jenglisbe
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Post by jenglisbe on Apr 18, 2018 11:54:08 GMT -5
Is there a version of “American Life” without the rap? I quite like that track without the silly ‘rap’ part.
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SuperTrouper
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Post by SuperTrouper on Apr 18, 2018 12:28:29 GMT -5
I love BIM. It's the only song from Rebel Heart I often come back to.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Apr 18, 2018 12:37:01 GMT -5
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SHOOTER
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Typical of those in power to stay worried about the *wrong* shit.
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Post by SHOOTER on Apr 18, 2018 12:42:50 GMT -5
Is there a version of “American Life” without the rap? I quite like that track without the silly ‘rap’ part. Yes; the version without the rap was played on radio in certain international markets.
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Apr 18, 2018 15:41:00 GMT -5
I love BIM. It's the only song from Rebel Heart I often come back to. some say it's her worst, i say it's better than these for sure: Turn Up the Radio Love Don't Live Here Anymore Love Profusion Nothing Fails and the video is phenomenal. The whole thing is done in a few takes.
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Juanca
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Enjoying work, family/personal life with partner and doggies, and music. I couldn't ask for more :)
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Post by Juanca on Apr 18, 2018 17:51:18 GMT -5
Regarding BIM, it’s a fun track :) I didn’t put it last in the Madonna Rankdown, as there are other songs I like less—including Hollywood. But let’s not underappreciate Love profusion or Nothing fails either! Lol
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Post by adamalterlago on Apr 18, 2018 18:02:07 GMT -5
I love BIM. It's the only song from Rebel Heart I often come back to. some say it's her worst, i say it's better than these for sure: Turn Up the Radio Love Don't Live Here Anymore Love Profusion Nothing Fails and the video is phenomenal. The whole thing is done in a few takes. You are NOT putting BIM over Love Profusion or Nothing Fails. 😐😊
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August
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Post by August on Apr 18, 2018 18:58:53 GMT -5
Just revisiting a classic....Burning Up 12" mix.
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jumpb4uthink
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Post by jumpb4uthink on Apr 18, 2018 19:43:01 GMT -5
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August
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Post by August on Apr 19, 2018 10:05:57 GMT -5
THere's that #mirwais again.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Apr 19, 2018 15:23:43 GMT -5
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jumpb4uthink
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Post by jumpb4uthink on Apr 20, 2018 12:40:43 GMT -5
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August
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Post by August on Apr 20, 2018 14:56:24 GMT -5
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HolidayGuy
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Post by HolidayGuy on Apr 20, 2018 17:48:59 GMT -5
I can see BIM being fun and all, but hardly a track one should point to as an example of her greatness/best work. That's all. :)
Sad about Avicii. He had some health issues, so I wasn't too shocked, though. RIP.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2018 17:50:59 GMT -5
Yeah no BIM is at the bottom of her singles for me
I've always chosen a strange liking to Hollywood and it's become an all time favorite
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@DjKingBee
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Post by @DjKingBee on Apr 20, 2018 19:53:03 GMT -5
What u bitches will not do is come for BIM ! Better than any love profusion Hollywood cherish mess !
That beat knocks and only 4 minutes can come close to it ! And this is from a long time M FAN/Stan.
