@1551908025870467072

 

The Queen of Pop herself, Madonna, has also made history as the only artist to be nominated in each decade since the award show began. She was already the most awarded artist in VMA history, with 20 wins, and thanks to "Madame X" now boasts 69 career nominations.

Full list of Madonna's VMA nominations:

 

1984: Best New Artist

1985: Best Art Direction (Like a Virgin)

1985: Best Choreography (Like a Virgin)

1985: Best Cinematography (Like a Virgin)

1985: Best Choreography (Material Girl)

1985: Best Female Video (Material Girl)

1986: Video Vanguard Award - Winner

1986: Best Choreography (Dress You Up)

1986: Best Choreography (Like a Virgin live)

1987: Best Choreography (Open Your Heart)

1987: Best Art Direction (Open Your Heart)

1987: Best Female Video (Open Your Heart)

1987: Best Cinematography (Papa Don't Preach)

1987: Best Female Video (Papa Don't Preach) - Winner

1987: Best Overall Performance (Papa Don't Preach)

1989: Best Art Direction (Express Yourself) - Winner

1989: Best Cinematography (Express Yourself) - Winner

1989: Best Direction (Express Yourself) - Winner

1989: Best Editing (Express Yourself)

1989: Best Female Video (Express Yourself)

1989: Video of the Year (Like a Prayer)

1989: Viewer's Choice (Like a Prayer) - Winner

 

1990: Best Art Direction (Vogue)

1990: Best Choreography (Vogue)

1990: Best Cinematography (Vogue) - Winner

1990: Best Dance Video (Vogue)

1990: Best Direction (Vogue) - Winner

1990: Best Editing (Vogue) - Winner

1990: Best Female Video (Vogue)

1990: Video of the Year (Vogue)

1990: Viewer's Choice (Vogue)

1991: Best Choreography (Like a Virgin live)

1991: Best Female Video (Like a Virgin live)

1991: Best Long Form Video (The Immaculate Collection) - Winner

1992: Best Choreography (Holiday live)

1992: Best Dance Video (Holiday live)

1992: Best Dance Video (Holiday live)

1993: Best Art Direction (Rain) - Winner

1993: Best Cinematography (Rain) - Winner

1994: Best Video from a Film (I'll Remember)

1995: Best Choreography (Human Nature)

1995: Best Dance Video (Human Nature)

1995: Best Art Direction (Take a Bow)

1995: Best Female Video (Take a Bow) - Winner

1996: Best Cinematography (You'll See)

1998: Best Special Effects (Frozen) - Winner

1998: Best Choreography (Ray of Light) - Winner

1998: Best Cinematography (Ray of Light)

1998: Best Dance Video (Ray of Light)

1998: Best Direction (Ray of Light) - Winner

1998: Best Editing (Ray of Light) - Winner

1998: Best Female Video (Ray of Light) - Winner

1998: Breakthrough Video (Ray of Light)

1998: Video of the Year (Ray of Light) - Winner

1999: Best Cinematography (Beautiful Stranger)

1999: Best Female Video (Beautiful Stranger)

1999: Best Video from a Film (Beautiful Stranger) - Winner

1999: Best Special Effects (Nothing Really Matters)

 

2000: Best Cinematography (American Pie)

2001: Best Choreography (Don't Tell Me)

2001: Best Female Video (Don't Tell Me)

2003: Best Video from a Film (Die Another Day)

2006: Best Choreography (Hung Up)

2006: Best Dance Video (Hung Up)

2006: Best Female Video (Hung Up)

2006: Best Pop Video (Hung Up)

2006: Video of the Year (Hung Up)

2008: Best Dance Video (4 Minutes)

2022: Best Long Form Video (Madame X)

Wow that's fantastic.

That's great. Looking at that list it becomes apparent that for the first half of her career, she picked up so many noms and awards, yet for the last 22+ years she's won nothing. I wonder why?

That's great. Looking at that list it becomes apparent that for the first half of her career, she picked up so many noms and awards, yet for the last 22+ years she's won nothing. I wonder why?

 

Honestly, it's mostly an age ceiling thing. The US music industry is set up to where by the time a major artist gets around 40, it's time retire, go on greatest hits tours, or do the occasional mentoring appearance on singing talent shows. You could point to a few outliers...(like that one time in 1999 that Cher got a big hit while in her 50s)...but they're rare.

 

Beyond that...while it was a big hit in a lot of other places, I do think American Life was pretty damaging to Madonna in the US. Music was the last album era that truly felt like she owned the music scene. The American Life single arrived in the US...and was pretty much immediately placed on 'worst song ever' lists. MTV and VH1's smarmier shows of the time really tainted the whole thing. People hated the rap. Even though the original video was replaced, it had already gotten a ton of press. This very inaccurate perception got out there that Madonna had released an album full of her perceptions on war. I don't think she ever totally recovered. Yes, both Hung Up and 4 Minutes were chart/radio hits...but I'm not sure they're truly signature songs of hers in the US in the way they are the rest of the world. And it's a bit telling that those singles' follow-ups performed so poorly (even though I think they're rather good).

 

These awards used to be big! Now not many people care.

Honestly, it's mostly an age ceiling thing. The US music industry is set up to where by the time a major artist gets around 40, it's time retire, go on greatest hits tours, or do the occasional mentoring appearance on singing talent shows. You could point to a few outliers...(like that one time in 1999 that Cher got a big hit while in her 50s)...but they're rare.

 

Beyond that...while it was a big hit in a lot of other places, I do think American Life was pretty damaging to Madonna in the US. Music was the last album era that truly felt like she owned the music scene. The American Life single arrived in the US...and was pretty much immediately placed on 'worst song ever' lists. MTV and VH1's smarmier shows of the time really tainted the whole thing. People hated the rap. Even though the original video was replaced, it had already gotten a ton of press. This very inaccurate perception got out there that Madonna had released an album full of her perceptions on war. I don't think she ever totally recovered. Yes, both Hung Up and 4 Minutes were chart/radio hits...but I'm not sure they're truly signature songs of hers in the US in the way they are the rest of the world. And it's a bit telling that those singles' follow-ups performed so poorly (even though I think they're rather good).

I think you're probably right on all this. I guess 'Hung Up' only got as many nominations as it did due to its undeniable success across Europe.

 

I thought Madonna might have earned a nomination in 2020 for one of the Madame X videos, specifically 'God Control', but no. Some people on PopJustice are suggesting the Madame X film is only nominated due to Paramount's association with MTV.