First Time Listening To American Life By Madonna (Reaction) 

Get Access to more madonna reaction content not posted on the channel! Uncut album reactions, full concert reactions & more! Only $5! DROWNED WORLD TOUR (FULL CONCERT): www.patreon.com/posts/66619905 LOVE PROFUSION MV (REACTION): www.patreon.com/posts/68491259

This album is definitely a grower. Took me awhile to get into it, but years later it’s one of my favorites. Incredibly personal, raw, and beautiful message she is trying to portray.

Severely underrated album. She is truly the G.O.A.T. 👑

Confessions on a Dance Floor is a completely revolutionary album. Listen to it now!!! Haha

Don't feel bad for not feeling some of these songs. You're not alone. Love Profusion and Nothing Fails were favorites of mine.

...I have to admit, this is the one reaction you've done so far with this deep dive I was really disappointed in. I don't think I would have watched it if I'd gone in knowing that you'd be so distracted by the sound of the album that most of the lyrical content besides "Hollywood" flew right by you. I do understand not being big on the "sound" of the album (when I first heard it I hated 'I'm So Stupid' on principal till I gave it a more careful listen), but it really feels like that was all this was. Every single song was "This sounds like it came off 'Music'." And I'm not writing this to be insulting; I typically love your reaction videos and your reviews are just usually much more layered than a repetitive "Sonically this album isn't different." I'd urge you to give it a re-listen just focusing on the lyrics, because this album is probably Madonna's most underrated gem. American Life came out during Bush's presidency after the Twin Towers fell and the country was simultaneously at war but also caught up in a materialistic, vapid lifestyle - a lifestyle that Madonna was trying to confront that she had both been caught up in and contributing to her entire career. 'American Life' is a protest song, including the purposefully ridiculous rap, and if you watch the video that hit her career as hard as the Dixie Chicks, you'll see that protest in full effect. 'Nobody Knows Me' is about realizing that nobody knows you as well as yourself and that trying to fit yourself into a mold will only make you miserable. 'Nothing Fails' through 'X-Static Process' are about her dealing with her (at the time) stable marriage and the birth of her second child, and that she was feeling - as many women have only increasingly felt since this album's release - unsure why she had brought a child into this chaotic mess of a world and needing to protect him from it. 'Mother and Father' is essentially the 'Oh Mother' to Like a Prayer's 'Oh Father'; she has never been so candid about her mother's death and the devastating effects it had on her. 'Die Another Day' wasn't just the theme to the James Bond film of the same name; it's also about seeing through pop culture psychology and needing to destroy her own self-image to be reborn into something new and hopefully better. This album has honestly only gotten better and better with age. I hope that maybe you'll give it another try sometime and it'll be different for you? But the important part of this album is not that it sounds like an extension of "Music"; it's the lyrics and when they were written and the anger, confusion, and hopelessness an American was feeling as the country was thrust into a chaotic spiral it's never fully recovered from.

That’s the thing about music and art; it’s for the artist first, audience is the last thing to consider. It’s super interesting that we all react to this one differently. I don’t think it’s supposed to be heard all in one go but rather take it slowly. Sonics are quite similar to Music I agree but lyrics are are whole different story. Tbh what let me down back then was how the marketing was done…

For me, Intervention is the uplifting song (that Nothing Fails tries too hard to be). Love Profusion is a sonic masterpiece.

This album is lyrically one of her best. You really have to listen to what the songs are about.

I just love American Life🤩🤩🤩

How didn't you like X-Static Process? It's a beutiful song. A very important advice for the next album, please listen it in its non stopping version, you're gonna be blown away for sure.

I found LA to be filled with the most superficial people in the world…that being said, I’ve found some really good people there as well…not a whole lot, but a good handful. The funny thing is, about 4 hours north in SanFran, people are amazing!

Can't wait for next album reaction Confessions Of A Dance Floor (the non-stop mix version)

The instrumental version of easy ride is awesome.

