Madonna’s new album, MDNA, has made the record books. Dubiously. After debuting at number one with 359,000 units sold her first week, the Material Girl’s 12^th album has achieved the greatest 2^nd week sales drop in history—moving only 46,000 units. I happened to mention this to my 15 year-old daughter on the way to dinner who told me, “She’s so old! All my friends say she’s 50 acting like she’s 15!”

“But wait a minute,” I protested. “What difference does it make how old she is? Either her music’s good or it’s not, right? That’s age discrimination! That’s like saying someone’s no good because they’re white, or black, or a woman or a man.” That conjured up, right on time, one of those ‘twitching-right-eyelid eye rolls’ that daughters save for dear old dad.

So she clarified, “Well it’s not that she’s old and making music that’s bad, it’s just that she acts like she’s a teenager, dancing around like she’s doing Beyonce moves. It’s like she’s trying to be something she’s not with all that acting sexual and stuff.”

“Acting” sexual? Clearly she hasn’t followed Madonna’s career!

It was amazing to hear that teens think of Madonna as so terribly old, passé and a first rate poseur when I see her as a Darwinian, chameleonic innovator whose example is the veritable textbook on artistic reinvention over a long career. The perception that Madonna copies Beyonce was fascinating, especially considering that Beyonce dances down the path that Madonna first paved for her nearly 30 years ago. If there’s anything to be known about Madonna, it’s that she’s always claimed to be more a dancer than a singer.

And oddly, the other thing to be known about Madonna was that she’s been sexual and stuff ever since the ‘80s. She ruffled feathers and became an instant superstar in 1984 at the first MTV Music Awards by writhing around on the studio floor and seducing the camera wearing a gigantic  buckle that said BOYTOY. No no, Madonna wasn’t “acting” all sexual and stuff, that’s who she’s always been.

Well, on second-thought, I suppose most of her photos in the infamous metal-bound “SEX” book were acting.

But is this complete failure to communicate who she even is or why she’s important the real problem behind her sales slump in week two? Could straight talk with a 15-year old help the Madonna machine? Could Madge’s team be so used to her being Madonna-in-quotes that they aren’t really communicating why we should care anymore? Hmmm. But until the album roll-out is complete, the eyes of those who love her and the eyes of those who want to see her fail will be following the icon to see what happens next–the truest definition of a star.

Dave Carlock is a 25-year veteran of the entertainment business whose work as a recording engineer and producer, touring musician, and songwriter made him Googleable. His continuing work as an Independent Content Creator of Sound and Image has earned him a Grammy Award certificate, two Platinum Record Awards, and a Paragon Award in advertising. Currently, he brings national and international artists to make records and music videos at his production studio in the Benton Harbor Arts District. www.davecarlock.com