Music (Madonna album)

Music
Studio album by Madonna
Released September 19, 2000
Recorded September 1999[1][2] - May 2000[3]
Genre Pop, electronica, country
Length 44:40 (U.S. edition)
49:18 (international edition)
54:55 (Japanese & Australian edition)
Label Maverick, Warner Bros.
Producer Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï, William Orbit, Guy Sigsworth, Mark "Spike" Stent, Talvin Singh
Professional reviews
Madonna chronology
Ray of Light
(1998)		 Music
(2000)		 GHV2
(2001)
Singles from Music
  1. "Music"
    Released: August 18, 2000
  2. "Don't Tell Me"
    Released: January 15, 2001
  3. "What It Feels Like for a Girl"
    Released: April 17, 2001

Music is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on September 19, 2000 by Maverick Records. A two-disc Special Edition was also released in June 2001 to promote the Drowned World Tour, containing an additional CD of remixes and the video of "What It Feels Like for a Girl". Madonna collaborated with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï for this album. It featured mostly upbeat and up-tempo songs which further developed Madonna's move toward European dance music. The album received positive response from most music critics, scoring 80/100 from Metacritic. It was nominated for a total of five Grammy Awards although it eventually won only one award for "Best Recording Package". The album is also listed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Commercially, Music debuted at number one in over 23 countries around the world and sold more than four million copies in the first ten days. To date, the album has reportedly sold 15 million copies worldwide. Music featured three singles and one promotional single. The title track reached top the charts in 25 countries and became Madonna's 12th number-one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Contents

History

Madonna performing "Impressive Instant" from the album on the Drowned World Tour on 2001.

After the success of her 1998 album Ray of Light Madonna intended to embark on a new concert tour. After filming and promoting The Next Best Thing her record company encouraged her to return to the studio and record new music before going on the road. These sessions became the Music album.

Before the album was released, Madonna recorded a statement to her fans:

Hey Mr. DJ, put a record on… Hi, it's Madonna. You've probably been hearing about my new record, "Music", for a while. Well, I just wanted to make sure you knew that the single is gonna drop very soon. I worked on it with a French guy named Mirwais, and he is the shit. The album will be released worldwide on September 19, and I hope you like my music.

The album featured mostly upbeat and up-tempo songs which further developed Madonna's move toward European dance music, but still retains a rocky, American edge. To achieve a more European dance style of music, Madonna collaborated with French electronica artist Mirwais. According to Madonna, they both had some problems with understanding each other in the studio at first, since Mirwais did not speak any English, and Madonna spoke almost no French. Again, like on Ray of Light, Madonna collaborated with William Orbit, with whom she co-wrote and produced three songs which made it onto the album. The album was Madonna's first album not to have been totally recorded in the United States. Instead, it was mostly recorded at Sarm West and East Studios in London, England.

Musically, the album is different from what Madonna had done in the past. The album featured dark electronic beats ("Impressive Instant"), folk guitars ("Don't Tell Me", "I Deserve It", "Gone"), and the heavy use of the vocoder, which would appear again on later Madonna albums. Madonna also sang in French on the song "Paradise (Not for Me)", and in Spanish on the song "Lo Que Siente La Mujer" (What It Feels Like for a Girl), which appeared on disc two of the Special Edition. The song, "Runaway Lover", was an up-tempo dance track which differed from the crystalline perfection of her previous album.

For the first time, a complete Madonna album leaked onto the internet and fans all around the world were able to listen to all the songs from the album months ahead of its release. Warner Bros. Records and Madonna were not pleased by this at all, closing down sites with the tracks and suing Napster at the same time.

The song "American Pie" was included on the European, Latin-American, Australian, and Asian versions of the album. Also, included as a bonus track only on the Japanese and Australian releases, was a song called "Cyberraga". The song, which was written and produced by Madonna and Talvin Singh, is an adaptation from a traditional text taken from the Vedic Mantra and from the Mahabharata. The song was later used as a B-side on different European and U.S. single releases.

Music was re-issued in several countries replacing "American Pie" with the remix and the Spanish version of "What It Feels Like for a Girl".

Music is the first Madonna full length-album that does not feature the lyrics in the CD booklet. Instead, the listener is advised to visit Madonna's official Web site. This trend would continue with future albums.

