In Praise of Madonna.

Madonna, looking like a teenager despite being approximately 500 years old in this photo.

I'm working on a presentation about the importance of Madonna in American music. I'd have to say she's pretty important-the woman's the highest-selling solo female artist in history, her albums and singles read like a list of the most influential works in modern music history, and countless artists list her as one of their inspirations.

She's timeless, yet she continually innovates her style and music. She's always cutting-edge, and her music feels both fresh and classic.

"Like A Virgin" is easily the most influential album in the history of pop music. It singlehandedly refocused the pop music industry from bands to soloists, emphasized the importance of women in music, opened the door for R&B and Hip Hop to break mainstream, and allowed artists more autonomy in their music.

Let's all just take a moment to celebrate the fact that Madonna is the greatest musician alive today, not measuring by talent but by influence. She's an icon, a force in the music industry, and will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the "legends" of music alongside the likes of Elvis and The Beatles.