After the relative slump of American Life, Madonna was ready for another reinvention. She started working with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï for the third straight album, but realized it was time for a change.
She turned to English electronic artist and producer Stuart Price, who had co-written a song on her previous record, and set out to create the ultimate dance album. After diving into serious subject matter on American Life, she was ready to have fun again.
Yesterday, I wrote about Madonna’s knack for not standing in the same place, changing producers and musical styles from album to album with a professed goal of never repeating herself.
Well, she broke her own rules on her next release, 2003’s American Life. Teaming up again with producer/co-writer Mirwais Ahmadzaï, she delivered an album similar in sound to Music but less impactful.
Two things that have impressed me throughout this Madonna deep dive are her commitment to collaboration and her interest in evolving her sound.
After her debut album, Madonna was turned down by her label when she wanted to produce the album herself. She took advantage of that opportunity and sought out Niles Rogers, the first of many big-name producers with whom she would record over the years.
Following Bedtime Stories, Madonna waited four years to release her next studio album, the longest span between new records in her career to that point.
During that time, she starred in Evita, gave birth to daughter Lourdes, and found religion in the form of the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah. Busy, busy!
The Evita role prompted her to work with a vocal coach, a decision that paid off on 1998’s Ray of Light.
Madonna suffered a fair amount of backlash after her Sex book and Erotica album were deemed offensive by the pearl-clutchers. A controversial appearance on Late Show with David Letterman, heavily censored due to profanity and subject matter, didn’t help.
As a result, 1994’s Bedtime Stories was positioned as a mea culpa. In a promotional video, she promised “no sexual references” on the new album, and a return to the “innocent” Madonna of the past. Holding her co-writer’s daughter on her lap, she promised to be a “good girl.”
Meet Me In Montauk 