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Why are people always pitting them against each other and saying Madonna stole from Cyndi? I don’t even think they are that similar so I don’t understand where this comes from.
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I don't think they did. They just got big at the same time, and the media loves to pit women against each other.
This. The media tried to pit them against each other in terms of who was going to last the longest. As far as I know, Cyndi hated it, and even defended Madonna‘s sexual undertones on occasion (there’s an interview out there where she speaks very kindly of M and defends her, circa ‘86 or so I think?)
The consensus among critics was that Cyndi was here to stay and Madonna was a “flash in the pan” (literal quote).
Madonna herself was never really one to comment on things like that either way. She knew the f**k who she was.
Same with Britney and Christina in the late 90’s
Except Christina was always openly nasty toward Britney and Britney would never retaliate
Britney would sometimes retaliate like on TRL when Christina said she said she didn't have to kiss Madonna for attention.
Christina literally kissed Madonna too…
That’s Britney defending herself, not retaliating.
The media even tried to pit Jessica and Ashlee Simpson against each other, back in the 2000s, when those two are literally sisters, for crying out loud.
I figured it might be something like that.
I remember hearing that Cyndi was one of the only people who said she loved Madonna’s infamous performance of Like a virgin at the MTV awards.
Yes, yes and yes. It was all about who had staying power, who was the more talented pure artist etc. I thought both Cyndi and Madonna handled it well. I remember Madonna saying that her look/style might be more accessible to girls than Cyndi’s because you could dress like Madonna and still go to school the next day. (Where as with Cyndi there was bright hair color and sometimes the side of her head was shaved- a little more extreme.) But that doesn’t equate a feud to me at all. Honestly who hasn’t the media pitted against each other? Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany, Christie Hyde, Joan Jett and Pat Benatar, Britney and Christina, Madonna and every woman who has ever sung a pop song. It’s pretty lousy that the media does it with females.
Her vocal in Material Girl sounds a lot Cyndi Lauper. It's the only Madonna song that sounds like Cyndi could have sung it. Maybe that's why?
Interesting point. I also think Madonna's version of Santa Baby could be in the Cyndi style.
These songs were recorded the same year and released around the same time.
Cyndi was in the NY area and playing venues before Madonna though. It’s possible she could have heard her or even knew about her then.
Not saying she’s a bad person, but it’s common for people to stylistically follow what’s “hot” in terms of music.
Yes I saw an early interview on Youtube where Madonna was being interviewed and the interviewer asked about Cyndi Lauper and Madonna said "she's from New York I'm from Detroit."
madonna was raised on detroit radio twenty miles north of motown in the 60s….she started going to gay clubs in detroit with her dance instructor/ mentor in the 70s
motown is a hybrid of r&b + pop and dance music (aka disco) is a hybrid of swing + uptempo r&b…. motown + disco are in madonna’s blood /dna.…and together they form the foundation for her work…
so, while she experimented with the post-punk rock new wave and no wave trends with bands in new york, her melodies and hooks from the pre-madonna demos show she never strayed very far from her roots…
madonna’s self-titled debut album is primarily post-disco (r&b)
cyndi’s debut(s) blue angel /she’s so unusual are primarily new wave (rock)
Madonna had that high-pitched girly sound since her first album, so it wasn't anything new for her.
Madonna had a higher pitch on her first album, too. Notably on Lucky Star. Borderline, as well. I don't think Material Girl sounds like Cyndi at all. Madonna had a unique voice, as did Cyndi.
This!!! I always knew something sounded familiar, you hit it in the head. I think maybe Cry Baby is another song where she uses that kind of voice.
Open your heart was offered to Cyndi before Madonna but she turned it down
I don’t think the song would have worked with Cyndi voice anyway
Yeah I can’t picture her doing that.
It was originally intended to be a rock sounding song and it was called "Follow Your Heart" before Madonna rewrote it. I'm curious now what the original idea and lyrics sounded like.
Like A Virgin was originally a ballad before it became the Madonna pop hit.
listen to gardner cole and peter rafelson’s demo “follow your heart” HERE
Thank you! It's crazy how, in comparison to the final Madonna version, this sounds so generic and unfinished.
I'm picturing it right now and it's hurting my ears
I said the same thing about “I drove all night” when I heard that she would cover it but she owned it completely. She could have also sung open your heart, she just didn’t like it for whatever reason.
I also believe Madonna made several changes to the song after it was offered to her. I love them both. Hate it when people pit people against each other like that. There is space for everyone folks. No need to be awful.
While Gardner Cole and Peter Rafelson did write “Follow Your Heart" with Cyndi Lauper in mind, they never got around to sending her the demo before Madonna swooped it up.
So Cyndi never actually heard the song.
