Madonna's Spotify Progress

[Adonna 21,123]

1 minute ago, Prayer said:

"Beautiful Stranger", I forgot that one too! Another EU smash, one of the songs of Summer 1999 in Europe.

Maybe she's had too many hits to make them all proper justice. 

I guess what just surprised me was the somewhat lack of interest in playing her ROL singles after her Evita success.  Now don't mistake me, it's not like I think radio completely abandoned her at this time, but Take A Bow was really the last time they went all out in playing one of her songs.  That song did so well, mostly because of radio play in the U.S.  They wouldn't stop playing it for several years.  So I was really expecting ROL and Frozen to do something similar.  But it didn't!  Then when Beautiful Stranger was released, radio really rallied behind that song because Austin Powers was such a phenomenal success at the time.  Of course, she still had the backing of MTV, so it's not like her music and videos weren't being seen or heard.

But you do make a good point, regarding "too many hits".  Vogue was a huge phenomenon and while she went on to score some big hits afterwards, I've yet to see the same cultural impact Vogue had.  Music and Beautiful Stranger came close and so did Hung Up, but with the latter, radio wasn't willing to play HU in the U.S. like they were playing it in Europe.  

[Adonna 21,123]

9 minutes ago, Prayer said:

Mmm I see it more as an evolution than a cover, honestly. Orbit and her took the original and went bonkers and that paired with a classic video made a killer combo. It's a similar process to taking a demo and evolving from there, she even added a whole new verse, right?

If the song is played on the new tour (and it will cause how can she not play it??) people will go crazy about it. It always happens with that one, even when she basically recycled the 2006 performance again for the 2008-2009 tour.

Not only that, no one knew ROL was somewhat a remake of another song, except fans who got the back story.  But even today, most people have no idea that song came from an older song.  No one knew the Curtis Maldoon song, especially the general public. And yes, she did add a whole new verse to it.

Today, it's considered a classic anthem from her. I guess when it came to radio airplay in the U.S., it didn't fit the right demographics as all these pop acts were exploding as well as Boy bands.  Before that, R&B really exploded and was still doing fairly well, but was transforming more into harder R&B Hip Hop.

[DoneGone 16,709]

2 minutes ago, tscott said:

Not only that, no one knew ROL was somewhat a remake of another song, except fans who got the back story.  But even today, most people have no idea that song came from an older song.  No one knew the Curtis Maldoon song, especially the general public.

Today, it's considered a classic anthem from her. I guess when it came to radio airplay in the U.S., it didn't fit the right demographics as all these pop acts were exploding as well as Boy bands.  Before that, R&B really exploded and was still doing fairly well, but was transforming more into harder R&B Hip Hop.

And anyway, the "Ray Of Light" album was selling on its own with the first single and all the hype, right?

That would explain Warner not trying to push harder on US radio. Payola and behind the scenes agreements were (and are) pretty much a thing. Warner always put first the album sales, so if radio was not really having the song but the album was selling anyway, maybe they just moved on (or saved the money for the Grammys next year hehe).

[Adonna 21,123]

1 minute ago, Prayer said:

And anyway, the "Ray Of Light" album was selling on its own with the first single and all the hype, right?

That would explain Warner not trying to push harder on US radio. Payola and behind the scenes agreements were (and are) pretty much a thing. Warner always put first the album sales, so if radio was not really having the song but the album was selling anyway, maybe they just moved on (or saved the money for the Grammys next year hehe).

Yes, I suspect you are right.  Maybe they thought with all the buzz from the Evita success and this new "enlightening" album, they were expecting radio would eat it right up.

Like mentioned, Frozen managed to get more exposure on radio than ROL.  Still, I just didn't feel like it had the same impact as Take a Bow did on the radio.  And I thought for sure ROL would do better than Frozen on the radio, but I don't think it got enough airplay to accomplish that.  I never once heard POG or NRM on the radio though.  Not once!  But I'm sure some bigger cities did play it since POG did manage top 20 success.

