When did Madonna stop being cool?

In fits and starts. The Britney kiss was lame. The Justin video was lame. Using the word “bitch” in every other song title was lame. The ass implants were beyond.

The long, final decline started in the early 2000s. You can’t stay relevant in pop culture for 3 decades. She came across as desperate.

it started right after 'Vogue', which was her peak

when she got full-blown granny hands she was definitely over

We don't know [bold]JANBOT![/bold]

Why don't you fascinate us all with your obsessive knowledge and deeply held hurt which you are not able to get over about something Madonna did to you to turn you into an obsessive stalker and start 3 threads a day on DL about how deeply infatuated and tormented you are by Madonna...

Tell us!

Was it this poorly planned and badly received "stunt" that did Janet Jackson in?

Or was it her shocking bad plastic surgery so that now her nose is detachable - just like Michael's taped on nose....

Maybe it was because Janet Jackson is so fat?

Bad plastic surgery and FAT?!?!

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Can you people PLEASE stop making threads about this washed up hag?

1985.

I dunno, OP, but I’m figuring it was around...1986.

I'm confused about people posting about Janet here. Do people hate one and love the other? I like both tbh.

Sne was already looking quite weathered and dried out by the Hung Up video. Her leotard and feathered hair getup was so cringe worthy.

Madonna was never cool. She was always untalented and desperate for fame and that is never, ever, cool.

ANYONE armed with enough equipment and a good sound technician can sound as good as Madonna.

1995

Britney - it created an instant comparison that didn’t have to exist.

To me it was when she released “American Life.” It didn’t have any big hits, and she seemed to be losing her way.

It started fall '92. The Sex book was embarrassing. Erotica's a good album, but people were tired of sexy shenanigans by that point. And then that awful Bodies of Evidence. She became a joke and while she did bounce back, none of work post 1991 was very good, including the critically acclaimed but incessantly dull Ray of Light.

R19 is wrong. Ray of Light and Evita were great points for Madonna. “Music” later on was also played everywhere in clubs and considered very cool by everyone. “Hey Mr DJ, I wanna dance with my baby” was recited by club kids everywhere.

Like a Virgin.

I think the final nail was Hung Up when she had to use a sample of an ABBA song to get attention. Though I think Confessions on a Dance Floor is her last great album.

MDNA had no good song. The only decent song was Beautiful Killer which she added to a special edition when the original release didn't sell.

The video with Justin Timberlake where the edit cut away from Madonna every nano second so the viewer couldn't notice how old she looked next to Justin.

I would say in the late 90’s when she started doing that earth mother/Kabbalah shit with Ray of Light. I remember thinking it was so lame. Then her lady of the manor shit during the Guy Ritchie years was when most people lost interest. She proved herself to be the typical desperate woman who would do anything to keep a man, and it made everyone realize how pathetic she was. Then when the marriage ended she wanted to make up for lost time and play the sexual party girl again but nobody cared anymore.

She stopped being cool when she started getting old. Call me ageist, call me mysoginist, whatever, but old people can't pull off "in-your-face vulgar sexy", and Madonna's entire brand is "in-your-face vulgar sexy". I'd say the same thing for older men as I would for older women. Older people can still be sexy, but they have to be sexy in a "classy" sort of way. The "look how naked I am, look how upfront I am about sex, look how I'm gyrating and rubbing all over my body in a sexy way" thing doesn't work for older people. Loud, vulgar, in-your-face sexuality only works for people who are at most in their 30's, and Madonna is over half that age and still hasn't figured that out.

Madonna was a master in re-inventing herself for every new album. Yes, aging can be blamed on her fall from grace, but only because she refused to "age with grace" using her getting older to her female empowerment advantage. Instead, she re-invented herself as sad but horny cougar preying on young men.

I actually LIKE Madonna but even I'm sick of all these threads.

Madonna is rich as hell and has sold an insane number of records. She, unlike Janet or any other pop princesses, is a fucking LEGEND, so whether you love her or hate her, it isn't going to change that.

[quote]I actually LIKE Madonna but even I'm sick of all these threads.