Music debuted at number one in 23 countries and sold 15 million copies worldwide.[4][5] Music received a total of five Grammy Award nominations. In 2001, the album won Best Recording Package and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, while the title track was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. In 2002, Madonna received one more nomination for "Don't Tell Me" in the Best Short Form Music Video category.

Madonna performed "Music", "Impressive Instant", "I Deserve It", "Nobody's Perfect", "Don't Tell Me", "What It Feels Like for a Girl", "Paradise (Not for Me)" and "Gone" on her 2001 Drowned World Tour; "Music" and "Don't Tell Me" on her 2004 Re-Invention Tour; and "Music" and "Paradise (Not for Me)" on her 2006 Confessions Tour and "Music" on her 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour.

Critical reception

Initial critical response to Music was very positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 80, based on 16 reviews.[6]

Slant Magazine praised songs such as "Music," but criticised Madonna's collaborations with William Orbit, who had worked with her on Ray of Light, calling them repetitive and uninteresting despite being catchy.[7] Rolling Stone stated that the album was a rough and improvised version of Ray of Light, but lauded that Madonna had chosen to make a more "instinctive" record than her previous endeavours.[8] Music has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.[9]

Promotional tour

The Don't Tell Me Promo Tour was a group of two, brief promotional concerts to support the album. Comprising of a date on November 5, 2000 at Roseland Ballroom in New York City and another on November 29, 2000 at Brixton Academy in London. Accompanying musicians performing with Madonna were; Mirwais Ahmadzaï on guitar and longtime backing singers Niki Haris and Donna DeLory. The costumes for the show and the set was designed by Dolce & Gabbana.

Madonna's performance at Brixton Academy was shown via the internet to an estimated 9 million viewers across the world, which became a world record. With an audience of 2,800, it was shown on the MSN website in conjunction with Madonna's official website madonna.com. Madonna, dressed in a sequined t-shirt bearing her children’s names Rocco and Lola, performed to a celebrity audience including Mick Jagger, Kylie Minogue, Sting and Melanie C. The show was available for viewing for two weeks.[10]

Tracy Blacher, Marketing Manager at MSN said:

This was the performance of a lifetime. It was historic for Madonna and for MSN and will be remembered as the most ambitious web event in history, which drew the biggest Internet audience ever. MSN.co.uk gave people the chance to see and hear Madonna’s fantastic return to the stage and witness the first ever online live performance for free, and they responded in record numbers. This was a huge success for MSN and Madonna - no-one has ever attempted anything on this scale before, we broke new ground.[10]

Throughout the event the MSN sites worldwide stayed online and were more than able to handle the tremendous amount of internet traffic. Some users may have experienced delays because of sheer weight of internet traffic, or pressure on their local ISPs. Other users may have experienced temporary delays as they queued to access the video and audio streams. But by the time Madonna went live they had been rerouted to different servers around the world where demand was less intense – such as Australia which was still asleep. This was done to ensure everyone had the best picture and audio quality for their connection speed.[10]

Madonna’s Brixton concert was the latest in a line of concert webcasts from the MSN.co.uk site which has also included Paul McCartney’s return to the Cavern Club – previous record holder for the largest web cast and seen by 3 million people - Robbie Williams return to Manchester, and Mel C’s final show of her nationwide tour.[10]

Set list

  1. "Impressive Instant"
  2. "Runaway Lover"
  3. "Don't Tell Me"
  4. "What It Feels Like for a Girl"
  5. "Holiday" (London only)
  6. "Music".

Madonna promoted the album further on the 2001 Drowned World Tour.

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Music"   Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï 3:44
2. "Impressive Instant"   Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï 3:37
3. "Runaway Lover"   Madonna, William Orbit Madonna, William Orbit 4:46
4. "I Deserve It"   Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï 4:23
5. "Amazing"   Madonna, W. Orbit Madonna, William Orbit 3:43
6. "Nobody's Perfect"   Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï 4:58
7. "Don't Tell Me"   Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï, Joe Henry Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï 4:40
8. "What It Feels Like for a Girl"   Madonna, Guy Sigsworth, David Torn Madonna, Guy Sigsworth, Mark "Spike" Stent 4:43
9. "Paradise (Not For Me)"   Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï 6:33
10. "Gone"   Madonna, Damian Le Gassick, Nik Young Madonna, William Orbit, Mark "Spike" Stent 3:24

CD bonus track (outside North America)

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
11. "American Pie"   Don McLean Madonna, William Orbit 4:33

Japanese and Australian CD bonus track

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
12. "Cyberraga"   Traditional text, adaption: Madonna, Talvin Singh Madonna, Talvin Singh 5:33

Additional notes

2001 special tour edition

The special edition CD was released to coincide with the Drowned World Tour in 2001. It included two CD discs, one with the original 10-track album and a bonus CD, listed below. In the UK, the album had to be withdrawn as it did not include the BBFC classification "12" to accompany the music video. It was later re-released including this.

