I wasn’t alive during her peak so I can’t answer this question but one thing to point out is that Madonna rose to the top in an era where there were actually artists and bands with talent. Not saying there’s not talent these days but not compared to the 80s.

I wasn’t alive but I do know Madonna didn’t get the amount of praise and god-like worship from the media that Beyoncé gets 24/7. She was always picked apart constantly.

I was around LOL

Part of what made Madonna so famous was how polarizing she was and still is. I still think Madonna's level of fame at that time was bigger than Beyoncé's because she was so controversial. 1984-1987 and 1989 to 1992 I think were the biggest years. First Like a Virgin/Madonna wannabes/True Blue/Who's That Girl and then the second phase of the Like a Prayer video/Pepsi commercial/Vogue/Blond Ambition/Justify My Love/Truth or Dare/Sex Book/Erotica was a whirlwind of Madonna absolutely dominating the media. She was everywhere - literally everywhere. On the Radio. On TV. On movie screens. In bookstores. She was on fire and interest was at an all-time high.

It was a really exciting time because the eras were top notch. The best singles. The best videos. The best tours. The best controversies. The best looks. The best remixes. Back then, Madonna was such a cultural icon. Sadly, she's become such a punchline now with all the ageist and sexist rhetoric thrown at her nowadays.
Back then, you couldn't wait to see what she would do next. The Justify My Love video was so controversial and people wanted to see it, so Madonna's team smartly released it on VHS, which was one of the few forms of physical media at the time.

After the Sex book, you could feel the tide turn. She had went too far, and people were tired of her controversies. The music was still great (Erotica and Bedtime Stories are great albums) and would continue to be great - even brilliant (Ray of Light) - for awhile, but it wasn't the same.

Beyonce wishes come on..