Are you so fucking dumb that you don’t realize that if you don’t like a thread then you can simply ignore it?

I just don't understand DL's never-ending quest to discredit Janet Jackson's career. She made fun dance music, one of the few idols for young black girls, major accomplishments like 7 top 5 singles from 1 album. Mind boggling.

Madonna stopped being cool because of how time changes society. Her "risqué, feminist confident in her sexuality, being blasphemous and making religion sexy" thing was scandalous in the 80's, and then her "openly embracing gays with open arms" thing was scandalous in the 90's, but by the time the 2000's rolled around most of the taboos were no longer taboo. There was nothing you could really do to create a world-stopping scandal like she used to because society had already seen it all and even normalized some of it. And then the internet became common and after that NOTHING could shock society anymore because videos like Two Girls, One Cup were available at the tips of their fingers. They'd seen it all already. Madonna lost touch with how to be scandalous, started doing things she already did 2 decades ago, and eventually became the Norma Desmond of pop music.

Madonna stopped being cool after Bedtime Stories. Even though Ray of Light is one of her best records, once she found her faux spirituality, the old cool Madonna was gone. But you could also argue that she stopped being cool when she faced the backlash from Erotica and Sex because it destroyed her and turned her inward..she no longer had the freedom she felt before as an artist..she felt silenced!

About a hundred years ago

Madonna was cool?

Not for actual cool kids.

You know she’s kicking herself for not coming up with a song like WAP.

1982

R33 Everything you thought was cool is now gone. All of your idols are now old men on the brink of death. The culture you thought was cool, the glory days you're clinging to, they're all gone. The cool kids are now left with only their memories of a time that has been forgotten by the rest of the world. You're nothing. Everything you ever loved is dust now.

That horrible movie she made with Rupert Everett just ENDED her.

madonna stopped being cool in the us first, probably around the sex book release as someone noted above; no artist can be cool and be that prominent in media. then she's doing the treacly soundtrack songs and chasing r&b.

europe/uk tolerated her at least through hung up.

not being cool doesn't mean you can't make good records, though.

R34 I know right..I thought the same thing but I fear she may try to do her version of it.

You do realize the regular version amd the deluxe.version were released the same day, R22? Of course you did.

Madonna was cool in the 80s and got a little corny in the 90s forward....she is absolutely batshit crazy now. I think in another 5 years she might have a renaissance if she could just chill the f out with the crazy for a couple of years.

Dick Tracy.

R39 You just know an IG video of her trying to be sexy in her bathroom while playing the song is coming, grill and all.

A renaissance in 5 years ??? At 70 yo ? Sure. Madonna was NEVER cool. She was gross, she was vulgar, she established new lows in everything she touched, because of her, instead of singers , we have now prostitutes on autotune. Never cool.

R44 I guess it depends on how “cool”is defined. She was popular and sort of doing something different in the 80s, so I’d say that was her “cool” period. Renaissance of her catalog, not the old broad going out and touring lol! Btw not a Madonna fan then or now.

When she moved to England and put on a posh English accent.

The hate train started with the Rebel Heart album, which was leaked online months in advance. Then her weird and unprofessional behavior on the Rebel Heart tour was the final straw for most people.

[quote]she established new lows in everything she touched, because of her, instead of singers , we have now prostitutes on autotune. Never cool.

Exactly. She is the reason standards are so low now in music and why it’s all about image and not talent.

Do you think she cries when she googles alerts herself and reads these hateful comments?

the only time she's crying is all the way to the bank

While I've still enjoyed some of her later output (yes, even some of the silly Madame X era), for me, the decline started post-Hard Candy and Sticky & Sweet. In the mid 2000s, of course she didn't have the cultural relevance she had in the 80s and 90s, but she'd become a touring Juggernaut with her massively successful arena and stadium tours. Those strenuous world tour days are probably behind her now. We all saw, sadly, how the Madame X tour practically killed the woman. She actually sounds surprisingly good on the new Dua Lipa track, so maybe she should just concentrate on releasing good pop dance music that she enjoys without worrying about the charts -- I doubt she'll ever have a number 1 album or top 10 song again and that's okay, you hung in there longer than most, old gal.