No. Title Writer(s) Remixer(s)/Producer(s) Length
1. "Music" (Deep Dish Dot Com Remix) Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï Dubfire and Sharam for Deep Dish 11:22
2. "Music" (HQ2 Club Mix) Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï Hex Hector, Mac Quayle 8:51
3. "Don't Tell Me" (Timo Maas Mix) Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï, Joe Henry Timo Maas, Martin Buttrich 6:55
4. "Don't Tell Me" (Tracy Young Club Mix) Madonna, M. Ahmadzaï, J. Henry Tracy Young, co-producer: Chris Crane 11:00
5. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Paul Oakenfold Perfecto Mix) Madonna, Guy Sigsworth, David Torn Paul Oakenfold, Andy Gray 7:20
6. "Lo Que Siente La Mujer" (What It Feels Like for a Girl) Madonna, G. Sigsworth, D. Torn, Spanish translation: Alberto Ferraras Madonna, Guy Sigsworth, Mark "Spike" Stent 4:44
7. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Video) Madonna, G. Sigsworth, D. Torn Above & Beyond 4:36

Additional notes

Singles

From the album, Madonna released three official singles, and one promo single:

# Title Date
- "American Pie" (Single not available on the North-American edition) March 3, 2000
1. "Music" August 21, 2000
2. "Don't Tell Me" November 21, 2000 (Europe) & January 16, 2001 (US)
3. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" April 17, 2001
4. "Impressive Instant" (Promo only) September 18, 2001

"American Pie"

"American Pie" was released on March 3, 2000 as a single to promote her 2000 film The Next Best Thing. After becoming rather successful, the single was included on all except North-American editions of the album, and has therefore, although in retrospect, been her first international single of this album.

"Impressive Instant"

"Impressive Instant" was released as a club promo only single with remixes by Peter Rauhofer on September 18, 2001.[11] It went to #1 on the United States Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart where it stayed for two weeks.[12] The song was Madonna's 27th number 1 dance hit.

Album credits

Personnel

Production

Design

Charts, sales and procession

Charts

Charts (2000) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart 2
Austrian Albums Chart 1
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) 1
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) 1
Canadian Albums Chart 1
Danish Albums Chart 1
Dutch Albums Chart 1
European Top 100 Albums 1
Finnish Albums Chart 1
French Albums Chart 1
German Albums Chart 1
Greek Albums Chart[13] 1
Hungarian Albums Chart[14] 1
Irish Albums Chart 1
Italian Albums Chart 1
Japanese Albums Chart[15] 7
Mexican Albums Chart 5
New Zealand Albums Chart 2
Norway Albums Chart 1
Polish Albums Chart[16] 1
Spanish Albums Chart[17] 2
Swedish Albums Chart 1
Swiss Albums Chart 1
Taiwan Albums Chart[13] 1
UK Albums Chart 1
US Billboard 200[18] 1

Certifications

Country Certification(s)
(sales thresholds)
Argentina Platinum[19]
Australia 3× Platinum[20]
Austria Platinum[21]
Belgium 3× Platinum[22]
Brazil 2× Platinum[23]
Canada 3× Platinum[24]
Denmark 2× Platinum[25]
Europe 5× Platinum[26]
Finland Gold[27]
France 2× Platinum[28]
Germany 2× Platinum[29]
Hungary Gold[30]
Mexico Gold[31]
Netherlands 2× Platinum[32]
New Zealand 2× Platinum[33]
Poland Platinum[34]
Spain 2× Platinum[17]
Sweden Platinum[35]
Switzerland 2× Platinum[36]
United Kingdom 5× Platinum[37]
United States 3× Platinum[38]
Preceded by
G.O.A.T. by LL Cool J		 Billboard 200 number-one album
October 7, 2000		 Succeeded by
Let's Get Ready by Mystikal
Preceded by
Sing When You're Winning by Robbie Williams		 UK Albums Chart number-one album
September 30, 2000 – October 13, 2000		 Succeeded by
Kid A by Radiohead

