Vote: Most Iconic VMA Performance Ever

Every year the MTV Video Music Awards feature some of the biggest and most memorable performances from all of your favorite artists.
Less formal than the Grammy Awards, the VMAs give artists the opportunity to let their hair down and really go out on a limb to put on some of the most daring and exciting performances of their careers. Simply put, you’re not going to see a blood-soaked Lady Gaga dangling above the stage or a wedding dress-clad Madonna climbing down a cake and rolling on the floor anywhere else.
But Madonna’s star-making turn at the inaugural VMAs and Gaga’s electrifying take on 'Paparazzi' are just two of the most iconic moments in VMA performance history. Who can forget when Sting joined Diddy, Faith Evans and 112 to pay tribute to Notorious B.I.G. with 'I’ll Be Missing You' in 1997, or when Eminem surrounded himself with lookalikes to perform 'The Real Slim Shady' in 2000?
Narrowing down all of the classic VMA performances to a short list of the most iconic was a major task, but we think we’ve singled out the ten most unforgettable performances in VMA history. Now it’s your turn to tell us which performance is the Most Iconic VMA Performance Ever.

To vote for Madonna's iconic VMA performance visit newsroom.mtv.com

Polls close Wednesday 24 August, so vote now and vote often!
Results will be announced in the lead-up to the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, which air live from Los Angeles on Sunday 28 August at 9:00PM on MTV.

Thanks to ljh

Comments

[Leawood bootcamp]

My one of the favorite :D, i hope
she will beat all the records. :)

[Johnny]

hey jeff, i'm sorry if i offended you by calling you a mentally & socially challenged, insecure "lil' monster".
it wasn't my intention to... "spew venom", you know b/c it's not the "kabbalah way".
i was just trying to prove a point but i guess i should be more specific in a less aggressive way, when expressing myself.
what i should've said was the "majority" of "Lady GaGa" fans are alil' "obsessed" to say the least.
jeff, i am sincere when i say i do apologize.
look, i too was a "Lady GaGa" fan back in the day when she wasn't all that & a bag of chips but that was when she first came out, i saw her to be the next "BIG" thing but nowadays i don't know who or what she is?
one day she's "kermit the frog" the next she's Madonna.
look, i have no h8 but i do state the obvious & sometimes the truth hurts.
much love<3
-Johnny

[Rafael]

I think Express Yourself was Madonna at her peak... Vogue was flawless, very inventive but Like A Virgin was the performance that showed and proved who Madonna was. That was (in my opinion) when the revolution started.

[Cotton Bags]

Hi this is such a nice post. Madonna’s star-making turn at the inaugural VMAs and Gaga’s electrifying take on “Paparazzi” are just two of the most iconic moments in VMA performance history.

[Gilbert U.]

Iconic: of, relating to, or of the nature of an icon.

Now that we have the definition straight, the only artists listed under MTVs poll that fall under this category would be: Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson and Aerosmith. The other five artists are still years and/or decades away from being considered "iconic".

My obvious choice for this category would be none other than MADONNA. Show anyone a picture of her standing on top of the wedding cake with that dress on and they'll know exactly which performance that was. Sadly, I agree with Alex in regards to why Michael Jackson is doing well in this category. Simple fact is that if he were still alive he'd be at less than 1% of the votes. To make my point, show anyone a pic of him in the "outfit" he used during his 1995 performance and no one could tell you which award program he performed at. Why? Because his attire changed very little and he probably used the same threads to many other events.

It would be great if MTV would make everyone watch at least 1 minute of each of the nominees performances before submitting their votes. Maybe then they'll realize that the artist(s) they have ahead of Madonna are "silly votes". :-D

[jeffrey]

johnny, sounds like you are the one with mental issues, calm down dude. madonna's sales over her career speak for themselves. she is number one with a bullet. no one will top her, and I hope her new cd is killer. you can like BOTH madonna and lady gaga and feel proud about it. STOP the hate. I doubt madonna would be proud of you and the venom that you spew. study a little kabbalah, please.

[Patrick]

I agree with RARA. the voters are younger and don't know what they're dealing with. and two: Vogue was much more "iconic." Like a Virgin just set a precedent for its time, but Vogue was a masterpiece.

[bichonfrisé]

I think Iconic for MTV means spectacular...

[bryan]

I am so over all these polls we all know madonnas the artist to beat them all end of story..............

[Alex]

What is the value of a poll where the same people can vote without limit?

I am not against a multiple vote but without any limitation this is ridiculous.

[Johnny]

The only reason why MJ is winning is b/c his fans will do anything to keep his memory alive, which is great but since the poll recalls for the most memorable/iconic performance ever, it shouldn't even be at the top of the list. you rarely ever hear about how iconic or memorable his performance was.
About "GaGa" the reason why s/he's even second is b/c her "lil' monsters" are like an army of brain-washed zombies who vote for her in everything from Queen of Pop to the Queen of Drag they're there & in countless numbers b/c she's "it" right now.
not to mention the fact that the majority of her fans are mentally & socially conflicted pubescent lil' kids who have lil' or no knowledge of pop culture & for those who aren't, are just as bad as those lil' kids but the difference here is that they're kids they don't know any better, what's they're excuse?
i mean seriously second? it wasn't even that memorable/iconic if anything it was the most recent but whatever.
& well we all know how crazy Brit Brit fans are about their "Idol"... to say the least.
& Bon Jovi ahead of Madonna, like really?!
as memorable & iconic Madonna's "Like a Virgin" Performance was i wouldn't consider it the "most" iconic VMA Performance ever, to be precise Madonna's 1990 - "Vogue" VMA Performance was way more memorable & iconic & it should've been on that list. i guess the reason why "Like a Virgin" is on the list is b/c it was probably the most talked about performance ever. never before was it seen that a female performer be jumping around in wedding dress, dry humping the stage floor in all of it's explicitness, not to mention the fact that it was pretty much the very first VMA Performance ever & i mean EVER.
Madonna deserves more credit & recognition from the public than this.
God Save the Queen!

[RARA]

most iconic madonna on mtv was vogue
then express yourself
and third like a virgin
but no one of the voters is older than 15 so they do not know better
lol

[Maggie]

obviously idiots are voting

[Mike]

Michael Jackson is winning. By a LOT. Then it's Gaga, then Britney. It's not looking good for 'M' on this particular poll, but then who knows what kind of people are voting...