Wth is this Rolling Stone piece by Andy Greene claiming 'American Life' as one of the "50 Genuinely Horrible Albums by Brilliant Artists"

[Aiwa08 16,190]

Her big mistake with AL was to ban her own video after being aired. After all, US hated her with or without the original video-clip. It was the first time I saw her really scared thinking in the negative publicity against her.

[poodle 258]

 I'm So Stupid is the best track on the damn album...

[drivebitch 1,860]

I hate that album. I’m in agreement with them. It’s her worst. 

[drivebitch 1,860]

On 2/22/2023 at 11:53 AM, Would You Like To Try said:

What a load of bull crap it after all offends Americans who want weak society (not everyone)

[Would You Like To Try 8,314]

3 minutes ago, drivebitch said:

There are opinions lol

[Miki 245]

A question was raised in a podcast (All I wanna do is talk about Madonna) whether Like a Prayer would have been as successful/memorable without that video.

- In reference to the video-less  American Life. 
 

 

[wtg1987 10,151]

I think it’s unfair to call an album horrible but I do agree it’s pretty much a dull uninspired album - too much Mirwais and the single AL is probably one of her worst singles - I think the original video is very overrated- her vocals just sound so bored on most of this album and the artwork is terrible too 😴

[androiduser 2,406]

the "American Life" controversy was overhyped by Madonna and the fans...

and the whole thing was contrived... there is a total of ZERO anti-war songs on the album, it's about fame.... but then the war became a hot topic and M tried to change the story.... even the cover imagery is inspired by Patty Hearst, but M changed the narrative

[Miki 245]

15 minutes ago, androiduser said:

the "American Life" controversy was overhyped by Madonna and the fans...

and the whole thing was contrived... there is a total of ZERO anti-war songs on the album, it's about fame.... but then the war became a hot topic and M tried to change the story.... even the cover imagery is inspired by Patty Hearst, but M changed the narrative

I think that is a bit too cynical. Like a Prayer for instance doesn’t lyrically address race issues but the video does. Was that a marketing ploy? 

[Aiwa08 16,190]

1 hour ago, Miki said:

A question was raised in a podcast (All I wanna do is talk about Madonna) whether Like a Prayer would have been as successful/memorable without that video.

- In reference to the video-less  American Life. 
 

 

The video gave to "Like A Prayer" more publicity, but the song was a success by itself.  "Express Yourself" was really successful/memorable thanks to the video (and the remix).

[androiduser 2,406]

20 minutes ago, Miki said:

I think that is a bit too cynical. Like a Prayer for instance doesn’t lyrically address race issues but the video does. Was that a marketing ploy? 

that's a fair question and a great example.... the difference is that Like a Prayer wasn't hailed by Madonna as an album about race issues. With American Life, the album was written as one thing, and promoted as another, everything was totally disjoint. The album didn't do well, and suddenly it was because of the anti war "controversy".

[Miki 245]

2 minutes ago, androiduser said:

that's a fair question and a great example.... the difference is that Like a Prayer wasn't hailed by Madonna as an album about race issues. With American Life, the album was written as one thing, and promoted as another, everything was totally disjoint. The album didn't do well, and suddenly it was because of the anti war "controversy".

I think she is more a visual artist than a lyricist. Her lyrics aren’t specific but her videos are poignant. I think the video is the more authentic representation of what she wanted to say. She even said once that a video/scenario plays in her head while writing songs. Not words.

[Donna 16,112]

1 hour ago, androiduser said:

the "American Life" controversy was overhyped by Madonna and the fans...

and the whole thing was contrived... there is a total of ZERO anti-war songs on the album, it's about fame.... but then the war became a hot topic and M tried to change the story.... even the cover imagery is inspired by Patty Hearst, but M changed the narrative

I never felt Madonna "over hyped" it.  I feel the media just misconstrued what it was about and the album artwork, the original AL music video, and her willing to discuss current events during her interviews didn't help things. 

I remember upon arrival, most fans loved the album, but as soon as it started taking a dark turn from the media, and not selling well, some fans just bought into media representation of the album and doomed it as a failure. 