When Madonna started pandering to GenZ as if they care about that old woman

American Life

R53 - Although I understand the enormous pressure on artists to conform and "support the Troops" etc in the lead up to and immediate aftermath of the Iraq War, I think she made a critical error of judgment in not moving forward with the original American Life video. It was bold and shocking and just what the country needed at the time. She would have been Dixie Chick'd, but, longterm, she would have been viewed favorably for taking an unapolgetic stance. But... money talks. I get it.

She did okay in the early aughts (Don't Tell Me, Music, etc.) with a gradual decline after that. But I think it was the Superbowl performance in 2012 that really caused people to start knocking her. It makes me sad to see her slide like this.

R54 I agree. Plus, Madonna has always been a provocateur, so her backing off looked even worse for her that it would've looked had another artist did the same thing.

The “Music” era with the stupid cowgirl look and British accent was ridiculous. It was also that album where her lyrics became juvenile.

R55 - I thought her SuperBowl performance was well received. Unless I'm misremembering.

As a millennial, that album and Ray of Light were my introduction to her r57. They still stand as my two favourite Madonna albums.

[quote]She, unlike Janet or any other pop princesses, is a fucking LEGEND.

Unlike Janet? Gurl, please have several seats with that stupid ass full-of-fuckery bullshit comment. Janet Jackson is the motherfucking architect for how everyone from Beyoncé to JLo to Britney present themselves artistically. She inspired every single one of these pop tarts out here, and has been doing so for decades.

The last time she was cool was Hung Up. When I saw the cover for Hard Candy, I knew she was completely over. And a few years later, she discovered Instagram which was far worse than the Sex book.

When she had Lourdes and became an OLD whore

R62, I thought Madonna looked fantastic around 96/97. But around the Ray of Light era, it's like she went into insane workout mode and she really looked like a man. Her biceps were bigger than mine are now!!

2010-ish.

She still wanted to do pop songs. She should have taken a hint from what Rod Steward did, he started singing standards and reworking his career and song trajectory.

But I suspect she never really stuck with the singing lessons.

she was past cool at this point, of course, but when she appeared at the grammys with macklemore and was using a cane .... lord she looked like a granny

The public is fickle and pop stardom is based on how trendy and marketable you can remain. Young and prettier models will come and replace the old because it's a capitalist market. And it's the effect of what happens when you build your stardom on image and spectacle.

Madonna was big until the mid-2000s. She, Janet and Mariah all sort of fell out of public favor around the same time and their quality of music declined too which didn't help. Britney, Christina, Rihanna, Alicia, Beyonce, Ciara, Pink, Nelly Furtado, Fergie, Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson eclipsed them in the 2000s. Then Gaga, Taylor, Katy, Miley and Kesha got big in the late 2000s and started replacing most of the previously named except Beyonce and Rihanna and Kesha faded pretty quickly. Now Gaga, Katy and Miley got replaced by Ariana, Billie and Lizzo. Then we will see another manufactured pop star come around.

I’m starting to think these Madonna threads are PR. Since her birthday there’s a fucking thread on Madonna or her children every fucking day. it’s excessive, even for Madonna, on a gay forum!

Early 2000s with that embarrassing American Life rap.

Music wise, Music is her last US superstar album. Confessions worldwide.

As far as trends and culture, she went alternative with Bedtime Stories and started following rather than leading trends.

Madonna should be grateful she lasted as long as she has. From 1984 to 2005 she was big. 21 years is a huge accomplishment as most pop stars only last maximum of 2 to 3 years.

[quote]As far as trends and culture, she went alternative with Bedtime Stories and started following rather than leading trends.

She may have been following trends by that point, but it was a great album that was pop/R&B lite and was age-appropriate at the same time. That’s the type of music she should be making now instead of this ridiculous shit she makes now.

No, Madonna has minted money off selling the same shit at each change in media format. She took the money so she’s stuck acting like a butt monkey until she dies.

I want her Black Lives Matter and #Metoo songs just because we’ve already paid for them. She can sing jingles. In France. Or Detroit.

