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American Life Lyrics
Released: April 22, 2003
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» Review
The Advocate: Larry Flick (April 15, 2003)
Madonna has accomplished the near-impossible: For the past 20 years, she
has managed to remain consistently compelling to the queer community.
More than any other diva to whom we have ever pledged allegiance, she
has earned our unyielding affection - and not merely because she wears
hot clothes or has a larger-than-life swagger. We connect with her
seemingly unshakable bravery as well as the fact that she openly infused
gay sensibilities into her work long before it became a trendy or savvy
mainstream move. We may occasionally yearn for the familiarity and
simplicity of early hits like 'Borderline' or 'Express Yourself,' but we
hungrily consume every fresh morsel she offers. Quite simply, we cannot
wait to see where she will go next.
Recent recordings have seen Madonna exploring her fascination with
electronic club culture. Along the way, she's provided pure exhilaration
('Ray of Light,' which easily surpassed her previous crowning glory,
'Vogue'), utter exasperation (the stiff, mother-of-the-universe pose of
'Frozen'), and carefree bliss (the irresistible 'Music'). It's been a
bold, sometimes self-indulgent journey that has led her to the biggest
risk she has taken to date: American Life, an album that is among her
most sonically adventurous and lyrically intelligent.
Paired once again with French underground studio whiz Mirwais Ahmadzai,
she utilizes electronic elements less as a disco catalyst and more in an
abrasive rock context. Much of the material is underlined with firm,
urgent rhythms, but they don't necessarily inspire physical motion as
much as they propel dissonant sounds and heady prose.
Drawn with dark, introspective hues, American Life is the flip side to
2001's Music, which was intentionally aimed to be easy on the brain and
heavy on the hips. From the opening lines of the title track, it's clear
that we've caught the 44-year-old artist in a reflective state of mind.
Within its framework of acoustic strumming and rubber-band
bass-thumping, we don't see her surveying the landscape of all American
life, just her own. And clearly it's been an inner battle, as she
punctuates a jittery, almost codependent mantra of 'I tried to stay
ahead / I tried to stay on top / I tried to play the part' with a
venomous, dismissive 'fuck it.' By the end of the track's cheekily
delivered rap (which pays undeniable homage to Deborah Harry's classic
rant on Blondie's 'Rapture'), we see that she may have all she thought
she wanted but maybe not all she has needed.
From there Madonna meditates on religion (the glorious 'Nothing Fails,'
which glides from a lean arrangement into a choir-chanted climax of the
refrain 'Makes me wanna pray'), family ('Intervention,' a charming ode
to her son, and 'Love Profusion,' a plaintive love letter to her
husband), and the world at large (the rock-charged 'I'm So Stupid'). It
adds up to some of the more literate, deeply heartfelt material she's
ever offered.
But it's during 'Hollywood' and 'The X-Static Process' that Madonna
shines brightest. Despite their disparate styles, both songs illustrate
that no amount of experimentation or growth will hinder her apparent
love of - or her knack for crafting - perfect pop songs. The former (an
eventual radio smash) sparkles with shiny synths and a driving,
funk-flavored beat, while the latter is a simple, folk-spiced acoustic
ballad. It leads perfectly into the set-closing 'Easy Ride,' on which
she mulls over her life and music with a simple 'I come full circle, to
my place. I am home.'
With that, she once again leaves the listener both sated and still
wondering where she can possibly go next. Wherever that might be, we'll
be there with her.
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