Britney's 1st Cover, 1999
Kinda mad, anyway. RollingStone Magazine has just released their reader’s poll results listing the top 10 “Queens of Pop.” While I find favor with majority of the list, there are a few things that irk me about the outcome. Here’s the list and afterward, I’ll go into my rant: 10) Mariah Carey, 9)Elton John 8)Cher 7)Katy Perry 6)Aretha Franklin 5)Beyonce` 4)Tina Turner 3)Britney Spears 2)Lady Gaga 1)Madonna.
First, let me say that all of these artists are worthy of acknowledgement and respect, but whether or not they’re appropriate for this list is another thing. Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner have had several hits on the pop chart, but pop is not their core genre or their core audience, especially considering the fact they’ve been pegged in culture as the “Queen of Soul” and the “Queen of Rock N’ Roll.” When there are only 10 spots on the list, it should be reserved for those who primarily record pop music such as Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera, all of whom were NOT on the list (which is atrocious). I find it almost disrespectful that Janet Jackson was not included. I suppose I should look to the reader’s of RollingStone, since their votes made the results. I don’t think I have to explain why Jackson should’ve been included, but, in brief, she was Madonna’s right-hand contemporary, dominated the charts from 1986-1998, sold over 100 million records worldwide, and influenced the choreographic styles of Britney Spears and Aaliyah, among others.
Another issue I had with the list was the inclusion and placement of newcomers Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. I have no doubt that Lady Gaga will continue to impact pop music and build her legacy, but I don’t think it was appropriate for her to be ahead of more established, long-time acts, like Mariah Carey or Beyonce`. In a short time, she’s has had immense success, but the key phrase here is “a short time.” She has only 2 albums and an EP available. Should she be #2 to someone who has 11 eleven albums with a 28 year career? It would make more sense to me for her to be somewhere between #5-#10. Perry? I’m not sure she should be on the list at all; especially in exchange for Whitney Houston. Lastly, I don’t know whether to find it humorous or tasteless that Elton John was listed. Clearly, it’s a gay pun. A straight male wouldn’t have been listed. Again, there were only 10 spots, and they used one to make a potentially tacky joke. Speaking of jokes, let me mention a better one. I recently made a page of satirical “campaign videos” for the title of “Queen of Pop,” attempting to impersonate some of today’s pop-starlets. Head over to http://jsays.weebly.com/queen-of-pop.html to check it out and vote for your favorite video. Click the picture of Britney Spears above to read the detailed RollingStone article. What did you think of RollingStone’s list? Hit the comment button, or simply vote below :)
First, let me say that all of these artists are worthy of acknowledgement and respect, but whether or not they’re appropriate for this list is another thing. Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner have had several hits on the pop chart, but pop is not their core genre or their core audience, especially considering the fact they’ve been pegged in culture as the “Queen of Soul” and the “Queen of Rock N’ Roll.” When there are only 10 spots on the list, it should be reserved for those who primarily record pop music such as Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera, all of whom were NOT on the list (which is atrocious). I find it almost disrespectful that Janet Jackson was not included. I suppose I should look to the reader’s of RollingStone, since their votes made the results. I don’t think I have to explain why Jackson should’ve been included, but, in brief, she was Madonna’s right-hand contemporary, dominated the charts from 1986-1998, sold over 100 million records worldwide, and influenced the choreographic styles of Britney Spears and Aaliyah, among others.
Another issue I had with the list was the inclusion and placement of newcomers Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. I have no doubt that Lady Gaga will continue to impact pop music and build her legacy, but I don’t think it was appropriate for her to be ahead of more established, long-time acts, like Mariah Carey or Beyonce`. In a short time, she’s has had immense success, but the key phrase here is “a short time.” She has only 2 albums and an EP available. Should she be #2 to someone who has 11 eleven albums with a 28 year career? It would make more sense to me for her to be somewhere between #5-#10. Perry? I’m not sure she should be on the list at all; especially in exchange for Whitney Houston. Lastly, I don’t know whether to find it humorous or tasteless that Elton John was listed. Clearly, it’s a gay pun. A straight male wouldn’t have been listed. Again, there were only 10 spots, and they used one to make a potentially tacky joke. Speaking of jokes, let me mention a better one. I recently made a page of satirical “campaign videos” for the title of “Queen of Pop,” attempting to impersonate some of today’s pop-starlets. Head over to http://jsays.weebly.com/queen-of-pop.html to check it out and vote for your favorite video. Click the picture of Britney Spears above to read the detailed RollingStone article. What did you think of RollingStone’s list? Hit the comment button, or simply vote below :)
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