I want her to be Jerry Lewis with a telethon of Creaky fucking kids. She has to do it anally/annually.

When she turned 100.

Music... makes the people.... come together yeah.... 🙄

For me, American Life was the beginning of the end and Hard Candy put the final nail in the coffin. I always loved Madonna and thought she was the epitome of cool growing up. Listening to a fifty year old woman singing about a candy shoppe was embarrassing and sad. Madonna was no longer cool to me.

It doesn’t help that she didn’t really release a good song after that. I don’t know one person who listened to Medellin all the way through.

She was NEVER cool. She was always a try-hard.

[quote]Music... makes the people.... come together yeah.... 🙄

Ew who put that old shit on?

American Life. - she stopped being cool

Objectively, it was around 2008 - her Confessions era was spectacular, but it was immediately afterwards that she plummeted from a popular and critically acclaimed high to lacklustre albums and duets with younger stars, which is all she's done ever since, and it's been over a decade so it doesn't look like she's going to recover it the way she did after previous lean periods.

She was never cool but the final nail in the coffin was her truly cringing butt hole clenching appearance on Eurovision. The campest gayest fest on the planet. Full to the rafters of gay men and despite the vast, vast amount of money spent on staging, lighting, effects, dancers, costumes she couldn't even sing her silly little song IN TUNE for 2 minutes for fuck sake. Finally everyone got it. Crap. No talent, just hype, gloss, smoke and mirrors. Glad she's OVER.

The Sex Book was a bit of a try hard moment.

I HATE THIS BITCH SO MUCH I CANT STAND HER STUPID VOICE I WISH SHE'S JUST GO AWAY OLD HO

Aging is what killed her career, and I don't mean that to sound ageist. It didn't have to kill her career, but she built her entire image on sex and youthful appeal. She was never going to embrace a more mature audience or gracefully transition into an age-appropriate public persona. I'm not even saying she had to desexualize her image; lots of older women are quite sexy and project sexual appeal well past even Madonna's current age. No, she had to stay vulgar, beat that sex kitten/dominatrix aesthetic to absolute death, keep chasing the same-age range of men that she's now old enough to be biological parent to, keep trying to be relevant to taste-maker teens who have grandparents her age. She's an absolute horror show to behold on social media these days, but it didn't need to be this way. She couldn't adapt, which revealed what a lie her earlier claims of being a cultural chameleon were. 4 decades later and she was a one-trick pony the entire time,

[quote] She was never going to embrace a more mature audience or gracefully transition into an age-appropriate public persona.

But the funny thing is that she kind of DID adopt that persona during the Ray of Light and early years of her Guy Ritchie marriage. She went backwards from 2008 onwards when her marriage problems were becoming too much. When she got divorced, it was all downhill from there--she regressed.

Coolness died the day Fox took the “can’t lose“ out of Parker Lewis.

The word never replied to Ms. Ciccone.

Madonna is and always will be a legend. She's had an iconic career that's spanned 38 years of enormous success. Name another woman who's done that in music.

Janet? Hardly. She had about a decade before people got bored. She hasn't had a hit for nearly 20 years. And her tour grosses- don't make me laugh.

Janet, Mariah and Whitney had two decades. Celine had 1. Madonna had three! And what's even more impressive is that she actually started her solo career relatively old. So she started and ended older than her competition.

Mariah and Whitney had about 15 years each of success. (Mariah 1990-2005, Whitney 1985-2000). Janet had 1986-1997, with All For You being the only hit after that. I'm not as familiar with Celine's chart longevity, but unlike all of the aforementioned, Celine absolutely kills it on tour and in Vegas and continues to do so. She's like Barry Manilow in that respect. She's going to make bank from touring for a very long time. Mariah and Janet have been utter flops on tour in recent times. And Whitney had such a bad reputation live before she died that it cost her dearly.

Madonna is 2 years shy of her 40th anniversary since her first album was released. She continues to chart successfully and sell out tours. And she will continue to have tour success whenever she wants it.

For me she died when she was photographed reading her 'children's books ' with the phoney accent.

[quote] When did Madonna stop being cool?

