Bill O'Reilly
Get back home, Madonna
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"Be true to your school." -- The Beach Boys
Madonna has a lesson for all of us, and we should listen up. The fabulously wealthy diva's career is on the skids, and she is probably as shocked as anyone. Her new album opened at No. 1 but was heavily discounted, selling in many places for less than $10. Since that first week, her sales have slipped badly, and radio play is down 40 percent according to Billboard Magazine.
Madonna left her current home in the United Kingdom to come back to her original home, the USA, to promote the recording. There she was with Regis and Kelly, on MTV and on "Dateline." But the 44-year-old singer really didn't have much to say other than please buy my album. This was a far cry from the controversial town crier of years past, when Madonna warbled about being "like a virgin" and waxed poetic over enjoying Material Girl status.
Now, Madonna seemingly stands for nothing and lives abroad with her husband who directed her in perhaps the worst film ever made, a remake of the classic Lena Wertmuller movie "Swept Away." Madonna spent a lot of time on the beach in that flick and, at times, the tide actually refused to come in.
In real life, the working-class lass from Michigan often affects a British accent, and is sometimes portrayed in the media as a person seeking membership in the aristocracy.
This is not the Madonna we used to know, the bouncy lady who rose up from the school of hard knocks. Sadly, it is now quite obvious that the singer is not being true to her school.
You may remember that before she hit it big with catchy pop tunes, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone modeled nude for artists and checked hats in a restaurant. She became a true American success story, coming out of nowhere to command millions as a performer. During those days I liked Madonna and understood her populist appeal. Then, as the cliche goes, Madonna began to take herself seriously. Yikes!
So now we have an aging icon who, on her last concert tour, refused to sing most of her classic hits. A pretentious performer whose last big video featured a political "statement" where she threw a hand grenade at a President Bush lookalike. That ridiculous video was so inane that Madonna, herself, pulled it from airplay. What is this woman thinking?
I cannot possibly say, but I can say this. Madonna has abandoned her older fan base, and the younger folks, who buy most of the CDs, don't have much interest in her. Kids today like music without instruments and melodies. Go figure.
So here's the Madonna lesson: Always dance with the ones who brung ya. Stay true to your school and to your roots. I know everybody's into "evolving these days," but resist that temptation. If you are a working-class person, retain that sensibility, even though your earned income might elevate you above your original economic circumstance.
Madonna used to be fun to watch and listen to. Her success demonstrated the fact that in America you can make it to the top by starting at the bottom.
Today, however, Madonna is no longer fun and is no longer symbolically accessible to the fans who made her a star. She is living over there in England and talking trash about the president of the USA, while using a funny accent that would get you shoved in Detroit.
Get back home, Madonna. Get back where you belong.
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JWR contributor Bill O'Reilly is host of the
Fox News show, "The O'Reilly Factor," and author
of the new book, "The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America" Comments by clicking here.
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