Madonna's Jumped the Shark

I've never been the biggest Madonna fan. I don't own any of her CDs and haven't listened to one all the way through. That being said, it was hard not to at least respect her. She was ground breaking in the 80s. She re-defined what a pop star was. She was overtly sexual and not afraid to admit it (and display it). Whatever Madonna was in the 80s, (tramp, artist, rebel,) she was definitely not the norm. She shattered the conception of what a female should be saying, wearing, and portraying, both on stage and in her music videos. We forget this now, but "Like a Prayer" was pretty heavy stuff when it came out.
As with most musicians, Madonna has mellowed with age. Her music no longer challenges the prevailing zeitgeist (though the case could be made...what's left to challenge?). Even as she mellowed though, Madonna's music never turned into the sugar-covered bubble gum pop music that plagues radio. If we can be honest I think we'll all agree that no one really liked "Ray of Light," but when you heard the song it was distinctly Madonna. It was a pretty shitty song, but you knew who it was.
Madonna's coming out with a new album this year, and after hearing her first single off the record, "4 Minutes," I think it's safe to say that Madonna has officially jumped the shark. The song pretty much is generic bubble gum pop, complete with appearances from "it" guest stars of the moment Timberlake and Timbaland. Madonna was always compelling and different, but there's no way you can say that about this song. The lyrics are the same old crap that you'd hear coming out of the mouth of Britney Spears or The Pussycat Dolls. The song serves no purpose other than to create a beat to dance too. Other than the rather cult-like repetitions of 'Ma-donnnna' throughout the song, you wouldn't even know who was singing it. And honestly, Madonna being forced to insert her name into her song just so we know who's singing the damn thing is a telltale sign that the old, badass Madonna of yesteryear is nothing but a mere memory. As Madonna annoyingly keeps chanting 'tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock' throughout the song, you can't help but wonder if she's in fact counting down the end of her career as a music pioneer, and her entry into the doldrums of musical banality and obscurity.