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Rating: The anticipation of both the public and critics for Madonna's new musical work was sky-high: in 1998, Ciccone had penned with William Orbit one of the absolute masterpieces of modern pop, namely "Ray of Light," which had sold 18 million records and earned the singer glowing critical reviews as well as four Grammy Awards; an absolute success, essentially confirming the singer's status as a "classic" in pop.
Everyone eagerly awaited to see what would happen next, whether she would collaborate again with William Orbit, the electronic wizard who helped her create "Ray of Light," whether she would continue to embellish her works with electronic sounds, or if she would continue her path of spiritual exploration that she had embarked on years earlier.
Well, Madonna managed to astonish everyone once again.
First of all, she set aside Orbit with whom she produced only two songs for "Music" and "hires" another electronic sound wizard, Mirwais, a French musician. For the first time in years, she doesn't create a concept album but produces a kaleidoscopic work where the songs cover different themes and styles, unified by a single idea: musical originality. In other words, anything goes as long as it's new. In short, Madonna proves herself to be a fearless musician once again, takes bold risks and opens the dances in the August of the new millennium with a stunning dance piece, the eponymous title-track "Music." It had been years since Madge composed pure dance music: this time she does, and she gets the entire world dancing. The track quickly climbs the global charts and stays there for several weeks, selling around 3.5 million copies.
In the United States, Madonna reaches the peak of the most sold and broadcast singles, the formidable Billboard chart: something that hadn't happened since 1994 with the track "Take a Bow." "Music" is an energetic, irresistible track: a grand invitation to dance and a declaration of love towards music. It is filled with electronic sounds, with vaguely funky influences. The journey continues with "Impressive Instant," another irresistible dance track that talks about the chaos of existence and the difficulty of living and expressing oneself. The third track of the album corresponds with the fifth: they are the only tracks produced together with William Orbit and are quite similar in style and themes. They talk about love ("Runaway Lover" and "Amazing") and are both hyper-electronic with strong references to the music of the '60s and some nods to the little Orbit-Madonna jewel of '99 "Beautiful Stranger." Unfortunately, the magic does not repeat itself this time, and the partnership between the two feels somewhat sterile: rhythms already heard too many times and lacking originality.
Suddenly, the singer surprises us and almost takes our breath away: the fourth track is a fantastic ballad about her love for her new husband Guy Ritchie, "I Deserve It", entirely acoustic. Madonna abruptly abandons the electronic beats of "Ray of Light" and the early tracks of "Music" to immerse us in this magical atmosphere that vaguely hints at the cowboy world. Madonna performs the piece live on her best-selling 2001 tour, where she plays the guitar herself to accompany the melody. The material girl has grown up a lot, demonstrating absolute confidence with the music sheet. The sixth track is yet another surprise. "Nobody's Perfect" talks about betrayal and the possibility of it occurring in a relationship. The track is an electronic ballad, occasionally crossed by a high computerized sound reminiscent of the engine of an airplane. Suddenly towards the end of the piece, after one of these "rumbles," the acoustic guitar returns to play some verses of the song. The track is emblematic of the musical tendency of the album: the contrast between old and new, acoustic and electronic.
The seventh track "Don't Tell Me" was the second single released from the album and had a fantastic success worldwide. Thanks to the music video directed by the great Jean-Baptiste Mondino (the legendary photographer-director with whom Madonna had launched some of her biggest scandals), it sparked the cow-chic trend, a modern style inspired by cowboy fashion. The piece, a cheerful pop track inspired by American folk, is an elaboration of a track by Madonna's brother-in-law Joe Henry, "Stop," which is duly mentioned in the album's booklet. The eighth track was the third and last single extracted from the album and is one of Madonna's gems. The track is a melancholic overview of the difficulty of being a girl nowadays. More than the words, what matters here is the music: an elegant pop ballad continually accompanied by electric guitar. Two extramusical peculiarities: the piece starts with the insertion of a cinematic excerpt from "The Cement Garden" (1993) performed by Charlotte Gainsbourg. Additionally, the video (based on a remix version of the track, inferior to the album version) directed by the singer's husband shows a platinum blonde bobbed Madonna who, embittered by the mistreatment endured, commits several crimes. The video was considered so violent by MTV that it was banned from musical rotation.
The ninth track is a beautiful and enigmatic ballad titled "Paradise (Not for Me)," which mixes various tonalities and alternates English and French singing. Closing the album is "Gone," a splendid rocking ballad that again alternates acoustic and electronic sounds (though few, in truth). The song is one of the most intense and touching of Madonna's entire career, which she performed brilliantly in the aforementioned tour.
In essence, "Music" is an innovative, kaleidoscopic, and highly original album. The only flaw noted is that the songs are not homogeneous with each other; they are mixed together and in general listening, this fact is noticeable and slightly irritating. With a closer analysis, isolating each song from its context, they come to life and amaze with their full power.
An interesting fact: the European version of the album contains an eleventh track "American Pie." This track had already been included in the "The Next Best Thing" soundtrack and circulated with great success as a single throughout Europe, selling around 2 million copies and quickly becoming one of Madonna's most successful singles. The singer strongly opposed the inclusion of the track in "Music" as she felt it did not align with the rest of the work and might distract the listener from the rest of the album. She only managed to succeed in the States, where the track was discarded. However, dissatisfied with its inclusion in the European "Music," Madonna categorically excluded it from her second greatest hits "GHV2" (proving how less commercial she is compared to what many believe, as the huge success of "American Pie" would have only benefited the collection).
