American Life

American Life

Madonna

“American Life” is the lead single and title-track of Madonna’s ninth studio album. A pop, techno and folk song, its lyrics feature political and religious views from the singer, who questions the shallowness of modern life and the illusion of the American Dream, specially during the presidency of George W. Bush.

By touching sore spots of American society, “American Life” enraged American listeners and was heavily criticized by reviewers, which led the single to peak at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the single did well outside the US, reaching the top of the charts in Canada, Denmark, Italy, Japan and Switzerland, and #2 in the UK.

Two music videos were shot for the song, both by Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund, who has worked with Madonna before. The first version featured the singer at a military-themed fashion show, with an amused audience applauding the bloodshed of the war; the video ended with Madonna throwing a hand grenade at George W. Bush. Prior to its release, the video caused controversy regarding its political, racial and religious implications, leading Madonna to release a statement explaining its concept:

I feel lucky to be an American citizen for many reasons – one of which is the right to express myself freely, especially in my work. I understand that there have been reports about my upcoming video ‘American Life’ in the media – much of which is inaccurate. I am not Anti-Bush. I am not pro-Iraq. I am pro peace. I have written a song and created a video which expresses my feelings about our culture and values and the illusions of what many people believe is the American dream – the perfect life. As an artist, I hope that this provokes thought and dialogue. I don’t expect everyone to agree with my point of view.

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq started, Madonna cancelled the release of the original music video, because of the political climate of the country at the time, and released another version, much softer, featuring her in front of a backdrop of flags from around the world. She explained:

I have decided not to release my new video. It was filmed before the war started and I do not believe it is appropriate to air it at this time. 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.