Madonna and Prince

Willman claims that Madonna and Prince have lost their ability to shock, sell or even satisfy, and he supports his theory with SoundScan statistics, explanations of overexposure, loss of mystery.

Does this sound familiar? It should by now. It’s practically become a journalistic “sample.” Bruce, Michael, Whitney and George were all similarly dismissed when ‘90s releases failed to match the sales of ‘80s blockbusters. These premature post-mortems equate artistic credibility with the peaks and valleys of commercial success.

Fortunately, Madonna and Prince are bored with Billboard glories and measure success by their international influence on pop sounds, styles and subjects. And on that level, “Erotica” and “ “ have triumphed whether they make millions or merely modest profits.

VINCE RIPOL

Los Angeles