Yes, it's officially time to start counting the days until 2008. No, not because 2007 has gone to shit (yet?), but in anticipation of one of the most controversial and divisive votes we'll see in a Hall of Fame since... since...
Well, since Mark McGwire.
Today, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their class of 2007: REM (no shock there), Van Halen (this should be interesting...), Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (first rap artists to be inducted) and The Ronettes.
(Who in the hell is going to show up for Van Halen? The original, Diamond Dave lineup? The Van Hagar lineup? Both? Or how about the current lineup: Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen? Looks like for the second year in a row - see: Blondie, ***6 - we can look forward to fireworks during the induction ceremonies in March...)
Now that 2007 is squared away, it's time to start looking forward to 2008's inductees. One of which could be very interesting, and spark more than a bit of debate...
We are talking about an artist who has sold more than 250,000,000 records (one of eighteen artists in history to do so), who has had twelve #1 hits, and at one point had sixteen straight top five hits (only Elvis Presley, with 23, has had a longer streak). We are talking about an artist with a lengthy string of accomplishments and records, and one who has arguably had more influence on music since 1950 than anyone besides Elvis or The Beatles.
On the other hand...
There is going to be ammunition used by some to keep this artist out. They have been criticized for having a mediocre voice (1 1/2 octaves), criticized for weak songwriting, criticized for a general lack of talent, and criticized for being more publicity than substance. This is an artist whom many have viewed as more of a publicity stunt or an entertainer than a true artist, and one who has pissed a lot of people off over the last 24-plus years. Making matters worse is that some people feel this artist should not be inducted because they aren't a "rock" artist...
In fact, quite frankly, this is a person that you either love, or hate - and more than a few people love to hate. But, at least they've never used steroids.
That being said, this may be one of the biggest Hall of Fame no-brainers since baseball writers received their ballots in 1981, and had to decide whether or not to put a checkmark next to Aaron, Hank...
Love her or hate her, tell me how in roughly 364 days, we won't be hearing that Madonna will be headlining the class of 2008?
I know there are people who feel she has no business going in, and would consider it sacrilige to have her anywhere near Elvis, The Beatles or Led Zeppelin. I am sure they will have their "reasons", and I am here to debunk their reasons, and solidify her case for enshrinement.
First off, there is chart success. Madonna has had an incredible streak of #1 hits, top five hits, and top ten hits. In fact, Madonna's 36 top ten hits is TIED with Elvis Presley for the most in history.
You have, of course, the success of "Hung Up", which set a record by peaking at #1 in 43 different countries.
Madonna is also the only artist ever to have singles that have peaked at all ten spots in the top ten at one point or another...
Album sales? Not only over 250,000 in worldwide sales as I mentioned, but has had six of them peak at #1. Her debut album spent over three years on the charts. Her latest album set a record by going to #1 in twenty nine countries. Her first compilation album, The Immaculate Collection, is the highest selling compilation album by a female artist in history. Her two diamond records (10,000,000+ in sales) is the second most in history, behind the three by a certain evil country singer...
*little voice in head: "Yeah, and you bought two of them..."
*flips off her inner voice* Yeah. That was before I became good and wise.
You want impact? We're talking about a woman who has changed the industry forever for female artists, a woman with the balls to play - and beat - the men at their game. This is an artist who very early on grabbed her own career by the balls and played by her own rules, spitting in the face of the stodgy old men who believe women should be seen and not heard in the music industry.
You want influence? There is a laundry list of artists who have been influenced - at least in some way - by the Mother Of Reinvention. Among them: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, and dozens of other pop and dance artists, all of whom wanted a piece of Madonna and what she has done over the last quarter century - many of whom were supposed to be "the next Madonna", yet not a single one could dethrone the queen of pop.
How about longivity? How many inductees into the Hall of Fame are still making an impact upon the music industry and still plowing away when they become eligible for induction? Twenty four years later, as hundreds of artists have shined briefly and quickly fizzled away, Madonna is still at the top of her game. When the great dance music crash of the early 90's hit (brought on by the growth of alternative and rap), Madonna not only survived, but continued to thrive.
But, yes, I can hear the naysayers now... Really. I can. And here's what I have to say to you...
"She has no talent!"... Look, I'm not going to say she is the most talented woman to ever walk the planet. She is not Barbra Streisand when it comes to vocals, and she's not Lennon or Taupin when it comes to songwriting. She has her limitations (and has always been the first to admit it), and has routinely made up for those shortfalls with passion and creativity.
Let's face it: She would not be the first artist without an all-world voice to be inducted. Rod Stewart, Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, and Bob Dylan are among those who have voices that are, quite frankly, acquired tastes (and, yes, I am a fan of all four of them). Yet all of them are inducted, and there is no question they deserved to be enshrined.
Furthermore, we've seen plenty of people go into sports hall of fames who made the most of their limited talents, and whose careers were greater than the sum of their parts. Madonna's career has certainly done that, and I think that her impact and success should be the focus, not that she can't pull off annoying vocal acrobatics like Mariah Scarey.