Ah, last century

We should ask the bondage chihuahua.

[quote]When did Madonna stop being cool?

Menopause can do that to a girl.

Around 2005.

Madonna is a no talent flash in the pan who should’ve been a trivia question by 1993.

Madonna is a no talent flash in the pan who should’ve been a trivia question by 1993.

[quote]Madonna is and always will be a has been. Janet? She is and will always be an Oscar nominee.

This is Janet on her last tour before her successful Vegas run. HAGdonna can’t even pull a fraction of this crowd nowadays, much less sell an album.

Stop dreaming Janbot. Madonna would play at staduiums with 100,000+ people and this was when she was in her 50s. Janet is playing shows that are 1/4th the size. Good effort though.

What was HAGdonna’s last album called? REBEL FART CANDY or something? I remember it sold less than Janet’s critically-lauded Unbreakable in the states.

[quote] This is Janet on her last tour before her successful Vegas run.

Lying cunt Jabba. This photo is from a music fest where Janet was one of MANY performers.

According to Billboard, Rebel Heart sold 238,000 and Unbreakable sold 253,000. Hardly a record breaking difference. when Maddonna was 49 (Janet's age during Unbreakable), she had Hard Candy which sold like 4x what Unbreakablee sold.

Madonna stopped being cool around Hard Candy (2008). It was clear she was completely done when MDNA came out (2012)

Janet was last cool with All For You (2001) then the Super Bowl happened. She was fine but underappreciated with Damita Jo (2004) and was completely done by 20 Y.O. (2006).

Don't forget that half those units "sold" of Unbreakable were Uber giveaways. We all know Janet was caught red handed lying.

Also one last thing, when Madonna had to pull M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj out to do Gimmie All Your Luvin in 2012, I think it was obvious they were there because she needed the boost from the kiddos they brought in. Although they didn't have much to do.

When she sampled that ABBA song.

She has had so many peaks and valleys that is almost difficult to say. Ray of Light did not return her to her previous highs, but it is still the greatest comeback/reinvention in modern pop history. And Confessions is indeed one of her greatest records.

I think she started downhill with the Hard Candy record.

Confessions was the last album I really enjoyed and bought before I ultimately lost interest in her. I remember sitting in a bar with my friend one evening when ad the videos of Hung Up and Cher's Life After Love songs were played in sequence. Maybe seeing it by itself wouldn't have promoted the same reaction, see seeing Madonna in her late-forties rolling around on a floor in a leotard giving the camera sexually provacative glances looked incredibly sad when compared to Cher standing triumphantly and well-dressed in her video singing about the young couple featured in the video.

If it hadn’t been for the Cosa Nostra, Vadge would still be waiting tables at a pizza parlor in Detroit.

2008 was when she turned 50 and she started trying too hard to be young, hit and relevant. And, then again around 2016 as she approached 60 she took another lurch downward.

Madame X and the tour were disasters. She's never going to sell out huge arenas.

But, she did earn her props...she had a solid 30 year career far longer than all her peers though artistically, Cyndi Lauper and Annie Lennox are both far more respected and revered for being talented artists and creating relevant careers for themselves unlike Madonna, Whitney, Janet, Mariah who couldn't figure out how to successfully transition away from being huge pop stars that sell out stadiums to a successful post superstar career.

[quote] Madonna, Whitney, Janet, Mariah who couldn't figure out how to successfully transition away from being huge pop stars that sell out stadiums to a successful post superstar career.

You were right until you mentioned Mariah. She's doing just fine.

She has outlived Whitney, surpassed Janet without having a family name attached to her and she still remains more relevant with younger people than Madonna or anyone else up there but I'd say part of that is because of her personality. Her voice (even if it's not as strong as it used to be) is still considered legendary. She has a top Christmas song that charts every single year (and even rebroke the records that it had set, 24 years later on the streaming charts hitting number one again) and her most recent book debuted as #1 on the NY Times Best Seller's list for non fiction.

[quote]Ray of Light did not return her to her previous highs, but it is still the greatest comeback/reinvention in modern pop history

Ahem...