In conclusion, "Music" represents Madonna's grand farewell to the United States: on the cover, she is dressed as a cowgirl, and references to American culture are numerous and widespread across many parts of the album. That year, Madonna left the United States to move to Europe, to London. The grand farewell indeed.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Music (03:45)
(Hey, Mister D.J.
Put a record on
I wanna dance with my baby)
Do you like to boogie-woogie
Do you like to boogie-woogie
Do you like my Acid Rock
Hey Mister D.J., put a record on
I wanna dance with my baby
And when the music starts, I never wanna stop
It's gonna drive me crazy
Music
Chorus:
Music makes the people come together
[Never gonna stop]
Music makes the bourgeoisie and the rebel
[Never gonna stop]
Don't think of yesterday
And I don't look at the clock
I like to boogie-woogie, uh, uh
It's like riding on the wind
And it never goes away
Touches everything I'm in
Got to have it everyday
(chorus)
Hey Mister D.J.
[Never wanna stop]
Do you like to boogie-woogie
Do you like to boogie-woogie
Do you like to boogie-woogie
Do you like my Acid Rock
Hey Mister D.J.
Put a record on
I wanna dance with my baby
And when the music starts
I never wanna stop
It's gonna drive me crazy
Uh, uh, uh
(chorus)
Do you like to boogie-woogie
Do you like to boogie-woogie
Do you like to boogie-woogie
Do you like my Acid Rock
(repeat and fade)
02 Impressive Instant (03:37)
written by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzai
Universe is full of stars
Nothing out there looks the same
I'd say
You're the one that I've been waiting for
I don't even know your name
I'm in a trance
I'm in a trance
Cosmic systems intertwine
Astral bodies drip like wine
All of nature ebbs and flows
Comets shoot across the sky
Can't explain the reasons why, why
This is how creation goes
I don't want nobody else, body else
All the others look the same, the same
Galaxies are sliding into view
I don't even know your name
Chorus:
I'm in a trance
And the world is spinning
Spinning baby out of control
I'm in a trance
I let the music take me
Take me where my heart wants to go
(repeat)
Kiss me
(repeat 3 times)
I like to singy singy singy
Like a bird on a wingy wingy wingy
I like to rhumba rhumba rhumba
Dance to a samba samba samba
(chorus)
Trance
I'm in a trance
Universe is full of stars
Nothing out there looks the same
You're the one that I've been waiting for
I don't even know your name
04 I Deserve It (04:23)
written by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzai
This guy was meant for me
And I was meant for him
This guy was dreamt for me
And I was dreamt for him
This guy has danced for me
And I have danced for him
This guy has cried for me
And I have cried for him
Chorus:
Many miles, many roads I have traveled
Fallen down on the way
Many hearts, many years have unraveled
Leading up to today
This guy has prayed for me
And I have prayed for him
This guy was made for me
And I was made for him
(chorus)
I have no regrets
There's nothing to forget
All the pain was worth it
Not running from the past
I tried to do what's best
I know that I deserve it
(chorus, repeat)
And I thank you
05 Amazing (03:43)
written by Madonna and William Orbit
You took a pretty picture
And you smashed it into bits
Sank me into blackness
And you sealed it with a kiss
If only I could let you go
Why do I need you so
Chorus:
It's amazing what a boy can do
I cannot stop myself
Wish I didn't want you like I do
Want you and no one else
You took a poison arrow
And you aimed it at my heart
It's heavy and it's bitter
And it's tearing me apart
If only I could set you free
You worked your way inside of me
(chorus)
Chorus 2:
It's amazing what a boy can say
I cannot stop myself
Seems I love you more than yesterday
Love you and no one else
Oh, it's amazing
(chorus)
(chorus2)
It's amazing
Oh, it's amazing
I cannot stop myself
Wish I didn't
Love you and no one else
06 Nobody's Perfect (04:58)
written by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzai
Cool I am
When I am with you
Cool I'm not
When I am lonely
I feel so sad
What I did wasn't right
I feel so bad
And I must say to you
Sorry, but
Chorus:
Nobody's perfect
Nobody's perfect
What did you expect
I'm doing my best
I feel so sad
But you know I'll be true
I feel so bad
And I must say to you
Sorry, but
(chorus)
Chorus 2:
Nobody's perfect
Nobody's perfect
I was dishonest
I will do my best
Yeah
Cool I am
When I am with you
Cool I'm not
When I am lonely
(chorus)
(chorus2)
Mmm, mmm, yeah
Mmm, mmm, yeah
Perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect
(repeat and fade)
10 Gone (03:29)
written by Damian Legaffick, Nicola Young, and Madonna
Selling out
Is not my thing
Walk away
I won't be broken again
I'm not
I'm not what you think
Dream away your life
Someone else's dream
Nothing equals nothing
Letting go
Is not my thing
Walk away
Won't let it happen again
I'm not
I'm not very smart
Why should I feel sad
For what I never had
Nothing equals nothing
Chorus:
Turn to stone
Lose my faith
I'll be gone
Before it happens
(repeat)
Selling out
Is not my thing
Walk away
I won't be broken again
I won't
I won't fall apart
Dream away your life
Dream away your dream
Nothing equals nothing
(chorus)
Turn to stone [turn to stone]
Lose my faith [lose my faith]
I'll be gone
Before it happens
Turn to stone [turn to stone]
Lose my faith [lose my faith]
I'll be gone
11 American Pie (04:36)
A long, long time ago
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile
And I knew that if I had my chance
I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
Did you write the book of love?
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in Rock 'n' roll
And can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you're in love with him
Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pick-up truck
But I knew that I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singing
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
When I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
Well now, in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire the most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
We started singing
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
We started singing
We started singing
We started singing
We started singing
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