# Singers Wrongly Predicted To Become Huge Stars? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 1, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539 "2014-08-01T00:34:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/101 "2015-02-13T16:34:03Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Are you familiar with Imogen Heap? Also a thank you from me for introducing me to this artist. I like the samples I have heard so far very much! ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/102 "2015-02-13T17:42:44Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > We’ve discussed this on the SDMB before: Madonna is stuPENdously ambitious and has a business mind as well as whatever other talents related to songwriting, performing etc. She found ways to get everyone to move in her direction. Cyndi is notoriously difficult and self-limiting - I worked with someone who produced one of her albums who is barely willing to speak her name. More power to her for having so much musical talent to stay in the public eye and have huge success with Kinky Boots, but she was her own worst enemy. Madonna was her own best champion. I guess it’s all in perspective. I see Madonna as one desperately trying to cling to her past musical success, but she’s old and lumbering on stage at the Grammy’s, to me it looked almost as embarrassing as the Superbowl half time crap she did. She’s become the William Shatner of pop. Her voice was never really anything to write about. Thank god for autotune! The areas she did try acting and directing were a disaster. Cyndi Lauper on the other hand is the first woman in history to win a Tony award for the lyrics and musical score for KinkyBoots in 2013 and is the toast of Broadway. I’m sure Madonna was the first for doing something? Oh yeah take off her clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/103 "2015-02-13T18:17:10Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > \ And I like Die Antwood (though they weren’t listed)\ > But thank you for the links. I liked them a lot, and sorry if I’ve offended anyone. Funnily enough, I was going to link to “I Fink U Freeky” by Die Antwoord because the song is awesome (no link since it’s probably NSFW - it is available on Youtube though). ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/104 "2015-02-13T18:36:44Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > I guess it’s all in perspective. I see Madonna as one desperately trying to cling to her past musical success, but she’s old and lumbering on stage at the Grammy’s, to me it looked almost as embarrassing as the Superbowl half time crap she did. She’s become the William Shatner of pop. Her voice was never really anything to write about. Thank god for autotune! The areas she did try acting and directing were a disaster. > > Cyndi Lauper on the other hand is the first woman in history to win a Tony award for the lyrics and musical score for KinkyBoots in 2013 and is the toast of Broadway. > > I’m sure Madonna was the first for doing something? Oh yeah take off her clothes. Huh? Madonna is really good in “A League of Their Own”. And I quite enjoy the song on “At Close Range”. I never really paid much attention to her pop stuff. She was easy on the eyes at times. That was about it for me. “Madonna: Truth or Dare” is really interesting just for the backstage looks and the cameos. That’s all I really got on Madonna. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/105 "2015-02-13T18:41:20Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Funnily enough, I was going to link to “I Fink U Freeky” by Die Antwoord because the song is awesome (no link since it’s probably NSFW - it is available on Youtube though). Yeah it’s awesome! All I really want from performers is to do their own thing and try and bring some art to the table. I defend the hell out of Lady GaGa when people try and lump her in with Kei$ha\*, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande and so on. \*Though I’ve come to appreciate Kei$ha if she really was just a Mensa member who decided to become a millionaire by creating a pop persona out of nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/106 "2015-02-13T19:53:43Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Huh? Madonna is really good in “A League of Their Own”. And I quite enjoy the song on “At Close Range”. I never really paid much attention to her pop stuff. She was easy on the eyes at times. That was about it for me. “Madonna: Truth or Dare” is really interesting just for the backstage looks and the cameos. > > That’s all I really got on Madonna. Eh, she was very much a bit player in “A League of Their Own” compared to who she had around her. She had the name but not the acting chops. After that, it was all downhill. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/107 "2015-02-13T21:10:09Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > According to the makers of an actual documentary film they made about the guy, early 80’s one-hit-wonder Benny Mardones (“Into the Night”- “If I could fly, I’d pick YOOOUU up, and take you into the night…” as sung to a 16-year-old) was supposed to be huge but blew it on drugs. The filmmakers were on the radio here 10, 15 years ago promoting it as part of a film festival. Same title as the song. I still remember the interview, because I ended up wanting to see the film and never got to. > > The first question the DJ asked was the first question that the filmmakers were asked in every interview: “Why Benny Mardones, of all people?” Apparently his squandering of his Next-Big-Thingness was so colossal that it was the stuff that most of a film could be based on. > > (side note: The basis for the rest of the film was apparently the bizarre love relationship that one city- I think it was Buffalo- developed for the guy. He wasn’t from there or anything, but for whatever reason he could still sell out concert venues there, and there only, for years after his star had otherwise faded.) That would be Syracuse, NY. We don’t get many acts coming through here, being buried under snow much of the time. But Benny Mardones is looked upon as a rip-roaring huge success, is constantly showing up an putting on a concert with his same old repertoire. Probably hits up Buffalo and Rochester, too. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/108 "2015-02-14T01:55:55Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Are you familiar with Imogen Heap? Funny, I was just thinking of her when someone mentioned Dido upthread. Both British female recording artists who broke out in the early 2000. Both have ties to downtemp/trip-hop electronica groups (Faithless for Dido, Frou Frou for Imogen). Both prominently featured in movie and TV soundtracks of the time. But while everyone probably recognizes “Hide & Seek” (A.K.A “The OC song”), I don’t know that she was ever predicted to become a huge star. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/109 "2015-02-14T02:10:34Z")
**Harry Connick, Jr.** was supposed to be the next Frank Sinatra. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/110 "2015-02-14T04:42:28Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > **Harry Connick, Jr.** was supposed to be the next Frank Sinatra. Not many performers can be as big as Sinatra, but Harry Connick made it pretty big. It’s not like he fizzled. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/111 "2015-02-14T12:19:32Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > I guess it’s all in perspective. I see Madonna as one desperately trying to cling to her past musical success, but she’s old and lumbering on stage at the Grammy’s, to me it looked almost as embarrassing as the Superbowl half time crap she did. She’s become the William Shatner of pop. Her voice was never really anything to write about. Thank god for autotune! The areas she did try acting and directing were a disaster. > > Cyndi Lauper on the other hand is the first woman in history to win a Tony award for the lyrics and musical score for KinkyBoots in 2013 and is the toast of Broadway. > > I’m sure Madonna was the first for doing something? Oh yeah take off her clothes. You’re looking at the past decade. Madonna was one of the top 2-3 biggest pop stars for 20+ years, but yes, is pushing it now 35 years on in her career. While Cyndi dropped off the radar for about that same period after her mega-success of She’s So Unusual, and hadn’t really recaptured it, but has found a new way to express her wonderful musical talent in her songwriting work on Broadway. More power to Cyndi for her success, but you are selling Madonna way, way short. Not “as a matter of perspective” - simple fact. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/112 "2015-02-14T16:42:12Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Imogen is awesome. Thanks for the suggestion. > [@Art\_Rock](#): > > Also a thank you from me for introducing me to this artist. I like the samples I have heard so far very much! 🙂 My work here is done… ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/113 "2015-02-14T21:48:52Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > His big mistake was after MTV made him a star with the “Stepping Out” video, he refused to make videos. He was also changing styles with each album. > I remember rock critic Dave Marsh being interviewed around 1984. When asked for predictions of Next Big Thing, he hesitated but mentioned liking Jason and the Sorchers. Their “Fervor” ep did well in the Village Voice critics poll but the two full length albums didn’t sell. I saw them open for Stevie Ray Vaughn at Hofstra and right from the beginning the audience reaction was loud boos and raised middle fingers. Oh, yes, Jason and the Scorchers. That was another band touted as The Next Big Thing but it didn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/114 "2015-02-15T01:47:28Z")
Bay City Rollers got quite a bit of hype…first introduced on Howard Cosell’s (massive hype generator) Saturday Night TV variety. Lot’s of insinuations about being the next Beatles. Mild USA success, did well in Great Britain, proving their taste isn’t always good. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/115 "2015-02-15T20:13:48Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Bay City Rollers got quite a bit of hype…first introduced on Howard Cosell’s (massive hype generator) > Saturday Night TV variety. Lot’s of insinuations about being the next Beatles. Mild USA success, did well in Great Britain, proving their taste isn’t always good. Their American fan base was mostly tween girls, of whom I was one of them. We did not know at the time that at least two of them were not interested in girls. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/116 "2015-02-15T20:29:31Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > [Fontella Bass](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontella_Bass) got her start singing gospel music in church. She was signed by Chess Records and had a million-selling hit with the song [Rescue Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9mp3s2gpy8). She got into a fight over song credits and royalties, split with the label and largely got out of the business. I thought it was weird when she turned up on an avant-garde jazz album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Turns out she was married to the AEC’s trumpeter, Lester Bowie. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/117 "2015-02-15T21:42:03Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > Eh, she was very much a bit player in “A League of Their Own” … Not sure what the size of the part she played had to do with her ability to play it. I am no Madonna fan, but she did a superb job as an actor in that movie. (I actually remember being impressed that she agreed to play something other than The Star…) ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/118 "2015-02-17T02:48:09Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > I don’t know where this fits, but it seems like the “music industry” ™ is trying hard to push Lana Del Rey, and I have no idea why. I’m hoping she’s on this list sooner rather than later. I think her dad really put money behind her, and when she didn’t take off they did a whole image makeover and got her act to “take” and some point. It seems like it’s been working the past couple years. I remember reading a blog post from a (rap, mostly now instrumental) producer who was hired to work with her back when she used her real name and lips. I found it interesting at the time, since he had produced some of the more notable indie hip-hop music of the early 00s (which is mostly what I was into then). ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/119 "2015-02-17T02:50:44Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > According to the makers of an actual documentary film they made about the guy, early 80’s one-hit-wonder Benny Mardones (“Into the Night”- “If I could fly, I’d pick YOOOUU up, and take you into the night…” as sung to a 16-year-old) was supposed to be huge but blew it on drugs. The filmmakers were on the radio here 10, 15 years ago promoting it as part of a film festival. Same title as the song. I still remember the interview, because I ended up wanting to see the film and never got to. > > The first question the DJ asked was the first question that the filmmakers were asked in every interview: “Why Benny Mardones, of all people?” Apparently his squandering of his Next-Big-Thingness was so colossal that it was the stuff that most of a film could be based on. > > (side note: The basis for the rest of the film was apparently the bizarre love relationship that one city- I think it was Buffalo- developed for the guy. He wasn’t from there or anything, but for whatever reason he could still sell out concert venues there, and there only, for years after his star had otherwise faded.) What’s really notable about that guy is that he was twice a 1-hit wonder with the same song, almost a decade apart. How many times has that happened? There’s probably a thread about that here somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539/120 "2015-02-17T18:26:35Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > What’s really notable about that guy is that he was twice a 1-hit wonder with the same song, almost a decade apart. How many times has that happened? There’s probably a thread about that here somewhere. The closest thing I can think of is Sheriff’s “When I’m With You”. It was a minor hit in the early 1980s, and a monster hit when it was exhumed a few years later. As for the rest of the songs on their album, which AFAIK was the only one they ever released, I heard it described as “warmed over Boston”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-wrongly-predicted-to-become-huge-stars/694539.md?page=7)