References

  1. ↑ Williams, Jeannie (1999-09-14). "Music man Joe Pesci plays amid MTV elite". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/44681342.html?dids=44681342:44681342&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+14%2C+1999&author=Jeannie+Williams&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=Music+man+Joe+Pesci+plays+amid+MTV+elite&pqatl=google-2000. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  2. ↑ Smith, Liz (1999-10-07). "Madonna Keeps Busy". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/49240183.html?dids=49240183:49240183&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+07%2C+1999&author=LIZ+SMITH&pub=Newsday+%28Combined+editions%29&desc=Madonna+Keeps+Busy&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  3. ↑ Manning, Kara (2000-05-31). "News - Articles - 1431556 - 20000531". Mtv.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1431556/20000531/madonna.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  4. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (2000-09-28). "After 11 Year Absence, Madonna's Back At No. 1". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/#/news/after-11-year-absence-madonnas-back-876212.story. Retrieved 2009-01-20. 
  5. ↑ Hastings, Chris (2005-08-28). "Madonna uses secret nightclub 'focus groups' to pick songs for new album". The Daily Telegraph (London: Telegraph Media Group). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1497113/Madonna-uses-secret-nightclub-focus-groups-to-pick-songs-for-new-album.html. Retrieved 2010-08-10. 
  6. ↑ "Madonna:Music (2000): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/madonna/music. Retrieved 2009-04-02. 
  7. ↑ Music Slant Magazine'.' Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  8. ↑ Music Rolling Stone'.' Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  9. ↑ "Madonna reviews, music, news". Sputnikmusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/band/Madonna. Retrieved 2010-07-09. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Microsoft UK Press Centre - PR02486
  11. ↑ "Madonna Impressive Instant USA Promo 12" RECORD/MAXI SINGLE (199327)". Eil.com. http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=199327. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  12. ↑ Bronson, Fred (2006-09-13). "Chart Beat: Bump For 'Jump'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/news/chart-beat-1003380305.story#/news/chart-beat-1003380305.story. Retrieved 2009-08-26. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Arevalo, Tess (2000-09-26). "Madonna's 'Music' Sets New WMI Shipment Record". Time Warner (Warner Music Group). http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,667864,00.html. Retrieved 2010-03-30. 
  14. ↑ MAHASZ
  15. ↑ "ミュージック" (in Japanese). Oricon. 2000-09-18. http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/162927/products/music/306502/1/. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  16. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLIS. 2000-10-30. http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=3&lang=pl. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 8480486392. 
  18. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (2009-10-07). "Barbra Streisand Surprises With Ninth No. 1 On Billboard 200". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/#/news/barbra-streisand-surprises-with-ninth-no-1004019217.story. Retrieved 2009-10-07. 
  19. ↑ "Discos de Oro y Platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=madonna&album=&LanDesde_MM=0&LanDesde_AA=0&LanHasta_MM=0&LanHasta_AA=0&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP. Retrieved April 23, 2010. 
  20. ↑ ARIA
  21. ↑ IFPI Austria
  22. ↑ IFPI
  23. ↑ ABPD
  24. ↑ Gold & Platinum Certification – July 2001
  25. ↑ [1]
  26. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - 2002"
  27. ↑ IFPI Finland
  28. ↑ Disque En France
  29. ↑ IFPI Germany
  30. ↑ MAHASZ
  31. ↑ AMPROFON
  32. ↑ NVPI
  33. ↑ RIANZ – July 22, 2001
  34. ↑ ZPAV
  35. ↑ IFPI Sweden – 2000 Certifications
  36. ↑ IFPI Switzerland
  37. ↑ "BPI - Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 2009-09-24. 
  38. ↑ Billboard – Ask Billboard
Madonna
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Madonna as gay icon · Madonna wannabe · Madonna Studies · Madonna on Late Show with David Letterman · Madonna: An Intimate Biography · "Dolls and Dolls" · "The Power of Madonna" (EP) · Raising Malawi · X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS · Breakfast Club · Sean Penn · Guy Ritchie · Christopher Ciccone · Ashcombe House, Wiltshire · 15 Films About Madonna · Pre-Madonna
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