The Madonna Thread

[Soapsuds]

I thought she had another hit but not too sure. I do have her greatest hits here somewhere in the house...lol.....

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Probably not, but he continued to remix her stuff, without her blessing.

The one time she gave her blessing (even though it wasn't on any single/maxi-singer) was when Donatella Versace personally appealed to her to have Junior remix Hollywood for one of her fashion shows.

http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/n_8821/

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Kylie worked with one of Madonna's old producers, Stephen Bray, on her 1990 Rhythm of Love album.

Here's the two songs they did together.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KYzXu5x2KJ8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ErUkBn6KlhM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Angela]

Back. None of those songs sound familiar to me, but she does have a nice pop-dance friendly voice.

I'm reading up on Kylie on Wiki. Has there ever been such a border issue in pop music between the U.S. (she's relatively unknown) and the rest of the world (she rivals Madonna in popularity)? The very, very slight problem for Kylie here is the U.S.'s large chunk of the music buying market.

And to make this Madonna related, just found this on YouTube. This is a song Madonna wrote and gave to Kylie...

Please register in order to view this content

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Kylie's big markets are the UK and Australia, though her commercial career has been on a wane in both markets in recent years.

[Angela]

Still surfing through YouTube..

Most Memorable MTV Video Music Award Performances. They'll be posted in chronological order:

1984: Like a Virgin. The First Major Performance on Television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFiwFKDyp8A

1989: Express Yourself. Doing It Live and Kickin' Its Butt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pehMBaHgpWE

1990: Vogue. She Brings Performance Art to the VMA's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTaXtWWR16A

2003: Like a Virgin/Hollywood: "The 20th Anniversary" Performance (I do question if Madonna has the literal kiss of career death. Curses her younger rivals with her lips. I'm thinking of Britney barely being able to stand straight during her comeback VMA performance 3-4 years later.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJoCcs_rDtQ

ETA:

Courtney Love was already doped half out of her mind here, but oddly enough Madonna chooses to lay a kiss and not a bitch slap on her before leaving. The kiss of career death?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBTl611c9fs

[EricMontreal22]

And of course Dannii covered Baby Love which was written for Madonna with him. I always thought these songs were kinda ironic--Kylie BEGGED to work outside of the Stock/Aitken/Waterman PWL factory, and yet on the album SAW stepped up to the plate and gave her their best material, and the American stuff she did let her down.

[EricMontreal22]

But she very much (like Madonna) has become known as a great live act. Her concerts do amazing business, regardless of how her albums sell (I would also argue that she's become something of an album artist with low single sales but, at least decent album performances which may be inevitable for any aging pop act). I always find it kinda amusing how drunk rugby guys will still go see Kylie's campy, homoerotic shows.

Edited March 18, 2012 by EricMontreal22

[EricMontreal22]

I guess it shouldn't be dismissed--I've just become disillusioned since my favorite acts tend to always chart there, and yet nobody seems to know who they are anymore, lol. The dance charts are also very much based around gay taste and (I feel bad saying this), gay audiences have a tendency to cling to their favorite artists harder than any other fanbase aside from teenaged girls, so...

The Kylie polorization is interesting. I think it's more a reflection on the fact that Europe/Asia has always accepted dance music as mainstream in a way that the US hasn't ever since the disco sucks era. Kylie's early success too was based on the fact she was an Aussie soap star whose show was insanely popular in the UK, and that she was produced/written by Stock Aitken Waterman a team who had insane success in Europe during the late 80s, yet barely made a dent in the American music base (their biggest successes were probably Bananarama and Rick Astley in the US and their Donna Summer album).

[Soapsuds]

Regina owns Baby Love. I remember you giving me a link to Danni's Baby Love and it doesnt compare to Regina's top 10 version.

[Angela]

Lady Gaga has 12 #1 hits on the Dance Charts and 3 #1's on the Hot 100. Stats like that is why I still give it credibility, gays aside. I feel like Lady Gaga has had closer to 10 major hits from listening to the radio over the past two years, not barely 5. It surprised me when I realized just how much Rihanna and Katy Perry are trouncing her in terms of Hot 100.

Katy Perry and Rihanna success in particular surprises me. I enjoy most of their songs, but still... Rihanna needs two more #1 Hot 100 singles to tie Madonna, and 8 more to take over Mariah which is very, very doable at her age. It's not a question, Rihanna is so going to join Michael Jackson, Elvis, The Beatles, Madonna and Mariah Carey in those record books in terms of Hot 100 singles success at least in the US. It just feels weird to note that.

The digital age has made it a bit easier to rack it up. You just have to connect a wire and press a button. Gaga, Perry, and Rihanna are the first fully digital age artists. The downfall of the digital age for all artists is it has really decreased album sales, everybody is just downloading whatever single they like and screw the album.

Has Kylie sold well in the Asian markets? I know Japanese market in particular is not easy to crack too hard. Mariah Carey is the top selling American artist there ever and she's way down on the list of their top-selling artists.

---

Ray of Light really was Madonna's best album since Like a Prayer. If not her best album overall. I just recently discovered this song for myself and I love it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaInSMPLLFM

I *u***d Up (it's a bad word, yes, but she kind of make it sounds sweet in this song)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkgEJPSWRZY

[Soapsuds]

I thought Ray of Light was an ok album. There were songs from the album i did like but it wasnt her best IMO. I do think it was different from what she had done before. I am not sure how well it sold though. I still prefer old school Madonna.

And as to Lady Gaga....I am so over her. I used to like her music especially her first big hit but now its just meh.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Ray of Light was her best selling studio album since Like A Prayer, and it was an even bigger hit in Europe and Latin America.

After Like A Prayer, it's also her most critically acclaimed album.

Edited March 18, 2012 by Y&RWorldTurner

[Angela]

I'm not in love with Gaga myself anymore but one can't deny she was on the radio ALL THE TIME during the past 2 or so years (and I did enjoy the music for the most part during that time).

Ray of Light was Madonna's best selling album since Like a Prayer. I'm not counting the IC as it was the Greatest Hits and not so much a new outing. Not all the songs are commercial in this album (ROL) but I think most of them are quite beautiful in their own right.

These are the worldwide estimates I've found compiled for Madonna's albums...

http://www.vanityedge.com/forum/

The Immaculate Collection: 28.6

True Blue: 23.5

Like A Virgin: 21.6

Ray of Light: 15.3

Like a Prayer: 14.1 <-- that surprises me, it was such a good album. It's good sales, but in my head that's a 20 million + album

Music: 10.4

Something to Remember: 9.8

Madonna: 9.6

Confessions on a Dancefloor 8.3

Bedtime Stories: 7.4

I'm Breathless 7.1

Erotica 6.8

Evita 6.6

Greatest Hits Volume Two 5.5

You Can Dance 5.3

Who's That Girl 5.2

American Life 3.8

Hard Candy 3.6

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Ray of Light was the most important album in her career.

It came after a long gap between studio albums, her first since motherhood, and was the album that proved she still had "it".

It revitalized her pop career in a different way, and gave her the acceptance that she'd hadn't ever had within the music industry (as she was considered an outsider in that circle for most her career).