"Her career is a gimmick!"... How many artists who have had long, successful careers can you say haven't had some sort of gimmick? Elvis was known as much for his hip-shaking as he was his music. Prince's career is (well, was, now that he's a Jehovah's Witness and all nice and moral) as much about blatant sex as it was his creative music. The Ramones were as much about their drunken rowdiness as their music. And how about David Bowie and the whole psychodelic, Ziggy Stardust phase? Again, all of these artists have been enshined, and deservedly so. But for every pure artist like the Everly Brothers or B.B. King, there are plenty of others who are as known for their promotional/showmanship hooks as their musical ones.
"She sold records on sex!"... So, to, did Prince, Elvis, and even to a degree, Blondie. Sex does sell, and sex and music have gone hand in hand (along with drugs, as the old saying goes) since the beginning. No artist has ever pushed the envelope when it comes to sex the way Madonna has, true, but it's not like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is filled with morality and decency where sex is concerned.
"She shouldn't be inducted because she's not rock!"... The Everly Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, The Supremes, Simon & Garfunkel, Etta James, Al Green, Parliment/Funkadelic, The Jackson Five, Michael Jackson and Grandmaster Flash (to name a few) have two things in common. The first is that many would not consider them to be "rock", either...
The second is they are all inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
They are among the list of inductees, despite the fact that their music doesn't quite fit in with the likes of Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen, because of their success and impact upon popular music.
I mean, what are we going to do in a few years: Try to exclude Garth Brooks because he "isn't rock"? Whoops... Johnny Cash went in fifteen years ago.
Regardless of the pop/dance direction of her career, not only has Madonna made an incredible impact upon popular music (even rock), but there is already a predicent for "non-rock" artists going on. To exclude Madge because "Lucky Star" and "Like A Virgin" don't sound like "Stairway To Heaven" would mean that you not only feel she should be exluded, but that a few dozen artists should be REMOVED.
"She doesn't deserve to go in"... How about Blondie? How about The Pretenders? How about The Clash? While I am a fan of all three bands, at no point did I sit there and listen to their music and think "Yeah, they are timeless, immortal acts who should be enshrined". Yet, they all are.
Madonna's career went from obscurity to successful to larger than life in a little under two years - and has stayed there. She went from an obscure hit in dance clubs (that many people thought was black, no less) with "Everybody" in 1982, to a worldwide star by 1984 thanks to "Like A Virgin". Love her or hate her, you knew you weren't witnessing a career, but a phenomenon over the last twenty two years, a career that has left an immeasure impact upon music and society as a whole.
"I hate Madonna!"... So did I for a few years. I hate Ty Cobb, Joe Montana, and countless other Hall of Famers from the world of sports, too. That being said, objectively, I have to look at them and honestly say "Yes, they were Hall of Famers, like them or not."
(Steve Young is another story. I won't bore everyone with that...)
If I were asked thirteen years ago if I felt Madonna should be inducted, my answer would've been "I fucking hate her, but yes. How can she not go in?"
Despite the attempts by some to turn Hall of Fames into popularity contests (like the obsession with trying to get every 49er of the last 25 years into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame, or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame taking forever to induct Black Sabbath), the reality is the only thing that should be measured is success and impact. And by those criteria, Madonna should be a lock - whether or not you view her as a goddess, or the antichrist.
I'll close this length post with a few final thoughts.
Quite frankly, over the last quarter of a century, I have seen two artists come along, grab the music world by its ear, turn it upside down and shake it around. Madonna is one of them, Nirvana is the other. So much of what we hear and see in the world of popular music today (for better, and worse) has been influenced by these two unique acts. Not only have they left a permanent impact upon music fans, but both of them are, quite frankly, the most imitated acts I've seen in my lifetime.
Music can be a truly powerful thing. A great song can strike a chord in people. In the case of Madonna, we're not only talking about music that has had an impact, but a career than has struck a chord in our society since Reagan's first term. I truly feel that this impact is what has taken her career and moved it beyond a monumental success and truly made it legendary. And, I feel it would be a grave injustice to not enshrine her alongside those other legends who have struck a chord throughout society.
Lastly, in my opinion, the cupboard is about to become quite bare when it comes to future inductees after next year. After next year's Madonna/Beastie Boys/Selloutica (whom, sadly, deserve to go in, despite my utter hatred for those assholes James, Lars and Kirk), we have a few scattered no-brainers (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bon Jovi, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam) surrounded by... Well, by the likes of Debbie Gibson, New Kids On The Block, Dinosaur Jr., Phish and Kid Rock. Dozens of them, in fact.
Honestly, I think it's going to lead to the committee possibly reevaluating some artists they have overlooked (like Def Leppard, Alice Cooper and Styx, to name a few). At least, I hope so. Much like baseball and its upcoming steroid era candidates, there are going to be a lot of slow years to come if they don't look back at those whom they've already overlooked.
After all this, all I can say is that I hope that the commitee does the right thing with what may be the final strong upcoming class, and immortalize the Material Girl alongside so many others who have truly changed music, and the world...
And if they don't, they will indeed be the piss-stain that the Sex Pistols claimed they are.
Labels: Madge Worship
