popstop
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Post by popstop on Aug 29, 2014 10:03:24 GMT -5
I picked Adele. We can't discount just how far her cross-generational appeal stretches - if anything, it should have been a signal to the record industry to target older consumers, who are so often neglected in music sales. The music on her album became popular at a time when not a lot of music like it was selling - dance music was in full swing at this point, and she may be one of the catalysts that led to greater diversity on CHR
I hope not, but I think it will be a long time we something with the massive scales on 21's level. Albums sales have plummeted even since just three years ago. Adele's music was inescapable in 2011 - RITD was covered on American Idol (when that show was still #1) and Glee (when that show was still pretty popular). Adele's appearance at the Grammies yield IIRC 700K in sales the following week - about a year after the album had been out!.
Cultural impact doesn't have to come with a meat dress, a cheesy Kevin Costner movie, or Catholic school girl dance moves - impact can be just about the music.
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icefire9
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Post by icefire9 on Aug 29, 2014 10:32:58 GMT -5
Alright, is 'Beyonce' even Beyonce's peak? Yeah, it opened huge and had good overall album sales, but none of the singles made much of an impact compared to her earlier eras. I think that I Am Sasha Fierce would be a better choice.
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Aug 31, 2014 16:56:38 GMT -5
Alright, is 'Beyonce' even Beyonce's peak? Yeah, it opened huge and had good overall album sales, but none of the singles made much of an impact compared to her earlier eras. I think that I Am Sasha Fierce would be a better choice. That's why I think she's completely overrated.
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grandelf
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Post by grandelf on Sept 2, 2014 5:11:51 GMT -5
Cultural impact doesn't have to come with a meat dress, a cheesy Kevin Costner movie, or Catholic school girl dance moves - impact can be just about the music. Exactly, Adele, Shania and Alanis did that without any "tie-in" or "controversy" and to me biggest peak also means that their music crossed over to people who don't generally care about that genre or music in general. Madonna and those younger female acts who follow in her footsteps are always more divisive, so I really don't think they can be compared. Madonna 1990-1991 peak was not even about the music anymore, by the way, regardless that she scored Vogue in that period.
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Dalliance
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Post by Dalliance on Sept 2, 2014 9:42:14 GMT -5
Cultural impact doesn't have to come with a meat dress, a cheesy Kevin Costner movie, or Catholic school girl dance moves - impact can be just about the music. Exactly, Adele, Shania and Alanis did that without any "tie-in" or "controversy" and to me biggest peak also means that their music crossed over to people who don't generally care about that genre or music in general. Madonna and those younger female acts who follow in her footsteps are always more divisive, so I really don't think they can be compared. Madonna 1990-1991 peak was not even about the music anymore, by the way, regardless that she scored Vogue in that period. No you're both wrong. It's never *just* about the music, but also the images, the tropes which make the era memorable. The bigger the personality, the better. The more established the star before the peak (Madonna and Whitney were already superstars), the more significant that peak will seem/be. In the case of Whitney, there was no "controversy" and alluding to a "tie-in" is disingenuous since that was still her success, however cheesy the movie. It still portrays the extent of her brand and popularity. I agree with the notion expressed earlier that Adele's personality didn't transcend her musical success in the way some of the others did. I mean, there is still serious questions as to whether she could back up her success or be another Norah Jones. People already consider Beyonce to still be the biggest music star on the planet despite Adele's larger-than-life success.
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jordie
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Post by jordie on Sept 2, 2014 10:27:12 GMT -5
Exactly, Adele, Shania and Alanis did that without any "tie-in" or "controversy" and to me biggest peak also means that their music crossed over to people who don't generally care about that genre or music in general. Madonna and those younger female acts who follow in her footsteps are always more divisive, so I really don't think they can be compared. Madonna 1990-1991 peak was not even about the music anymore, by the way, regardless that she scored Vogue in that period. No you're both wrong. It's never *just* about the music, but also the images, the tropes which make the era memorable. The bigger the personality, the better. The more established the star before the peak (Madonna and Whitney were already superstars), the more significant that peak will seem/be. In the case of Whitney, there was no "controversy" and alluding to a "tie-in" is disingenuous since that was still her success, however cheesy the movie. It still portrays the extent of her brand and popularity. I agree with the notion expressed earlier that Adele's personality didn't transcend her musical success in the way some of the others did. I mean, there is still serious questions as to whether she could back up her success or be another Norah Jones. People already consider Beyonce to still be the biggest music star on the planet despite Adele's larger-than-life success. I think that it's because of three things. Success, influence on music and personality. Britney isn't about the catholic school girl with the dance moves, or the controversy, but about the fact that she broke through with a new genre music, teen / bubblegum pop and that everyone liked her because of who she was. It's the same with MJ. He made a huge success of a new genre, (I think) pop and everyone liked him because of who he was. If people, who don't care for that genre, know who he / she is or they talk about it a lot, I think it's more a sign, not a cause. For sure, it's about the personality. Look at Ariana Grande, she has one hit and she's becoming famous, I think it's most because of who she is. Before Britney went through shaving her haid, attacking the paparazzi with an umbrella and more she was famous. After all of that she wasn't that big anymore, because she had changed. She wasn't anymore the Hit Me Baby One More Time girl. By the way, PLEASE don't 'discuss' this with me without thinking about this. I REALLY think I know what I'm talking about.
