The 1950s: Lil Richard, Elvis, James Brown,Ike Turner etc.....
The 1960s: Beatles, Motown, Sam Cooke etc....
The 1970s: P-Funk, Aretha, etc....
The 1980s: Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna.....'
The 1990s: ??
The 2000s: ?? I got nothing.....

Graycap23 said:

In Europe Robbie Williams is one. He's in the business since 1990 with Take That which were HUUUUUGE in the 1990s. His solo career peak was in 2003, but after he separated from his co-writer (2002) his songs became worse, and though he continued to have #1s and million sellers until his last labum in 2006, his star sank a little.
Now, he's 35 now and still he could have a comeback.

So, yes, I'd say Robbie Williams is one, much more than Justin i.e. because Robbie is known by everyone (parents, grannies etc) and everyone's got a strong opinion bout him.

Cinnie said:

That's brave. I think only time will tell if she really will become an icon. I might be mistaken, but she was huge in 2003, but her albums after that flopped???

And I don't think she's an icon. An icon is someone who influences and is part of his culture. An icon must be known by everyone. Even your parents who don't care for them must have a strong opinion about the icon.

Beyonce did not achieve that. She's far too boring for that anyway.

graecophilos said:

Good point. Then I would have to say Britney Spears is an icon. Even though she is "pretty boring" she has had a few "shocking moments" in her time.

Everyone has an opinion on her. It is that iconic factor that has given her new life in the last half of her career.

I don't know if being "boring" is really a way to discount an icon after all. There are icons from the past that I could give two shits about.

I think you can look at anyone with enough of a name to have their own companies, clothing lines, movies, fragrances, lip gloss, sneaker, vehicle as an icon whether you like them or not or how out of touch your parents are.

Maybe you haven't asked your mom what she thinks about Snoop Dogg but I think you would be surprised at who today's icons really are.

I think "time will tell" is the only way we know who the 80s icons are. After all... in the eighties it was all about Madonna vs. Cyndi Lauper.

Only time would tell that Madonna would be in the spot she is in today.

and Cyndi... God love her, but you know what I'm sayin?
[Edited 4/17/09 15:47pm]

U2
Radiohead

nevermind the "R.I.P." icons over the years

Cinnie said:

Well, I'm not sure how serious of a source my mother is, but you might have a point with Britney.

She became an icon for gays. She had enough tragedies and interesting stpries to attract people's attention. Plus she started sooo huge she was everywhere.

The problem is, that she's a kind of trash icon imo. The Madonna comparism is necessary. People claim Madonna's music is secondary but I think unlike Britney's, Madonna's musical level was constant and she has an amazing song catalog! Plus most of Madonna's scandal are linked to her work whereas Britney shocked with her private life.

That's a difference, because how will people react to Britney in 30 years, when the scandals are just a mention on some obscure webpage and there's no substancial music left?

Another reason why there aren't much icons is that it's impossible to become s star like the 80s stars are. MTV was a youth phenomenon, and everyone watched the same videos, liked the same stars.

Now people are separated and can consume whatever they like. So, many stars are just linked with a certain group, not with a whole culture.

But whatever you think, any substance is still necessary. As a musician you need larger than life songs!!

graecophilos said:

I realize that is the difference between those two, but Britney made her entrance with the "Catholic school girl" video, where her image was just as important as the songs she was singing. She took the pin out of all arguments by having tame lyrics (until recently with "F.U.C.K. Me").

Britney's an icon. I could point to sales, Google hits, and magazine covers too, but I think it would be pretty dumb to argue AGAINST Britney being an icon, other than the fact you don't WANT her to be one.

I tried looking at sales figures, but Celine Dion and Mariah Carey aren't really cultural icons.

graecophilos said:

That's true, but then I started thinking about 90s acts that were still MTV stars. That's where I started thinking about Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg.

she has had more wax models at Madame Troussau's than any other person aside from Queen Elizabeth II


even Madge acknowledges her and her performance of Vogue on the Showgirl:Homecoming Tour inspired Madonna's performance of Vogue on Sticky and Sweet

and of course nothing says the 1990's more than

graecophilos said:

I think there are bigger things than how an album sells to be an icon. How about how every woman wants or wanted her hair color.