[quote]her most recent book debuted as #1 on the NY Times Best Seller's list for non fiction.

Been there, done that...

Ray of Light was the biggest selling album of 1998 so I would say it did return her to a high level, but yes, not to the high she had with True Blue, Like a Virgin or The Immaculate Collection

I think it was when she suddenly got old and kept trying too hard to remain relevant and edgy and still dressing like a femme fatale teenager. She had some good years as far as music and cultural icon bullshit bt she is over.

[quote]Been there, done that...

[bold]9[/bold] years ago for a mediocre self help book. What is she doing NOW?

[quote]9 years ago for a mediocre self help book.

Doesn't matter. Her book reached the summit as well. And I suggest you leave the bitter assessments of the book's quality to yourself if you haven't read it.

[quote]What is she doing NOW?

Minding her own business as a mother, businesswoman, icon leader of the Rhythm Nation and newly-inducted member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. What are YOU doing now? Oh, that's right. Nothing.

R116, sitting on the same board as you, fuck face?

And I'm not a singer from a famous family who can barely chart. I'd never put that expectation on myself.

If I were to do so I'd be more like Mariah who is still actually relevant in 2020.

Have a fantastic night because I know Mariah Carey is.

[quote]Mariah who is still actually relevant in 2020.

HAAAAHAHAHAHA!!

I think the first act of desperation was the VMA kiss. Yeah, it got her lots of press but it was so transparent in its effort to get controversy. Then her appearance in that Britney video was the first time Madonna looked uncool to me. She was trying too hard. And she looked OLD in that video. She looked like shit rolling around in leaves, looking emaciated and hard in the face. But Confessions turned it around. She was on top again and she looked good, if still a little thin.

Confessions was the last time Madonna was a true superstar. People were into her music. But she and Guy Ritchie broke up, she turned 50, became insecure about her age and looks and the ill-fated plastic surgeries started. She certainly had work done before 2008 but that was the first year it was noticeable.

It's been a gradual decline for the last decade.

The Pepsi commercial did it for me. Just like a stock share tour.

Madonna has always been uncool. She was the Katy Perry of the 80s. I’d say people turned on her during that pathetic SEX book phase.

Almost all popstars who don't have natural raw talent will stop being cool. Don't get me wrong, as much as I love Madge she doesn't have natural raw talent. She was a brilliant tastemaker and smart at picking hit songs and she practically created the sexy persona that every mainstream female singer emulates today. But she aged out of her sexy iconic persona, and now her Instagram posts just seem desperate.

Think of all the legendary rockstars that young people still cherish. They had a natural raw talent- Tina, Bowie, Dylan, Prince. Thats why they're still considered cool-- their musicianship and voices equaled their brand personas. Beyonce will always be considered cool for the same reason. She won't need to make desperate Instagram posts in her 60s.

r25 basically discussed more detailed what I was getting at.

That post worked until you mentioned Beyonce, R122.

Madonna was cool. Even super cool. For 5 minutes only, just before Like A Virgin. Everybody, Bordeline, Lucky Star were three excellent songs, which haven't aged a single wrinkle 40 years later. After that, she went mainstream with Like A Virgin and started prostituting herself for fame. She is extremely ambitious and hardworking. I think she should have reconverted as an artists producers and create a big music label, as she did episodically for Alanis Morisette. She's an excellent businesswoman, but she's never been an artist. Ever.

And only REAL artists remain beyond the passing years.

It's nice Mariah has a hit biography out now but musically she is done...it's greatest hits land for her. And, her concerts are a sloppy mess.

[quote]She's had an iconic career that's spanned 38 years of enormous success.

This is a laughable exaggeration. She had one 10 year run of unbroken success, another 12-15 years of uneven success, and has been completely irrelevant for the past decade.

[quote] This is a laughable exaggeration. She had one 10 year run of unbroken success, another 12-15 years of uneven success, and has been completely irrelevant for the past decade.

Agreed. That “38 years of success” bullshit is the typical drivel blathered by Madonna stans who can’t stand the fact that she’s over and has been for a very long time. Hell, in the 90s, the woman couldn’t even get a #1 album stateside. ‘Whatever happened to? articles were written about her, and she was consistently usurped by Janet, Mariah, Celine, Whitney, etc. 😂. But let these poor deluded souls have their fantasies.