I think she was push for this album. It was a new era and records didn’t sell as it used to and she didn’t go on tour with ray of light and music. She was into movies, having her second child and her British lifestyle. It’s not her best but I like it!

Definitely my least favourite Madonna album (although I can appreciate it now more than when I first heard it). I do really enjoy Love Profusion, Hollywood, and Nothing Fails and I have to say I actually love Easy Ride. But I agree that Mirwais was really heavy handed with his production on this one, and I think Madonna should have reigned him back in a little more so that her skills at creating great pop hooks could have shone through a little more. The next album is one of my fave albums by any artist ever, so it’ll be interesting to see what you think.

American Life and Music are vastly different projects in my opinion. The first is my number 1 Madonna album. The second doesn't even make my top 10. I didn't like AL when it first came out but I came back to it a few years later and it's a grower on repeated listens.

I'm excited! The next album will be "Confessions on a dance floor". One of the best pop/dance/electronic albums in history.

If you realize, she doesn't close the word "life" in American Life. It's her ironic saying "american LIE". This is very under-rated album, I love it!

A bit of context…..she wrote and released this album right before we went to war in Iraq. She’s said she was feeling very vulnerable, as we all were at the time.

anyone who doesnt like Nothing Fails & Easy Ride can't be trusted to have good taste. this was a brilliant underappreciated album... if you go into it with an open mind.

American Life is her most underrated album, the lyrics are really deep and smart

time stamps 1:53 american life 5:45 hollywood 9:22 i'm so stupid 11:25 love profusion 14:01 nobody knows me 18:04 nothing fails 22:05 intervention 25:23 x-static process 27:53 mother and father 31:28 die anither day 34:07 easy ride

In my opinion "Music" & "American Life" are way different! Just because they both use synths and guitars it doesn't mean they are the same. Their sound is very different and characteristic. But I understand why this piece of work puzzles you, their sound is too complex to process in its first listening... Later, you will learn to appreciate it.

It's hard for you because you are a fan of MUSIC, not POETRY. And this is her "Small Cafe, Poetry Slam" era. This is the "Chamber Music" Madonna - musically minimalistic, but vocally & lyrically loud. Music is purposely hidden behind her vocals & her singing is way more important than playing a lot of instruments, that's why the sound of an acoustic guitar is so prevalent here, because it not disctracts your attention from the lyrical subject.

For me, Music and American Life even if they have a kind similar sound, are very differents, American Life has a more potilical aproach in the lyrics, and has angry, painful and existential vibes. This Album was written in the context of the Iraq war, and she explored this element in this project. With this album and the videos that comes with it, Madonna was expelled from USA by the goverment and she had to move to Europe where she created "Confessions of a dance floor". In my opinion, this album embodied a dark process, answering relevant questions of her self and the world, and she had to face the social misunderstanding. I recommend you to react to her videos too, so you can puzzle all the pieces. 👍

Nothing Fails, X- Static Process, and Intervention are one of the best Madonna slower songs. Hollywood is iconic.

It’s interesting that he felt like he was listening to a continuation of the Music album because they are very different bodies of work. Thing about American Life is that M was trying to convey a message and also play with sounds which was popular and experimental at the same time and a huge mistake is to interpret it as a necessity to change industry every single time. Lyrics and Madonna’s stripped down singing here is something that we don’t get to see in any of her future albums.

The brilliance of Nobody Knows Me is the live performance of it from the ReInvention Tour. It’s forever changed the moving sidewalks in the airport for me.

even though Music and American Life have a similar production, the topics are completely different, Music is a very upbeat album with more carefree lyrics overall but the songs on AL has some of her most personal, insecure and depressing lyrics ever. You might get bored because of the similar folktronica production on AL is being very prominent throughout the album but give it some time cuz each song hits a different side once you get what the album is about.

Work of art - she was ahead of her time. Now American Life is an anthem at her concerts.

Can’t wait for confessions on a dance floor, don’t forget it’s a non-stop album, so it’s all transitions and super dance vibes. It’s a Madonna rebirth.

