Can Madonna Make History?!?

[Brian Damage]

Madonna will trump Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Michael Jackson this week, if her latest single lands in the U.S. top ten - the 37th time she has managed the feat.

Her collaboration with Justin Timberlake - "4 Minutes" - is hotly tipped to reach the top ten, which will lift her above Elvis Presley, who made the top ten 36 times in his career.

The Beatles stand third in the all-time list, with 34, ahead of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson on 28.

2008 has been an eventful year for the Material Girl. As well as a new album and rumours of a world tour to promote it, the 49-year-old was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll hall of fame earlier this month


(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)

[Dean Winchester]

not only that, but Mariah is going to pass Elvis for the solo artist with the most #1's (she's still two behind The Beatles). It's pretty monumental that Madonna and Mariah are both breaking records Elvis has held for over 30 years on the exact same week.

I do think that people don't look at things objectively with their "all time icons" when they see people like Madonna and Mariah come near their records. It's been 25 years since Madonna first hit the chart with Holiday, so it's not necessarily this shocking thing that she would eventually eclipse Elvis' run of top 10 hits, someone who died 21 years after his first hit, and spent most of the 70's touring and not on the charts. Same with The Beatles, only seven years passed between their first hit and the breakup. So why is it so sacreligious if someone has more hits than them in over three times the amount of time it took them? Nobody is saying Elvis or The Beatles are any less legends, but it's not such a culture shock when artists who can sustain a twenty year plus (granted, it's been 18 since Mariah's debut, but close enough) career starts taking over records that took a much shorter time for Elvis and The Beatles to break.

[Ireneparalegal]

I have always admired how Madonna is unique and doesn't make her singles from sampled songs. I get tired of sampled songs and love when an artist can make hits by writing their own music, etc. Which is what irks me abt Mariah being touted as surpassing the Beatles and Elvis record too. Hell, if your record company releases any sampled song you record and people actually buy it, well, there it is. What has been earned there?

Madonna said she would not have won American Idol (something like that)...that is because Madonna did it on her own merits through hard work, paying her dues and struggling. Besides, if she had gone through the route of AI, her record company would have dropped her after two years. :lol:

[Stormtracker TF]

This is not even in question. 4 Minutes will be #2 this week.

[Dean Winchester]

#2 for sure? WOW!!! This is her highest since "Music" in 2000

[HuntingtonM15]

I'm glad for Mariah, and I hope she does it. It is a big accomplishment. If just anyone could do it, then a lot more people would be in the running for most #1's.

[Dean Winchester]

I'm glad for Mariah, and I hope she does it. It is a big accomplishment. If just anyone could do it, then a lot more people would be in the running for most #1's.
well, Mariah does have the advantage over Madonna because of how early she adapted to the whole urban/hip hop sound, the singles/airplay charts are slanted in favor of urban songs that cross over to pop stations. This is the reason Madonna is working with Timbaland, so she can get back on the pop charts, since America doesn't do dance unless Kanye raps over it (it still kills me that nobody will be caught dead listening to dance music in America, and all Kanye does is raps over a Daft Punk song and suddenly it's a #1)

[HuntingtonM15]

well, Mariah does have the advantage over Madonna because of how early she adapted to the whole urban/hip hop sound, the singles/airplay charts are slanted in favor of urban songs that cross over to pop stations. This is the reason Madonna is working with Timbaland, so she can get back on the pop charts, since America doesn't do dance unless Kanye raps over it (it still kills me that nobody will be caught dead listening to dance music in America, and all Kanye does is raps over a Daft Punk song and suddenly it's a #1)

Yeah, she has the advantage over artists like Madonna, though artists who are popular now and over the past several years, like Beyonce, would be on track to give more competition if it was no simple achievement.

[Dean Winchester]

Yeah, she has the advantage over artists like Madonna, though artists who are popular now and over the past several years, like Beyonce, would be on track to give more competition if it was no simple achievement.
Beyonce's still pretty early in on her solo career, she already has 8 or 9 #1's if you count solo with Destiny's Child, which is very impressive considering her career is less than a decade old. Mariah has the record with 18, then Madonna with 12, Whitney with 11 and Janet with 10. She'd be in sixth place if you count solo and DC (since Diana Ross has 18 if you count solo and Supremes), so she's definately on her way IMO

[80sTrivia]

Madonna is still the Queen, so there's no doubt she will break the record. Mariah is still going strong, as well, and she's never looked or sounded better, so I'm sure she will continue on with her hits. :)

[waichingliu81]

I have always admired how Madonna is unique and doesn't make her singles from sampled songs...

'hung up' sampled abba's gimme gimme gimme

[Dean Winchester]

'hung up' sampled abba's gimme gimme gimme
yea, I was thinking that too. Granted, the sample worked, but I still don't think Hung Up would've been half as catchy if it wasn't for the ABBA sample.

