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Madonna’s 'American Life': Obscene But Not Heard https://madonnalicious.typepad.com/madonnalicious/madonnas-american-life-obscene-but-not-heard.html Madonna: a blond bombshell in bangles. The five-two Rock City knock-out with a New York swagger in her step. And Veronica: the Catholic school-girl irritated by the drama of dogma...but nonetheless covered in crosses. One moment her champagne ponytail bobs from bitching, and in the next chocolate tresses tickle her face. No matter her hair color, it’s always accompanied with a piercing green-eyed gaze. Even as Esther: the daughter of Israel any king could call a queen. Thus for a time she was Mrs. Ritchie; for eight years there lived this lady of the manor. That is until the castle crumbled, was debated over and divvied up. Ms. Ciccone she returned, with babe in arms and losses covered. Yes, the Boy Toy is back again and beautiful anew. She’s a drug. M: an alphabetical dosage and dealer of dance floor chemicals. On the verge of releasing her latest stage show in high-definition, the urge to reflect upon her brilliance is overwhelming. This woman of numerous names could well be Shakespeare’s Dark Lady, Desdemona or Juliet. Perhaps she is the face that launched those thousand ships. A Homeric heroine no doubt, and yet she is more than just a metaphorical muse, she is one in fact. This is made evident throughout a series of epochs. Three decades have passed since the first of four began. That self-titled start was a celebration which ended as an expression. On an ambitious world tour the second epoch opened. So did her legs and every eye at Cannes. Some snuck a peak between her steely thighs, but in time they were home to more than hormones, they caressed the luminous skin of a new born soul. Dawn broke on another chiliad and with the aid of old friends and new she danced into the third age. She’s been queen of the dancehall ever since, save for one magical moment: 2003’s American Life. Love, Sex, Drugs and Money: this millennial hydra was the working title for Guy Ritchie’s interpretation of an Italian classic. Newly-wed to his like-a-virgin bride he not only adorned her with his surname, he offered her the spotlight in the aforementioned film. But the crowds would soon cast a different light upon the pop-star, (ignorance affords an illumination all its own). Meanwhile Madonna was swept away in her work with Guy. That was until her first love (music and the making of it), came calling at her doorstep. Enchanted by her rhythmic Romeo she soon left the set for the studio and embarked upon her longest recording endeavor to date. Accompanied by Mirwais Ahmadzai, the two waxed poetically about the philosophies of life. Madonna’s warming light battled with Mirwais cold and sparse approach, and together they birthed a conceptual album that would soon rattle the world. The album experience began like the album itself, with the title single that pulled no shots. Struck by these blows fans and foes alike booed as it played. Out of fear, its music video would inspire worse. Then Madonna did what she’d spent twenty years opposing, she censored her art. A bastardized version was released instead. It dumbed down the lyrical impact by doing the same to the visuals. Some said her words were corrupted in other ways. In particular the way she presented them in her conclusive verse. She had dared to rap. Oh the humanity! How could the aging celeb do such a thing? The question may be answered by another: what is more American than rap? Or possibly via the unedited video which displayed her spoken word as tongue-in-cheek. Her second single, Hollywood, fared little better. But be that as it may, it built upon the groundwork laid by American Life. Furthermore it followed it on the album, and the two came to an apex on the third track, 'I’m So Stupid.' Stupider than stupid as Madonna admits, for what good is fame and fortune? She posits this plainly, and seeing that she had overwhelming amounts of both, who knew better than her? Americans felt they did. In the wake of two toppling towers they were not ready to give up their dream, having just lived through a nightmare. Fame and fortune had to mean something special, and there were a slew of reality stars put on a soapbox to say so. Yet Madonna and her triune track listing persisted in arguing otherwise. They stripped the American Dream of its costly synthetic suit, whilst the remaining eight songs clothed it in the most natural of fibers, love. Since 1983 the songstress had sung about love in some way or another, but as with the rest of American Life it was tackled differently this time around. Both the third and fourth singles sent forth from the album’s framework discussed love. Nothing Fails described it as the absence of fear, the true and holy faith. Thereafter, on Love Profusion, she interpreted its prefix as the ultimate mystery, the means by which the emotion elevates the individual to a state of euphoria. Love through these eyes can be seen as a sacred thing. Whether, via the matrimony of marriage, or thanks to the parents she once cleaved to, a life full of love was what she longed for. And at the time she had it, even if it was across the pond. Irregardless of this, she was still a daughter of the stars and stripes, and had played the part with spurs since Music. To express this point further, she literally decorated American Life with Old Glory. Standing before that spangled banner she did so as a revolutionary, even if it was as the Argentinean type. Being a guerilla-slash-politico is the sort of stock America has honored with every dollar since its inception. After all, what was George Washington if not Che Guevara’s predecessor? He too led a rebellion against tyranny. But oh how the U.S. of A raged over blasphemes that were everything but. All of these misinterpretations and short sighted approaches to American Life, turned it into a relatively poor performer both critically and commercially. Seeing that it was also her final album under the Maverick flagship, it is interesting to note its similarities to the record that started that endeavor. Erotica was also labeled with warnings and equally as experimental. Conceptually it discussed the flesh and its urges, making its title extremely fitting. So too was the Sex book she released alongside it, as well as the videos that coupled its tracks. All of these titillating tidbits were viewed with disgust, but in time people experienced a change of heart. In time Madonna would be seen as daring for that effort. Just as she should now been seen (in truth), as the same throughout the American Life era. Fearless, she took her talent to the people in 2004, not only in stadiums across the globe but also into the homes of anyone willing to watch. The Re-Invention Tour marked the first time she admitted to the action, because though she had evolved, she’d never reinvented herself before. But with the help of Steven Klein and Arianne Phillips she did exactly that. Dressed like divinity, she captured it all on the sequel to her luscious and lucrative documentary, Truth or Dare. This round was titled, 'I’m Going to Tell You a Secret,' and she told many throughout. She revealed her enduring love for dancers, her heartbreaking affection for Guy, her musing and motherly ways, as well as the spirituality of her work. Finally she saw the value of her back catalog, and on the stage she dusted off these classics to let them shine. In addition she revealed the light that emanated through her latest album. American Life in excess to its diatribes and devotions was also a sermon. Not the straightforward kind accompanied by a wagging finger and a moral checklist. No, the kind of sermon concerned with the underlying beauty evident in all things. Originally the album’s working title was, 'Ein Sof,' the idea of nothingness. Stemming from her studies of the Zohar, this idea of nothingness related to a divine sort of absence. Meaning: existence prior to the created universe; the ineffable breath of deity. Heavy stuff no run-of-the-mill pop-tart ever thinks about. Thus proving that Madonna was not only otherwise, but that her attack on Western ideals came from more than a point of privilege. They originated from enlightenment; an expanded mind that saw what really mattered and was eager to open others eyes. Therefore like Esther, her Hebrew name, she begged that her people be freed from the gallows. Alas they hung themselves. No matter how much depth Madonna offered throughout the American Life era, little was unearthed. This tends to happen during moments of true greatness. The zealous populace crucifies its saving grace. Having built so many crosses throughout her career, they finally nailed her to one. But like the biblical lead she rose again. Confessions whipped the crowd back into shape, and Hard Candy kept the coffers bright and bounteous. They had given her four minutes to save the world, and so she kept the apocalypse at bay. Since then, MDNA traversed across the globe, performing 88 sold-out shows from Tel-Aviv to Germany, and Abu Dhabi to Ottawa. The girl from Bay City who took a bite out of the Big Apple has revolved. And bang! Everyone has forgotten about the passion they put her through. They have want, they want again: blond ambition. Little do they know how ambitious she was for that decade old experiment: 2003’s American Life. On April 22nd the album celebrated its tenth anniversary. And Madonna’s commemorating the event not with tin, but rather pure polycarbonated plastic. In other words the MDNA Tour is being released on Blu Ray and DVD. This pinnacle piece from the fourth age has been eagerly awaited, and rightfully so. It captures her present success and offers it up for grabs. But lest we forget that time gone by when the Queen of Pop was obscene...but not heard.

