Originally Posted by Quixotic:
“I think the casual Madonna fan and member of the general public would prefer to listen to her pre-Millennium music than anything she's recorded in the last ten years. She no longer brings anything new or exciting to pop music. She’s regressed with every album since 2005. The truth is she's now classed as a heritage artist. I don't understand why so many of her fans find this tag insulting. It happens to every band and singer. She's not above it. A lot of teenagers and people in their early twenties don't care about her or what she's doing. I don’t think it matters how many young pop stars and rappers she collaborates with. She's old news to a lot of the younger people out there. They see her as an old pop star who's releasing generic dance music while stripping on stage. A lot of her older fans have no doubt moved on as well. Do you think everyone who liked Cher in the 1980s and 1990s still cares about what she's doing? What about Elton John? The Rolling Stones? I doubt it.
Madonna's still a big draw on the tour circuit, but her days of being a major force on the charts are over, in fact they've been over in the US for a good ten years now, especially on the singles chart. Her albums still top the charts, but there's no denying the sales of her last two albums and the Celebration compilation album were disappointing. Same goes for their longevity on the charts. It’s a bit depressing when a Lionel Richie album can go Platinum in the US, but a Madonna album can’t. Hard Candy still hasn't been certified Platinum six years on. Despite weak reviews and no hit single, No Line on the Horizon by U2 has been certified Platinum in the US. It's also sold an estimated five million copies worldwide. Hard Candy and MDNA have sold that many copies combined. Chances are U2's new album would've gone Platinum had it not been given away free.
Madonna's built up a loyal fan base over the last 30 years, and it’s that fan base who continues to get her to #1. You only have to look at how many copies MDNA has sold in the US since its opening week nearly three years ago (around 150,000) to know that the general public didn't give a toss about the album. The Super Bowl and the album/ticket bundle definitely helped MDNA out in its opening week. And I’m sure most people are aware that nearly all of Madonna's singles have performed poorly in the UK over the last five years while nearly all of her singles over the last ten years have flopped in the US. I’m not stupid enough to say she will never score another big hit because she probably will, but her days of hitting the top ten with every single from every album are long over.
And the people who insist that Madonna’s most recent albums are just as acclaimed as her past ones are delusional. She’s had one critically acclaimed album since Music in 2000, and that was Confessions. The critical census for American Life was that it was a well-intentioned record, but not one that was particularly well-executed. People didn’t care about Madonna being political or really serious which is why the album had poor sales in comparison to Music. It's also why she camped herself up for Confessions. As for Hard Candy and MDNA, they had very mixed reviews and disappointing sales. She hasn’t released anything important in pop music for nearly ten years. I don’t care how many countries MDNA hit number one in. It disappeared without a trace within months.
Maybe if she actually stopped going through the motions, grew up a little and stopped playing catch up with singers half her age she might actually release something of relevance again so her fans don’t have to keep bringing up past accomplishments all of the time. My problem with a lot of her fans is they act as though she’s above criticism. She isn’t. Deal with it. She’s a marginally talented pop star who has many other people to thank for her career.
I actually think Rebel Heart and Wash All Over Me were leaked on purpose to give fans a glimpse at what they can expect from the new album. It also gave Madonna the chance to have a rant and rave in the press about her "broken heart". And I don't think Ryan Tedder claiming Madonna's new album is her best for years is much to get excited about. I remember several people raving about MDNA before that was released.
I really need to steer clear of Madonna discussions, ha ha. I can't stop myself once I get started.”
“I think the casual Madonna fan and member of the general public would prefer to listen to her pre-Millennium music than anything she's recorded in the last ten years. She no longer brings anything new or exciting to pop music. She’s regressed with every album since 2005. The truth is she's now classed as a heritage artist. I don't understand why so many of her fans find this tag insulting. It happens to every band and singer. She's not above it. A lot of teenagers and people in their early twenties don't care about her or what she's doing. I don’t think it matters how many young pop stars and rappers she collaborates with. She's old news to a lot of the younger people out there. They see her as an old pop star who's releasing generic dance music while stripping on stage. A lot of her older fans have no doubt moved on as well. Do you think everyone who liked Cher in the 1980s and 1990s still cares about what she's doing? What about Elton John? The Rolling Stones? I doubt it.
Madonna's still a big draw on the tour circuit, but her days of being a major force on the charts are over, in fact they've been over in the US for a good ten years now, especially on the singles chart. Her albums still top the charts, but there's no denying the sales of her last two albums and the Celebration compilation album were disappointing. Same goes for their longevity on the charts. It’s a bit depressing when a Lionel Richie album can go Platinum in the US, but a Madonna album can’t. Hard Candy still hasn't been certified Platinum six years on. Despite weak reviews and no hit single, No Line on the Horizon by U2 has been certified Platinum in the US. It's also sold an estimated five million copies worldwide. Hard Candy and MDNA have sold that many copies combined. Chances are U2's new album would've gone Platinum had it not been given away free.
Madonna's built up a loyal fan base over the last 30 years, and it’s that fan base who continues to get her to #1. You only have to look at how many copies MDNA has sold in the US since its opening week nearly three years ago (around 150,000) to know that the general public didn't give a toss about the album. The Super Bowl and the album/ticket bundle definitely helped MDNA out in its opening week. And I’m sure most people are aware that nearly all of Madonna's singles have performed poorly in the UK over the last five years while nearly all of her singles over the last ten years have flopped in the US. I’m not stupid enough to say she will never score another big hit because she probably will, but her days of hitting the top ten with every single from every album are long over.
And the people who insist that Madonna’s most recent albums are just as acclaimed as her past ones are delusional. She’s had one critically acclaimed album since Music in 2000, and that was Confessions. The critical census for American Life was that it was a well-intentioned record, but not one that was particularly well-executed. People didn’t care about Madonna being political or really serious which is why the album had poor sales in comparison to Music. It's also why she camped herself up for Confessions. As for Hard Candy and MDNA, they had very mixed reviews and disappointing sales. She hasn’t released anything important in pop music for nearly ten years. I don’t care how many countries MDNA hit number one in. It disappeared without a trace within months.
Maybe if she actually stopped going through the motions, grew up a little and stopped playing catch up with singers half her age she might actually release something of relevance again so her fans don’t have to keep bringing up past accomplishments all of the time. My problem with a lot of her fans is they act as though she’s above criticism. She isn’t. Deal with it. She’s a marginally talented pop star who has many other people to thank for her career.
I actually think Rebel Heart and Wash All Over Me were leaked on purpose to give fans a glimpse at what they can expect from the new album. It also gave Madonna the chance to have a rant and rave in the press about her "broken heart". And I don't think Ryan Tedder claiming Madonna's new album is her best for years is much to get excited about. I remember several people raving about MDNA before that was released.
I really need to steer clear of Madonna discussions, ha ha. I can't stop myself once I get started.”
Don't stop yourself, I think you were right on the money. Good post.