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Glove Slap
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Post by Glove Slap on Sept 2, 2014 13:47:23 GMT -5
As far as I'm concerned, the answer to this is still easily and factually Madonna. It's irrelevant how many units Shania or Adele moved imo. There's a difference between your product being huge and YOU being huge as well.
Now, I am not saying that personality didn't play a part in all of these successes, it most definitely did. I fully agree that Adele's personality helped fuel her success, but that's still not on the level that Madonna's celebrity was at her peak.
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spooky21
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Post by spooky21 on Sept 2, 2014 13:51:21 GMT -5
I picked Adele. We can't discount just how far her cross-generational appeal stretches - if anything, it should have been a signal to the record industry to target older consumers, who are so often neglected in music sales. The music on her album became popular at a time when not a lot of music like it was selling - dance music was in full swing at this point, and she may be one of the catalysts that led to greater diversity on CHR I hope not, but I think it will be a long time we something with the massive scales on 21's level. Albums sales have plummeted even since just three years ago. Adele's music was inescapable in 2011 - RITD was covered on American Idol (when that show was still #1) and Glee (when that show was still pretty popular). Adele's appearance at the Grammies yield IIRC 700K in sales the following week - about a year after the album had been out!. Cultural impact doesn't have to come with a meat dress, a cheesy Kevin Costner movie, or Catholic school girl dance moves - impact can be just about the music. Quantitatively, in terms of cross generational appeal, Whitney, Mariah and Shania completely dwarfed Adele at their peaks. All three of those albums listed above pretty much outsold Adele 2 to 1 worldwide.
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spooky21
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Post by spooky21 on Sept 2, 2014 13:59:41 GMT -5
Almost surprised that Adele is leading the board but then again, considering the average age of posters here, it really isn't all that surprising. If you take away all the opinion and just compare the stats, I don't really see how anyone could put Adele in the same league as Whitney's Bodyguard era or Shania's massive Come On Over reign. Even Mariah at her blandest with Music Box had a bigger era with Music Box than Adele had with 21.
Then again, it's easy to see how easy those eras could be disregarded by people who hadn't lived through them.....or can accurately compare the figures.
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popstop
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Post by popstop on Sept 2, 2014 14:17:33 GMT -5
I think we're talking apples and oranges when it comes to sales climate though. Whitney, Mariah, Shania in the 90s didn't have to deal with leeching of sales from illegal downloading or from streaming. Remember, Adele's sales came a decade removed from album sales peaks. 11M in today's sales likely would have translated to much higher sales in the 90s when these other women were peaking. Adele's achievements in light of today's sales climate is nothing short of jaw-dropping.
How bad are sales these days? Adele's sales in the US were enough to garner her the best selling album title two years in a row. And enough that she stayed aloft in the top 10 of the BB200 for over a year and a half - both things no woman had ever done before. Adele sold over 5M in the first year the album was out in the US. I can't think of any other album that has done that in the last decade.
As for your 2-1 angle for worldwide sales, I checked it out and while all of them sold more than 21, they certainly haven't 2-1. Adele has sold close to 30M total at this point with that album.
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Sept 2, 2014 21:51:41 GMT -5
Madonna 1990-1991 easily. The Blond Ambition tour was revolutionary. She was constantly on local and national news almost daily across the country and probably Canada too. Plus every tabloid in every grocery store. She was waaaay bigger than Adele, lol. Adele is just a really good singer. I hardly even find her a celebrity. Madonna became the most famous woman on earth. Is Adele the most famous woman on earth? Haha.
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Sept 3, 2014 0:50:45 GMT -5
The "Beyonce" era being an option over something like The Fame/Fame Monster or Teenage Dream immediately makes this poll null and void. That's not even the biggest era this year let alone one of the biggest ever.
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insen_13
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Post by insen_13 on Dec 30, 2018 3:16:07 GMT -5
Adele - 21
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🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲
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Post by 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 on Jan 31, 2019 3:04:47 GMT -5
Hard for me to say who had the biggest overall. I think each artist on that list had their own biggest moments at some point in their careers.
80s-early 90s: Madonna and Whitney Mid 90s: Mariah and Shania Late 90s - early 2000s: Britney 2010s: Adele
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trustypepper
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Post by trustypepper on Feb 3, 2019 23:38:55 GMT -5
I have no idea why Rihanna isn’t on here, let alone Gaga or Katy. But for the poll, I picked Adele.