Other Timelines: The Pre- Madonna Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/11688-the-pre-madonna-era/?p=542015 The First Album Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/11796-the-madonna-first-album-era/?p=547412 The Like a Virgin Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12035-the-like-a-virgin-era/?p=557045 The True Blue Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12055-the-true-blue-era/?p=557777 The Who’s That Girl/You Can Dance Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12085-the-whos-that-girlyou-can-dance-era/?p=558619 The Like a Prayer Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12134-the-like-a-prayer-era/?p=560321 The Immaculate Breathless Blond Ambition Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12230-the-immaculate-breathless-blond-ambition-era/?p=562946 The Erotic Body of Girlie Sex Show Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/12452-the-erotic-body-of-girlie-sex-show-era/?p=570519 The Let’s Get Unconscious Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/14849-the-lets-get-unconscious-era/ The You Must Remember to Love Her Era http://www.madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/14891-the-you-must-remember-to-love-her-era/ The Quicker Than Ray of Light Era https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/14900-the-quicker-than-ray-of-light-era/ The Impressive Drowned World Music Era https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/15957-the-impressive-drowned-world-music-era/ Background: https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729290 Sources: https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729288 Timeline: · 2001 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729292 · Jan-Mar 2002 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729293 · Apr-June 2002 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729294 · July-Sept 2002 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729295 · Oct-Dec 2002 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729297 · Jan-Mar 2003 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729298 · Apr-June 2003 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729300 · July-Sept 2003 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729301 · Oct-Dec 2003 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729303 · Jan-June 2004 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729304 · July-Dec 2004 https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729305 Unreleased: https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729289 AL Press: http://madonnaunderground.com/madonna-live/album-promo/american-life-promo-tour/#tab-1432754322-2-25 AL Memorabilia: http://madonnaunderground.com/madonna-live/album-promo/american-life-promo-tour/#tab-1432754748649-2-3 AL Pictures: http://madonnaunderground.com/madonna-live/album-promo/american-life-promo-tour/#tab-1504696998871-8-1 Videos: https://madonna-infinity.net/forums/index.php?/topic/17689-the-american-life-era/&do=findComment&comment=729291 American Life Overview · Madonna promoted American Life on tour with a performance for MTV titled On Stage & On The Record, five songs were performed (American Life, Hollywood, Nothing Fails, X-Static Process and Like a Prayer), it was the first time since 1990’s Blond Ambition Tour that she performed Like a Prayer · Madonna exclusively performed in Tower Records in New York for people with a wristband, here she performed Like a Virgin instead of Like a Prayer. After the performance she was scheduled to do a signing, unfortunately halfway Madonna got up and left. More than half of the people were still waiting outside. This led to many disappointed fans. To make up for things all of them received a signed X-Static Process book. Unfortunately the books were signed by late Caresse Henry who was Madonna’s manager at the time · Madonna started her European tour in Cologne Germany at special TV show Absolut Madonna. Tickets for this were available for sale by phone for only 15 euro’s each. Madonna performed 3 songs: American Life, Hollywood and Music, after that she was interviewed by host Oliver Geissen · During the taping of the show there was a miscommunication. After singing American Life Madonna was ready to perform the second song. Production thought the interview was up next, so after speaking to Madonna (who seemed quite pissed) she finally got to perform the second and third song · In London she performed at Jonathan Ross, tickets were only available through a lottery. She sang American Life, Hollywood and Don’t Tell Me live, she also sat down for an interview · On May 2nd she exclusively performed in the tiny CD:UK studio. It was reserved especially for Madonna and only 200 fans got to attend this exclusive gig. She performed American Life and Hollywood and in between joked around with the fans. Here she confirmed that she was going on tour in 2004 · In Paris Madonna performed an exclusive gig for only a couple of French fans at La Cantine Du Fouborg, tickets were only available through competitions · She was also a guest at TV show La Chanson Nr. 1, where certain acts performed her songs. She herself performed: American Life, Hollywood and Music · In London she performed Hollywood at TOTP (twice) · On May 9 she performed a gig in HMV in Oxford Street in London. Fans had to queue outside to get a wristband. In the centre of the store she performed her set and added Mother and Father and Like a Prayer · At the MTV Awards Madonna opened the show with a bang, being a groom she got up from a giant cake (reflecting on her first ever MTV Awards performance of ‘Like a Virgin’) and danced with her two brides Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. The kiss with Britney made headlines all of the world, the fact that she also kissed Christina was hardly mentioned · American Life is considered to be one of Madonna’s lowest selling albums, even though a fan favorite · She once again worked with Mirwais on this production · She pulled the original video for ‘American Life’ as she felt it was wrong to release it at the verge of America going to war · The original video directed by Jonas Akerlund was pulled and a new video with flags and Madonna inserted before them was released instead · After American Life, Hollywood, Nothing Fails and Love Profusion were released as singles. Nobody Knows Me was released to clubs only on a promotional 12″ vinyl