Carry on
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2018 21:41:01 GMT -5
What u bitches will not do is come for BIM ! Better than any love profusion Hollywood cherish mess ! That beat knocks and only 4 minutes can come close to it ! And this is from a long time M FAN/Stan. Carry on A good part of that beat sounds like a zipper being endlessly pulled up and down Above and beyond from her best produced song Clean yo ears
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Apr 21, 2018 14:02:46 GMT -5
Hard Candy > American Life www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8359092/madonna-american-life-revisitMadonna's 'American Life': Revisiting the Divisive Album 15 Years Later4/21/2018 by Chuck Arnold While American Life certainly wasn't the kiss of death for Madonna, her ninth studio album did end one of the winningest streaks in the history of pop. Although the LP—which was released 15 years ago on April 21, 2003—did debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, it became the lowest-selling studio LP of her career up to that point. And the reviews were mixed at best. The title-track lead single was one of Madonna’s first bona-fide flops, certainly by her standards. It barely cracked the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 37. Even worse, it was the object of derision for her stiff, silly rap in the second half where she rhymes “latte” with “shoté” and “MINI Cooper” with “super-duper” and “trooper.” No one wants to hear Madonna rap about her lawyer, manager, agent, chef, nannies, assistant, driver, jet, trainer, butler, bodyguards, gardener and stylist. Not then, and not now. The failure of “American Life” made it hard for the album to recover with subsequent singles “Hollywood,” “Nothing Fails” and “Love Profusion” missing the Hot 100. But revisiting American Life 15 years later, it deserves more love than it has gotten -- it's perhaps the most underappreciated album of Madonna’s catalog. Listening to it now, it certainly bests Rebel Heart and MDNA, and from a lyrical standpoint, it probably beats 2008’s Hard Candy and maybe even 2005’s beloved Confessions on a Dance Floor. In fact, with its confessional tone and commentary on the American Dream in the President George W. Bush era, American Life is easily one of Madonna’s better lyrical outings. The strong lyrical perspective is complemented by the cohesive musical vision. Madonna worked with one producer, French electronic savant Mirwais Ahmadzaï, for the entire album—although there was additional production by Mark “Spike” Spent on “I’m So Stupid” and “Nothing Fails”—and they expanded on the folktronica experimentation they did on 2000’s Music. Indeed, if there is one Music song that served as the biggest touchstone for American Life, it's “Don’t Tell Me,” with its twangy trip-hop. Madonna and Mirwais—who are back in the studio working on new music together in 2018—also co-wrote all but three of 11 songs together. With such a tight team, not one of the songs feels out of place (although the dramatic “Die Another Day” from the James Bond film of the same name feels like it should have been sequenced earlier in the record). In retrospect, American Life—the last truly ambitious album that Madonna has made—also marked the end of a very important phase of her career. Having achieved new artistic depth with 1998’s Ray of Light and continued that creative spirit with Music, she was very much still in risk-taking mode on American Life. You might say those three albums—starting from an electronica base but veering in different directions—amounted to her Berlin Trilogy. On an aesthetic level, this period was Madonna at her Bowie-est. “Love Profusion,” “Nobody Knows Me” and “Nothing Fails” make for a thrilling three-song sequence that displays varied moods and styles. While glowing with its sweet strumminess, “Love Profusion” faces some troubling uncertainties: “There are too many questions/There is not one solution/There is no resurrection/There is so much confusion.” The zig-zagging “Nobody Knows Me” packs a rock thump and a sense of disillusionment: “This world is not so kind/People trap your mind/It’s so hard to find/Someone to admire.” And “Nothing Fails”—the glorious, gospel-infused centerpiece of American Life—is nothing short of a latter-day “Like a Prayer.” Elsewhere, “X-Static Process”—co-written by Stuart Price, who Madonna would go on to work with for much of Confessions on a Dance Floor—is a beautiful ballad rich in harmony and emotional directness. You can almost hear echoes of R.E.M. on that and the previous track, “Intervention.” Meanwhile, the solemn, string-laden “Easy Ride” may be one of the best album closers of Madonna’s career. The lyric nods to her notorious work ethic: “I want the good life/But I don’t want an easy ride/What I want is to work for it/Feel the blood and sweat on my fingertips/That’s what I want for me.” American Life—which still sounds very modern and, in some ways, seems eerily prescient of Trump-era despair—feels more like the Madonna album for now than her recent efforts. It’s not a perfect album—“I’m So Stupid” is still irritating—but it’s the sound of Madonna challenging herself, and us.
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chartfreak
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Post by chartfreak on Apr 21, 2018 14:11:51 GMT -5
Madonna's last Instagram post regarding Avicii may be her most liked post ever!
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Unhinged
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Post by Unhinged on Apr 21, 2018 16:33:57 GMT -5
Great read about American Life. My 21 y/o self stanned for that album. I still listen to it often.
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August
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Post by August on Apr 21, 2018 19:53:04 GMT -5
Great read about American Life. My 21 y/o self stanned for that album. I still listen to it often. I am currently playing the album from start to finish for the first time in years.
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josh
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Post by josh on Apr 22, 2018 20:42:59 GMT -5
Same as the above posters. I was 22 when American Life was released and I skipped class to go buy it and listen to it all day.
I’m listening to it now for the first time a while and it’s really good. Still sounds very fresh. Mirwais is a damn good producer. Also some of M’s best vocals ever.
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HolidayGuy
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Post by HolidayGuy on Apr 22, 2018 22:46:24 GMT -5
I enjoyed AL when it was my first out. My love for it probably has declined in recent years, as some of the acoustic-guitar-driven tracks started to sound samey. But, "Nothing Fails" and "Die Another Day" remain favorites. It may be time to revisit the set.