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seaguy27
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Post by seaguy27 on Feb 4, 2019 4:31:33 GMT -5
Honestly it's Madonna 1989-91. I don't think many people here are appreciating it for what it actually was. Beyonce shouldn't be a choice. Mariah should just have a span from 93-96 because she was so dominant then. I'd place Madonna 89-91, then The Bodyguard, then Mariah in terms of impact (funny - that's basically a chronology of the years 89-96). Adele sold well, won some Grammy's, but the cultural impact/pervasiveness that the Bodyguard and LAP eras were colored by is just so severely lacking. Another point - a peak with a true 'impact' shouldn't be easily defined by a single album. I.e. Madonna was so dominant for those two years, she had LAP released, Vogue, and the Immaculate Collection. You can't even find a "moment" that was her peak because it lasted so long. Adele had a monster album - she didn't dominate pop culture like madonna did, and she sure as hell didn't have such a long "peak" like she did at the end of the 80s. The domination of Madonna throughout the 80s and in particular 89-91 was mind boggling in the pop culture coverage for a time period when the internet was not even around.
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jenglisbe
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Post by jenglisbe on Feb 18, 2019 22:11:44 GMT -5
I have no idea why Rihanna isn’t on here, let alone Gaga or Katy. But for the poll, I picked Adele. Because none of them have had an era as big as the ones in the poll. Rihanna has never had a huge album, or more than a few hits from an album. Katy Perry has had albums with a lot of hits, but her impact still wasn't to the level of Adele, Whitney, Mariah, etc.
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Post by Positive Tension on Feb 18, 2019 22:34:45 GMT -5
I'd have to go with Madonna. She might not have sold the most from 1989-1991, but from what I gather, it was the height of her fame, and her impact on pop culture was just massive. Some of the ladies on the list sold more albums during their peak, but they weren't talked about nearly as much.
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trustypepper
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Post by trustypepper on Feb 18, 2019 22:36:33 GMT -5
All 3 of the artists I mentioned have been at the highest of highs at some point during their career and at least deserve to be included in the nominees, especially if Beyonce’s self-titled era was included.
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leonagwen
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Post by leonagwen on Feb 19, 2019 3:49:43 GMT -5
Whitney, Adele and Shania.
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Choco
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Post by Choco on Feb 22, 2019 22:47:57 GMT -5
Adele with 21. Flawless era, multigenerational appeal, etc... it shatters the very huge 1989, Teenage Dream, Breakaway and The Fame campaigns.
But I wasn't alive during Madonna's peak.
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leonagwen
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Post by leonagwen on Apr 10, 2019 1:46:56 GMT -5
Hard question to answer but since Whitney is my favorite singer of all time I'll go with the Bodyguard era.
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gabe
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Post by gabe on Apr 10, 2019 9:24:50 GMT -5
Whitney, Adele and Shania. Hard question to answer but since Whitney is my favorite singer of all time I'll go with the Bodyguard era. Did both personalities answer or..?
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Unhinged
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Post by Unhinged on Apr 10, 2019 10:55:29 GMT -5
Interesting that this thread got bumped because I was just thinking about this topic the other day and noticed that I had voted in this poll already for The Bodyguard, which I do think is either the top female era or very close. My mind has somewhat changed because I looked at Billboard magazines from 1997 to 2000 recently and marvelled at the sheer longevity that Shania Twain enjoyed with Come On Over in that period. Having experienced it I knew it was a massive era but looking back at the stats for it now is just, wow.
Come On Over debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 the week ending November 22, 1997 and spent 112 weeks inside the Top 20 (a record). Its biggest sales week was in its 110th frame (!) where it sold 355,000 units and this was going into the year 2000 (and it was already 16X Platinum!) In fact, it was taken off the Billboard 200 chart after its 151st week (October 7, 2000) as it had sunk below No. 100 (due to chart rules at the time). For example, it was selling better than ...Baby One More Time just before this happened and that album, while also massive, was a year and a half newer than it.
Worldwide the album sold 3.4 million copies in 1997, 8.9 million in 1998 and over 15.2 million copies in 1999, standing strong in 2000 selling another 6.4 million copies worldwide. That's 3 years of increasing sales for the same album! How did she do this? Those HITS. 12 songs were released either in the US or Internationally and those include some of the most recognizable pop/country hits of all time: “You're Still The One,” “Man! I Feel Like A Woman,” “That Don't Impress Me Much” and "Honey, I'm Home” among I’d argue a few others. Her music videos were also well crafted and many from this era are iconic now. The albums impact on both the charts and culturally is just massive. I mean, it’s the best selling album by a female artist ever.
It's certainly a tough call between Come On Over and The Bodyguard for me. The Bodyguard had the massive success upfront and good longevity but Come On Over just kept selling and selling for literally years. Adele's 21 had that same longevity as well so she’d be my 3rd pick as I don't think the hit songs from that album (though I like them all) are all that memorable, save for "Rolling In The Deep" and "Someone Like You."
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leonagwen
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Post by leonagwen on Apr 10, 2019 12:13:44 GMT -5
Whitney, Adele and Shania. Hard question to answer but since Whitney is my favorite singer of all time I'll go with the Bodyguard era. Did both personalities answer or..? Whitney was my first choice.
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