I am here because I like artists who have something to say and have the balls to say it. A history of Madonna’s apologies.
Oh hi I wrote this.
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… even as the postgame reviews came in mixed—some sniping about Madge’s lip syncing and tentative dance moves, plus excess froth over guest M.I.A.’s middle digit—what was remarkable was how little the commentariat regarded Madonna as a dance-pop interloper. (Following up last year’s halftime show by the Black Eyed Peas, a decidedly un-rock act, probably helped her.) Even without the axe-wielding bona fides of a Townshend or a McCartney or a Rogers-Nelson, few observers felt Madge was undeserving of the big game.
Such tacit acceptance was unthinkable a quarter-century ago, when Madonna was laying siege upon the Billboard charts and representing everything that was disrespectful and un-rock about popular music. Even back then, Ms. Ciccone was a strong concert draw, terrible vocals and all (from Virgin Tour ‘85 to Super Bowl ‘12, Madge’s critics have browbeat her both for singing live and for not singing live).
But for the last decade-plus, Madge has been fully established as a top-drawer touring act, commanding Stones-level ticket prices and U2-size grosses. Like those rockers, Madonna continues to record heavily hyped new albums here and there, but she profits most from the nostalgia business and the ticket sales it generates.
So can we finally, once and for all, call Madonna a classic rocker? Whatever you think of the “rock” status of her music—which has only gone deeper into electronic dance tropes since Ray of Light 14 years ago—a careful study of the Queen of Pop’s Billboard performance confirms that she doesn’t really chart like a pop star anymore.
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Chris Molanphy crunches the numbers and reveals something that might surprise people: On the charts, Madonna acts like a classic rocker. (via sotc-nyc)
Have I mentioned how much I love my chart columnists lately? Because I do.
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"lol old" is not a critical stance →
“lol old” is not a critical stance
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rendit replied to your post: If only my Madonna review could be an animated gif of me wincing and gritting my teeth at certain points.Acts of Contrition thing actually makes me want to listen to it?
Just listen to the last track on Like A Prayer. (This is but one of the many “hey remember me, I’m Madonna” shoutouts on the album.)
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I came around on this song. A lot of that was because of the way it reminded me of the theme music to The Price Is Right, but you know, whatever works.
