wonder505 said:

Whitney Houston's the Bodyguard was a phenomena when it came out. Whether you like the songs are not. It hit big.

yeah but this thread is not about the biggest album. the bodyguard was huge during its run but would you say it really made a lasting impact on pop culture? once it ran its course i never heard it mentioned or referenced until whitney passed. an iconic soundtrack in my opinion would be like a saturday night fever, that album is one of the main sybols of the disco era.

lowkey said:

the bodyguard was huge during its run but would you say it really made a lasting impact on pop culture?

Whose pop culture are you talking about? Celia Cruz would be relevant to Cuban pop culture or salsa music, but maybe not Chinese pop culture or Bollywood music. Or someone could be important to a genre like blues, jazz, country, or classical. Top 40 is not the only thing there is.

Why Beyonce 2013, of course. Broke an iTunes record, #1 in 105 countries -- a feat that still hasn't been topped (or matched.) Hailed by Billboard magazine as a game-changing album.

[Edited 3/6/15 21:39pm]

I think Sade's 'Diamond Life' deserves an honourable mention.

[img:$uid]http://i800.pho.../img:$uid]

This should be there as well a very underrated CD:

lowkey said:

iconic for me dont mean it sold alot or won awards. for me i have to see traces of it in pop culture,it had to have a lasting impression, there has to be instant recognition.i never heard of some of the albums named here, you dont have to like an iconic album or even listened to it but you have heard of it.

I agree; Joni Mitchell never sold like Taylor Swift or so many other pop stars but they'd kill to have an enduring album like Blue.

ZahndiFadzhina said:

I think Sade's 'Diamond Life' deserves an honourable mention.

[img:$uid]http://i800.pho.../img:$uid]

I can't disagree. If I were to pick one of Sade's albums, it would be Promise or Love Deluxe.

sade is not a female artist, they are a group.

Qazz said:

Why Beyonce 2013, of course. Broke an iTunes record, #1 in 105 countries -- a feat that still hasn't been topped (or matched.) Hailed by Billboard magazine as a game-changing album.

[Edited 3/6/15 21:39pm]

In years to come this album will be forgotten about - I think it will be difficult for the public to name one track from this in 5 years time. Doesn't most of Madonna's albums hit #1 on I TUNES in a ridiculous number of countries? I wouldn't call 'Hard candy' or 'MDNA' iconic.

But another album that does deserve the title is Patty Smith's 'Horses' which people forgot to mention.

MickyDolenz said:

lowkey said:

the bodyguard was huge during its run but would you say it really made a lasting impact on pop culture?

Whose pop culture are you talking about? Celia Cruz would be relevant to Cuban pop culture or salsa music, but maybe not Chinese pop culture or Bollywood music. Or someone could be important to a genre like blues, jazz, country, or classical. Top 40 is not the only thing there is.

im not even a top 40 fan, im a r&b fan so trust i know there is more than top 40. at the same time just because you are not a fan of a certain genre/culture or whatever, if something is iconic it usually transcends genres. i've never listened to a pink floyd album but im aware of 'the wall',that album is iconic.the bodyguard may be iconic, it just dont hold the same impact imo as other albums other than its commercial success.do people even remember any other song on that album other than 'i will always love you'?

lowkey said:

do people even remember any other song on that album other than 'i will always love you'?

Sure they do, I hear some of them on the adult contemporary station all the time, at least the Whitney songs, not the rest of it. But that was the case when the album was out. VH-1 Soul shows the video to I'm Every Woman every so often and The Bodyguard is on TV a lot. I hear songs from Whitney's debut on the adult urban station. Not the 2nd album so much. Just because you've never heard of something does not mean anything. Most of the people I know don't know anything about Carole King, Pink Floyd, The Monkees, or Kate Bush and couldn't name one thing about their music, but a lot of them know Betty Wright and The O'Jays. I don't know Kate Bush either other than the duet she did with Peter Gabriel. So Betty Wright Live would be more well known to them, but that album is not well known to the mainstream. Same for singers like Mel Waiters & Joe Simon. In Mali, Oumou Sangare is popular, Don Ho is for Hawaiian music, and Jimmy Sturr & Frankie Yankovic for polka. The OP did say any genre. As far as rock critics go, they hardly ever praise soft rock, easy listening, and AC, so of course they're not going to name Whitney Houston albums. Their thing tends to be guitar rock.

lazycrockett said:

Patti Smith - Horses

YES!!!

MickyDolenz said:

lowkey said:

do people even remember any other song on that album other than 'i will always love you'?