[quote] This is a laughable exaggeration. She had one 10 year run of unbroken success, another 12-15 years of uneven success, and has been completely irrelevant for the past decade.

Read it and weep, Jabba. There's nothing uneven about her success.

And this doesn't even take into account the record breaking tours.

[quote] She was the Katy Perry of the 80s

Dumbass.

[quote] And only REAL artists remain beyond the passing years

This isn't true unfortunately--Britney Spears and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers have HUGE streaming numbers.

[quote] and she was consistently usurped by Janet, Mariah, Celine, Whitney, etc.

Yet look who had the last laugh by the end of the 90s--Madonna. Janet was only more popular globally than Madonna during the Janet/Erotica era. By Ray of Light, she was destroying those other females. From 1998 through 2008, she was outselling those women globally with the small exception of Celine when she released All the Way.

Katy Perry was more like the Pat Brnatar of the 2010s. Madonna is an icon; she could never be reduced to a decade.

1983

[quote]Ray of Light did not return her to her previous highs, but it is still the greatest comeback/reinvention in modern pop history

Madonna dousing herself in patchouli and rubbing a little grease into her hair is not a great pop comeback.

[quote] Madonna dousing herself in patchouli and rubbing a little grease into her hair is not a great pop comeback.

No, but being the best-selling album of 1998 certainly qualifies as great comeback.

^It paled next to Tina’s Private Dancer comeback. Now THAT was the greatest pop comeback ever.

Her "Lady of the manor" phase with the fake English accent.

When she was thrown off that horse during a photoshoot, and lied.

Madonna didn't have a comeback in 1998 because she never went anywhere.

1995- The #1 single of the year with Take a Bow

1996- Huge hit film Evita

1997- a Golden Globe win and a multi-platinum soundtrack.

R137, but Ray of Light did put Madonna at the very top again. She never really went away but she was playing second fiddle to the big three divas (Mariah, whitney and celine) until Ray of Light came out.

She was just an 80s pop tart, 30+ years ago, why is the Madonna fan so obsessed with trying to relive that temporary moment in time?

Why are you so obsessed with arguing something that's clearly not true?

When she started getting into Kaballah

During this interview

Not everything popular with the gays is “cool.”

Definitely in the early 2000s. A middle aged woman trying so hard was sad.

She was cool?

Madame X. That whole alter ego as stupid. Then all the cancelled concerts or 2-3 hour delays. I think fans put up with alot but that was the kicker.

Madame X. That whole alter ego as stupid. Then all the cancelled concerts or 2-3 hour delays. I think fans put up with alot but that was the kicker.

Kabbalah is to Madonna what Scientology is to Tom Cruise.

I’d say 20 years ago.

[quote] Madame X. That whole alter ego as stupid.

Dita was her first alter ego and that was dumb too.

Mariah owes everything to that goddamned Christmas song. You're right that she is still relevant today, and I think she will be relevant until the day she dies, but it's only because of that Christmas song. Mariah is a cultural icon because of that song, she is timeless because of that song. Without that song she would have been as much of a fad as Janet was.

[quote]Without that song she would have been as much of a fad as Janet was.

I see what you did there, and it didn't work.

I wouldn't say Janet was a fad...she suffers from the same thing Madonna does...she takes herself FAR too seriously.

If taking yourself seriously caused irrelevancy, Lady Gaga would have been dead a long time ago.

[quote]a fad as Janet was.

Fads don't sustain decades-long, successful, hit-making, award-decorated, record-breaking multi-media careers that inspire millions of fans and generations of other artists, darling. But, you already knew that.

Gaga has actually had a way shorter career than anyone acknowledges. Her music career basically lasted from 2008 to 2013. She's lucky she had opportunities like A Star Is Born, which is why I think she should branch out into acting and retire from making music. As a musician her audience is now pretty much ONLY gay men. She needs Ariana Grande to get a song played on the radio nowadays.

When she became a virtual assistant.