Does Madonna belong?

What happened

Madonna was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, along with John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, the Dave Clark Five, and the Ventures. A pop icon, Madonna had rock legends Iggy Pop & the Stooges perform two of her songs at the ceremony. "It is a great honor to receive this award, and I'm grateful and appreciate for the acknowledgment that this implies," said Madonna, who also quoted from the Talmud in her acceptance speech. (Billboard)

What the commentators said

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"The sneering started as soon as they announced Madonna's name," said Brian McCollum in the Detroit Free Press. Rock purists were outraged that the "glittery, poppy, Hollywood-beloved Madonna" is taking her place in the pantheon of rock legends. But they also cried foul when Michael Jackson and Grandmaster Flash were inducted. Well, "factional loyalties" are as native to rock as the guitar. Still, the Madonna hater will really know "angst" when the Backstreet Boys become eligible in 11 years.

Those who consider her induction a "desecration" haven't really listened to her music, said Jim Farber in the New York Daily News. From the "punky fervor" of some of her early singles to her genre-busting later masterpieces, she's clearly got the "rock 'n' roll spirit." She won't ever "record an 'unplugged' CD (let us pray)," but if you can look past her "blinding" image, you'll see that it would be a farce to deny her admittance.

It's not like any of the other inductees have anything in common, said Mark Beech in Bloomberg, except "that they all play music, not necessarily rock and roll." But unlike "B-listers" like the Dave Clark Five, "it's hard to argue against Madonna's inclusion." She's got the fame, record sales, and "critical acclaim" to make her a shoe-in, and if the Hall of Fame only included "artists of this stature, it would be much smaller."