Madonna's American Life

I think it was underrated. In addition to Hollywood, I also think that Love Profusion, Nothing Fails, Intervention, and X-Static Process are great songs. The last especially is sublime. I think the album was ridiculed, and quite rightly, for the awful rapping. I also admit to losing a lot of respect for her when she decided to reshoot the American Life video to avoid the Dixie Chicks fate.

Love the album but she was brain dead with the lyrics in Hollywood. She criticizes... Radio. And then wondered why no one was playing her music. Many people say American Life ended her career for awhile but the American Life single was a hit. Hollywood was the single that got little, if any, airplay and her first to miss the Top 40 because radio wasn't going to play a song where the singer shouts "change the station, change the channel" or whatever it is she says and in which complains that all stations play the same song over and over. (Biting the hand that has fed her entire career?) As an album track that might have been fine, but for a single? Stupid idea. And it effectively killed what should have been a run of great singles, with Love Profusion, Nothing Fails, and Nobody Knows Me.

I think it was a little hypocritical of Madonna to shade her own upscale lifestyle - "I have an agent and a manager, a nanny and a chef...a driver and a jet...a trainer and a butler and a bodyguard or five...a gardener and a stylist - do you think I'm satisfied?" - when we all knew she wasn't about to give up any of those things and start living some organic, off-the-grid lifestyle. She's absolutely welcome to criticize the excesses of the life she's aimed for and achieved, but considering so much of her music is party music and about being a big shot sex symbol and party girl, when you know she isn't going to give that up, it begs the question of why she is acting like she is disgusted with it.

That said, I really like the song and I didn't mind her rapping and I do think the album is underrated. Love Profusion is a good one...and Easy Ride is great too. The Die Another Day theme was okay but I'm not a huge fan. Nobody Knows Me was fun on tour, with her dancing on a treadmill but the song isn't brilliant. Hollywood is okay, but again she's kind of crapping on the industry and it just doesn't feel like anybody wants to hear that from her.

It must not be easy trying to be an artist and have a message and say something profound when people constantly just want you to come out with good party dance music. Sometimes she succeeds but most of the time she doesn't.

The music video was definitely a bold move and a justifiable one. The war on Iraq was nuts.

HER BEST! 9/11 interrupted its release!

R4, American Life came out two years after 9/11...

R5. Yeah. post-9/11 jingoism lasted quite a while.... Following six weeks of controversy, Madonna has withdrawn the video for her new single, "American Life." "It was filmed before the war started, and I do not believe it is appropriate to air it at this time," she said in a statement. "Due to the volatile state of the world and out of sensitivity and respect to the armed forces, who I support and pray for, I do not want to risk offending anyone who might misinterpret the meaning of this video," she said in the statement.

I think the album was too morose and I blame it on Mirwais. Half of the “Music” album was the same and for the second time since Patrick Leonard she stuck with the same producer. His sound might have been new in 2000 but just wasn’t game-changing in 2003.

I'm fairness, Madonna isn't exactly the most upbeat person, either. I think Mirwaus did far better work on this album then Music, which I think is mostly disposable and one of her weaker albums. Madonna started to get very self indulgent there and part of that is present on American Life but, aside from "I'm So Stupid", and that awful rap on the otherwise good "Mother and Father", I think he did a good job of containing her whims.

I don't think it was overlooked. Many people took a look & listen, then rejected it . Personally, I enjoyed most of the songs.

No, it was awful then and it sounds like a giant misstep now. After American Life, Madonna never really recovered her popularity in America. In the rest of the world, she still managed to be popular. Clear Channel pretty much banned her new music from being played due to her anti-Iraq stance. I haven't really loved any of the albums she's done since Ray of Light (but Music, Confessions, MDNA and Rebel Heart all had some great tracks).

I remember thinking it was a good album, but that Madonna was "woke" now, and as is her wont, she was insufferable with it.

2003 was a great year for Madonna at GAP!

Die Another Day ? ‘Nuff said. LOL

Erotica and Bedtime Stories are overlooked. American Life is pure shit. Every track is forgettable.

People are tired and embarrassed of her S+M half-naked old lady gimmick. But she keeps doing it over and over.

Put some clothes on and act your age.

Meanwhile R15 goes to Pride dressed in a leather thong, boots, and sunglasses thinking he looks twenty years younger than he is and a hundred pounds lighter than he ever was.

People have just grown tired of her, it happens to all of them eventually. She should make an album of standards like Cyndi Lauper did. As someone above said, the BDSM shit is embarrassing at 60.

Hated it; terrible album with a terrible sound. It was not what was needed after the pretty ho-hum “Music.” I think Die Another Day was my fave track from it, sadly.

Confessions brought back a nice vibe and sound for her; that’s an album I can still listen through and enjoy - which I could do with almost every album from True Blue to Ray of Light. But then Hard Candy happened and Madonna was just done for me. Sucks because MDNA wasn’t bad at all.

American Life was the beginning of the end.

R10, American Life would not have fit in with what was being played on top 40 radio at that time. They were playing nothing but urbanhip hop crap like Usher and 50 Cent.

I seriously doubt she got banned by clear channel. She would have gotten more publicity if she had. Madonna would have milked that for all it was worth. Plus was there even anything on that album that was explicitly against the war in iraq? I can’t remember if there was, it’s been a long time since I listened to it.

If you wanna listen to some good protest pop take a look at George Michael’s Shoot The Dog. This got some real outrage from the pro war “patriots” that ruled both parties at the time. I remember the post putting George on the cover with the headline “pop perv” . The article started out calling him a “ washed up pervert”