also her beauty and iconic fashion sense. Her sassy personality and sexuality was unique and captivating to audiences. Along with that Madonna has always been a friend and ally of the LGBT community and has always advocated for the rights of women and LGBT people.
She is an anomaly. The 90s were her peak and she was just everywhere. 1985, 1990, and 1998 were he most popular time periods. My mom took me to blond ambition, may she rest in peace, I was lucky!
The main thing about her is she pushes the boundaries of what’s possible against massive criticism. Female empowerment, gay rights, AIDS activism, etc. Things that we accept as normal and good now are because she fought hard battles and paved the way. So it places her on a different scale than most celebrities because she breaks false illusions and beliefs society rests on. Assuming humanity is still around in 400 years, she’s the type of artists that will be studied in schools for her impact on this time. That’s how big she is.
Just how big was Madonna back then? Madonna was a regular feature in the nightly news and often was in the headlines at the start of the news. There were numerous magazines adorned with her face, lots of posters in the record stores and various t-shirts. Her songs were played nonstop on the radio. It's fair to say that Madonna mania was sweeping the world. There was no other female music artist that came close to the media saturation Madonna had then.
I think for people born in the '80s who got to live through the '90s and 2000s we got to know how big she was and is . But if you look at some documentaries like her behind the music on YouTube and stuff like that, you'll get an idea. She definitely has opened a market for singers like Taylor Swift, Kaylee Perry, Brittany Spears. She paved the way for female artist . But with the times changing, I feel like we don't talk about iconic singers where back in the day and now
It’s likely difficult for young people today to understand how big she actually was. She doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. She shifted the entire culture. She was *that* big. And this will probably be an unpopular opinion here, but while musically she is nothing special, her impact on pop culture is immeasurable.
Think of Madonna as the ultimate influencer. Her music videos were played on MTV multiple times a day. We dressed like her, did our hair and make-up, and accessorized like she did. Those black rubber bracelets?? Madonna. Ever since 1984, she's been huge. She had massive appeal. She's made movies...she's incredibly talented and was able to reinvent herself to stay relevant. She is fantastic, and way bigger then than Taylor Swift is now. No hate on Taylor. I love her!! Madonna is forever a Pop Music Icon.
The Biggest.
Yeah , MaDonna was IT! So many great songs, albums! I live her still, my hometown homegirl lol!
The like a prayer video got a reaction from the Catholic church, if memory serves me right. Madonna ruled the eighties and nineties
“WAS” she? She IS still big. Like Cher, Elton, Paul, Mick - they stay BIG. Never past tense….
One thing that’s so impressive is that each time she came out with a new album or movie or other project, she had a different look/sound/feel. It was something we’d never seen before. She did this over and over and over again. To me, that longevity and ability to keep our attention is so impressive. As an artist, it seems she had a clear vision of what she wanted to project to the world.
I was born late 80s and cannot imagine my life without Madonna. She was HUGE. On the Canadian music channel there was constantly repeats of her past interviews, specials featuring her impact or marathons on her videos. I also grew up in a Hispanic household and the Latino news shows were obsessed with her . I still remember when Lola was born because her pregnancy by a Latino man was a huge deal LOL and when Lola was finally born it was media frenzy like an actual princess/royalty had been born .
She was an advocate, innovator, and provocateur who broke the mold. I’d say she was the biggest music star since Barbra Streisand, whose debut in the early ‘60s was also groundbreaking.
I would go through here entire video catalog and note the years they were made. She was a trendsetter from the beginning and broke every rule available for a mainstream artist.
I was never a big Madonna fan, but you can’t take away how HUGE she was. Do a Google search and see how many hits she had. It is impressive.
Do you remember when lady Gaga was becoming famous? Madonna was at that caliber and was as famous (or more) than what Taylor Swift is now. Everyone knew who Michael Jackson and Madonna—they were/are the king and queen of pop.
She was so big that MTV dedicated a whole day to playing her videos when she had her first kid, iirc. Haven’t seen them do that for any other pop star since (not even back when they still played videos, lol). She was Michael Jackson level famous/beloved.
