Nobody thought there would ever be a star as big as Gaga again until she came along, either. So, we'll see.
I also remember feeling the same way about fearless Madonna, the woman who always did what
she wanted to do and played by her own rules. She'd stare down whatever obstacles the powers-that-be were putting in her way and kicked them down. A terrible conservative anti-sex backlash? Then the biggest pop star in the world released a book of porn!!! And announced "Whenever they say 'sex is bad, sex is bad, sex is bad,' I have to push back and say, 'no it's not, no it's not, no it's not.'"
Her home country gets overrun with a pack mentality post 9/11? She releases an album critiquing American life, as it were. She makes a video making pointing out that the President is a buffoon. She's about to release it and Bush attacks a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
And then she blinked. She pulls the video. Nobody sees it. She backs off. And it's been nothing but backing up and compromising and going backward ever since. She always said she had no interest in going backwards, but that's all she's done ever since. ABBA SAMPLES. MADONNA!!! ABBA SAMPLES. And it's been a downward regressive spiral ever since. I totally agree with The Onion review that said Madonna of the early '90s would have laughed at the awful crap on this new album.
So yea, she hits number 1 in the very same world you mention where diminished numbers compared to back when there were superstars amount to something that looks impressive, except comparatively.
I believe Gaga's career will be just as long. It's not all that unsual to have a creative career longer than 20 years. And honestly, Madonna has done nothing of any real consequence since 2003.
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