Speaking of samples, I was so disappointed when I found out "Get Your Number" off Mimi was nothing but a sample of Imagination's "Just An Illusion". Until I heard the original, I thought it was Mariah's best uptempo song since the days of Fantasy, and then it turns out it was only so good because of the song it sampled.

[Stormtracker TF]

This is not even in question. 4 Minutes will be #2 this week.
Burn. I was off by a spot. :(

Should be #3 up from #68.

[Dean Winchester]

Burn. I was off by a spot. :(

Should be #3 up from #68.
still not bad at all. Her last US top 5 was "Don't Tell Me" in early 2001, which hit #4.

[Dean Winchester]

I wonder how many hits The Beatles would've had if they didn't call it a day in 1970, but 1975 for example. They accumulated 20 #1's in six years and 32 of their 34 top 10's came during those years as well (Got To Get You Into My Life went top 10 in 1976 and Free As A Bird in 1995). They were not slowing down at all in popularity when they split up, so makes you wonder how many more hits they would've had if they stayed together five more years. It wasn't like Elvis, who hadn't had a top 10 single in five years by 1977 and was mainly a touring oldies act by then.

[HuntingtonM15]

Mariah officially has #18 now.

[Dean Winchester]

Mariah officially has #18 now.
well good for her, but I'm far more impressed about Madonna being #3, because I think pretty much all of her fans have made peace with the fact that her hitmaking days in America were behind her, and plus she's 12 years older than Mariah, which means US radio sees Madonna as a grandparent. Mariah can hit #1's in her sleep, Madonna had to really work harder than before to get US radio to back her once more, considering Confessions On A Dancefloor was a smash hit in every other country, but America wouldn't support it.

[Ireneparalegal]

'hung up' sampled abba's gimme gimme gimme
Still, one or two songs doesn't make one the queen of sampled songs like Mariah. As long as a song has a familiar tune being sampled, it seems that gets people to buy the single. And I am sorry to see the Mariah that I first liked turn into a singer who feels that she needs to have too many songs of her be sampled songs, have some guest rapper, have an urban sound to it or else it won't sell.

I am with John regarding Mariah and how she turns out #1's. I am sick of the whole, "she had to please the urban fans who felt she was too white..." excuse. Whether that is the reason or not, I frankly believe she is merely going with what works and sells. Madonna does what she likes and constantly reinvents herself and continues to sell hits. She doesn't stick with one style or sampling music.

I am not saying Mariah doesn't work hard, I just feel any ol' song Mariah releases, as long as it is sampled, will generate some cash and become another "hit". I am sorry, I just don't see how releasing songs that sound the same and have the same old style to it can entitle someone to beating out Elvis and The Beatles. It just means people will buy records simply because it is Mariah.

[Stormtracker TF]

well good for her, but I'm far more impressed about Madonna being #3, because I think pretty much all of her fans have made peace with the fact that her hitmaking days in America were behind her, and plus she's 12 years older than Mariah, which means US radio sees Madonna as a grandparent. Mariah can hit #1's in her sleep, Madonna had to really work harder than before to get US radio to back her once more, considering Confessions On A Dancefloor was a smash hit in every other country, but America wouldn't support it.

Honestly that's a lot more impressive if just because she didn't need to wait 6 weeks for her radio airplay to influence the charts in the way it has for Mariah before the single was released to the public. Mariah's label set it up perfectly so there was pretty much no shot of her not being #1.

[Dean Winchester]

Still, one or two songs doesn't make one the queen of sampled songs like Mariah. As long as a song has a familiar tune being sampled, it seems that gets people to buy the single. And I am sorry to see the Mariah that I first liked turn into a singer who feels that she needs to have too many songs of her be sampled songs, have some guest rapper, have an urban sound to it or else it won't sell.

I am with John regarding Mariah and how she turns out #1's. I am sick of the whole, "she had to please the urban fans who felt she was too white..." excuse. Whether that is the reason or not, I frankly believe she is merely going with what works and sells. Madonna does what she likes and constantly reinvents herself and continues to sell hits. She doesn't stick with one style or sampling music.

I am not saying Mariah doesn't work hard, I just feel any ol' song Mariah releases, as long as it is sampled, will generate some cash and become another "hit". I am sorry, I just don't see how releasing songs that sound the same and have the same old style to it can entitle someone to beating out Elvis and The Beatles. It just means people will buy records simply because it is Mariah.

so true, Mariah has always had the "if it ain't broke" mentality (and funny thing is, it was broke during Glitter and Charmbracelet) whereas Madonna always jumps off what she does before it plays out. In America Confessions was only a reasonable sized hit, but in England the album was massive. Hung Up and Sorry were two of her biggest singles ever in Europe. Yet instead of doing more of the same thing, she's doing the Justin/Timbaland thing this album. And even if this album sells 3 million in America, it's pretty safe to know that in 2-3 years when the next album comes around that she will do something else.