I agree the album has no anti-war or sentiment to it.  But it's easy for the general public to think differently by looking at the artwork alone. The media misrepresentation of it, only fueled it more.

[Prayer 14,278]

8 hours ago, androiduser said:

the "American Life" controversy was overhyped by Madonna and the fans...

and the whole thing was contrived... there is a total of ZERO anti-war songs on the album, it's about fame.... but then the war became a hot topic and M tried to change the story.... even the cover imagery is inspired by Patty Hearst, but M changed the narrative

How was "overhyped" by her and her fans when she basically was banned from US radio for the whole campaign after the title track release? "Hollywood" was her first single in 20 years to not reach at least the Hot 100. It wasn't hyped, the controversy was real in the end and the reactions and consequences too.

[Blue Jean 15,124]

7 hours ago, tscott said:

I never felt Madonna "over hyped" it.  I feel the media just misconstrued what it was about and the album artwork, the original AL music video, and her willing to discuss current events during her interviews didn't help things. 

I remember upon arrival, most fans loved the album, but as soon as it started taking a dark turn from the media, and not selling well, some fans just bought into media representation of the album and doomed it as a failure. 

I agree the album has no anti-war or sentiment to it.  But it's easy for the general public to think differently by looking at the artwork alone. The media misrepresentation of it, only fueled it more.

Well the lead single was widely panned anyway. I can't remember if the war theme/controversy came in conjunction with those initial song reviews and public reaction though.

[Blue Jean 15,124]

14 hours ago, Miki said:

A question was raised in a podcast (All I wanna do is talk about Madonna) whether Like a Prayer would have been as successful/memorable without that video.

I think so. The video is not that shocking or controversial today yet lots of younger people know and love that song. It’s a timeless song.

[Miki 245]

1 hour ago, Blue Jean said:

I think so. The video is not that shocking or controversial today yet lots of younger people know and love that song. It’s a timeless song.

I agree but without the video it might have merely been a beautiful song.
 

[Miki 245]

Madonna as an actress/ creative force -in the music video format  , should not be discounted. Can you imagine Vogue, Material Girl, Justify My Love, Frozen,  without the Videos. 
I am not belittling the merit of the songs on their own. 
American Life lacked a video. That definitely hurt it. Personally I think it’s a great album and song. 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Miki (see edit history)

[Donna 16,112]

15 hours ago, Blue Jean said:

Well the lead single was widely panned anyway. I can't remember if the war theme/controversy came in conjunction with those initial song reviews and public reaction though.

The way I recall the media (mainly FOX) made a big stink about the original video, even though it never aired in the U.S.  I remember Bill O'Reilly having a segment on the original video, painting Madonna as Anti-American-War.  Apart from that, I felt like it was just getting mix reviews.  I'm sure the artwork allowed people to come to the conclusion that it was "Anti-American" didn't help sales.  

At the end of the day, it's not her worst album.  It's just one of her worst selling albums.  It's greatly underrated and apart from the lead single and possibly Hollywood, the album probably would have come off much better, if it was marketed better and had artwork that was a bit more public friendly.  That said, I wouldn't change a thing.  I think over time, more and more people are going to rediscover that album and appreciate it more. 

[Roland Barthes 5,823]

 I was living in New York when the album was released and it was pretty intense. I couldn't recognize the city. Flags everywhere. I had a muslim friend who told me she put an american flag on her car because she had been verbally abused many times at gas stations. I myself had a terrible experience as a french person, i wa sliving in Queens and as i was going to the gym, a pick up truck parked on the sidewalk before me and on the bumper there was a sticker representing a mushroom cloud and inside you could read "today Baghdad tomorrow France" i felt my legs weakening. On Fox News (already) there was a debate on wether she should be stripped of her american citizenship. Not equating American Life, the song, with the Iraq war but also the whole post 9/11 thing is stupid. She was questioning the american way of life and the american dream at a time patriotism was at an all time high and if you go  back to what she said onstage at the last two dates of the Drowned world Tour in Los angeles two days after 9/11, she was criticizing american imperialism in the world. But the song itself is more specifically about how our culture in the western world, mostly dominated by the american one and the american way is alienating us. I wish they had put a vocider on that rap though, like they did on Dark Ballet, to make it sound scary and monstruous. Then, 3 months later, in total contradiction, she was in that ridiculous commercial for Gap with Missy Elliott. That was puzzling.