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chartfreak
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Post by chartfreak on Apr 22, 2018 23:21:52 GMT -5
Intervention is one of the best songs.
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jumpb4uthink
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Post by jumpb4uthink on Apr 23, 2018 8:27:37 GMT -5
^ Yes Intervention is blissfully infectious. The album is a mixture of guitar, folksy songs, with electro elements that in my opinion is underrated but has stood the test of time and still sounds fresh today.
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August
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Post by August on Apr 23, 2018 9:15:14 GMT -5
I enjoyed AL when it was my first out. My love for it probably has declined in recent years, as some of the acoustic-guitar-driven tracks started to sound samey. But, "Nothing Fails" and "Die Another Day" remain favorites. It may be time to revisit the set. I remember feeling like it was a bit boring. There was nothing on it that made me want to sing along and dance. I was missing a deep bass groove. Some of the remixes were ok, but by and large, I wasn't feeling it. However, the bright spot was the release of the mixes for "Nobody Knows Me" which she later performed on The Re-invention Tour. So for me the highlights on the album were the same as you, with the addition of Nothing Fails. In listening now, I can respect some of her musical choices, still cringe at the American Life rap, but still would not put it up there with her best. I think it helped accentuate the sudden turnaround with Confessions on a Dancefloor. I think folks were just relieved that the Madonna they knew and loved was back.
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🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲
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Post by 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 on Apr 23, 2018 11:05:02 GMT -5
Hard Candy > American Life www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8359092/madonna-american-life-revisitMadonna's 'American Life': Revisiting the Divisive Album 15 Years Later4/21/2018 by Chuck Arnold While American Life certainly wasn't the kiss of death for Madonna, her ninth studio album did end one of the winningest streaks in the history of pop. Although the LP—which was released 15 years ago on April 21, 2003—did debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, it became the lowest-selling studio LP of her career up to that point. And the reviews were mixed at best. The title-track lead single was one of Madonna’s first bona-fide flops, certainly by her standards. It barely cracked the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 37. Even worse, it was the object of derision for her stiff, silly rap in the second half where she rhymes “latte” with “shoté” and “MINI Cooper” with “super-duper” and “trooper.” No one wants to hear Madonna rap about her lawyer, manager, agent, chef, nannies, assistant, driver, jet, trainer, butler, bodyguards, gardener and stylist. Not then, and not now. The failure of “American Life” made it hard for the album to recover with subsequent singles “Hollywood,” “Nothing Fails” and “Love Profusion” missing the Hot 100. But revisiting American Life 15 years later, it deserves more love than it has gotten -- it's perhaps the most underappreciated album of Madonna’s catalog. Listening to it now, it certainly bests Rebel Heart and MDNA, and from a lyrical standpoint, it probably beats 2008’s Hard Candy and maybe even 2005’s beloved Confessions on a Dance Floor. In fact, with its confessional tone and commentary on the American Dream in the President George W. Bush era, American Life is easily one of Madonna’s better lyrical outings. The strong lyrical perspective is complemented by the cohesive musical vision. Madonna worked with one producer, French electronic savant Mirwais Ahmadzaï, for the entire album—although there was additional production by Mark “Spike” Spent on “I’m So Stupid” and “Nothing Fails”—and they expanded on the folktronica experimentation they did on 2000’s Music. Indeed, if there is one Music song that served as the biggest touchstone for American Life, it's “Don’t Tell Me,” with its twangy trip-hop. Madonna and Mirwais—who are back in the studio working on new music together in 2018—also co-wrote all but three of 11 songs together. With such a tight team, not one of the songs feels out of place (although the dramatic “Die Another Day” from the James Bond film of the same name feels like it should have been sequenced earlier in the record). In retrospect, American Life—the last truly ambitious album that Madonna has made—also marked the end of a very important phase of her career. Having achieved new artistic depth with 1998’s Ray of Light and continued that creative spirit with Music, she was very much still in risk-taking mode on American Life. You might say those three albums—starting from an electronica base but veering in different directions—amounted to her Berlin Trilogy. On an aesthetic level, this period was Madonna at her Bowie-est. “Love Profusion,” “Nobody Knows Me” and “Nothing Fails” make for a thrilling three-song sequence that displays varied moods and styles. While glowing with its sweet strumminess, “Love Profusion” faces