The 1980s chart square off of Madonna vs. Bruce Springsteen has taken a unique turn after just four days.
Madonna’s “Madame X” album is falling apart. After hitting number 1 on iTunes out of the gate, the “weird” album (not my words) has dropped to number 10. It’s the same thing on amazon, and on most iTunes charts. In Japan, it’s number 25.
Springsteen’s “Western Stars” is not only number 1 on iTunes and amazon, but it’s a hit around the world, too. Most countries list it at at number 1. Bruce hasn’t had such a clear hit in a long time.
Today, Tuesday, a clearer picture of the numbers involved will emerge later in the day. For Bruce, it’s all good news. But for Madonna, it could be troubling since she’s going to hunker down and tour this album starting in September. If the songs on the album aren’t in much demand, Madonna should realize now that fans will want to hear her hits, not “1, 2, cha cha cha,” as she sings on “Medellin,” her senior citizen shuffle board song.
For Bruce, I’d be surprised if he didn’t do some shows at least to promote “Western Stars” this fall. It’s got to be tempting for him. He’s a Wayfarer, baby. He likes to be on the road.
