Madonna and Mellencamp in Hall of Fame
December 14, 2007

Ready to feel old? Madonna and John Mellencamp are about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as the class of 2008 was announced this week. The Queen of Pop was deemed Rock enough for the Hall of Fame and she will be joined by the great Leonard Cohen, The Ventures, The Dave Clark Five, and John Mellencamp. All five inductees will enter the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in New York on March 10th, 2008.

E! quoted the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President Joel Peresman as saying, "The 2008 inductees are trailblazers - all unique and influential in their genres. From poetry to pop, these five acts demonstrate the rich diversity of rock and roll itself."

There was a ballot of nine possible inductees announced in September and the list was whittled down to the five inductees by a group of 600 music-biz insiders. The quartet left out of the running this year was The Beastie Boys, Donna Summer, Chic, and Afrika Bambaataa. Hopefully, all four of them will get in next year. It took 25 years to get to this point. That's how long an artist has to wait after their debut release to be eligible. That means that Madonna and John Mellencamp have been around for a quarter of a century. We feel old.

Madonna signed with Sire in 1982 and has had countless pop hits in the quarter-century since. She even recently signed a deal with Live Nation for ten years and $120 million, and she's a year shy of 50 years old. Her first studio album under the deal will be out early in the spring. The Guinness Book of World Records lists her as the most successful female musician ever. Top twenty singles in the US for Madonna include "Holiday," "Borderline," "Lucky Star," "Like a Virgin," "Material Girl," "Crazy For You," "Angel," "Dress You Up," "Live to Tell," "Papa Don't Preach," "True Blue," "Open Your Heart," "La Isla Bonita," "Who's That Girl," "Causing a Commotion," "Like a Prayer," "Express Yourself," "Cherish," "Oh Father," "Keep It Together," "Vogue," "Hanky Panky," "Justify My Love," "Rescue Me," "This Uses to Be My Playground," "Erotica," "Deeper and Deeper," "Rain," "I'll Remember," "Secret," "Take a Bow," "You'll See," "You Must Love Me," "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," "Frozen," "Ray of Light," "The Power of Good-Bye," "Beautiful Stranger," "Music," "Don't Tell Me," "Die Another Day," and "Hung Up."

John Mellencamp also broke through in 1982, but he was known just as John Cougar back then. Just as famous for his grassroots efforts with Farm Aid, Mellencamp has been a hit maker for 25 years. Top 20 singles for John Mellencamp include "Ain't Even Done With the Night," "Hurts So Good," "Jack and Diane," "Hand to Hold on To," "Crumblin' Down," "Pink Houses," "Authority Song," "Lonely Ol' Night," "Small Town," "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," "Paper in Fire," "Cherry Bomb," "Check It Out," "Pop Singer," "Get a Leg Up," "Wild Night," and "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)."

Finally, Leonard Cohen has seen his hits covered by everyone from U2 to REM and has been a major songwriting force in music for decades. If you've never heard Leonard Cohen, seek out his work as soon as possible. You won't be sorry.

Other recent music news includes the death of a member of the Hall of Fame, Ike Turner, the return of Led Zeppelin, and some details about the spring release from Madonna.