Madonna, Mariah Carey, & Whitney Houston: Why Queens of Pop Will Flop

[Guest]

Artistically, I'm not saying "Music" is better than "Ray of Light."

I am!!!

[Zezwer]

That is, if they can last 25+ years in the pop arena and produce the same quality of material as Madonna. No easy feat. (But I appreciate your points -- you make some very good ones. I'm just saying, the company M keeps in the way of peers in the industry keeps diminishing. Not sure how many Michael Jacksons, Madonnas, and Princes there will be in the industry 25 years from now. I'm sure there will be some stars with some longevity -- but I don't know if they will have enjoyed the success of their predecessors.)

I think Madonna truly is the last superstar.

There will be up and coming stars in the future, but none as big as Madonna and none with the longevity of Madonna.

Prince should again not be mentioned there. I still don't get that. People barely know he's still active lol

[MaddysMuff]

Mariah Carey - An open letter to a fading pop star by Sue Bergerstein

"Dear Mariah:

I hope this letter finds you. I know you have been busy lately delaying the release of your album twice after the response to the first single Obsessed has been brutal. If that wasn't bad enough, you have been using public relations tactics in trying to tell people that Obsessed never really was a single and you are delaying your poorly reviewed Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel because you don't want to give the Grammys a chance to snub you. My dear: this is desperate!

I could understand your desperation. Anybody who titles themselves "the best selling female artist in history" and can't fill a 2,500 seat arena in Las Vegas must feel defeated. But don't worry: Perhaps these people just saw your insulting performance of I'll Be There at Michael Jackson's funeral, are staying away and just need to be reminded of the gifts you used to have.

You are one of the most talented singers that has ever lived. I enjoyed your music up until Butterfly came out in 1998. You then hired rent-a-rappers, deep discounted your failing singles so they could top the charts, attempted to "act" in the worst movie the world has ever seen, made multiple trips to the loony bin, got a boob job that made you look heavy, married someone you only dated for a couple months (just as the last album started tanking), and worst of all, lost the ......

(continue here part 2 at): My link

Now this is just cruel. Completely hits below the belt.

[Guest bluejean]

I do think that Madonna hasn't really pulled off anything that has really plugged her back into the "zeitgeist" since Ray of Light - and I am not talking about commercial success only. ROL resonated with a lot of people who would never be a regular Madonna fan - and I think that was reflected in its commercial AND critical successes (including many award nominations). I think it was her last album that seemed to have a "soul," if you will. However, I am quite certain she can do it again...and will.

Exactly. Although her albums have been great since then, the only one to have any overall (and I say this because it's always beneath the surface) substance to it was American Life, which was a total flop.

Ray Of Light put alot of people back on her side that had written her off in the past. It's a good mature pop album with more depth than Hard Candy or Confessions.

[MaddysMuff]

And Mimi? I think she's going to go the way of Janet. People are tired of her pussy popping.

[songkaiwen]

[GimmeSomeMo]

Prince should again not be mentioned there. I still don't get that. People barely know he's still active lol

The amazingness of Prince is beyond your grasp kid. NO OFFENSE.

[Guest SuperBriGuy]

The amazingness of Prince is beyond your grasp kid. NO OFFENSE.

Yeah, especially considering that a lot of his obscurity was completely something he did all on his own...he could've been just as huge as Madonna and Michael now but he kinda took a break and didn't really CARE whether he was in the limelight for a little bit or not.

[Guest madddness]

Yeah, especially considering that a lot of his obscurity was completely something he did all on his own...he could've been just as huge as Madonna and Michael now but he kinda took a break and didn't really CARE whether he was in the limelight for a little bit or not.

Prince never really have the "it" factor that Madonna and Michael had/have (except for maybe 5 minutes in 1987). He's made some great tunes, but greatness can only take you so far...

[fak]

i think MLIYL debuted at no27 in the uk and then rose when Its not right was released and stayed on. I think it did well. It spawned no no1's but some strong songs. It was just after M had her come back with ROL.

I dont think MC will do as bad as JJ - her fans just evaporated.

I suspect Mimi is in a panic to release something because industry album sales are continuing to tank and her ability to shift huge numbers of copies is receding by the day. I am not sure yet if her album will be strong enough to survive the 4th quarter's mammoth release schedule. She could suffer the same fate as Janet's 20 Y.O. - which certainly sold more than it should've by having a late 2006 release but eventually was out of the Top 75 by Christmas time. I think it will be interesting to see if "Obsessed" will continue gaining at radio up until her album's release, or if the second single will be launched any time soon. Mariah's opening week could still be decent because she will definitely do lots of promo, however if her next song doesn't take off immediately at radio, I am wondering if they will bump her album back again.

Not really. #13 was its debut and peak on the Billboard 200. However, it held up quite well due to aggressive single promotion and had good long-term sales. I think it went 4x platinum in the US. Not sure how it did overseas.

[Guest SuperBriGuy]

Prince never really have the "it" factor that Madonna and Michael had/have (except for maybe 5 minutes in 1987). He's made some great tunes, but greatness can only take you so far...

I beg to differ...I feel he had that "it" factor, he just simply didn't capitalize on it like Madonna and Michael to a certain extent did. As I said before, he kinda holed himself up into his own obscurity...he became more and more out there and then just...stopped.

[Phantom Pain]

I beg to differ...I feel he had that "it" factor, he just simply didn't capitalize on it like Madonna and Michael to a certain extent did. As I said before, he kinda holed himself up into his own obscurity...he became more and more out there and then just...stopped.

i totally agree with that , "Purple Rain" was his most Pop work wasn't it? if he didn't make 'weird' music then he would've been just as MASSIVELY popular than those 2 even today

[Guest SuperBriGuy]

i totally agree with that , "Purple Rain" was his most Pop work wasn't it? if he didn't make 'weird' music then he would've been just as MASSIVELY popular than those 2 even today

Most def. I mean, people always expected Prince to be a little out there...I mean, look at the vids for songs like "Kiss." He totally had the androgynous thing going on and plus, here was this little, hairy dude dancing around in panties and singing in a falsetto. But it drove people crazy...because he had the "it" factor. But he messed himself up when he became waaaaay too out there. First becoming "The Artist formerly known as Prince" where he used that unpronouncable symbol as his name...and releasing records exclusively online...and forming one band after another only to disband them shortly thereafter...it got to be confusing for people.