This is a question I ask myself alot as being a 15 year old in highschool anytime I bring up Madonna people literally don't know who she is or they start to belittle and degrade her for her age. It is quite shocking as if any of these people actually listened to her music. Watched her videos or even a live performance they would instantly realize how truly iconic she is. She would be classified immediately as a "skinny legend" but they don't, they ignore her completely. Why? I have had a multitude of my friends listen to her records, plus watch live performances and videos. They where completely shocked, they felt horrible for thinking about Madonna badly. on-top of that doing so allowed me to gather statistics on what there favourite album was. Favourite live performances. Videos. Etc. And this is what I have gathered. Favourite Album: American Life. Reason: Expiermental Electronic Rock production combind with deep outspoken lyrics that are relatable and relevant. This album feels very creative, Madonna took artistic freedom and expression over radio success with this album. Standard pop is considered basic to the younger generation. The younger generation prefer a more experimental-style when it comes to music as it breathes a breath of fresh air into a generation of music where almost everything on the radio sounds the same. This album feels more experimental and futuristic than any other one of Madonna's albums. Favourite music videos: https://youtu.be/5iIr6Bc7qjY Reason: The artistic imagery, meaning and the song itself. https://youtu.be/VlbaJA7aO9M Reason: The artistic imagery, meaning and the song itself. Favourite live performances: https://youtu.be/odOkNyzhI_M Reason: The artistic imagery, meaning, the song itself with a raw vocal performance and being remixed for that exact performance. https://youtu.be/I3wt3IGieI8 Reason: her insane stage presence and The physical performance itself was truly amazing and makes it iconic.