Sure they do, I hear some of them on the adult contemporary station all the time, at least the Whitney songs, not the rest of it. But that was the case when the album was out. VH-1 Soul shows the video to I'm Every Woman every so often and The Bodyguard is on TV a lot. I hear songs from Whitney's debut on the adult urban station. Not the 2nd album so much. Just because you've never heard of something does not mean anything. Most of the people I know don't know anything about Carole King, Pink Floyd, The Monkees, or Kate Bush and couldn't name one thing about their music, but a lot of them know Betty Wright and The O'Jays. I don't know Kate Bush either other than the duet she did with Peter Gabriel. So Betty Wright Live would be more well known to them, but that album is not well known to the mainstream. Same for singers like Mel Waiters & Joe Simon. In Mali, Oumou Sangare is popular, Don Ho is for Hawaiian music, and Jimmy Sturr & Frankie Yankovic for polka. The OP did say any genre. As far as rock critics go, they hardly ever praise soft rock, easy listening, and AC, so of course they're not going to name Whitney Houston albums. Their thing tends to be guitar rock.

but the thread is not about well known its about iconic, for me there is a big difference.i dont think its about critics, its aboutmorethan the actual music. albums like thriller,rhythm nation,like a virgin,saturday night fever...there is a visual that goes along with them that makes them instantly recognized.they are referenced on tv shows and movies,ect. in my personal opinion those are examples of something being iconic.

mancabdriver said:

Qazz said:

Why Beyonce 2013, of course. Broke an iTunes record, #1 in 105 countries -- a feat that still hasn't been topped (or matched.) Hailed by Billboard magazine as a game-changing album.

[Edited 3/6/15 21:39pm]

In years to come this album will be forgotten about - I think it will be difficult for the public to name one track from this in 5 years time. Doesn't most of Madonna's albums hit #1 on I TUNES in a ridiculous number of countries? I wouldn't call 'Hard candy' or 'MDNA' iconic.

But another album that does deserve the title is Patty Smith's 'Horses' which people forgot to mention.

Can I get tomorrow's lottery numbers while you're trying to plug in that faulty crystal ball with an obvious short in it? Heh. Beyonce's album sold 4x more than what Hard Candy and MDNA did, so those were very poor examples to retort with, Kreskin. In the meantime, her album remains cited by industry setsiders (i.e., people who are more knowledgable than the biter, aging music snobs at Prince.org) as one that changed the game. Want me to bore you with some links?

[Edited 3/8/15 21:49pm]

Qazz said:

mancabdriver said:

In years to come this album will be forgotten about - I think it will be difficult for the public to name one track from this in 5 years time. Doesn't most of Madonna's albums hit #1 on I TUNES in a ridiculous number of countries? I wouldn't call 'Hard candy' or 'MDNA' iconic.

But another album that does deserve the title is Patty Smith's 'Horses' which people forgot to mention.

Can I get tomorrow's lottery numbers while you're trying to plug in that faulty crystal ball with an obvious short in it? Heh. Beyonce's album sold 4x more than what Hard Candy and MDNA did, so those were very poor examples to retort with, Kreskin. In the meantime, her album remains cited by industry setsiders (i.e., people who are more knowledgable than the biter, aging music snobs at Prince.org) as one that changed the game. Want me to bore you with some links?

[Edited 3/8/15 21:49pm]

Mate, I don't care enough about this topic to find links to support my opinion.

FYI I'm still in my 20s - so not reaching for a walking stick just yet.

Have a good day.

lowkey said:

sade is not a female artist, they are a group.

Thank you, I know. Sure, technically, Sade doesn't fit the "female artist" category, which is one of the reasons I didn't consider Sade myself.

But while the group is highly accomplished, its defining element is the lead singer after whom the band itself is named. So I'm not opposed to including Sade.

Qazz said:

mancabdriver said:

In years to come this album will be forgotten about - I think it will be difficult for the public to name one track from this in 5 years time. Doesn't most of Madonna's albums hit #1 on I TUNES in a ridiculous number of countries? I wouldn't call 'Hard candy' or 'MDNA' iconic.

But another album that does deserve the title is Patty Smith's 'Horses' which people forgot to mention.

Can I get tomorrow's lottery numbers while you're trying to plug in that faulty crystal ball with an obvious short in it? Heh. Beyonce's album sold 4x more than what Hard Candy and MDNA did, so those were very poor examples to retort with, Kreskin. In the meantime, her album remains cited by industry setsiders (i.e., people who are more knowledgable than the biter, aging music snobs at Prince.org) as one that changed the game. Want me to bore you with some links?

[Edited 3/8/15 21:49pm]

-

Just curious, what was musically game changing about the "Beyonce" album?

Musicslave said:

Qazz said:

Why Beyonce 2013, of course. Broke an iTunes record, #1 in 105 countries -- a feat that still hasn't been topped (or matched.) Hailed by Billboard magazine as a game-changing album.