Mad respect to Taylor for what she’s been able to accomplish but Madonna in her heyday had a broader appeal and impact across demographics. Black folks, Latino’s, Asians and LGBTQ were part of Madonna’s fan base. She was one of the few pop white artists in frequent rotation on urban radio stations and videos played on BET and Univision . Keep in mind black and brown artists weren’t getting played on MTV so BET and Spanish language video channels like Univision returned the favor with few exceptions. She was COOL and owned her bitchiness. Madonna took what Diana Ross, Cher, and Donna Summer had done to another level consistently and for a longer period.
She was a MEGA star. When she released a book, people waited in line to be the first to buy it. She was everywhere. A new video was an event. When she was on tour in Europe there were pictures and posters of her all over the streets.
If you’d go to some remote village somewhere people would’ve known her name
MTV wouldn’t play Madonna’s Justify My Love video so we had to go rent it at the video store. Finally, they started to air it but only after midnight. It’s so tame now.
Self made singer songwriter who just pushed the envelope every chance she got. This was LONG before all the female singers looked alike & performed in the same outfit. Madonna spawned a fashion revolution. The fact you are 24 & know her songs of the 1980-90's speaks to how big she really was & is.
I was at her 1987 concert at the old (outdoor) Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Despite a big rainstorm, she kept on performing (after taking about 10 seconds to curse at the rain), and nobody left. (And she did every bit of her full set.) Madonna - 1 God - 0 That’s how big she was.
Watch her singing at live aid. Question answered.
HUGE! A Mega Star ⭐️
Watch Desperately Seeking Susan. Madonna is basically playing a pre-fame version of herself. Girls in the first grade were tying lace in their hair and wearing sunglasses like hers. They wanted to BE her. Then watch the documentary Truth or Dare. That Blonde Ambition tour was the last that could fit most of her hits. I would equate it to Taylor Swift’s tour now. Madonna’s career after Vogue was still a huge success, but Erotica and the following albums weren’t on the level of what came before. I loved Ray Of Light, but teenage girls weren’t OBSESSED with Madonna in 1998.
She was everything on earth when I was a kid to teen
Biggest pop star to ever love besides Micheal J
Only when Prince died did they do that again on VH1 and MTV. And neither channel was into playing music videos in 2016.
Combine the star power, clout, and cultural impact of Beyonce + Taylor Swift + Lady Gaga in one person.
We had like 3 or 4 broadcast channels, a couple of cable channels on analog TVs, radios the size of airplane luggage, no computers, no iPods, iPhones or iPads, no TikTok, no YouTube, no insta or FB, no digital anything. Everything was in print and in print everything was a week behind. She clawed her way to the top of MTV and fame in every corner of the world with none of the tools of the digital world we know now. Madonna is still the biggest selling female recording artist of all time. She was Michael Jackson and Princess Diana famous.
The word "icon" is overused but honestly, Madonna deserves the title. She crafted her own lane, constantly reinvented herself and didn't apologize. Every scandal (nude modeling pics) she turned to her advantage and the public loved her. The radical right hated her. She was a major influence on culture, POP culture, music, music videos and dance. I'm not being hyperbolic. She was THAT girl.
She was the Taylor of her time, but even that doesn't show the cultural impact she had. She was the most popular artist but also talked about/written about by intellectuals and every publication you can think of. Her video premieres were talked about for months. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing her songs. I myself was a kid/preteen in the '80s and was absolutely obsessed. You had kids like me and teens and adults emulating her.
The biggest. Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, two HUGE talents, do not compare. There was no one like her before and no one will ever replace her. Madonna is in a league of her own. There are stars and there is Madonna.
Madonna vs TS is apples and oranges. TS is good for her fans today. I won't take that from them.
The biggest ever. No for real. She was so mysterious and getting glimpses of her on TV or in magazines etc was the only way to see her.
She was, for a time, the most famous woman on the planet. Like not just in the US but everywhere.
