Artist of the Week (Legend Series)- Madonna

I made it through the wilderness
Somehow I made it through
Didn’t know how lost I was
Until I found you

I was beat incomplete
I’d been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new

These lyrics are the opening lines to the smash hit, “Like a Virgin” by our Legend of the Month, Madonna. I put Madonna into an elite group of artists who know no boundaries. She is in a class with Paul McCartney, the late Michael Jackson, Bob Marley and Elvis Presley. These artists are on another level; they are iconic in a way most artists aspire to be.

What differentiates Madonna from the rest is that she has reached this level being a woman. Now I’m not trying to offend anyone, but the music industry is a bit tougher for female artists. Also, Madonna is a self-made millionaire. She worked her butt off (literally and figuratively) in order to reach her iconic status. She is multi-faceted: she is a musician, movie star, parent, entrepreneur, author and record label executive. Needless to say she wears many different hats!

Madonna was born in Michigan and from the get go she was always involved in acting and singing. She recorded her first track “Everybody” for her debut album “Madonna” in 1983. Her debut album did well, and the album had a very bubble-gum pop/dance sound. Who knew that she would become a pop icon?

Like I say many times, music is the soundtrack to our lives and Madonna was definitely played in our house when I was a kid. Hearing the opening instrumentation to “Borderline” can magically take me back to my childhood. I can remember seeing the video and thinking Madonna was the coolest chick I’d ever seen!

After the release of her debut album, Madonna went back to the studio to record her sophomore album, “Like a Virgin.” This was the turning point in her career and the turning point in MTV’s infancy. The new network was devoted to playing music videos (crazy, I know) and was doing well, until they held their first ever MTV Video Music Awards. They decided to book Madonna to perform her new single and what happened next is the stuff of legends. We all know the story: Madonna comes out on stage in a wedding dress and sings the song while rolling around on the floor. This single performance catapulted her and MTV into another level. MTV has only Madonna and Michael Jackson for their success in the 80’s. People could not get enough of the biker shorts, over-sized shades and fluorescent lace!

Everything Madonna touched after that point turned to gold. She set trends and influenced pop culture greatly. She empowered girls by sending the message that it is OK for them to be more open about their sexuality, to want fancy cars and diamond rings. Dolores Orona of Chino says that she fell in love with Madonna because, “no other artist has made me feel connected to their music the way she has.” Orona goes on to say that lyrically and musically Madonna’s moves her emotionally and physically.

Our very own ETS correspondent Meat Matt had this to say about Madonna, “She is a icon in so many ways: In Music, Music Video, Fashion, and she is a Gay Icon. She is always reinventing herself and her music.” Meat Matt is a big fan of Madonna, but he is a bigger fan of her live shows, calling her live shows “Epic.” The last concert he attended was the Confession Tour and as he recalls it, “The stage floor was lit up like the one in Saturday Night Fever. And the clothes and outfits 70’s style with a sexy, hot modern twist. NOW, Madonna tickets are very, very pricey, but they are worth it…HELL MOTHER FUCKING YES!”

Madonna has managed to keep herself relevant in today’s music scene. I hate to say this, but Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson and Prince are still releasing music yet struggle to stay relevant. No one really cares about their music, yet Madonna is still making music that the younger/older generation is still listening to.

Madonna has had controversy surrounding her from day one. She had nude photos of her published in Playboy early in her career; she married (then divorced) the famous actor Sean Penn; she filmed a controversial video for her track “Justify My Love;” she filmed a video for her song “Like a Prayer,” in which she burned crosses and kissed a black Christ. Madonna actually was ex-communicated from the Catholic Church for that stunt! But that’s not all! She released a book entitled Sex, where she appeared nude in public with celebrities and animals; she kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during a nationally televised performance in 2006; she was rumored to have broken up the marriage of the New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez. Like Sara recently said, there is no such thing as bad publicity!

Even with all her controversy, she is still a marketing machine. She is rumored to have made over 1.2 Billion Dollars in sales over her career. Nowaday, Madonna has matured a bit. She has two children, written several children’s books, picked up an English accent, and started Maverick Records, which signed Alanis Morrissette. Madonna has turned her name into a brand, a brand that comes with high quality and a lot of controversy. Because of her brand name, she is the highest selling female artist of all-time, a Rock N Roll Hall of Famer, actress, entrepreneur, mother and all-around Bad Ass! This is for the legions of Madonna fans out there! And just like the ETS Music show ends with their show with the morale of the day, I leave you with a closing thought by Meat Matt: “So do i love Madonna…. Does a gay bear have anonymous sex in the woods…YES!!!!”

My Top 5 Songs

Dolores’ Top 5 Songs