JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Bigger than the Beatles and Elvis?

For the sake of argument - The four are far more easily compared than comparing nursery rhymes and symphonies. As for the Beatles you'd have to compare everything up to about 1966 to nursery rhymes. Abbey Road might have some valid comparisons to a symphony....

The Beatles and Elvis were pop music. Madonna and Mariah are pop music. One of the measures of success for all four is the quantity of number one hits they had. That's the reason it is notable when someone reaches similar or higher numbers to those that were at the top before.

As far as how hard it was to reach number one in the 60's, I'd say the Beatles and Elvis had it easier. Get a spot on the Ed Sullivan show in the 1960's and 95% of America watched you. There is nothing that is the equivalent of that today.

Look at the movies both the Beatles and Elvis were part of. Can you watch any of those and say either act wasn't part of a pop media machine? The Beatles even had a cartoon.

I have a feeling had Jim, Bill and Terry all been another generation older they'd be saying the Beatles and Elvis sucked and were nothing compared to Glen Miller and Benny Goodman.

For what its worth, I believe you will be hearing Madonna and Mariah on the radio in 30 years - assuming we still have radio in 30 years. On demand internet programming is far more likely to be in use for folks that want to listen to music. I'd already argue that Elvis has been relegated to oldies stations and rarely receives a spin even on a "classic" station. While my kids and most of their friends could tell you who the Beatles were, I think they'd be hard pressed to name an Elvis song.

As far as longevity and an ability to stay relevant - 21 years after Elvis first release, he was dead. 8 years after the Beatles first release, they broke up. I think the odds are good that Madonna will produce something new 10 years from now that still climbs the charts.