SOURCE: The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits by Fred Bronson
The "feud" was a media creation. Most fans loved both artists I know I certainly did. Only think they have in common is that their debut albums were released in 1983.
Exactly. I loved both. At the time I was a little more biased towards Cindy because I was a child and her colored hair I found fun… plus she sang the theme song to the Goonies! 😆.
Once Like a Prayer was released, all bets were off and I pledged allegiance to the eternal queen, Madonna.
I don’t remember there ever being a rivalry but I was a kid and there was no social media. I watched the documentary on the making of We Are the World and the lines that Cyndi sings were potentially going to Madonna but I think she was unavailable.
She actually wasn’t invited. Nile Rodgers has talked about it. Shocking right? Then she was one of the biggest names to perform at Live Aid, and, “Crazy For You” knocked “We Are The World” out of the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. She showed them!
That's so cool! I love Madonna even more now!
He recently revealed the real reason is because Quincy Jones didn't think she could sing.
Yet Dylan was invited and got to sing a solo while Harry Belafonte and Smokey Robinson were only in the chorus.
nile rodgers has been getting off on publicly humiliating and degrading madonna for 35 years and counting without any pushback…
Oh, I should scrolled down before responding.....coffee!
Actually, Madonna was explicitly excluded. There are many sources out there to corroborate this. Madonna was quite hurt by it, which I can totally see. But supposedly, when they went to live 8 to perform it live they went and asked M to join and she was like, no thanks. Funny bit of trivia-crazy for you bumped watw out of the number one spot, so I think M got her revenge
They didn't think Madonna could sing (presumably Quincy Jones). We Are The World was recorded in January of 85 and set up in the weeks before. Most of the people who were invited were superstars with 10+ year careers--she was a recent pop phenomenon with two bubblegum albums. The new WATW documentary on Netflix shows there was the question of whether to include her but she was very new and again, they didn't know what her voice could do. Crazy for You and True Blue album hadn't hit the radio yet...
NILE RODGERS (1985):
“in my opinion, [madonna] is an excellent natural singer, a natural musician, [and] a serious artist. it would be real nice if some ostensibly smart people who know about music would get past the image and get into the music"
Nile Rodgers knew Madonna was a talented artist, and he also knew Madonna’s talents were being undermined mocked discredited underestimated dismissed denied written-off etc. by the culture and through the press AND he even knew why:
"someone like iggy pop can get out there and be super-sexual and wild and that's great ,but madonna is a woman, so they say she's sleazy. madonna is blatantly sexual and sensual, but not sleazy, not even a little bit.”
SOURCE: South Florida Sun-Sentinel • Madonna Milks Sexy Savvy Image • By Laura Fissinger • May 10 1985 •
No, and I was around at that time. In fact, from what I can recall, they had their own fans and back then kids dressed like them. When I was in high school, we had Madonna wannabes, Cyndi wannabes. Michael wannabes, Duran Duran wannabes and Boy George wannabes. Everyone got along and it was a great time to be alive.
I was a kid in the 80s and I miss it terribly.
I was a kid, a teen and an adult all in that one decade, and only people born in 1968 can claim that. I'm very lucky and I too miss it...
I was born in '67, and concur, it was very fun. I grew up in Dallas, and had the unique distinction of becoming legal drinking age, twice (it was 19 when I reached 19, and they raised it to 21 about 3 months after because the whole country had to go up to 21 or lose Federal Highway funding (the fentanyl hysteria right now is reminiscent of the MADD hysteria of the time).
They started making us wear seatbelts and stop having open alcohol containers in cars about the same time. How dare they take all our rights away and save all those lives! /s
But, absolutely, pop music was on point like no other time!
Madonna 's debut album came out BEFORE Cyndi's somehow did she steal from her?
Cyndi had a few big years (84-87) but by the end of the 80s was done being a big selling mainstream pop star
Madonna got BIGGER going into the 90s....
Nah Madonna was already much bigger than Cyndi by the end of 1985.
I remember when Madonna and Teena Marie were called the "Vanilla Twins" on the local Black station and they were talking about which one would have staying power. Teena Marie actually had a long career her own self.
Cyndi was way smarter than Lady Gaga and didn’t let it escalate.
https://youtu.be/IClXmLiUhhQ?si=4fAtJh1XXhRwXmr_
Well Lady Gaga isn't very intelligent to begin with, Led Zeppelin,Suzanne Collins,Darren Afronsoky,Josh Weedon and Johnny Cash knew if you were going to plagiarize you could plagiarize something or someone extremely well known.
Although The Terminator and Star Wars proved you can eventually turn your plagiarized work into its own thing via sequels.
