Of the younger ones, I agree with Bruno Mars. He’s different. He started out making hits for other people (and a diverse group at that), so he’s already amassed industry cred among his peers. His commercial success came later, and I think people like him because his music is nostalgic without being cliche – unlike Amy Winehouse or Adele, who are very talented but created predictable sounds.
That said, I think Adele is a great vocalist and potentially a once-in-generation voice, on par with Whitney Houston.
Did someone already say John Williams? He scored Star Wars, Jaws and many, many big Hollywood blockbusters. he will definitely be remembered as a music genius. I can’t think of another modern composer who can pair an movie image with an emotion using sound better than John Williams. He made movie theme songs so popular, you would recognize the music even if you didn’t see the movie. He’s not young, but he’s not dead yet.
I think this is interesting, because we’re talking about so many different criteria for what might make somebody a musical legend, including:
Will the person continue to be a “household name” that everybody knows?
Was the person a major influence on some genre of music?
Is the person’s music likely to be rediscovered and enjoyed after he or she is dead?
Did the person have a huge number of hits (or at least well-known songs or albums)?
Is the person someone that cool people will likely always like?
Was the person a particularly notable live performer?
A few other possible criteria that maybe we haven’t discussed:
Did the person have a major impact internationally, and not just in one nation?
Did the person have a major cultural impact outside of music?
I would say that the Beatles satisfy all of these criteria. I can’t think of many others that do. There are lots who satisfy several of them, but not all.
@Hunt Beyonce actually does fit the bill - and she’s under 50 (which I believe was a criteria up thread).
Safe to say everybody knows her name.
R&B, most likely. She made “hooks” a major thing with her “Uh-oh, uh-oh- uh-oh no no”. And her experimentation with music in her last two albums is really something.
Most likely, yes.
She is the only artist to have her 6 first solo albums debut at (and reach) number 1 on the Billboard 200. I have also yet to find a person who does not recognize the opening beat of Crazy in Love.
Her Beyhive has all sorts of people in it. I don’t know what you mean by cool however.
She is currently the best entertainer alive (according to critics). I tend to agree. I have yet to see a performer who sings in high notes without lip syncing while simultaneously performing complex choreography (in heels, no less). I think she sounds better live than in the studio, not something I can say for a lot of people.
She is also the highest paid performer, if that means anything.
I think this goes without saying. Her Beyhive stretch across continents. Literally.
Hoo, boy, did she ever.
That said, I am a fan, but no where near the crazy level of her Beyhive. I probably wouldn’t freak out if I see her in the street (well, maybe a little. It * is * Beyonce after all). And I completely disagree with a poster up thread who said she might fade into nothingness. Girl is about as forgettable as MJ or the Beatles.
I think Beyoncé is great, but I have to say I’m skeptical about how long-lasting her fame will be. I’d say she’s a lot like Diana Ross, who I guess has a pretty good claim to legendary status. I guess I don’t really believe that either of them has been, personally, all that influential. I like a lot of Beyoncé’s songs, but I don’t think they are really all that distinctive, at least when compared to someone like the Beatles. Only time will tell.
I’m not sure about Michael Jackson. He had some really great hit songs, but will they really be interesting to people who didn’t grow up with them? They’re pretty poppy. Also, you have to wonder how future legendary status is affected by really negative impressions about a person.
She started the Internet’s first dance craze with her “jazz hands” move in Single Ladies. A lot of modern artists cite her as an influence on their styles - including Adele, Rihanna and Taylor Swift.
Comparing the Beatles with Beyonce is futile in a way: different music genre’s, different eras etc. When Destiny’s Child started, music recording was already a thing and there were far more artists in the game than when the Beatles started. And yet they still managed to rise to the top. A lot of people today, believe it or not, do not know the name of the members of the Beatles (save, perhaps, Paul McCartney). Maybe it’s our age differences speaking
For what it’s worth, I think Beyonce has already made history (beyond the point were Diana Ross did after the Supremes). She is the most nominated woman in Grammy history, broke the record for most Grammy’s won in a night, and won 20 awards so far; she has sold 100’s of millions of albums with many certifications (most of them platinum); has six number one solo albums; her tours and concerts sell out in minutes (and in one case, seconds). The fact that she dropped her fifth album without so much of a peep or hint of promotion - something that no other artist would have dared consider before - and still managed to turn in into a great commercial success is testimony to her star power. She is the one celebrity who I believe their “Super Status” is not exaggerated.
What really gets me about the current crop of female pop singers (ever since Madonna) is all about looks, dancing, etc. The music takes a back seat to it all. There’s a saying I saw that said “I liked best when the musicians were ugly.”
Michael Jackson is one of the main reasons MTV is known throughout the world. * Thriller * is the best selling album of all time. And his works have been selling like crazy even after his death :
Music is such an unusual business. As @NoVADad99 says, there are so many acts who are all about the spectacle. I much prefer singer-songwriters. IMHO Mary-Chapin Carpenter is doubly blessed with a gorgeous voice AND the ability to write amazing lyrics. I am sure she has chosen a smaller, more low-key lifestyle (I would too) but on some level it bothers me that she is not as well known and compensated as an act that is all sizzle and no steak.
Other brilliant acts - John Gorka, Dar Williams, Marc Cohn, Cliff Eberhart, Shawn Colvin, Cheryl Wheeler, Beth Nielsen Chapman . . .but none of them will be considered legends when they go.
@InfinityMan, Diana Ross was YUGE! Now, she’s still (I think) pretty darn legendary, but she’s not so huge. Nor are some other big stars, such as (in my opinion) Stevie Wonder, great as he is. Beyoncé is huge now in pretty much the same way they were. Or Madonna (who’s still pretty big). Or Cher. I also think it’s pretty hard to retain legendary status after your death if your status was primarily based on being a terrific performer. Perhaps Elvis has done it, but I’m not even sure about him. Who else? Maybe Fred Astaire–but he was also a movie star. Jimmy Durante–who was a big star and a household name–isn’t much known now, because he didn’t appear in many movies that have become classics and familiar to later generations.
I think one reason the Beatles have stood, and will likely continue to stand, the test of time is that their songs are well-written and produced, and many have essentially become “standards.” When you hear them, they don’t seem linked to a particular point in time (as opposed, say, to New Wave stuff, or, likely, today’s EDM, and probably a lot of hip-hop and rap as well). I think a lot of the Motown tunes have also become standards, but they seem (to me) to be somewhat less associated with the particular artists who first performed them. I think some of Bob Dylan’s songs have achieved this level of cultural establishment, but I can’t think of too many others. Which of the songs of Michael Jackson, or Prince, or David Bowie, will we hear being played in piano bars, and on elevators, 20 years from now? I guess that’s kind of sad measure of legendary status, but I think it makes sense, at least when applied to the music itself.