some troubling uncertainties: “There are too many questions/There is not one solution/There is no resurrection/There is so much confusion.” The zig-zagging “Nobody Knows Me” packs a rock thump and a sense of disillusionment: “This world is not so kind/People trap your mind/It’s so hard to find/Someone to admire.” And “Nothing Fails”—the glorious, gospel-infused centerpiece of American Life—is nothing short of a latter-day “Like a Prayer.” Elsewhere, “X-Static Process”—co-written by Stuart Price, who Madonna would go on to work with for much of Confessions on a Dance Floor—is a beautiful ballad rich in harmony and emotional directness. You can almost hear echoes of R.E.M. on that and the previous track, “Intervention.” Meanwhile, the solemn, string-laden “Easy Ride” may be one of the best album closers of Madonna’s career. The lyric nods to her notorious work ethic: “I want the good life/But I don’t want an easy ride/What I want is to work for it/Feel the blood and sweat on my fingertips/That’s what I want for me.” American Life—which still sounds very modern and, in some ways, seems eerily prescient of Trump-era despair—feels more like the Madonna album for now than her recent efforts. It’s not a perfect album—“I’m So Stupid” is still irritating—but it’s the sound of Madonna challenging herself, and us. I totally agree with this review. I was 15 when American Life came out. It wasn't such a bad album at all despite the silly rap in American Life. It was a lot better and more mature than her recent albums. Nothing Fails, Hollywood, Nobody Knows Me, Easy Ride, Love Profusion, Mother and Father, and Die Another Day are my fave tracks.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Apr 23, 2018 11:50:26 GMT -5
Production-wise, vocally, melodically, etc. I think AL is a decent work. But lyrically, it was such a sharp decline. Some of her worst moments as a song-writer and it marred so much of that album. I've never been able to completely love it because of that, but it was never an out-and-out stinker. Even her weakest albums have plenty of great moments.
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🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲
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Post by 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 on Apr 23, 2018 17:00:21 GMT -5
Yeah no BIM is at the bottom of her singles for me I've always chosen a strange liking to Hollywood and it's become an all time favorite Agreed, it's just as silly as Gimme All Your Luv. Hollywood, Nothing Fails, Love Profusion were her much more stellar and mature singles in comparison.
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August
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Post by August on Apr 24, 2018 7:08:51 GMT -5
I was looking at the Billboard 200 archives. You can look at the full 200 by date.
Madonna's first album debuted at #190 on the 9/3/83 chart. It only managed to move up to #188 the next week. It is sort of sweet to see her struggle as a new artist, knowing what we know now. :) The album did not hit the top 10 until over a year later on 10/6/1984 when it entered at #10. It reached its peak a few weeks later on 10/20/1984 at #8.
What is interesting is that the album was still selling strongly and sitting at #16 (with a bullet) on the day that they released her follow-up on 11/12/1984...Like a Virgin.
From old interviews with Madonna, you could tell she was over her first album and wanted to release her new album, as far back as August 1984. She sounded mildly annoyed that the record label was still releasing singles from her debut. "Borderline" had peaked at #10 a few weeks before and "Lucky Star" had just been released (In the United States anyway..in the UK it was a single back in September 1983.) So she clearly was a bit new as to how the marketing process for albums worked and that record labels wanted to squeeze every bit they could out of an album. By the time she was finally hitting her momentum with Holiday, Borderline, and Lucky Star...they had really run out of singles to promote. The only songs she had not promoted by then were "Think of Me" and "I Know It." Both those songs had already been used as B-sides and in my opinion, not terribly single-worthy.
Also, at the first MTV VMAs in Sept 1984, they wanted her to perform "Lucky Star" which was her current single and was moving up the charts at the time. It peaked at #4 the week of 10/20/1984. However, she was eager to move on and fought to perform "Like a Virgin" which was not a single yet and almost no one had heard outside of her record label. The "Like a Virgin" single was finally released on 10/31/1984. Had "Lucky Star" not had such a shelf-life and been released in the U.S. at the same as it had in the UK, we probably would have gotten the LAV single around the time she performed it at the VMAs.
The "Like a Virgin" album debuted on the Billboard 200 at #70 the week of 12/1/1984. Her first album had fallen to #27 that week.
She was pretty ubiquitous on the charts at the time. In the summer of 1986, when "True Blue" was hitting #1, she was still charting with LAV and her debut.
Here she is at the New Music Seminar. She is discussing her experience with her early success, leveraging music videos, and being anxious to release her new album.
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