Madonna and ageism - where lies the problem?

[LikeAMelody 728]

On 3/8/2021 at 5:52 AM, Nobody Knows Me said:

I did say that I think ageism has been a big contribution as well, I just don't think it's the only contribution. You're right in saying that songs like Ghosttown and Crave probably would have been played more had they been released by younger artists, and I think they're both fantastic songs personally. However, what I've noticed with younger artists is that when they're at their commercial peak, radio will play anything they release whether fans regard them as fantastic or forgettable. Even Madonna released some singles in the 80s that weren't that good, but they did well simply because she was at the top and they played anything she released, so if Taylor Swift or Britney Spears had released Girl Gone Wild or Living for Love or Crave and they'd been played on the radio, I don't think it really accounts for whether they're good songs or not.

I think she has released a lot of fantastic and impressive material over the past decade, but I think another issue is that a lot of them weren't released as singles, and I think bad single choices are another contribution to her not getting played as often. There have been numerous reasons for her commercial decline, some being more subjective than others, but I do agree that ageism has played the biggest part, but I don't think it's the only part.

"Even Madonna released some singles in the 80s that weren't that good"

?????

Are we rewriting history to soothe the egos of today's pop stars? (Please keep in mind I am just kidding with you.) ?❤

Which some of these were not that good?

Everybody
Burning Ip
Holiday
Lucky Star
Borderline
Like A Virgin
Material Girl
Crazy For You
Angel
Into The Groove
Dress You Up
Gambler
Live To Tell
Papa Don't Preach
True Blue
Open Your Heart
La Isla Bonita
Who's That Girl
Causing A Commotion
The Look Of Love
Spotlight
Like A Prayer
Express Yourself
Cherish
Oh Father
Dear Jessie

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

I said in my previous post that I was being subjective, and there are absolutely singles from her 80s output that, while still great, do not hold up with other songs. Her 80s singles are all fantastic to me but I'm not putting songs like Gambler, Causing a Commotion or Spotlight up there with Live to Tell or Open Your Heart or Like a Prayer. There are a good handful of singles that charted well because of hype rather than quality.