[Boombox90 4,395]

1 hour ago, Prayer said:

Mmm I see it more as an evolution than a cover, honestly. Orbit and her took the original and went bonkers and that paired with a classic video made a killer combo. It's a similar process to taking a demo and evolving from there, she even added a whole new verse, right?

If the song is played on the new tour (and it will cause how can she not play it??) people will go crazy about it. It always happens with that one, even when she basically recycled the 2006 performance again for the 2008-2009 tour.

I have just never cared for the Ray of Light song or the video.  

[milingo83 7,286]

08/08 - 41,375,125 (+1,946)

WW #62 (=)

[MikeyK 973]

Music was HUGE here in the states. That was a real moment for her. Arguably her biggest since Vogue. And obviously her last for. The appeal was massive.

TAB was a big hit but it didn’t really feel like that big of a moment for her specifically. Like it was a hit in spite of the fact that she sang it. Just another successful r&b-ish ballad. ROL the album got her a lot of respect but the videos were more popular than the singles themselves.

Beautiful Stranger was bigger than Frozen or ROL. AP not so much. Then Music was massive. I agree I’m surprised the numbers for that aren’t higher. Not all hits have longevity though I guess. Frozen too actually, bc I see that get name-checked as a favorite by a lot of ppl that got into her later in the 90s. Too bad the sickick remix didn’t breathe new life into it.

[Adonna 21,123]

17 minutes ago, MikeyK said:

Music was HUGE here in the states. That was a real moment for her. Arguably her biggest since Vogue. And obviously her last for. The appeal was massive.

TAB was a big hit but it didn’t really feel like that big of a moment for her specifically. Like it was a hit in spite of the fact that she sang it. Just another successful r&b-ish ballad. ROL the album got her a lot of respect but the videos were more popular than the singles themselves.

Beautiful Stranger was bigger than Frozen or ROL. AP not so much. Then Music was massive. I agree I’m surprised the numbers for that aren’t higher. Not all hits have longevity though I guess. Frozen too actually, bc I see that get name-checked as a favorite by a lot of ppl that got into her later in the 90s. Too bad the sickick remix didn’t breathe new life into it.

I have to totally agree.  Regarding TAB, that song was pretty massive on radio and MTV/VH1.  But I get what you mean as the song just sort of fit right in with what was going on at the time.  That's good, but TAB is very much a song of its time.  Babyface seemed to be on every song out there at the time.  

I'm glad you thought BS was bigger than Frozen and ROL because I felt the same.  I always equate this song to the success of Into The Groove which didn't get a single release in the U.S. either.  Both songs, would have definitely gone top 10 and I'd suspect Into the Groove probably would have gone #1 if it got an official single.

 

[adirondak 2,036]

37 minutes ago, MikeyK said:

Music was HUGE here in the states. That was a real moment for her. Arguably her biggest since Vogue. And obviously her last for. The appeal was massive.

TAB was a big hit but it didn’t really feel like that big of a moment for her specifically. Like it was a hit in spite of the fact that she sang it. Just another successful r&b-ish ballad. ROL the album got her a lot of respect but the videos were more popular than the singles themselves.

Beautiful Stranger was bigger than Frozen or ROL. AP not so much. Then Music was massive. I agree I’m surprised the numbers for that aren’t higher. Not all hits have longevity though I guess. Frozen too actually, bc I see that get name-checked as a favorite by a lot of ppl that got into her later in the 90s. Too bad the sickick remix didn’t breathe new life into it.

These songs are all a little more experimental than her 80s stuff. If they were less challenging sonically I’m sure they’d be doing equally as well.  However, I still think people know these type of songs are what put her in another echelon. 

[MikeyK 973]

52 minutes ago, tscott said:

I have to totally agree.  Regarding TAB, that song was pretty massive on radio and MTV/VH1.  But I get what you mean as the song just sort of fit right in with what was going on at the time.  That's good, but TAB is very much a song of its time.  Babyface seemed to be on every song out there at the time.  

I'm glad you thought BS was bigger than Frozen and ROL because I felt the same.  I always equate this song to the success of Into The Groove which didn't get a single release in the U.S. either.  Both songs, would have definitely gone top 10 and I'd suspect Into the Groove probably would have gone #1 if it got an official single.