American Life is hands down one of my favorite Madonna albums, it has always been. But if you didn't like it, you're really not gonna like MDNA

When I first heard this album, I wanted even more of a Music-sounding album, but I grew to love the folk-tronica and accoustic sound of the album. It is such a personal album and one of my favorites. Her vocals are outstanding here.

Out of all of Madonna‘s albums for some reason this one to me is always her most personal , she doesn’t really hide her emotions much behind the music she lets it stand out front limited production speaking more of her own experiences and life

One of her best albums, PERIOD . People bitch and moan about the rap in American Life , but they don't get that the rap is meant to be ironic and a joke about modern society and fame.The whole album is brilliant. Also her tour for this album "The REvention Tour " is her best tour ever. It's so raw and magnificent in every sense.

When i first listened to it, i wasn't a huge fan either but it really grew on me. It's edgy in the way that it's very electronic on the one hand, and very stripped back acoustic on the other. I did not hear the folk influence on Music, it was more a mix of electronica, pop and country.

AL is basically Music 2.0 with the same producer, Mirwais (but sans William Orbit)-a slight departure from electronica to folktronica.

"Easy Ride" changed my life....

Madonna is the best female artists of all time!!! Long live The Queen!!! American Life is so incredible and intelligent album!!!

It’ll grow on you. Guarantee it. And once you see the live performances and context the music was written about, you’ll notice this is deeper than the MUSIC album.

I'm confused by the whole "double album" thing. I mean, I get that "Music" and "American Life" have similar sounds (and so does Mirwais' "Production", so that should tell you why), but the songs on "American Life" were still written 2/3 years after the release of Music.

For rebel heart you need to react to all 23 tracks of the deluxe version

I love this album, but I get that it's completely different. The "folktronica" sound is totally unique in her discography, and it's a very personal and angry record. When it came out, it wasn't very well received, but now it's far better appreciated!

Of course it sounds like Music, it’s the very first time Madonna stuck with the sad coproducer than the previous album (Mirwais for Music) BUT as you said in one of the very first songs, it’s like an elevated version of Music. The themes are different though and the production definitely went further for me. Better songs, more growers maybe. My fav are Nothing Fails (a great pop love song) Intervention (so beautiful) Mother And Father (so catchy childish and funky) Hollywood and Love Profusion. Definitely one of my fav Madonna album. She sounds incredible in it. So many singers play it safe and everyone is ok with it, Madonna uses the same production elements once and it’s boring ? Definitely not for me !! ☺️It’s such a great album ❤️❤️❤️

Besides Bedtime Stories, American Life is the other Madonna album I listen to without skipping a cut.

This album is a solid ocean of references for anyone that know deep philosophical and scientifc bibliography, with themes like Dialetic and Materialism (sociology and critic theory). Mixtured with Folk and Synth-pop -- very innovative. American Life is the the materialist and dialetic revolutionary version of the Ray of Light. The distortions of synths are intentional by the critic against the synthethic artifitial superficialism in your concept. I recomend all you guys to read about the context of the USA and world in her releasing and the cientific bibliography of that themes. You need a lot of inteligence and cientific and philosophic knowledge to see, hear and understand all the qualities of the lyrics, song, instrumentation, concept and courage of Madonna in your artistic oposite against all the moral norms of the USA economic and military system. You really need to work your imagination about the time and the impact of the releasing. Who lived in that time just can love this album, songs and videoclips. And more, Madonna with this album influenced others artists like Kesha, Usher, Blackeyedpeas, ec. to explore the Synth-Pop. Listening the American Life demos! Yes, Wikipedia saves!

This album is only rewarding after repeated listens. Most of us Madonna fans were underwhelmed when it came out, but now it’s a fan favorite. This was her folky beatnik era. Don’t worry, her sound does a full 180 on the next album.