You can look at Diana Ross' old albums and they aren't all iconic, but you can bet she's an icon.

graecophilos said:

Britney is an icon.

I thought Spice Girls too because of how "Girl Power" became the controversial topic of their work and presentation, and they were iconic enough to reunite 10 years later and tour. They were fashion icons too, and even today one Spice Girl on the cover of a magazine sells copies.

They were gay icons too but please if they were ONLY gay icons, then your parents wouldn't have opinions on them.
[Edited 4/17/09 16:16pm]

Cinnie said:

the gays pick the cultural icons. i don't think cultural icons have anything to do with controversy as much as how they shape the cultural landscape around them.

Cinnie said:

are these ones so obvious that everyone agrees?

u2 but not radiohead

(Britney, Beyonce, Spice Girls, Kylie; puhhhleeeze!!!)

Cinnie said:

u2 yes... radiohead i'm not sure about.

datdude said:

everyone knows who Birtney is and has an opinion on her.
Beyonce is the Diana Ross of this generation.
Spice Girls were everywhere from 1996-1998 they defined pop music and ushered in BSB, NSYNC, Brintey, Xtina and Destiny's Child. They are the 90s.
Kylie is the biggest female icon after Madonna for the past 20 years everywhere but in the US.

ehuffnsd said:

Bono is an icon, but he's not "post 1980s". He is from the same timeframe as Prince.

The only icons from the 1990s I can think of are Billy Corgan, Trent Reznor and Eddie Vedder. Most other performers, you wouldn't even recognize them on the street. That is, if their careers even made it out of the 90s.

datdude said:

I think you're using hindsight to your benefit... it is certainly tough to call out the 90s and 00s icons, but

Britney Spears has more Google hits than porn, has media groups watching and criticizing her every move, is a fashion icon, and has sold just about every product you can imagine. An icon heavily based on image, but that is part of being a cultural force in the 00's.

I say nay to Kylie and Robbie Williams because I don't live outside of North America.

I thought of Spice Girls because their phenomenon was global, and continued to be popular already a decade after they had broken up. And like I said, a magazine today still sells a lot of copies if Posh Spice is on the cover.

I don't know if you just don't feel these performers are "worthy" enough of being icons, but ask your mom who Beyonce is, she knows.

Se7en said:

I don't think anyone thought he would be the icon he would be today without benefit of making history in the 90s and 00s though. Too bad we're not using decade timeframes to decide WHEN someone BECAME an icon... not when they debuted.

Cinnie said:

the mere fact it was known that i posted the Spice Girls without printing their names means their image has reached Iconic status. I could post pictures of S Club 7, Were No Angels, Girls Aloud and any other British Girl group and you would have trouble naming them.

Spice Girls and Girl Power are part of the Cultural landscape and we can't escape that.

Beyonce and even someone like Kanye West... we don't know until the 2010s or 2020s if they are still considered "icons".

You thought Billy Idol was an icon in the 80s. We're talking about people who last WAY BEYOND one decade.

Marilyn Manson was an icon in the 90s... I don't know about now

'90s Icons: Garth Brooks, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Nirvana...I'm surprised everyone has overlooked Kurt Cobain and 2Pac; they're icons of the times and for all time, like James Dean. Premature death has that affect on one's iconic status.

'00s Icons: Beyonce (she definitely is, like it or not), Britney Spears, Eminem, Jay-Z and Diddy (iconic moguls of hip-hop).

You can argue whether or not these people make good music, but being an icon isn't necessarily about that. It's that combination of success, influence, and artistry. Whether you like those artists or not, you know who they are. They've defined the sound and look of their times and have transcended those times. Hate on Mary J. Blige if you want, but she's finishing up her second decade as one of the leading female R&B singers in the world. She may not be Aretha, but then there are those who would argue Prince is no Sly Stone or James Brown. I'm just sayin'...