Young fans compared to older fans...

[MadFan]

I was born within a couple days of IsaacHarris. Became a proper loon when I was 14 & have been posting here since 16! And "Music" was my first Madonna song, massive all over the country.

[Platinum Gold]

im 20 and I'm so jealous of the older fans because they got to be fans during her most iconic eras

[madonnasuperfan01]

im 20 and I'm so jealous of the older fans because they got to be fans during her most iconic eras

+1

[AcrossTheSky]

I remember Madonna's You'll See and Take a Bow videos, bbt became a fan during the Ray of Light era. For a longest time she was an embodiment of an ethereal Goddess to me, reaching out to the world through her music. Up until the Confessions era I had never discovered anything about the SEX book or the Dita persona. Did more research and homework on Madonna then. Was shocked!! Realized she is not just this one thing, but a combination of many things. She is indeed one and only Madonna! No one like her, EVER!

[Kilt]

I'm 31 and was aware of M back in the fall of 1993, when i heard Rain on the radio, but it just wasn't in the vein of what i was listening to back then.

Then Secret and TAB came out, followed by BS and HN. I think the 1st track i really liked was You'll See, but it was FROZEN that stole my heart.

[AcrossTheSky]

Lol same here! Frozen was magical

[R@lf]

I hit 40 in april and a fan since Like A virgin so I consider myself a long time survivor fan.

I feell very lucky to have experienced very consciously Madonnas rise to fame around the age of 10-11 and how much of an impression it left on me and I remember it very vividly and how a sensation she was back then and how many gallons of ink were spilled over her image and music and impact and her image change in 86..

It was also an era where a lot of rules and taboos were soon to be broken, a change in commerce, economy television, technology, simple things we take for granted now that were introduced like cash dispensors, and the rise and demise of a lot of great artists and MTV becoming big and doing what it was doing best back then.

I feel sorry for the young ones who were born post 80's and missed out on all that.

And yes, I am not very fond of everything post Guy Ritchie she has done artistically. She kind of got lost in my opinion when she separated from Guy and I feel lightyears away from her where earlier on I could relate to her artistic and personal choices. I guess though I am just spoiled after so much Madonna greatness in the early years

Edited August 28, 2014 by R@lf

[tasteinmen]

I was born in 86, I recall Madonna being played a lot when I was 4-5 as my older brother (6 years older) fell in love with her and constantly had TIC playing everywhere we went. He recorded the Blonde Ambition tour on BBC so I remember watching the show at a very young age (LAV was cut from the show), I loved it. It was 1999 that I went out to find Dear Jessie as I remember having "pink elephants and lemonade" stuck in my head as a kid and wanted to hear it, I bought LAP album and the rest was history, next thing I was buying Beautiful Stranger single, watching tonnes of Madonna days on MTV and VH1, bought all her albums... like I said, the rest is history.

Regarding her changing and trying to stay current, I've loved all her era's, I love her attitude, I loved the MDNA era as it was my first time seeing her (Hyde Park), amazing show!).

P.S. I've seen a view younger fans say this, but I also would have loved to have experienced Madonna in the 80s, it would have been amazing to have had MTV, with Open Your Heart, Live to Tell, Lucky Star etc on heavy rotation.

[Shandris]

Honestly im too young of a fan to be born in any era TT ^ TT

Though ive heard her music some songs I knew it was her and some songs I was surprised it was her lol

but the thing is that this guy by name Sonny got me into Madonna LOL

I guess im a MDNA kid, but who cares cause Madonnas music thouches every generation

[sexycunt]

Honestly im too young of a fan to be born in any era TT ^ TT

Though ive heard her music some songs I knew it was her and some songs I was surprised it was her lol

but the thing is that this guy by name Sonny got me into Madonna LOL

I guess im a MDNA kid, but who cares cause Madonnas music thouches every generation

Love this.

[madonnasuperfan01]

I remember Madonna's You'll See and Take a Bow videos, bbt became a fan during the Ray of Light era. For a longest time she was an embodiment of an ethereal Goddess to me, reaching out to the world through her music. Up until the Confessions era I had never discovered anything about the SEX book or the Dita persona. Did more research and homework on Madonna then. Was shocked!! Realized she is not just this one thing, but a combination of many things. She is indeed one and only Madonna! No one like her, EVER!

THIS!!! Before i became a fan in 2010, i had a very stereotypical view of her, thought she was all generic dance music and no substance, thanks to all the shit i read about her. When i gave her music a chance, i was really shocked to see how talented, diverse and artistic she was, i wouldn't have guessed it based on everything people said about her. Since then i've NEVER based my opinion on someone else's word. I still can't believe i've missed so much until i was 21.

[Guest]

My strongest early memory of Madonna was waiting for Holiday to come on the radio. Madonna's "Holiday" and Shannon's "Let The Music Play" were my favorite songs at the time. I can't work out my first memory of Madonna. I do remember "Everybody" and I remember loving the video for "Burning Up," but I was obsessed with Holiday and a lot of the new dance music that was coming out. That is probaly when my true fandom started. Before that even at that very young age I was into rock bands and Pat Benatar and Blondie.