I felt like you put a lot of emphasis on the production without giving much credit to the lyrics/meanings of the songs and the true message of this album. It really contrasts with the Madonna we thought we knew. She’s basically rethinking the meaning of her own life here, much like in Ray of Light. It’s a key album in her catalogue for me, one of her most honest efforts. Music is a completely different album to me. More extroverted and “club friendly”. There is basically nothing in AL that could sound good in a club.

Still love this excellent 2003-album.👌❤️🌟

This album is entirely different from Music in that the vocals, their production and the songwriting are far more vulnerable. They are prominent, prescient and deeply personal.

Die Another Day sounds cinematic because it was the main theme of 007 Die another Day.

"Die Another Day" is more cinematic because it's a Bond's theme XD

Nothing Fails is definitely one of the best Madonna songs in existence… idk how you couldn’t like it. but the album as a whole grows on you

Don't worry, MDNA is coming to take the bottom

How can you say these aren't different eras entirely? MUSIC : Madonna was America's cowgirl darling. AMERICAN LIFE : Madonna was America's public enemy number 1.

I think the trio of songs - Nothing Fails, Intervention, and X-static Process - are some of the best songs of her career. So beautiful.

I don't particularly care if I agree or disagree with your reactions, however your feelings are 100% reasonable/substantial. American Life is one of my favourite albums from Madonna, by the way.

I believe American Life is suppose to be more of a protest album because of the wars back in 2003 when a lot of artist were making protest music. I know I saw this album come up in a documentary about protest music from 2003.

9:58 I love how everybody has the same reaction with "I'm So Stupid" Hahahahahah

“Nothing fails” I believe is the best song she has ever created, absolutely stunning and timeless 🙏👍

AL is far different from Music. I think Music is more vibrant and melancholy in the same time. AL is more personal and it's a protest album. And also AL has lot of guitars. Both are Masterpieces, but AL is my favorite.

Finally OTDE, I've been waiting for so long. Hope you get faster on my favorite album, Confessions on a dance floor. And pls react it the nonstop version. Great content BTW

American Life is my favourite Madonna album, but I really do understand why a lot of people dislike it. it's not for everyone, but I still think it's a masterpiece

I remember HATING this when I first heard it as a kid but now it’s in my top 3 Madonna albums

My issue with your critic is that is there any other artist you'd say their sound was too much alike album to album or is it because Madonna constantly pushes herself? Think about it Lana Delray, Mariah Carey, and most mainstream artists never switch their sound up. Yet Madonna constantly tries new things and leads the pack and trend of music. This album does have the electronic sound throughout but it's a totally different feel. You're being too hard on her compared to other artists you've reviewed who's every song sounds the same. It's her darkest album which was influenced by 9/11 and the war in Iraq about to start and how there was so much pain she was dealing with.

I am a longtime follower of your channel and I really enjoy your reactions, but this time I have to say that I am very disappointed, you didn't even focus on the lyrics or the background of this album. Someone said exactly the same thing on another comment: anyone that compares American Life to Music: 🖕🏻 I've never seen anyone compare these two because with Madonna, you only have to look at the covers to realize how different any album is, and the cover of this one screams out loud: coldness, introspection, hard to swallow. I mean, really? And I don't give a fuck If I sound condescending, but the only reason why you think these albums are "exactly the same" (??? 🧐) Is because Mirwais is the main co-producer in both of them. However, the most insulting thing you said in the video (you're entitled to your own opinion, and I'm entitled to criticize it) is the fact that you said it seemed like these songs did not make the cut for Music. Every single song on this album has a political, negative or existentialist direction in the lyrics, and the electronic sounds mixed with traditional singer-songwriter folk sound was precisely a twist on that traditional way of making protest-folk albums of the 60's and 70's. Music is NOTHING LIKE THAT. I'm sorry if I sound angry, and I'm aware someone's gonna criticize me and say something like "calm down, respect his opinion", but I think that you didn't read ANYTHING to know the background or the context in which this album was made. I don't even know if you're gonna finish Madonna's discography because she has become increasingly extravangant, exploratory and WTF with her music and well, that's what we love about her.