I do like Mariah and plan to get the new album when it comes out, but she is more in the Celine vein where her albums are almost interchangeable

[Ireneparalegal]

so true, Mariah has always had the "if it ain't broke" mentality (and funny thing is, it was broke during Glitter and Charmbracelet) whereas Madonna always jumps off what she does before it plays out. In America Confessions was only a reasonable sized hit, but in England the album was massive. Hung Up and Sorry were two of her biggest singles ever in Europe. Yet instead of doing more of the same thing, she's doing the Justin/Timbaland thing this album. And even if this album sells 3 million in America, it's pretty safe to know that in 2-3 years when the next album comes around that she will do something else.

I do like Mariah and plan to get the new album when it comes out, but she is more in the Celine vein where her albums are almost interchangeable
Yep, the old "if it ain't broke..." is what I was trying to get across John, thank you for that. :lol: Unfortunately, that old mentality is what makes her boring and tiring. I love fresh, new stuff. I guess that is why I have always liked Madonna's work. You never know what you are going to hear from her next. Madonna is not perfect, she has had her bad moments too. All artists do. I just think Mariah is playing it safe by sticking with her style and that to me is boring and dull.

[Dean Winchester]

I can understand why Mariah doesn't want to completely do something so out of line that it'd alienate her audience (like I couldn't picture her doing a country album or doing a serious rock album), but it'd be nice to see her try something besides midtempo r&b balladish tracks that sound like everything else she's done in the past decade and upbeat tracks with a guest rapper that samples a semi-obscure disco track. Mariah has a lot of talent but she can be pretty boring at times because she doesn't want to do anything that might sacrifice her chances at breaking The Beatles' record of 20 #1's. Even if she does top their string of #1's, she will never be heralded as a legend in the same vein with them. Madonna topping Elvis' record of top 10's was almost by luck, not because she had her sights set to do it. If Madonna really wanted to break Elvis' record of top 10 singles, she would've broken it ten years ago. I actually remember when she held the #1 record for females back in 1995, Kurt Loder mentioned that to her on MTV and she didn't even know she had had 11 US #1's at that point.... compare that to Mariah throwing lavish parties for every #1 :lol:

[Ireneparalegal]

THANK YOU JOHN!!!! EXACTLY!!! She won't sacrifice or try anything new or different because it is more important to break that record even with the same old stuff that sounds the same...Oh, you put it perfectly!! :cheer: ^^^All of that you posted is so true. And that is how I feel.

[Dean Winchester]

what I wonder is. If Mariah topples The Beatles, then what? I think Mariah does suffer from low self-esteem and feels the only way she can feel good about herself is if she has the #1 record. I have never seen an artist besides her who is that fixed on having all worth go into if the song is #1 or not. We saw in 2001 that Mariah is not all perfect mentally (remember she checked herself into an institution when Loverboy stalled at #2), and for that I feel bad for her. Granted, having a #1 hit must be exciting for the artist and impressive, but Mariah fixates on #1 singles as if it's the judge of it's worth.

Even a lot of Madonna fans would tell you that some of her #1's are forgettable (Who's That Girl and This Used To Be My Playground come to mind) while some of her all time classics never topped the charts (Holiday, Borderline, Lucky Star, Material Girl, Into The Groove, La Isla Bonita, Express Yourself, Ray Of Light, etc.... NOT US #1's--- all classics)

[Ireneparalegal]

For Madonna it has always been abt substance, quality and making something that she won't be half-ass abt. Meaning, she puts her heart and mind into her work. She is not a perfectionist, but she won't release anything if she felt it wasn't ready, if she felt she could do more work on it, etc. I am sure it took a long time for Madonna to even consider working with Timberlake. She isn't abt working with who is hot, but who has the same work ethics and quality that she does.

I agree, she has never been abt having a number one song. She has been abt wanting to make music that appeals to people.

Mariah came out right away with GREATEST HITS album...I scoff at artists who do that merely to sell another album/CD.

[HuntingtonM15]

Mariah came out right away with GREATEST HITS album...I scoff at artists who do that merely to sell another album/CD.

Are you referring to #1's or her actual Greatest Hits CD? Columbia released her GH after she was off the label, mostly to make money off of her. She otherwise wouldn't have released it at that time. #1's was released 9 years into her career, and it's pretty standard for many artists to release a GH album after 8-10 years.

I also don't think it's her main goal to top any records. I think her main goal is to be successful in general at radio, and I don't see anything wrong with that. If that is wrong, then most artists who appear in the top 40 these days are also wrong.

[Ireneparalegal]

Her #1's CD. Wasn't it released shortly after releasing another CD?

[HuntingtonM15]

Her #1's CD. Wasn't it released shortly after releasing another CD?

#1's came out a little over a year after Butterfly, while GH was released 2 months after Glitter, but she wasn't the one to release it.