I've loved music since I can remember. Before I could read I would play my aunt's records knowing which record it was by the marks on the record or how faded the label was.

I wish I knew the day when I first heard of Madonna. Things weren't that accessible back then. I didn't have MTV yet that year so I had to wait for "Friday Night Videos," or listen non stop to the top 40 radio which I was definitely doing at that point. Other than that you had to wait for a magazine to find out about someone new. There wasn't all this information at your fingertips back then.

One of my most proud moments was going to buy the "Like A Virgin" single at a local department store. I remember that vividly.

I don't know if being an older fan and living through something or being a younger fan and going back and looking up their catalog makes a difference. I know when I hear certain songs, I am transported to that time and everything else that was going on and that might be the only thing missing from a younger fans perspective. When I talk about the early nineties and the backlash that Madonna endured I can describe from actual memory how it felt. As far as the music I think a younger fan can grasp how good a song is but might be less aware of it's cultural impact at the time.

I have wondered how I would view Madonna if I just became a fan. I wouldn't trade those early years for anything though.

Wonderful read, Larkspur. You made my day.

Like you, I can trace back every moment of my life through a Madonna song since I was 12. I remember hearing songs like Hanky Panky and Rescue Me on the radio in my car or making sure I didn't miss 'Entertainment Tonight' because they were going to have a story on her. Name any Madonna song and I can remember specific things of where I was and what I was doing. I have fought and debated with people on a regular basis, since 1983, to keep her honor held high. Yes, she's done plenty of things where I thought, "what the hell is she doing"??. But like she said in Truth Or Dare, "It's cathartic", she's given us a wonderful journey and I never want it to end.

Madonna is ours and no one can take her away from us.

...now all we need is her new album!!!!!! Where?!?!?!?

[jaiami]

Older fans rock!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynOUfSs1FLY

[MadFan]

^ This one's gonna get that song back in the Hot 100 in a minute

[Jazzy Jan]

^ This one's gonna get that song back in the Hot 100 in a minute

We must love Jaimai and their dedication to You must love me.

[HarleyQuinn]

I am 28. I have been a Madonna fan since I can remember because my mom liked her. I have not been an active follower until recently. My Madonna fandom is very strange thing. I do remember being into her off and on again throughout my whole life. I never felt the need to join fan club such or a message boardbecause she was always there. That being said, here are some random Madonna related moments that stand out to me. I thought I would share because I would like some input and opinions. I never considered myself a die hard even though I liked her a lot. I didn't follow her more thoroughly until fairly recently.

1. I remember being mesmerized with Like A Prayer, Express Yourself and Vogue when they were on rotation on MTV. One of the reasons I was fascinated by her was because I used to wonder 'Why is this lady singing about nasty stuff and why is she singing about God'? LOL!!! I was raised Catholic too. This contradiction kept me interested.

2. She had the silly pop songs like Lucky Star and Borderline which I enjoyed as a kid but then I remember being about 8-10 years old and hearing 'Live to tell'. I remember that one was fascinating to me because this Madonna was 'dark' and 'different' but it was still really her.

3. She was always consistent with one hit after another. Like I said, I never followed her strictly but I remember when LAP, Vogue and Express Yourself came out. I remember when Secret, I'll Remember and Frozen came out. it was like "Nothing can stop her!"

4. When I was about 10 years old, I was using Encarta Encyclopedia. For anyone younger than 20, this was the precursor to Wikipedia. This is what us old farts used to find info. At the time, I thought it was revolutionary because it saved space that those huge book encyclopedias took up and all this info could be found on a disc! Anyway, one time I was browsing and I said 'Wow, this is amazing! I wonder if it has EVERYTHING?' So I sat there and I thought about the most random thing I could think of that this encyclopedia on a disc could not have. Guess who I decided to look up on the search engine.

I typed her name and voila! She was there. I remember thinking 'Holy crap! This is amazing!'. I remember the picture that the article had was from the Vogue Girlie Show bit. I didn't read the whole article but I did read some and I said 'Yep! That's her!'

5. When I was in college, I helped my mother write an essay where I we were supposed to analyze a song. When I did it, I had a Def Leppard song. For her, I chose 'Deeper and Deeper'. We both got As. Keep in mind, I still wasn't a member of ICON or any websites. I didn't have memorabilia. I just liked the music but I wasn't an active follower.

6. I remember when I got Confessions. It was at Costco. I got it more out of curiosity than because I was a 'die hard' fan. It took awhile for the album to grow on me. *hides*. Now, whenever I go to a used music store, it is like a treasure hunt.

7. I didn't really feel the need to join a community. I enjoyed Madonna on my own in my own time, in my privacy and in my own weird way. I finally felt compelled to join because I got tired of the negative Madonna articles and comments that I see online. Preference is one thing but hearing all this nasty crap and downplaying her impact was really starting to annoy me. I decided to become more active in the fandom. You guys and dolls keep up the good work!