I do see Music + American Life connected albums but there also completely different. They both are folktronica genres but I see Music more Trance / Europop esque while American Life feels more minimalistic / folk glitch.

I didn't like this album first listening, but month later it became one of my favorite album of her. Same with Ray of light which is now my favorite album of All time

American life is like the dark side of Music. They have the same similar combinarion of electronica and folk acoustic

I kinda feel him with this. I can't really have myself get into the album personally. I try to like this album but i really can't. The last straw was the lyrics " round and round just like a circle" like thanks Madonna for reminding me how the circle looks like. The "political" aspect of this album is nothing but a aesthetic considering the political climate at the time of its release. Also, the songs are really so minor key which is a contrast to her preceding output at the time. The whole theme is not really about the actual American Life but it's about HER American Life, which really kinda hard to relate to and the whole theme falls apart as the album progresses. Also, the sad truth is Die Another Day, which was a Bond theme and released before the album was added just to avoid American Life the only Madonna album that has no hits.

American Life is a great album. But its a grower, no doubts! So give it another chance, Taylor. It will worth the pain.

Music, American Life, Madame X. My least favorite Madonna albums.. but all 3 have some great moments...and the early 2000's stuff holds a special place in my heart...

Her next album is gonna be a good refresher and genre reset for you. The producer for Confessions on a Dance Floor collaborated on one of the songs you enjoyed on this album review, X Static Process. Confessions also served as the chief inspiration for Dua Lipa’s hugely successful album Future Nostalgia, going as far to use the same producer as Madonna on songs like Levitating and Hallucinate!

It's the moody sister to music, similar but very different, it finds its pocket then pretty much stays there...its not my favourite Madonna album but it's cohesive and a real reflection of her mind at that time. I rate it.

I just hope that the rabid American Life fans don't swarm the comment section with reasons why you should like the album. Honestly, it's one of her worst. It's not bad, but your analysis is spot on. There are a few songs I like from this album, but I almost never go back to it. You're in for a treat tho, with Confessions on a Dancefloor. Pretty excited to see the next video!

You really don’t understand how deep and genious is this album.

What I felt from your review that you sounds tired and don’t even felt the need to check out that Die Another Day was song from movie. If you review something at least do the research, lame review.

There are so many good and personal songs in this album. Now it's my favorite. It is a grower. Believe me. Love profusion, nobody knows me, nothing fails, intervention, x-static process, easy ride... Are all masterpieces. X-static is about the feeling of vulnerability and kind of inferiority when you are in love with a man, but it can also be related to God and religion

This album marked the end of Madonna getting airplay on American radio.

You've been successfully conditioned to expect something brand new from Madonna every time! This was and still is a pretty divisive album among fans. Many of us had a similar reaction when we first heard it. The entire album was produced by Mirwais, so it has a very uniform sound but it's quite different from Music in a few ways - first and foremost, as you noticed, it's very lyrically/thematically consistent, where as Music was kind of all over the place, trying new sounds and different themes. I think she was so happy with the songs Mirwais did on Music that she wanted to do a whole album with him, and the result was the first album since at least the 80s where the sound wasn't completely different from the previous album. I don't think the idea of a double album makes sense since these were definitely new songs that were written post-Music. She was clearly soul-searching and having a bit of an identity crisis or at least trying to figure out her place in the world. Be sure to react to the uncensored/unreleased version of the "American Life" video. That makes the song come together for me.

Hope one day you react to Britney Spears albums. She is part of the pop royalty.

This is more a singer-songwriter album than Music. Very homogenous sound (one producer), heavy electronica and difficult to appreciate in many areas. Mother and Father esp. does not work for me in this weirdly distorted presentation. Other than that, there is lots of highs in Nothing Fails, Intervention and Easy Ride.

I will say when I first heard the album I didn’t love it automatically but as the years went by I realized what a gem it is and how highly under appreciated it is.