which do you think is the best?

no, they cut the ones i said on the previous paragraph. the only difference between NBC and HBO was the censoring on Live to Tell. I saw her on the mirror cross on TV.

For 'Jump', She gets a Pete Burns black leather special star for rewriting a song by Bowie. Hung Up I prefer without the ABBA sample & the demo of Get Together. It's another album of half Grade A songs and a bunch of 'will this do's' ?

Hung Up

Yeah. It is beyond depressing. This new generation is quite toxic in many areas.

She had bigger support back then tho. And then they had some reasons to "hate" her. Now they judge everything she does without a reason. She releases music = she tryhards. She goes on tour = she tryhards. She's going on awards = she tryhards. She uses IG = she tryhards. She breaths = she tryhards. They want to praise Whitney? They will compare her to M and trash M. They want to praise Janet? They will compare her to M and trash M. They compare every M peer with her and they will trash her. My generation is filled with toxic competitive stans that will do anything to make their younger faves look the best ones. And since M is considered the best female artist they'll trash her to death to make it happen. Its happening for like 7 years now and the level of disrespect is getting bigger and bigger each year. Many young gays don't even know what Madonna did for the gay community and they dare to say she used gays and that Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga helped the community more. Even Mariah is getting more respect from them, even if her sales are non-existed.

we can read about her career and see her success. plus she's still alive and active and we can see her character too, I don't know what are you trying to say.

I don’t think the young people mock her. I think those in their 20s abs 30s mock her but not 18 and under.

it's juvenile to put words in people's mouths that they didn't say.

I love the brunette look in LAP, ROL, AL!

I had to read this several times to get 'your idea' because one second you're saying she should stop updating her sound, and right after you say she should do what she wants...

How old are you? I know only ONE person, an 18 year old, who doesn't know who Madonna is, he works at my second job, and EVERYONE was making fun of him and couldn't believe he didn't know who she was, many of the people making fun of him were teenagers themselves. This just happened Thanksgiving weekend too.

Probably brunette in general makes her look maturer whilst blonde softens her face. I tend to think so anyway especially if you look back at ROL era which worked with the theme of the album being a more mature sound, more mature in general after birth of Lourdes etc.

I agree with you.

