entertainmentdissected

Every now and then, someone with a pair of cojones reaches an audience hungry for audacity and provocation- in most recent times, Eminem would fit that bill.

But, there was a woman doing it long before Marshall Mathers- and to much greater degree. Hence, we have reached the pinnacle of JR’s list of Favorite Musical Females.

What can be said of the most important female entertainer of our generation that hasn’t been uttered a few hundred times (or more) before? I had not been a major Madonna fan when she came onto the scene, bow in her hair, cross hanging from her neck and rubber bracelets dangling from her arms- I liked “Holiday” and “Borderline,” for sure, but did not jump on the Madonna bandwagon at that time.

A few years passed, and I actually was not invested heavily in any musical act in all that time- which, in retrospect, was too bad, as the 1984-1987 period in Madonna’s Musical World was a rather exciting one- the scandal of “Like a Virgin,” the irony of  the Boy Toy belt buckle, the greed of “Material Girl,” the intensity of “Live to Tell,” the drama of “Papa Don’t Preach.” Then, after missing all of that and more, I turned my attention- and ears- to music in 1988, which was a rather quiet year on the Lady M front. However, that would all change the following year.

One of the most heavenly pieces of music to grace the pop world hit the airwaves in early 1989. With “Like a Prayer,” Madonna invited the masses along to church, cementing her title as Goddess of Pop in the process. The audio track in itself (in addition to its parent album) stands as one of the greatest of the last 25 years, but it was the video- and the ensuing controversy- that intrigued me, that caused me to sit back and delve deeper into the woman who had turned pop music- a genre often considered fun, frothy and throwaway- into something grander, something more important than what was on the surface. And she had been doing that almost from the start.

Madge’s first true hit, 1983’s “Holiday,” fit the pop music mold. Bubbling under its “Let’s-have-a-good-time” surface, though, was a “Let’s-live-together-in-peace-and-harmony” message, decorated in fun and frothiness. With its universal plea, to everyone in every nation, to come together and turn this world around, shed the troubles and make things better, Madonna presented herself as Pop’s Ambassador of Good Will. (The Supremes’ Mary Wilson, incidentally, kicked herself- and rightly so- for saying no to the track).

What followed were debates- and cultural significance- on just about every Madonna album, single, video and stage performance. Rehashing all the woman’s done to become the most significant cultural provocateurs of all time would take too much time and space, so to get some idea, check out two of my past blogs here: http://entertainmentdissected.today.com/2009/01/05/compiling-madonna-tracklisting-an-arduous-task/ and http://entertainmentdissected.today.com/2009/01/09/madge-tracklisting-redux/.

As she famously admitted in her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare, Madonna knows she’s not the best singer or the best dancer… and it’s never been her interest to become the best at either. She has a capable voice, and she’s probably a better dancer than she is a singer (as she was classically trained as such), but entertainment is an outlet she arguably latched onto as a vehicle to express something bigger and more important.

Whether it be age, gender, racial, religious. sexual or social mores, Madonna’s used her art to explore all of those issues and more. By audio and visual means, she’s put ideas, ways of life, in our faces and forced us to discuss, ponder and question our own beliefs and prejudices. On more than one occasion, she’s reminded us that she likes to push buttons and provoke, challenging traditional ideologies. By doing so, her popularity dipped (especially after 1992’s Sex book and Erotica album), and she vented that to remain popular, one cannot have a point of view.

To a degree, she’s right. Some of the most popular acts of the last 20 years did not set out to do anything but entertain and make music for the masses- which means producing reliable, non-threatening and safe material that comforts consumers- and a watchful public. Madonna certainly tested the limits of permissibility in a pop, mainstream landscape, but it was her desire- her mission- to merge art and commerce like no other that left the public curious and interested in her every artistic move.

That is, until the public deemed that she went too far (circa 1992-1993)- to which she reacted by coming back- artistically- stronger than ever later that decade. Ray of Light and Music enjoyed global commercial and critical success, and if she hadn’t done so prior, convinced skeptics who felt she relied on controversy to remain relevant that she didn’t need it; it always came down to the music (which, by the way, she has helped shape as co-writer/co-producer for most of her career.)

Naturally, as with anyone that achieves huge celebrity status, Madge’s personal life always was a favorite for the tabloids- but it’s the work that has provided the more fascinating, monumental topics of discussion. Contrast this to female pop stars of the  post-Madonna world: There are few- if any- stones unturned in provocation, so we’ve had to watch countless girls parade around in skimpy attire, thinking they’re being oh-so scandalous because they’re dressed like tarts. 

Maybe if these gals had a single daring, unconventional thought in their heads, they’d be more interesting, maybe leave some sort of impression beyond that initial glance, that’s supposed to distract us from the fact that there’s little of substance going on in their musical endeavors (and if there is not, that’s OK- just don’t make it seem like there’s something bold and imaginative going on, when there clearly isn’t).

That notion actually ties into Madonna detractors, as well- some are so quick to dismiss her, say that she used sex and other taboo subjects to market herself, to sell her music. And that’s not an unfair, nor necessarily incorrect- comment. What IS unfair and rather ignorant is to express such negativity (”She’s a slut!” “Whore!”) and dismiss the music- never mind the fact that Madonna has used music as a medium to rule the world (as she once told Dick Clark) and shake up the system- the woman has produced some of the greatest pop music of our time.

That does not mean Madge is immune to creative missteps (as is every great artist), but more often than not, she delivers. Few acts know their way around a hook like her, nor have they expressed the joy, passion and personality heard in a Madonna recording.

Furthermore, Madonna’s eponymous debut album set a template for the pop/dance-pop genre, and she’s garnered enough critical acclaim, both for albums and singles, that anyone who dares to say the quality of her music is irrelevant to her importance and success… well, perhaps they should think about the origin of such hostility- or, maybe they’re truly unaware of the impact and reverence she’s enjoyed.

Last year, Madge- always exhibiting a rebellious rock-and-roll attitude in her work- became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. Even then, some complained- again, failing to realize her contribution and significance to the evolution of *music* (just because “rock and roll “is in the organization’s name does not mean the Hall limits itself to that genre).

Debates about Madonna’s greatness and her place in music history likely will continue for years to come. What is indisputable is that she has impacted and influenced nearly female artist in her wake (as well as some males)- whether audibly, visually or- as a wink to detractors- Marketing 101.

Whatever the case, in terms of mass adulation and importance, both as an entertainer and cultural icon, she’s the closest thing to a female Elvis Presley we will see in our lifetime. Is that enough to hush dissenting voices? Likely not- but if it did, it sure would make her a less fascinating topic of debate, wouldn’t it?

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