Love Cindi. Got to walk with her when she was the grand Marshall for nyc pride. She’s teeny tiny. Super kind. My fave song by her is Shine (Tracy Young Remix).
They always pit women against women. Madonna vs Cyndi Madonna vs Gaga Madonna vs Pink Madonna vs Janet
Madonna has made comments about each of them in the past. Have you noticed that rarely does Madonna pay homage to any female music artists?
I recall only a few.
Apart from Madonna and her reductive comment about Gaga's song I have always found it easier to find female artists slating Madonna than Madonna slating them.
To be fair she also called Mariah "dumb" or something to that effect 🤣
But like.. not entirely undeserved 🤷
Mariah is incredibly intelligent tho
Of course. But lots of it has been Madonna doing the shading too. Madonna can be off putting at times. https://youtu.be/nmkrpnH7V0I?si=sCBNTErrLTYESOcI
She can definitely say off putting things don’t get me wrong. Just wasn’t aware of anything happening with Cyndi in particular.
This is a clip of Pink talking about Madonna.
This is proving my point not yours.
There isn’t a point to prove. I shared the link because it supports the notion that Madonna doesn’t care for certain artist in the industry. No need to argue. It’s not a debate.
I know about Janet and Gaga. But I don’t recall what she’s said about Cyndi and Pink. She’s also friendly with Gaga now I thought?
Yeah, was going to mention the Truth Or Dare shade towards Janet. It really wasn't a big deal though. I'm a huge Janet fan and I have never thought it was a big deal. Janet was cornered in that interview when she said what she did has class. Another example of the media manipulating and pitting women against each other. I think I read Janet did call Madonna last summer when she was recovering. Non issue as far as I'm concerned.
I recall Cyndi saying something about Madonna…. That Madonna snubbed her at a function.
Madonna said she was inspired by Debbie Harry from Blondie and Chrissie Hind from the Pretenders.
There was no feud. Cyndi has always praised Madonna, and I have never heard Madonna say anything negative about Cyndi.
I never heard they dud but it's 2 females that cane out at the same time and people like to pit them against each other
I never heard anyone say Madonna stole from Cyndi and have been fans of both from the jump?
I see it all over the place online. Try going to comment sections about them. It definitely is common. I don’t know what else to tell you.
I don’t actually think I’ve ever heard Madonna talk about Cyndi Lauper.
It seems the US media compared them all the time back in the day. It was weird to me because they didn’t seem at all alike both in music style and in fashion. I guess CL was the closest thing to Madonna at the time, idk.
They never feuded. It was the press. That's the sad thing about this world we live in. The truth is not enough.
No feud. Cyndi is an icon and has done it all - music, TV, musicals
They were both women with their own style that was heavily influenced by the streets. So of course them both being female they needed to be pitted against one another. Also I am sure Cyndi has let some jealousy get in the way because everyone thought Cyndi Lauper would have the long career and not Madonna.
Don’t think Cyndi is jealous at all. She still has a remarkable career and has made her mark in music history. She’s still performing, still being an outspoken activist, she created the Kinky Boots musical and won Tonys for it…she also has two Grammys and an Emmy…so she’s good 😃
Cyndi has only praised or defended Madonna in the past 40 years. She was ahead of her time with a staunch position on not tearing down other women. And while she hasn’t had nearly the level of success as Madonna, she had incredible success in the 2010s on broadway (and is an Oscar shy of an EGOT).
Im not talking publicly i am saying she probably has some jealousy, which anyone would. My god you people need to learn to think critically and not reactionary.
Cool that your critical thinking gives to access to her innermost thoughts and feelings. I’m certain you’re just a better critical thinker than me, and totally not projecting how you’d feel in that situation. Thank you 🙏
no she actually calls me and we talk.
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Madonna was never nominated for a best new artist Grammy.
Cyndi won Best New artist, but she beat Sheila E., Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Corey Hart and The Judds. Madonna wasn’t nominated for Best New Artist.
Madonna's first Grammy nomination was for "Crazy For You" in the "Best Pop Vocal (Female)" category.
Which shows you how utterly worthless a grammy is
I might be wrong but I do remember them Both kinda competing to be the best, the most famous and the most liked. I remember asking my friends if they were team Cindy or team Madonna, and I remember reading on the press comments they both supposedly said against the other. There’s even a song by Cindy called “Madonna Whore” https://youtu.be/URomsTpro5E?si=T7u63S0pn0jA5K-p There definitely was something happening between both, if it was created by the media and just let it become a thing by them both, that’s another matter. I always chose the right one tho 🤪
Isn't that song about the madonna-whore complex tho?
Everyone else seems to remember otherwise. I think you are wrong.
C was trying to copy M I think
Their styles are nothing alike though. lol
Lol no. This is not it.