Madonna fans react as Rolling Stone calls American Life a ‘genuinely horrible’ album
Come on now - Nothing Fails is easily one of the best songs of her career!
Madonna fans are furious after her oft-misunderstood 2003 album American Life was called “genuinely horrible” by Rolling Stone.
(Quick side note: the American Life track ‘Nothing Fails’ is easily one of the best songs of her career!)
The recent article, headlined ’50 Genuinely Horrible Albums by Brilliant Artists’, also looked at Queen’s The Cosmos Rocks and Paul McCartney’ Give My Regards To Broad Street.
American Life, which contains the singles ‘Hollywood’ and ‘Die Another Day’, came in at number 26 on the list.
“Hopelessly muddled when it wasn’t downright embarrassing” – Rolling Stone’s Andy Greene on American Life
“Madonna’s output from her 1983 debut LP all the way to 2000’s Music is one of the most impressive runs in the history of pop music,” opines writer Andy Greene in the piece.
“She went through Bowie-like stylistic changes with practically every album but always stayed on top of trends and never lost her ability to generate hits.”
“[…] The music came at a time when she was just learning how to play guitar and rap,” the writer added.
“Her skills at both were rather rudimentary, and her decision to work with French techno producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï (who had been on board for the more successful Music) added yet another element that caused the whole project to become hopelessly muddled when it wasn’t just downright embarrassing.”
Defending American Life, one fan responded on Twitter: “The most underrated album by @Madonna, an album as introspective and minimalist as it is artistic, where everything is taken care of in detail.”
Another said: “Absolutely disagree. This concept album was a bold career move following the massive mainstream success of Music. It is an underrated gem that deserves more credit, especially when seeing the originally intended video of ‘American Life’.”
Other comments included “one of her best and most cohesive albums”, “her most personal album, a true masterpiece” and “love profusion look away!!! don’t listen to them!!”
In issue 351 of Attitude, out now on shelves and to download online, we retrospectively and glowingly review Madonna’s 1992 LP Erotica – another commercially disappointing but, with the passing of time, increasingly interesting album.
We’ll do American Life next!