I def agree about BS (and ITG). I remember that getting a lot of airplay summer ‘99, right along side Britney, Nsync and the Backstreet Boys lol.

The thing w/TAB, it was a big hit but it had little to do w/the fact that she sang it. I said “in spite of” bc even though it was big, her public image at the time still felt largely negative. I remember being so surprised it was doing so well bc she still seemed not very well liked at that time.

[MikeyK 973]

41 minutes ago, adirondak said:

These songs are all a little more experimental than her 80s stuff. If they were less challenging sonically I’m sure they’d be doing equally as well.  However, I still think people know these type of songs are what put her in another echelon. 

Oh I definitely didn’t mean it as a knock to Frozen or ROL. I don’t remember either being very big at radio. I think mtv airplay really carried them. The chart success they had was mostly bc of sales. Both went gold and top 5, that’s something.

ROL the album did very well though. Critically, commercially, w/awards, it was considered cooler than her last few, etc. It was definitely a ‘whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ moment. That was her album artist era.

[Adonna 21,123]

17 minutes ago, MikeyK said:

Oh I definitely didn’t mean it as a knock to Frozen or ROL. I don’t remember either being very big at radio. I think mtv airplay really carried them. The chart success they had was mostly bc of sales. Both went gold and top 5, that’s something.

ROL the album did very well though. Critically, commercially, w/awards, it was considered cooler than her last few, etc. It was definitely a ‘whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ moment. That was her album artist era.

I think with TAB it was more about the song and the times.  You're right, she was still suffering a bit of a backlash.  But the song fit in with what was playing on the radio then.  I'm sure there was a big push from Warner also.  Babyface's involvement probably played a huge part in it being pushed out there as well.  If anything, it did present a softer side to Madonna.  She and her record company milked that idea by releasing the Something To Remember compilation. 

[adirondak 2,036]

1 hour ago, MikeyK said:

Oh I definitely didn’t mean it as a knock to Frozen or ROL. I don’t remember either being very big at radio. I think mtv airplay really carried them. The chart success they had was mostly bc of sales. Both went gold and top 5, that’s something.

ROL the album did very well though. Critically, commercially, w/awards, it was considered cooler than her last few, etc. It was definitely a ‘whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ moment. That was her album artist era.

I didn't think you meant it in a bad way. I remember Frozen got decent airplay but I don't think I ever heard ROL or the subsequent singles on radio. I heard Music, Beautiful Stranger, and Don't Tell Me all the time. 

[milingo83 7,286]

09/08 - 41,381,703 (+6,578)

WW #62 (=)

[DoneGone 16,709]

All-time Top 40 updated:

- Updated All Time Top 40 (Official, not merged):

