Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson were turning the music world upside down in the ’80s. This summer, they’re turning 50. USA TODAY examines the vital signs of the durable pop triumvirate.

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone

Born Aug. 16, 1958, in Bay City, Mich.

Madonna’s first No. 1 album, 1984’s Like a Virgin, brought her international acclaim as a saucy dance-pop star, but it was 1986 follow-up True Blue (with Live to Tell and Papa Don’t Preach) that boosted her credibility with critics and established her as an envelope-pushing provocateur and legitimate songwriter. Like a Prayer, a critical and commercial hit in 1989, cemented her reputation as a cultural lightning rod; the title track’s brazen video, condemned by the Vatican, cost her a Pepsi sponsorship deal. The furor only solidified her global domination.

While Madonna‘s tabloid presence currently overshadows her musical profile, she’s still a pop juggernaut. More than 1 million fans have scooped up tickets to her Sticky & Sweet tour, launching Aug. 23 in Europe and Oct. 4 stateside. In 2007, she left Warner and signed a multi-platform $120 million deal with Live Nation. With 4 Minutes, her Hard Candy single with Justin Timberlake, she surpassed Elvis Presley to become the recording artist with the most top-10 hits in the rock era. It’s her 37th, and it’s sold 2.1 million downloads.

Madonna‘s twin peaks are 1984’s Like a Virgin and 1990’s The Immaculate Collection, which each sold 10 million copies, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

In 2004, Madonna’s worldwide box-office take was $319 million from 116 shows, almost all sellouts. Her 2006 Confessions tour pulled in $194 million.

She’s on pace to top that number with her 2008 tour, says Ray Waddell, Billboard’s senior editor for touring. And her Live Nation deal “ensures she will tour regularly the next decade. She commands top dollar, but she delivers. She can move tickets anywhere in the world.”

Madonna founded Maverick Records as a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records in 1992, then launched Alanis Morissette, whose debut Jagged Little Pill sold 16 million copies. Her company also housed film, TV and publishing divisions. She sold her share in the label to Warner in 2004. In 2007, Forbes ranked the Material Girl the fourth-richest woman in entertainment, with a net worth of $325 million.

Madonna‘s highs and lows often occurred simultaneously. Her Blond Ambition and Girlie Show tours were big successes but drew fire for explicit sexuality. Too risqué for MTV, Justify My Love boosted her visibility to new heights.

Her career sagged with Bedtime Stories, rebounded with Ray of Light and faltered again with American Life. She was assailed for such film forays as Swept Away, but upstaged Rosanna Arquette in Desperately Seeking Susan and won over critics in Evita.

“More recently, she’s been following trends rather than setting them,” says Spin editor Doug Brod.

The first female pop icon to completely control her music and image, Madonna “opened the door for what women could achieve and were permitted to do,” says Blender editor in chief Joe Levy, noting that she was a model for pop sirens from Britney to Miley.

“Long before Sex and the City, Madonna owned her sexuality,” say Us Weekly editor in chief Janice Min. “She made people cringe but also think differently about female performers. Her role as a provocateur changed boundaries for ensuing generations. She was a one-woman reality show.”

Much of Madonna‘s career has revolved around a sex-kitten image.”Can she still do it at 50? She can at my house,” Levy says. “The biggest challenge is currency. She is trying to go somewhere no one has gone before, with the possible exception of Cher, who is the exception to every rule ever made.”

Madonna already crashed through another ceiling with her 4 Minutes video, Min says. “It makes you question your own judgments about age and sexuality.”

Brod envisions Madonna staying in the game but tweaking her approach as she ages. “Maybe she’ll grow comfortably into a mature female singer. There will come a time she has to realize she can’t wear the leather bustier.”

Article by Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
Thanks to George