VinnyM27 said:

yes it is all a matter of opinion as i think the work before invincible was his best work ever. history and blood on the dancefloor are what i consider his best work, and i dont really think COAD is all that great.

and this isnt about how many albums are released as we all know by now michael takes forever to release albums, of course madonna wins in terms of that.

I JUST bought "#1's" by The Beatles and I can't get enough of the thing. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say The Beatles are the greatest pop act of all time. Listen to #1's then listen to "The Immaculate Collection". If you feel up to it spin "The Hit's/The B-Sides". Madonna's collection will come in dead last.

Madonna has some pretty strong songs in her discography but she's always been dogged by a weak voice and sex pot image. She's definitely more important then her music is.

CynicKill said:

Madonna is way better than the Beatles.

I'm serious.

Madonna is very influential because her influence extends beyond music and the pop world. She's political.

GalaxyMasturbation said:

you're right. she's not.


























God is....then Madonna!

heartbeatocean said:

The Beatles were more popular than the Bible though.

for hundreds of years Madonna meant Mary the Mother of God.

now Madonna means to most people a pop singer from Detorit.

how many people have gone up against Biblical characters and won?

ehuffnsd said:

GalaxyMasturbation said:

GoldenGlove said:

Madonna has become a very good songwriter and I would say that the content of her post-Like a Prayer work puts both Jacko and Prince to shame. That's the only category that matters to me.

heartbeatocean said:

Madonna has had a political effect on the world in what way?
Did she run for office?
Did her support get someone elected?
Did she abolish hunger or war or political corruption?
Please show me some of Madonna's political influence -
because I've never seen any.

ehuffnsd said:

Good point.

thedoorkeeper said:

She rewrote the book on feminism. For feminists, political often takes place in the personal. She has also done a lot for AIDS and gay rights by changing people's consciousness about these things. There are many ways of being political besides running for office.

And I ask you -- how many elected officials have abolished hunger, war or political corruption?

VANITYSprisonBYTCH said:

Using that logic I pick Meatloaf or Robert Palmer as the greatest.

thedoorkeeper said:

Good point. People are usually myopic in their vision.

Madonna is the queen of People and US magazines. Her influence is chiefly to allow young girls with limited musical and athletic gifts to overcome their shortcomings and become popular music artists. [ see Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan etc.] By understanding the media machine and their need for content, Madonna has craftily engineered a twenty-year career of seeking and obtaining publicity. Despite her inability to act, her limitations in live singing, a dancing talent that would make the average high-school cheerleader barf, and an uncanny ability to glom onto the latest fad and legitmize it, Madonna is a good title-holder for Great Pop Star. Her forays into latinos, Jesus, gay subculture, obscure Jewish mysticism, and false British accents, don't lend her any weight to her so-called political activism.

Bono can probably claim the title of pop star with the most global and political influence, simply because he has been tireless in his work for global debt relief and other issues. He's actually met with the movers and shakers who have the power to change global policy and been able to affect change on a dramatic scale.

Bob Geldof, who organized Live Aid and Live 8, probably would be the number two most influential activist pop star in recent memory.

The sixties protest artists, such as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and the like were probably very influential to folks in their own generation, but it's highly unlikely that they were able to sway politicians in power. I'm sure there are many books on how influential John Lennon really was, but I don't think that L.B.J. lost much sleep wondering What Would Ringo Do...

Michael Jackson is still probably the biggest pop star of his generation. That doesn't mean that he is the greatest singer, the greatest dancer, or the greatest musician. He just has an impact beyond that of even ordinary performers. Not only does everyone know his name, but fellow performers actively attempt to copy aspects of his performing and benefit from things he did first. Without Michael Jackson, there could be no black artists on MTV.

Frank Sinatra was the biggest pop star of his day. He could not play an instrument. He did not write his own music. He did not arrange or produce his hits. Nevertheless, he knew what he wanted to perform, hired talented composers, arrangers, and producers, and performed his material on a level that made his peers give him respect and won him world-wide fame.

David Bowie was the rock / pop idol of his time, exemplifying the best of his times and influencing scores of musicians and pop idols after him.

Elvis Presley is probably the "Greatest" Pop Star of all time. He made Rock and Roll, the same way Marshall Mathers made hip hop, but Elvis went beyond his influences and opened the door to an entirely new genre of music. He became the quintessential pop icon, one of the original "one-name" artists, recognizable to the man on the street, teenagers, senior citizens, foreigners, and native-born americans.

Without Elvis, there would be no Rock Stars.

Alasseon said:

so says you...

Alasseon said:

Obviously, I disagree on all the Madonna-slamming, but I gotta say U made some very insightful and intelligent points. Well done.

To those of you who argue that Madonna is not an effective "activist", you're missing my point entirely. I never said she was. What I do believe, however, is that she has had an enormous influence on our culture, and her influence is somewhat political in nature. These things are studied in PhD programs around the country by people who take pop culture seriously as an expression of our culture's values and priorities. And I do believe, historically, her influence will remain intact...at least in the history of feminism as it develops throughout the decades. I have spent years studying these things and writing about them, so don't tell me my vision is myopic.
[Edited 12/21/05 18:38pm]

npgmaverick said:

Yeah, I reread it again and it does seem harsh on Madonna. Let me put it this way...she saved Pop Music in the Eighties and early Nineties when Michael was better known for his idiosyncracies and Prince began all of his wars with Warner. Madonna was tirelessly releasing good songs and appearing on all sorts of shows and other media. She was the most consistent performer for over twenty years. I didn't mean to say she was talentless; you cannot remain on top of the highly competitive music world for ONE year much less twenty-five years if you have no talent. I'm just saying that individually, none of her gifts were all that impressive. In the totality, Madonna has proven to be indestructible. In the end though, she can't writhe on the floor in her fifties and sixties. In her next phase, she could either retire, or push forward acts as the head of Maverick that were like her--acts on the edge of something different and exciting, but that still play in Peoria. As far as her business abilities--no one is a better businessperson / performer. Both Prince and Michael could have learned a few lessons from her...

Alasseon said:

WB paid her off to get Maverick. and i was watching Tina Turner Live On Last Time. if Tina could still pull off the sex kitten at 60 i don't see Madonna having a problem doing it either. i remember saying during the Erotica era her big topic to tackle would be agesim and how at 40 you are supposed to crawl into a ball and not be sexy anymore. well she's almost 50 now and still hella sexy.

Alasseon said:

I don't really see why not...

GalaxyMasturbation said:

I agree 100000%