[Edited 3/6/15 21:39pm]

I can't wait 2 here what was so Iconic about this project.

lowkey said:

MickyDolenz said:

Whose pop culture are you talking about? Celia Cruz would be relevant to Cuban pop culture or salsa music, but maybe not Chinese pop culture or Bollywood music. Or someone could be important to a genre like blues, jazz, country, or classical. Top 40 is not the only thing there is.

im not even a top 40 fan, im a r&b fan so trust i know there is more than top 40. at the same time just because you are not a fan of a certain genre/culture or whatever, if something is iconic it usually transcends genres. i've never listened to a pink floyd album but im aware of 'the wall',that album is iconic.the bodyguard may be iconic, it just dont hold the same impact imo as other albums other than its commercial success.do people even remember any other song on that album other than 'i will always love you'?

But if you say its iconic why does it matter if it has a smaller impact than the rest? To be fair, thriller, rhythm nation, saturday night fever etc are not on the same level of iconic status imo and I dont think its necessary that they all have to be because their still iconic for their own reasons. I have seen the I will always love you song referenced as well as the Bodyguard movie quite a bit in pop culture. The association most make with the song is the distint way Whitney sings the song which imo has made a lasting impression because no one can sing the song the way she sung it which is why it is often referenced. Just because she doesn't have an iconic music video attached with the album like the other albums mentioned doesn't make it any less iconic. Its not mandatory that you have an iconic music video for a song or an album to be iconic imo. For example, songs like We are the World or Man in the Mirror are iconic in my opinion but the videos are not as iconic as the actual song imo

[Edited 3/9/15 13:26pm]

mjscarousal said:

lowkey said:

im not even a top 40 fan, im a r&b fan so trust i know there is more than top 40. at the same time just because you are not a fan of a certain genre/culture or whatever, if something is iconic it usually transcends genres. i've never listened to a pink floyd album but im aware of 'the wall',that album is iconic.the bodyguard may be iconic, it just dont hold the same impact imo as other albums other than its commercial success.do people even remember any other song on that album other than 'i will always love you'?

But if you say its iconic why does it matter if it has a smaller impact than the rest? To be fair, thriller, rhythm nation, saturday night fever etc are not on the same level of iconic status imo and I dont think its necessary that they all have to be because their still iconic for their own reasons. I have seen the I will always love you song referenced as well as the Bodyguard movie quite a bit in pop culture. The association most make with the song is the distint way Whitney sings the song which imo has made a lasting impression because no one can sing the song the way she sung it which is why it is often referenced. Just because she doesn't have an iconic music video attached with the album like the other albums mentioned doesn't make it any less iconic. Its not mandatory that you have an iconic music video for a song or an album to be iconic imo. For example, We are the World is iconic in my opinion but the video is not iconic and there are no iconic visuals attached with it.

[Edited 3/9/15 13:24pm]

i didnt say its iconic, but its just my opinion,im not gonna argue if somebody else says it is. of course whitney is iconic and so is that song, i just dont think that album is.i didnt say it has to havea video attached to it,i was just saying those albums have so many other things associated with them besides a big hit song. songs in the key of life is a iconic album without any visuals attached to it, but that album as a whole is cited and referenced so much to the point stevie is able to base a tour around it.there was a production called 'thriller live', the choreographer of rhythm nation is putting together a dance production based around the music. i never said every iconic album has the same impact and elements i just dont thing the bodyguard album itself is one.

Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation

Madonna's Like a Virgin

Prince's Purple Rain

The Bodyguard, definitely.

lowkey said:

mjscarousal said:

But if you say its iconic why does it matter if it has a smaller impact than the rest? To be fair, thriller, rhythm nation, saturday night fever etc are not on the same level of iconic status imo and I dont think its necessary that they all have to be because their still iconic for their own reasons. I have seen the I will always love you song referenced as well as the Bodyguard movie quite a bit in pop culture. The association most make with the song is the distint way Whitney sings the song which imo has made a lasting impression because no one can sing the song the way she sung it which is why it is often referenced. Just because she doesn't have an iconic music video attached with the album like the other albums mentioned doesn't make it any less iconic. Its not mandatory that you have an iconic music video for a song or an album to be iconic imo. For example, We are the World is iconic in my opinion but the video is not iconic and there are no iconic visuals attached with it.

[Edited 3/9/15 13:24pm]

i didnt say its iconic, but its just my opinion,im not gonna argue if somebody else says it is. of course whitney is iconic and so is that song, i just dont think that album is.i didnt say it has to havea video attached to it,i was just saying those albums have so many other things associated with them besides a big hit song. songs in the key of life is a iconic album without any visuals attached to it, but that album as a whole is cited and referenced so much to the point stevie is able to base a tour around it.there was a production called 'thriller live', the choreographer of rhythm nation is putting together a dance production based around the music. i never said every iconic album has the same impact and elements i just dont thing the bodyguard album itself is one.

No one is arguing I just wanted more clarification on this:

"the bodyguard may be iconic, it just dont hold the same impact imo as other albums"

Which is why I asked you, why does it matter if it made a lesser impact if you already acknowledge its iconic and it confused me which is why I asked you that but yes you are entitled to think what you want.