I am 21 and literally in love with Madonna. I mean, have you listened to the second half of Erotica and the second half of Ray of Light albums? Have you seen her eyes in the Live To Tell video? Her voice and presence in early performances of Express Yourself? The fact that she wrote her music and managed her image? Her old interviews where she was destroying conservative stuck up interviewers and showing so much depth? And these are just some small examples of her amazing art over the years? She is 60 now, so what, she still looking gorgeous, and with so much charisma and intelligence. People who are now in high school probably only know her latest stuff... which is arguably not as amazing as it used to be. Maybe give them some old CDs, send them some links to old performances and interviews? Maybe we should compile a Madonna Starter Pack For Young Fools with her greatest stuff?

Hopefully they are good.

Madonna appears in the documentary dedicated to Jean Paul Gaultier "Freak & chic" aired last night in France.

Like a Prayer / I'm Breathless / Something to Remember

"Your score is 90%" ???

Like it or not

I cannot choose one over the other because I did not attend any of these shows. I was too young then and Madonna never bothered returning to Southamerica until her signing at Live Nation. However, I can point out some facts about them. The Re-Invention World Tour The Re-invention Tour was a show she needed to do in order to reconnect with older audiences, especially after the Drowned World Tour which focused mainly on new material and left a lot fans unsatisfied. It's true everybody was still drooling over the ROL and Music eras and she was regularly played on the radio up to the announcement of the American Life album, remix edits included. It wasn't until the controversial flop surrounding AL that everything had to change. She had to swallow her pride and retract from saying she would never play Material Girl or Vogue ever again! The tour was indeed promoted as a Greatest Hits show. It was great to see her choose at least one song from each one of her albums, omitting the Who's That Girl OST only. The setlist was excellently balanced: 8 songs from the 80s, 8 songs from the 90s, and 7 songs from the 2000s plus a cover. I do agree some of her costumes were not as awe inspiring as the rest we have seen in other tours but who doesn't like this one and its golden version? It's Madonna 100% and it's now really memorable! Her make-up was also on point. She was fabulously rejuvenated during this tour. I think the tour suffered a lot from Madonna's negligence (and her management as well) in that they never gave us a proper DVD with the complete concert. We only got the documentary and some live highlights to remember it! I do think not touring new countries also affected its reputation to some degree. She didn't got to Spain or Italy which was shocking at the time. She didn't visit Japan either. The Confessions Tour With this tour Madonna gave us an enhanced experience of what we had already seen in 2005 during the gigs she gave to promote Confessions on a Dance Floor. It was basically a much bigger spectacle with more ideas put on the table (equestrian and bedouin themes). We had already seen the disco ball in the Girlie Show, the Catholic imagery during the Blond Ambition tour except that the crucifixion was just more over the top. Madonna playing the electric guitar had already become a trend since the Drowned World Tour. So it wasn't 100% innovative from her as she just repeated the same old formula. The greatest thing about it was that she had a really strong record (taking inspiration from ABBA, the Pet Shop Boys, Donna Summer and Goldfrapp) which was also able to attract a new generation of fans. Madonna at 48 proved she still got it. My favourite thing about this tour is that she collaborated with Gaultier again. He always brings the best in her! She looked flawless, younger than ever and quite fit. Wish she had kept him for the Sticky & Sweet tour which was distasteful in this department. What I did find weak about the show at the time was the interludes. Almost 10 minutes of Live to Tell and Sorry used twice. Wasn't it a bit too much? The most ridiculous thing was to find out that they were included on the live CD instead of more interesting selections that could have been used... whatever. Forgotten classics that returned to her setlists: Like a Virgin and Lucky Star while Holiday got a well deserved rest! Apart from the financial success of the tour which visited more countries around the world, we did get a DVD intelligently edited by Mr Akerlund. That is for sure one of her best filmed shows and the general public love it til this day. For me they are equally A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

+1. I REALLY hope she changes her hair and colour for the new album!... Pd: Btw, I agree & I reckon her hair was absolutely spotless here too (and suits her so well!): LOVE that wavy hair!!! Fresh look, yesss!!! She looked gorgeous! Radiant! But that’s not how she’s wearing it now, so... It's a total mess nowadays, agree @o_g_c_x

Love it

Bidet song

Re-Invention has no staircase. The ones in Music don't count as they're not really part of the stage. That is a huge no for me. Stages need to have staircases.

and you said they don't hate her when they obviously do.

they do hate her and mock her, I hear mean comments all the time.