DON'T GO FOR SECOND BEST, BABY: One of the things that's just striking about watching LiveEarth is just seeing Madonna up there. It is now twenty-five years since her first single, "Everybody," and if there's an artist you would've assumed back in the mid-80s was all hype and fad, no staying power, it was her. Seriously, who would've thought from her cheeky 1985 Live Aid performance (okay, here's more), at a stadium long since imploded, that not only would she still have a thriving career in 2007, but she'd be regarded as classy? (And British.)
Somehow, I don't expect Britney Spears' career to follow this arc. And people who've been just as big as Madonna but started later -- Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson, to name three -- just haven't had Madge's staying power.
What explains this? It's not just "sex sells," because lots of people are selling it, and it's not just singing talent, because she doesn't have that much of it. Is it just a combination of a strong work ethic -- including the willingness to do all the promotional things necessary for her career, (blonde) ambition and an amazing ability to locate the right producers to advance her musically? Whatever it is, it's worth appreciating and recognizing.
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