01. Material Girl ("Celebration" Version): 362M

02. Hung Up: 344M

03. La Isla Bonita: 304M

04. Like A Prayer ("Celebration" Version): 286M

05. 4 Minutes ("Celebration" Version): 247M

06. Like A Virgin ("Like A Virgin" Album Version): 237M

07. Vogue ("Celebration"/"Immaculate" Version): 197M

08. Popular (The Weeknd, Playboi Carti & Madonna): 159M

09. Frozen (Sickick Remix): 140M

10. Papa Don't Preach: 111M

11. Crazy For You: 109M

12. Into The Groove: 104M

13. Bitch I'm Madonna: 92M

14. Holiday ("Madonna" Digital Album Edit Version): 92M -> up +1 spot

15. Like A Prayer ("Like A Prayer" Album Version): 92M -> down -1 spot

16. Holiday ("Celebration"/Original Album Version): 74M

17. Frozen ("Ray Of Light" Album Version): 71M

18. Music: 70M

19. Medellín: 68M

20. Me Against The Music (Britney Spears Feat. Madonna): 57M

21. Levitating (Dua Lipa Remix): 55M

22. Sorry ("Confessions" Album Version): 53M

23. Take A Bow: 50M

24. American Pie: 49M

25. Material Girl ("Like A Virgin" Album Version): 49M

26. Live To Tell: 48M -> up +1 spot

27. Like A Virgin ("Celebration"/"Immaculate" Version): 47M -> down -1 spot

28. Girl Gone Wild: 47M

29. Ray Of Light ("Ray Of Light" Album Version): 45M

30. 4 Minutes ("Hard Candy" Album Version): 44M

31. Faz Gostoso: 43M

32. True Blue: 42M

33. Give It 2 Me: 42M

34. The Power Of Good-Bye: 42M

35. Express Yourself ("Celebration" Version): 38M

36. Die Another Day: 37M

37. Jump: 37M

38. Ghosttown: 36M

39. Living For Love: 35M

40. Give Me All Your Luvin': 34M

BONUS BEATS:

- Merged All Time Top 10 (Non official):

01. Material Girl: 411M

02. Like A Prayer: 378M

03. Hung Up: 344M

04. La Isla Bonita: 310M

05. 4 Minutes: 291M

06. Like A Virgin: 284M

07. Vogue: 220M

08. Holiday: 166M

09. Popular (The Weeknd, Playboi Carti & Madonna): 159M

10. Frozen (Sickick Remix): 140M

[milingo83 7,286]

10/08 - 41,385,581 (+3,878)

WW #62 (=)

[DoneGone 16,709]

New big peaks today:

- "Popular": 161M

- "La Isla Bonita": 305M

- "Like A Virgin" (Album Version): 238M

- "True Blue": 43M

[Alm47 975]

All she needs is a good public exposure, maybe play a couple songs, and I think we could see those numbers rise again (?)

[Adonna 21,123]

4 hours ago, Alm47 said:

All she needs is a good public exposure, maybe play a couple songs, and I think we could see those numbers rise again (?)

It's nice to have such faith, but more and more I don't think it will happen. She's far too polarizing these days.  In fact, her latest health scare was great publicity, yet it didn't really do much for her songs.  A little boost for a few songs, but nothing like those who have passed.  But hey, she's had her day and many more throughout her 40 years.  It's not entirely impossible for her to have a resurgence. Most likely, it will always be with someone else far more popular. 

[BoyToyMark 691]

From the outside looking in, it seems like Madonna's massive commercial success in the US was her first two decades.

Whereas in the UK/EU and AU and other countries, I feel like she got an extra decade in, because in Aus I distinctly remember MDNA being her last commercially celebrated and Girl Gone Wild being the last Madonna song I heard on radio. 

[androiduser 2,900]

On 8/9/2023 at 11:36 PM, Prayer said:

Mmm I see it more as an evolution than a cover, honestly. Orbit and her took the original and went bonkers and that paired with a classic video made a killer combo. It's a similar process to taking a demo and evolving from there, she even added a whole new verse, right?

 

take into consideration that the Orbit version already existed before Madonna got involved, it was recorded in 1996 with Christine Leach who is the niece of Curtiss Maldoon who wrote and recorded Sepheryn.

 

 

[Adonna 21,123]

1 hour ago, androiduser said:

take into consideration that the Orbit version already existed before Madonna got involved, it was recorded in 1996 with Christine Leach who is the niece of Curtiss Maldoon who wrote and recorded Sepheryn.

 

 

What Christina recorded versus this particular production didn't exist. This is obviously technology at it's best merging one's vocal with what later became after Christina's vocal involvement.

[DoneGone 16,709]

New big peaks yesterday:

- "Popular": 164M

- "Material Girl" ("Celebration" Version): 363M

- "Into The Groove": 105M

- "Crazy For You": 110M

- "Forbidden Love" ("Bedtime Stories"): 3M

[milingo83 7,286]

11/08 - 41,367,682 (-17,899)

WW #62 (=)

[DoneGone 16,709]

New big peaks today:

- "Popular": 166M

- "Hung Up": 345M

- "4 Minutes" ("Celebration" Version): 248M

- "Like A Prayer" ("Celebration" Version): 287M

- "Like A Virgin" ("Immaculate"/"Celebration" Version): 48M

- "Borderline" ("Immaculate" Digital/"Madonna" Album Version): 21M