Gender Roles in Music: Elton John and Madonna - Term Paper Example

Gender Roles in Music: A Study of Elton John and Madonna Over the years, men and women in the music industry have had different roles to play. There have been a lot of transformations that has been witnesses in this music industry concerning the gender representation in the same. Women have started to receive better reception from the community as they express themselves in music. The society has moved from a time when the women used to be judged when they indulged in music to a time when the music produces by the women is actually appreciated and given credit. This has encouraged the participation of more and more women in the music industry. However, despite the good reception that the women are getting from the society regarding this, there are still differences that exist between the roles played by the women in the music industry and those played by the men. In this paper, I will focus on these differences by looking into the musical careers of Elton John and Madonna and highlighting the difference between these two. Reginald Kenneth Dwight, commonly identified using his stage name Elton John, is one of the most renowned male musicians of all time. He is a flamboyant English singer, musician, as well as a very popular songwriter.  Elton John’s music became popular in the 1970s and 1980s (Rosenthal, pp. 46). However, the popularity of his music was not the same as the other pop artistes. He was able to keep his popularity for a very long time. From the time when he became famous in 19770, year in year out Elton John kept charting a Top 40 single. He was able to sing his music the way he wanted to and in a way he kept connecting with the crowd on the same. It is songs such as “Candle in the Wind” and “Your Song” that actually made Elton John popular. This was because he was able to touch the world with these songs. Elton John did not just stop at being a musician, he was able to extend a charity hand and become an ambassador of peace when he started The Elton John AIDS Foundation. This foundation was aimed at helping all patients around the world who were fighting HIV/AIDS as well as educate the rest on how they could keep themselves safe (Rosenthal, pp. 50). Elton John’s music career started at a very tender age. He started playing piano at the age of four. When he was eleven, his piano skills were very good and this earned him a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Later on, Dwight decided to join a band called Bluesology. With this band, his music career took off as they embarked on a British tour. Elton John’s breakthrough in music came through after he responded to an advertisement by Liberty Records. Him and Bernie Taupin came together and started their careers as song writer. They wrote lyrics and music for so many of the popular singers during that time. It is from here that Elton John became famous through his lyrics/ when the hit single “Your Song” was released, Elton John finally found his mark on the music chart (Woolf et al., pp. 69). He was a hit in the United States and the United Kingdom. All throughout the Seventies, he received a huge support from the lovers of pop music. His concerts drew a lot of crowds because of the popularity that Dwight enjoyed. In his first four years, Dwight enjoyed a record sixteen Top 20 hits in a row. The reception that he got from the society was great. Most people in the society began to associate with his music more and more. In 1997, Elton John became a popular world figure when he composed the song “Candle in the Wind” to mourn the death of Princess Diana. The original song has previously been dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. However, Dwight changed the first line of the song from "Goodbye Norma Jean" to "Goodbye England's Rose" in order to mark the sending off of the princess of Wales (White, pp. 15). This song became Elton John’s biggest selling record of all time. All that was collected from the sales of this record went to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. This was a charity set up to remember the princess' after her death. Despite this smooth musical career, Elton John found himself fighting off drug abuse in his life. He was addicted to cocaine and alcohol. The situation got so bad that he actually had to undergo a throat surgery in 1980. This did not however change how the society viewed his status. He was later on able to go into rehabilitation to combat his drug abuse and alcoholism. He still continues to influence many people by his music and has been able to being a change to the world through The Elton John AIDS Foundation (White, pp. 16). Madonna is one of the world’s best renowned female musicians of all times. She became one of the world’s top entertainers in the year 1977 and her career has been thriving ever since then. However, her reception by the world in the music industry was not as smooth as we have already seen with that of Elton John. Madonna has struggled to maintain her career in the music industry and fight off any form of gender discriminations that were thrown her way. Maintaining her place in the entertainment industry proved to be a very challenging issue for Madonna. She had got to formulate clear goals and struggle to keep up with the competition of the other male singers in the industry at the time. Madonna stated her music career at a very young age and was able to get a good reception because of her strong voice that attracted the attention of many listeners (Anderson, 1). Born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, Madonna became a household name in the music industry at a very young age. She was able to fight off the competition that emerged from her male competitor and earn a widespread worldwide recognition in the music industry. Madonna thus became an icon for her fans all over the world. In establishing herself in this industry, Madonna was influenced, to a very significant degree, by her parents. Her mother passed away when she was young and thus she had to struggle to get affection from her father (Anderson, 1). The death of her mother really broke Madonna’s heart. She felt as though she had been deprived the only thing that did matter to her. After this tragedy, Madonna thrived for a life of femininity. She got the love that she wanted and support from her father but had to learn how to live as an independent woman. This strength s what resulted in her success in the music career and she thus became a huge role model to a lot of young ladies in the world. Madonna adapted to the style that she felt suited her viewer most in her songs. This was sometimes met by very harsh criticisms from the viewers (Grant, 46). However, despite all these challenges that she faced, Madonna was still able to fight them off and become one of the most successful businesswomen in the music industry. She was able to develop her own operating entertainment companies. Madonna started the Boy Toy Inc, a publishing company, Siren films, and Slutco Inc, a video production company (Ranall, 1). In 1992, she was able to develop the management and recording company Maverick Inc. In this company she was in collaboration with the Warner Brothers Records. In fighting off her challenges, Madonna was able to set clear her competencies and weaknesses. She realized that though her voice, she could be able to make a life for herself, but this was not enough. Thus, in her early career, she invested in networking in order to compensate her faults (Ranal, 1). Her success was not as easy as that of Elton John. It was not brought about by music only but she had to toil for reception and to make her business a success. Madonna’s story goes ahead to show the challenges that women do face in their reception in the music industry. Women and Men do play different roles in the society. The gender discrimination has been existent for a very long time in the music industry. This has made it difficult for the women to be successful in their careers like the men. Comparing the music lives and careers of Elton John and Madonna clearly outlines how hard the women have it in the music industry. For Elton John, his reception was very good and he was actually able to become famous and successful through his music only. However, in Madonna’s case, she had got to struggle and network for other forms of businesses in order to succeed. This goes to show how the society received the music roles played by the men and women differently. From the study of the two artistes above, we have seen that there is a difference in the roles played by the men and women in the music industry. The women have it harder than the men in the struggle to make it in the music industry. Their popularity largely depends on how far they go to please their viewers and is not just related to their good vocals any more. Women have been made to go that extra mile in their careers in order to become successful. Unlike Elton John, we have seen how Madonna had got to struggle with other businesses besides her music career in order to become successful. Elton John on the other hand did not have a rough path at all. This difference in gender reception in the music industry is what makes most women not succeed with easy. It has got to be eliminated and a common ground for musicians and song writers, whether male or female, established. Works Cited Anderson, Johnnes. “Madonna strategy on the dance floor; Business strategy review”. 2007. Web. 30 March 2012 from Grant, Robert. “Contemporary strategy analysis: Madonna is America’s Smartest Business Woman, Business Age”. 7th Ed. New York: John Wiley & Son’s. 2011. Pp. 46. Ranall, Desmond. “The top-earning musician of 2010: Madonna”. 2010. Retrieved March 20 2012 from . Rosenthal, Elizabeth. “His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John”. New York: Watson-Gutpil Publications Incorporated. 2004. Pp. 45-56. Woolf, Jack et al., (2000). Icons of 20th Century Music: Heritage-Odyssey Auction #605. New York: McGrawHill. 2000. Pp. 67-78. White, Daniel. “Elton John”. New York: SAGE. 2000. Pp. 12-30. Read More