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Rating: Four years have passed, but I remember everything as if it were last night!
Magazines, television, internet, the whole media world was abuzz with controversy over Madonna's anti-Bush video. The video was for "American Life" and featured a military-style Madonna having fun preaching against the war, dancing among female soldiers, and finally throwing a bomb-shaped lighter at George Bush, oh my, what a scandal! (but what scandal!!), when I think of the "Madonna" brand more than the word "art" what comes to mind is the word "Marketing Genius". Our Ciccone has never had great artistic gifts, mediocre singer and good dancer but nothing more! The genius of this showwoman has been surrounding herself with geniuses of the show business and always being ahead, launching trends, catchphrases, crazes... Madonna puts on cross earrings? Tomorrow everyone with cross earrings! She dresses like a Buddhist nun? Tomorrow everyone dresses like a nun! She is a freaking trendsetter of fashion and cultural phenomena! In this respect, one must absolutely acknowledge her merit! But... artistically... well... things are quite different:
"American Life" has all those flaws that marked the third phase of the pop star's career. Wrong musicians, electronic music, and vocoder-distorted voice! Things I adore but... that are not part of Madonna's world! That is... I don't mind the electronic element in one of her songs... but when it gets too much, it starts to annoy! American Life made headlines for the excessive use of electronics; the album currently on the market is a re-recorded version! The first studio version made such excessive use of distorted computer sound effects that the album was practically unlistenable!! So good old Ciccone had to re-record the album... the current result is that the product still clashes a bit for the slightly out-of-place electronic use. Indeed, annoying are songs like "Nobody Knows Me", "I'm So Stupid", Madonna's robotic voice in the long run really gets on your nerves! The only beautiful electronic song that managed to excite me was "Mother And Father" where thanks to the computer our Madonna churned out her little girly voice again like in "Like a Virgin", lovely minimalist Nintendo 8-bit styled sounds, not bad lyrics and the final sound part is really well done.
11 tracks that try to appeal to the new generation, some beautiful at first but have lost their polish over time (songs destined not to remain), I would still like to open a parenthesis on two really successful episodes, the wonderful "Nothing Fails" that, without exaggeration, represents perhaps one of the most beautiful musical moments of Madonna's entire career! With those Country Pop sonorities, that light guitar, the beautiful voice of the singer, for once not computer-modified, the splendid choral interlude and the grand finale, I really want to say it... "Nothing Fails" is a masterpiece of pop! The only one on the album worthy of Madonna's name. I think Madonna should dedicate herself to more instrumental and melodic tracks like this one, which yes... contains electronic elements but are fused in a homogeneous way with the played instrumental part, really the top. Also, the beautiful "Easy Ride" particularly involved me due to its fusion of sounds... again we have a played beginning and a purely electronic end... this is the Ciccone I prefer. Also noteworthy is "Intervention", relaxing and well sung. Three well-done songs and a few catchy dance rhythms ("Hollywood") are not enough to earn this record a high score.
American Life is a too mechanical and cold album! Madonna lives in pop's Olympus as a queen but... for artistic reasons she will never be able to wear the crown of geniuses like Prince and Michael Jackson (and here now a new polemic will ignite between Ciccone, Jackson, and Prince's fans? Come on guys... I hope not!)
Unfortunately, this record has already been forgotten! But if the songs are forgotten... the performer is not forgotten who... even at 75 will continue to produce successful commercial albums and videos (except perhaps this one, which SOLD ONLY four million copies! ONLY!)! Madonna is a business machine that will never stop! The only one who in this respect... beats everyone!!!!!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Hollywood (04:24)
written by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzai
Everybody comes to Hollywood
They wanna make it in the neighborhood
They like the smell of it in Hollywood
How could it hurt you when it looks so good
Chorus:
Shine your light now
This time it's gotta be good yah
You get it right now
'Cause you're in Hollywood oh
There's something in the air in Hollywood
The sun is shining like you knew it would would would
You're ridin' in your car in Hollywood
You got the top down and it feels so good oooooooooh
Everybody comes to Hollywood
They wanna make it in the neighborhood
They like the smell of it in Hollywood
How could it hurt you when it looks so good
I lost my memory in Hollywood
I've had a million visions, bad and good
There's something in the air in Hollywood it is so good
I tried to leave it but I never could
(chorus)
There's something in the air in Hollywood
I've lost my reputation, bad and good
You're ridin' in your car in Hollywood
You got the top down and it feels so good
Music stations always play the same songs
I'm bored with the concept of right and wrong
Everybody comes to Hollywood
They wanna make it in the neighborhood
They like the smell of it in Hollywood
How could it hurt you when it looks so good
(chorus)
'Cause you're in Hollywood
'Cause you're in Hollywood
In Hollywood (repeat three times)
Check it out, this bird has flown
(chorus)
'Cause you're in Hollywood
'Cause you're in Hollywood
In Hollywood (repeat three times)
Push the button
Don't push the button
Trip the station
Change the channel Hey!
