Madonna reaches pop music's summit. She is inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in New York.

1983 was a powerful year in pop culture. While shopping for Cabbage Patch Kids caused mall pandemonium, and avoiding the whammy kept everyone entertained on TV, Duran Duran, The Police, Michael Jackson and Irene Cara were among those dominating the pop music charts.

Yet late in the year, a self-titled album from a 25-year old newbie named Madonna hit store shelves on cassette, and those that were slightly ahead of the game could get it on compact disc. Now, half her life later, Madonna Louise Ciccone is the newest member of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.

Justin Timberlake introduced the pop queen before she accepted the award at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

"There's been many Madonna wannabes," Timberlake said. "But there's only one Madonna."

Madonna earned her spot in the 2008 inductee class with little effort, and at the earliest possible opportunity. She joins fellow 80's success John Mellencamp, as well as Tacoma, Washington's The Ventures, and British Invasion act The Dave Clark Five as the Hall's newest members.

They "said I was talentless," Madonna remarks about her biggest critics over the years. She added that these same naysayers also said she "was chubby," "couldn't sing," and was "a one-hit-wonder."

Getting Inducted

To gain acceptance into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, a musician must be at least 25 years into their performing career, and of course must have spent ample time on the charts of their appropriate genre. Madonna's first single, "Everybody," debuted in 1982.

Since then the Queen of Pop has become arguably the top female performer of the 80's and most of the 90's. She's also scored several hits here in the 21st century. Her aforementioned self-titled success spawned Holiday, as well as Lucky Star and Borderline. Before 1984 was over, Like A Virgin brought her more chart-toppers. Then came movie favorites like Crazy For You, Live To Tell, and Into The Groove. She sailed through the late 80's with more hit-rich albums like True Blue and Like A Prayer.

Also enjoyed widely as a sex symbol in the decade of style and substance, Madonna played that image up even more once the 90's arrived. The music video for her lewd 1990 hit Justify My Love was banned from MTV. This appeared to launch a new era by which she made headlines via candor and controversy. Albums such as 1992's Erotica applied a sexual flavor to rather arousing tracks, some of which, like the album's theme song, garnered gobs of airplay. In 1994, despite using a four letter expletive 13 times on CBS's Late Show With David Letterman, she continued to top the charts with songs like I'll Remember and Secret.

By her 40th birthday in 1998, Madonna had gravitated more towards the soft electronicas and other pop ballads that people had enjoyed from her in years past. Several hits from the Ray Of Light record achieved this. Then came the cusp of the new millenium, and with it more soundtrack successes like Beautiful Stranger. Her largely country-themed album Music came out in 2000. Throughout much of the 00's, Madonna has been heard doing duets with the likes of pop pal Britney Spears, and soon Justin Timberlake, who is featured on her upcoming album Hard Candy.

And so Madonna's entry into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame comes just months before she turns the big 5-0. She's had more than that many hits, starred in scores of films and is on a par with the likes of Marilyn Monroe when one mentions pop culture icons of the past century.

Oddly enough, Madonna thanks her critics for the plateau she has reached.

"They pushed me to do better," she claims. "I am grateful for their resistance."