

“Adagio for Strings” was reportedly one of President John F.

More on the book and its claim a bit later. In fact, a 2010 book by Thomas Larson on this classical piece is titled, The Saddest Music Ever Written. The music sample below – “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber from 1936 – might also be called “Adagio for Tears” since it is known for evoking very powerful emotion and sadness among its listeners. It’s hard to think of any other artist who could go from the velvety balladry of “Take a Bow” (produced by Babyface) to the trippy techno of “Ray of Light” (beat-mastered by William Orbit) in a span of two studio albums.Samuel Barber, in later years, in sheet music cover photo for his Adagio from String Quartet No. While there were always inherent Madonna-isms to every single she released - just as Merriam-Webster gives “Beatlesque” its own entry in the dictionary - she, on the whole, refused to repeat herself. How the Queen of Pop could begin her ascension to the throne without anyone knowing that she was actually white remains remarkable.īut after getting early love from black and gay audiences, Madonna expanded what it meant to be a white female pop star with her cross-cultural influences and impact, whether it was the R&B bounce of her first Top 10 hit, 1984’s “Borderline” the ballroom posing of her best-selling single, 1990’s “Vogue” or the gospel take-you-thereness of her greatest song, 1989’s “Like a Prayer.” Madonna has racked up 38 Top 10 hits, while The Beatles have amassed 34.
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Without a photo of Madonna on the single cover of “Everybody” - and before the full onslaught of MTV - she was marketed as a “black” artist to R&B stations because of the soulful nature of her electro-pop bop. Popperfoto via Getty ImagesĬertainly, Madge - breaking out of the New York club scene, where “Everybody” filled the floor of Danceteria - has the distinction of starting her career in a way that is pretty unfathomable for the mop-topped Beatles. Madonna performed hits such as “Like a Virgin,” “Like a Prayer” and “Vogue” during her 1990 Blond Ambition tour. She defined what it meant to reinvent yourself while unapologetically expressing yourself.Īnd - from vinyl to cassettes to CDs to downloads to streams - she did it all with there being only one Madonna, as opposed to those four Liverpudlian lads. While that’s a number that has since been surpassed by a streaming-boosted Drake - who, let’s face it, nobody is trying to compare with the Beatles - it’s a testament to both her longevity, her songcraft and her continuous evolution as an artist. In the three decades after “Everybody,” Madge racked up 38 Top 10 singles, with her last one, “Give Me All Your Luvin,’” coming 10 years ago in 2012. But those numbers hardly tell the whole story. And yes, they amassed 20 chart-toppers to Madonna’s relatively mere 12. 1 hit, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” in 1964 to their final one, “The Long and Winding Road,” in 1970. Sure, the Fab Four had an extraordinary run from their first US No. Five years after her debut single “Everybody,” Madonna performs at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1987. Even The Beatles don’t justify as much love as Madge.įorty years after Madonna instructed us to “dance and sing, get up and do your thing” on her debut single, the 64-year-old superstar is not only the Queen of Pop - laying the blueprint for everyone from Janet, Beyoncé and Rihanna to Britney, Gaga and Dua - but the Queen of Singles.

She has no equal when it comes to her colossal catalog of singles. 6, 1982, Madonna has delivered hit song after hit song. Since launching her legendary career with “Everybody” on Oct. That’s what Madonna told us on “Express Yourself,” one of her most iconic singles - and crotch-grabbing videos - in 1989. Richard Marx was discovered by Lionel Richie - while in school
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