(repeat four time)
03 I'm So Stupid (04:08)
Cause I use to live
In a fuzzy dream
And I wanted to be
Like all the pretty people
I'm so stupid
Cause I use to live
In a fuzzy dream
And I use to believe
In a pretty pictures
That were all around me
But now I know for sure
That I was stupid
Please don't try to tempt me
It was just greed
And it won't protect me
Don't want my dreams
Adding up to nothing
I was just looking for
Everybody's looking for something
I'm so stupid
Cause I use to live
In a tiny bubble
And I wanted to be
Like all the pretty people
That were all around me
But now I know for sure
That I was stupid
Stupider than stupid
Stupider than stupid
Stupider than stupid
Please don't try to tempt me
It was just greed
And it won't protect me
Don't want my dreams
Adding up to nothing
I was just looking for
Everybody's looking for something
Everybody's looking for something
Everybody's stupid stupid
Everybody's looking for something
Everybody's stupid stupid
Everybody's looking for something
Everybody's stupid stupid
Everybody's looking for something
Everybody, everybody
Please don't try to tempt me
It was just greed
And it won't protect me
Don't want my dreams
Adding up to nothing
I was just looking for
Everybody's looking for something
07 Intervention (04:54)
I got to save my baby
Because he makes me cry
I got to make him happy
I got to teach him how to fly
I want to take him higher
Way up like a bird in the sky
I got to calm him down now
I want to save his life
And I know that love will change us forever
And I know that love will keep us together
And I know, I know
There is nothing to fear
And I know that love
Will take us away from here
Sometimes it's such a pleasure
Sometimes I wanna tear it all down
It's easy to be lazy
And hard to go away from the crowd
I know the road looks lonely
But that's just Satan's game
And either way my baby
We'll never be the same
And I know that love will change us forever
And I know that love will keep us together
And I know, I know
There is nothing to fear
And I know that love
Will take us away from here
In the blink of an eye everything could change
Say hello to your life now your living
This is it from now on
It's a brand new day
It was time to wake up from this dream (from this dream)
I know the road looks lonely
But that's just Satan's game
And either way my baby
You'll never be the same
And I know that love will change us forever
And I know that love will keep us together
And I know, I know
There is nothing to fear
And I know that love
Will take us away from here
08 X-Static Process (03:49)
written by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzai
I'm not myself when you're around
I'm not myself standing in a crowd
I'm not myself and I don't know how
I'm not myself, myself right now
Chorus:
Jesus Christ will you look at me
Don't know who I'm supposed to be
Don't really know if I should give a damn
When you're around, I don't know who I am
I'm not myself when you go quiet
I'm not myself alone at night
I'm not myself, don't know who to call
I'm not myself at all
(chorus)
I always wished that I could find someone as beautiful as you
But in the process I forgot that I was special too
I'm not myself when you're around
I'm not myself when you go quiet
I'm not myself all alone at night
I'm not myself standing in a crowd
I'm not myself and I don't know how
I'm not myself, myself right now
Don't know what I believe
(chorus)
I always wished that I could find someone as beautiful as you
But in the process I forgot that I was special too
I always wished that I could find someone as talented as you
But in the process I forgot that I was just as good as you
10 Die Another Day (04:38)
I'm gonna wake up, yes and no
I'm gonna kiss, some part of
I'm gonna keep, this secret
I'm gonna close, my body now
Guess I'll die another day
Guess I'll die another day
Guess I'll die another day
Guess I'll die another day
I guess I'll die another day, another day
I guess I'll die another day, another day
I guess I'll die another day, another day
I guess I'll die another day
Siegmund freud,
Analyse this.
Analyse this.
Analyse this, this, this….
I'm gonna break, the cycle
I'm gonna shake up, the system
I'm gonna destroy, my ego
I'm gonna close, my body now
(uh. uh)
I think I'll find another way
There's so much more to know
I guess I'll die another day
It's not my time to go
For every sin, I'll have to pay
A time to work, a time to play
I think I'll find another way
It's not my time to go
I'm gonna avoid, the cliché
I'm gonna suspend, my senses
I'm gonna delay, my pleasure
I'm gonna close, my body now
Guess I'll die another day
Guess I'll die another day
Guess I'll die another day
Guess I'll die another day
I think I'll find, another way
There's so much more, to know
I guess I'll die another day
It's not my time to go
Guess I'll die another day
Guess I'll die another day
Guess I'll die another day
Guess I'll die another day
Another day
Another day
Another day
Another day
Another day
Another day
Another day
11 Easy Ride (05:05)
I want the good life
But I don't want an easy ride
What I want is to work for it
Feel the blood and sweat on my fingertips
That's what I want for me
I want to know everything
Maybe someday I will
What I want is to find my place
Breathe the air and feel the sun on my children's face
That's what I want
I go round and round just like a circle
I can see a clearer picture
When I touch the ground I come full circle
To my place and I am home
I am home
I want to let go of all disappointment
That's waiting for me
What I want is to live forever
Not defined by time and space
It's a lonely place
That's what I want
I go round and round just like a circle
I can see a clearer picture
When I touch the ground I come full circle
To my place and I am home
I am home
I go round and round just like a circle
I can see a clearer picture
When I touch the ground I come full circle
To my place and I am home
I am home
I go round and round just
Round and round just
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Other reviews
By lovi
Madonna is an artist full of ideas, who often contradicts herself, who often does very silly things and who is often even irritating, but honestly, that’s what makes her beautiful.
Madonna needs to rediscover that genius that she is rightly perhaps losing; I hope not because I remain and will always remain a big fan of hers.
By Outrageous
I wrote beautiful because I couldn’t find any other way to describe it.
The songs have very deep meanings and express the singer’s ideas and ideals.