[Carta]

I vividly remember the first time I saw Madonna. It was on "Countdown" (iconic Australia music show from the 70s and 80s) and Molly Meldum introduced the video by saying something like, "Coming up next is a broad from Brooklyn who's been racing up the charts". I was absolutely convinced that he was introducing Cyndi Lauper (whom I absolutely adored and still do). He then said, "Here's Madonna, with "Holiday". I actually remember saying out loud, "Madonna? Who's she? No one wants to see her! We want Cyndi Lauper!" I soon recovered from my shock I was 11.

I enjoyed Madonna's subsequent singles (I was obsessed with pop music and the charts - I still am, actually, although the charts arne't as important to me any more) and watched her grow more and more popular here in Australia. I remember having a conversation with a girl in my class who had bought the "Madonna" cassette (I didn't have the money to buy albums). I asked her what her favourite song on the album was (I had studied the back cover of the album at my local record store - even though I couldn't afford to buy anything, I still loved visiting record stores every single week and looking at the merchandise ). She said she loved "Borderline" and I asked her what her favourite non-single was (it was "Physical Attraction") and she sang a bit of it for me (probably the only time other than "Revolver" that I've ever heard a Madonna song sung by someone else first!).

I remember putting "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" on my wish list for my 12th birthday (we'd just bought a record player), although I got neither . I went straight out and bought "Like A Virgin" (the single) with some of my birthday money, though, and I've purchased everything since as soon as it's been released.

Music has been a massive part of my life since I was a very small child. My grandfather drove a taxi and he used to play ABBA all the time in the taxi (it was 1976....!). Ever since then, I've loved pop music and I hate to think how much money I've spent on it over the years, but it really is my passion, so it's been worth every cent. I still listen to and buy the latest chart music and can't see myself stopping at all. Madonna, however, is by far my very favourite artist of all time (even though there are plenty of other artists that I adore). She's been with me for over 30 years and her music represents the soundtrack of 3/4 of my life so far. Friends have come and gone, but along with my family, Madonna has always been there for me. I know that might sound sad and very hokey to some, but that's just the way it is. For me, Madonna is, quite simply, the greatest artist in history. No one else moves me the way she does.

I think it's exciting that there are so many young people who have discovered Madonna's work over the past decade (or even more recently). The Beatles, Elvis, ABBA and Michael Jackson appeal to people of all ages. It's brilliant that Madonna has joined that league of artists whose legacy is such that they can still move so many people decades after their first release. That Madonna continues to create amazing music and have hits shows that she is still breaking down the barriers, just as she did back in 1984 for women in the music industry.

[whyme?]

Reading all these stories makes me realize how important ROL was to her career. It added a gigantic new fan base to support her.

[AmericanLife95825]

my roommate and i playing cards and this 27 year old girl hears 'material girl' come on and says this one sounds cool..... had no idea what it was...... says madonna sings about star's alot and her music is really trippy........ she loved the song. obviously. gawd.

[Larkspur]

Wonderful read, Larkspur. You made my day.

Like you, I can trace back every moment of my life through a Madonna song since I was 12. I remember hearing songs like Hanky Panky and Rescue Me on the radio in my car or making sure I didn't miss 'Entertainment Tonight' because they were going to have a story on her. Name any Madonna song and I can remember specific things of where I was and what I was doing. I have fought and debated with people on a regular basis, since 1983, to keep her honor held high. Yes, she's done plenty of things where I thought, "what the hell is she doing"??. But like she said in Truth Or Dare, "It's cathartic", she's given us a wonderful journey and I never want it to end.

Madonna is ours and no one can take her away from us.

...now all we need is her new album!!!!!! Where?!?!?!?

I know about the album and thank you! Don't understand why there isn't an announcement of a release date? At least we would know when it's coming. I'm not much for hype or guessing.

I did all the things you did as well. Looking forward to the radio, entertainment shows, magazines...and I too think about where I was at in my life or experiences when hearing songs. For instance Erotica was art school for me. The earlier albums perfectly mirror a lot of what I was going through at the time. M, LAV, TB were my teen years, Like A Prayer was when I gaining my independence and having even stronger views about life. Erotica art school, Bedtime Stories being kinda lost and working. I was especially drawn towards Sanctuary and Bedtime Story. Take A Bow couldn't have been more reflective although I don't think I was fully conscious of that. After that life became work and her music for me became more about feelings and good and bad memories. It also became more of me living through her. Ray of Light reflected my feelings and what I felt strongly about but not so much my real life.

Individual songs too remind me of where I was or an experience, including the most recent ones.

[madonnasuperfan01]

Reading all these stories makes me realize how important ROL was to her career. It added a gigantic new fan base to support her.

I agree. Ray of Light isn't my favorite Madonna album but it was definitively important for her career. It was a huge commercial comeback and was her most critically acclaimed work at the time (even more than Like a Prayer i think since it gained her Grammys). People started to see her as a real artist and not just some provocative pop tart who got famous because of her body.

Sometimes i wonder what her career would be like right now if she never released Ray of Light or Confessions on a Dance Floor.

[jay_c00per]

I was born in '97, and I became a fan when the BTW/EP comparisons came up
Good job they did though, now I own every Madonna album and continue to study the impact she had from the 80's up to now.

My favourite albums are Erotica, Hard Candy & Music