An underrated album definitely. Simply love American Life album. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

You need to give this album another check , this is one of her most powerful albums Madonna has. Intervention has saved my life.

I just got with this vid that you are paying attention to the albums sonically rather than lyrically or thematically. Duly noted!

Taylor I respect your opinion but Nothing Fails is absolutely one of the most beautiful songs she has ever recorded. I think if you were to listen to Music and American Life once after the other, you would actually see they are not as similar as you think

Nobody knows´ me performance in Reinvention Tour is A-MA-ZING. Check it out.

Yeah, this album was her first big stumble in terms of her music. I've tried over the years to like it, but I just don't care for it. The next one, Confessions on a Dance Floor, is much better, but after that, well hit and miss is a nice way of describing it.

Since you are going in chronological order, I know "Confessions On a Dance Floor" is coming next, so let me recomend you to look up for the "non-stop" version, since Stuart Price produced the transitions in such delightful way and the whole album feels like a full DJ set.

I was generally underwhelmed by this album too, but Songs like Nothing Fails, Easy Ride and Hollywood grew on me. IMO The most imporant thing about this album are the lyrics, as this album criticizes american culture. Remember, this was published after 9/11, GWBush and the Iraq War.

To me it's easily Madonna's worst album. Too monotone and self serious. The production-glitches and studders gets annoying real fast and the lack of reverb makes it sound almost claustrophobic.

I f***ing LOVE this album. I worked at Borders Books & Music when it came out and I still remember putting together the huge display for the CDs. Sonically, it's bonkers wild and endlessly replayable. Lyrically, it's vulnerable, very personal, and witty AF. I think the sequencing of songs is A+ too. American Life era Madonna is highly underrated.

Please react to the music video of American life. It will make sense when you watch it. The uncut unreleased version (directors cut)

Don't agree at all. I think this album is very diverse. With the strings in some songs, acoustic, electronic sounds, pop, a little rap (American Life lol), dance, a choir singing, remixed voice, upbeat songs, soft songs. I can see the similarities with Music, but I think it is different though.

This review is frustrating. This album was a vastly better, more consistent, more complete album compared to Music. It also did the job of continuing that - post Evita, Ray of Light, Music albums and the Drowned World Tour to continue a similar, yet more streamlined or realized sound. American Life, the title track ... is pretty garbage though it does serve this, again, post Music, post Die Another Day (as a single release in between the Music and American Life album) but other than that this album is a marvel. It's sort of a ... Ray of Light - feel sorry for me I'm rich and famous, revisit. This is her post-marriage to Guy Ritchie and them doing Kabbalah, a movie, a kid and all of this stuff together where you could hear the damage he was doing to her and she to him psychologically. I mean and thats just the tip of whats going on in this piece. I mean I get that sonically you find it to be a bit... same, same in genre and whatever ... but when you look at through that lens you're not really listening to it from the 'first time' perspective and rather, as most critics or 'fans' do by comparing to previous releases instead of to itself as a production or what it isn't doing versus what it is and the many things each album and each albums songs are describing together and apart.

HOLLYWOOD ❤️❤️❤️ I love this álbum from begining till the very ending Madonna is incredible By the way DIE ANOTHER DAY it is cinematic...from JAMES BOND DIE ANOTHER DAY 😎🎥🎞️📽️ Greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷

It's not her strongest album and after many years of listening I can tell I don't play it as often as other albums. But it still has its own feel to it. Thankfully her next album makes up for it very, very well, you'll love it ( and makes you forget 2003)

Madonna is my favourite artist ever. But I was so disappointed with this album when it was released. I wanted more of the Ray of light and music sound. This was a little odd to me. A real mixture of songs. Which didn't feel cohesive. But now 2 decades later. I really love it. Only 3 songs I don't love. My top 5 in order of preference are: 1. Love profusion 2. Nothing fails 3. Hollywood 4. Die another day 5. American life Which were all the singles surprisingly 😋🥰