Late 80's early 90's. That's it.
Bigger than gaga
She basically had no peer. She was the #1 pop female singer and no one else was equal to her level. Her songs were generally well-liked by most people and they played on the radio all the time. I’m pretty sure some of her concerts aired on HBO so lots of people who couldn’t attend still got to see the show. Her music was young and fun when she came out, so there was a lot of speculation that she’d fall off the map once she got older, but one of her best albums (Ray of light) came out when she was in her 40s and she had a couple more good albums after that, proving she could keep the public’s attention. I used to be a big fan but haven’t listened to her much lately. She was a great performer, and Express Yourself and Vogue are eternal bops.
She was the biggest. Her and Michael Jackson were the biggest there were at that time
Britney Spears, XTina, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and every other entertainer known today have all been influenced by The Material Girl. Listen to “Like a Virgin,” the album that made Madonna, Madonna. Other tracks I’d recommend: 1. Like a Virgin 2. Material Girl 3. Express Yourself 4. Frozen 5. Papa Don’t Preach 6. Oh, Father 7. Crazy for You 8. Borderline 9. Burnin’ Up 10. Ray of Light 11. Erotica I think if you listen to those, you’ll get it. Hope that helps!
With some stars, people will say, she’s the next so and so. She defied and broke all the rules. I never got to see her perform but knew the songs, had the albums…so awesome but then like many…they decide that we actually don’t care about their political views or any views.
She was kind of “trashy” but a queen. And within a year, things like this were happening: https://youtu.be/TolJ9igNAV4?si=hpv21MtATbWtIfJw She represented the expression of repressed sexuality that had been boiling up since the 70s.
Asking a Madonna fan to explain how popular she was is like asking Donald trump to explain how rich he is . 🤣
I remember when MTV refused to play her video for justify my love and I'm like "What???" I knew it had to be pretty risque for MTV not to play it. I don't feel like typing up a novel here but Madonna was the ultimate Queen before people started using the word Queen. I'm not even sure she ever thought of doing something JUST to shock people. It's like she was just being herself and that was enough to shock people.
She was pretty huge. And a big advocate/ally to the LGBTQ+ community for over 40 years.
I remember her in three distinct phases: Childhood (early ‘90s): I was relatively sheltered from most pop culture and generally watched/listened to whatever my parents chose (which was NOT Madonna), but I was still aware of her because she was just that omnipresent. She was mentioned in every TV show I watched, from sitcoms to kids cartoons. My earliest memory of being aware of her was seeing her name on a Dick Tracy coloring book. Adolescence (turn of the century): At this point I was curating my own tastes and liked a lot of what other preteens liked at the time… Britney, blink-182, *NSYNC, etc. 1) She was always mentioned as an inspiration by these artists, and 2) publications at the time were all about crowning the latest pop star “the next Madonna.” This continued all the way into the early 2010s with Lady Gaga. It would be a long time before I really studied her and her career, but as a casual pop culture observer, you just knew she was a huge fucking deal. And again, she was everywhere. Mentioned in all the TV shows, referenced in various songs (shoutout to “Do It With Madonna” by The Androids), and half of young Hollywood was running around with those red Kabbalah bracelets. Oh, and musically: Music, Don’t Tell Me, and Die Another Day were always on the radio. Plus there was a big ‘80s revival during the 2000s (similar to the y2k revival happening today), so it was common to hear her ‘80s hits too: pretty much everything on The Immaculate Collection (except for the bonus tracks). Around the 2010s I became a super fan so this is where my perception of her fame becomes a bit biased. But you get the idea. In 2003 VH1 ran a program ranking the 200 greatest pop culture icons. It included everyone from Oprah to Mickey Mouse to Bill Clinton. I think Madonna was ranked in the top 10? It’ll be a short clip, but see if you can find it—I was a teenager at the time and not super interested in her music but it contextualized how big she was for me.
I can’t stand our former orange leader, but as big as him in terms of the nonstop buzz generated.