She also came across as preachy and not fun in interviews. There was only V Magazine and Q in England to promote it. They sent her to morning tv shows or Dateline to talk about motherhood, it's a low key album they promoted like a mammoth. It's the kind of album that grows on people with time. It's not Mc True Blue Donald's. I think Caresse Henry, who was in charge of the promo then, really fucked up, she did not know how to sell it. 

It was a really shit time and it was fucking raining non stop for the whole of spring that year. Very gloomy time. I guess people did not want to be reminded of it an favored "Crazy" by Beyonce as an escape. I remember the first song from the album we heard after  American Life was Love Profusion on AOL (remember ?) as they had an exclusive preview of the song and tracks from the album (beng a Warner division...). People felt she was a brat criticizing what she had benefited from and was lke a billioniare going all socialist on people, which is always entertaining, american narrow view on politics (no wonder they always have to chose between far right and hard right) as anything that criticizes capitalism and saying, well, maybe we're in the wrong there,  is viewed as communism. I remember joining a protest against war in Time Square and i had never seen a protest so violently reprimended. It's when Giuliani was high on power and people seeing him as a saviour so he destroyed the city. They made life hell for all restaurants, bars and clubs. The Roxy had yet another closing because of Giuliani's rules and in the end he won because between him and the new gentrified residents complainig about the noise, the club closed a few years after. Policemen were hiding as patrons at art gallery opening so they could give a ticket to other guests going outside to smoke, drinks in hand. A pregnant woman got a ticket because she felt weak and sat on the stairs of the subway station. The city was changing and the soft fascism in the air was a total contradiction with what New York City was. 

[Roland Barthes 5,823]

Oh btw, i forgot why i came to this thread. Gaga central aka Queerty, is now saying Ray Of Light is overrated. That Mer Girl and Nothing Really Matters are bad songs contrary to Incredible. 

[Drownedboy 1,657]

I agree the whole era felt contradicted, and that they did not know how to see an otherwise very nice album. The message was strange.

 

With ROL, Music or Confessions I think the concept was better delivered and so those albums got great reception. It´s a shame cause I love several American Life songs with all my heart.

[MartinX 124]

One of my favourite albums of hers to be honest. 

[Miki 245]

I think M knew the album would challenge it’s listener ( production wise and lyrically). So, it was a hard sell. She new that. But she loved it and believed in it so much that she dove all the way with it. That’s how she is with her relationships too. She dove in with no prenup, didn’t she? But then she was hit with a backlash. Any other artist would have weighed the pros and cons of making such a video and would never have allowed it’s making in the first place. She is instinctual and a true artist in that respect. And the self censorship later was something that had to be done( for her family’s safety). But it came after the fact. It was already known where she stood and what she believed. The song would have benefited from a proper video. But that video had a short life. I don’t blame her manager or her or anybody. It’s what artists go through when they stay true to what they believe. You gotta admire!!

[chaosmen1984mk 793]

It's good to know that I am one of the lucky few who consider American Life one of Madonna's best albums. That is why I don't care what a trashy magazine thinks that perhaps minimizes this wonderful album based on certain nationalist traumas or simply to provoke cheap controversy. The antipathy of this magazine towards Madonna is already known, such as when it named Lady Gaga as the Queen of pop or another artist whose name I don't remember as the Best artist of all time and not even a shadow of Madonna.

That is why I am glad that this magazine is already in intensive care, as far as relevance and sales are concerned, and I hope that it will soon pass away, because the fact of not recognizing or minimizing Madonna's legacy seems to me, as an ultra fan that I am of her, something abominable.