Music (Madonna album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Music | ||
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| Studio album by Madonna | ||
| Released | September 18, 2000 | |
| Recorded | 2000 | |
| Genre | Pop, Dance, Electronica, Acoustic, Pop/Rock | |
| Length | 44:33 | |
| Label | Maverick / Warner Bros. | |
| Producer(s) | Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï, William Orbit, Guy Sigsworth, Mark "Spike" Stent, Talvin Singh | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Madonna chronology | ||
| The Next Best Thing (Music from the Motion Picture) (2000) |
Music (2000) |
GHV2 (2001) |
| Alternate cover | ||
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| One of the four special edition album covers
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Music is the eighth studio album and fifteenth recording by singer Madonna, released in 2000 (see 2000 in music). This album was released after Madonna turned 42 years old.
Contents |
[edit] Album history
After the international success of her 1998 album Ray of Light, Madonna followed it up with 2000's Music, which has gone on to sell 15 million copies worldwide. (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 wizard 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 almost no French. Again, like on Ray of Light, Madonna collaborated with William Orbit, with whom she co-wrote and produced three songs that made it onto the final cut of the album. While recording Music, Madonna was pregnant with her second child, Rocco. The album was Madonna's first album not to have been totally recorded in the USA, it instead 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" (which appeared on the albums bonus disc).
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" ended up being included on the European, Latin-American and Asian versions of the album. However, Madonna regrets having it included on the album after "being talked into it by some record company executive". She rather would have seen it only on The Next Best Thing (Music from the Motion Picture). She did not include it on her second greatest hits package, GHV2, in 2002. 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" song with the Remix & the Spanish versions 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 site. This trend would continue with future albums.
"Music" won the award for Best Recording Package at the Grammy Awards of 2001. In 2003, the album was ranked number 452 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
[edit] Singles
Music - The album's first single. It would reach #1 in the US and many other countries, becoming Madonna's biggest single since 1994's Take a Bow.
Don't Tell Me - The album's second single. Thanks in part to the buzz created by "Music", "Don't Tell Me" went on to become a sizable hit, peaking at #4 in the US.
What It Feels Like For A Girl - The video for this third single was banned by MTV and VH1 for its violent imagery. Due to the controversy, the song was only a minor hit, peaking at #23 in the US.
[edit] Fourth Single Controversy
As a fourth single, Madonna wanted to release "Impressive Instant", which was already a major club hit in the US. Madonna felt that the song would properly promote her Drowned World Tour. However, her label refused, feeling that it was too uncommercial and edgy. They opted for the more commercial sounding "Amazing". As a result, plans for a fourth single were cancelled.
[edit] Track listing
- "Music" (Ahmadzaï, Madonna) – 3:44 first single
- "Impressive Instant" (Ahmadzaï, Madonna) – 3:37
- "Runaway Lover" (Madonna, Orbit) – 4:47
- "I Deserve It" (Ahmadzaï, Madonna) – 4:23
- "Amazing" (Madonna, Orbit) – 3:43
- "Nobody's Perfect" (Ahmadzaï, Madonna) – 4:58
- "Don't Tell Me" (Ahmadzaï, Madonna, Henry) – 4:40 second single
- "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Madonna, Sigsworth) – 4:43 third single
- "Paradise (Not for Me)" (Ahmadzaï, Madonna) – 6:33
- "Gone" (LeGassick, Madonna, Young) – 3:25
- "American Pie" (McLean)—4:36 taken from The Next Best Thing
- "Cyberraga" (Madonna, Singh; with traditional text adapted from the Veda and the Mahabharata) — only available on the Japanese and Australian versions
[edit] Unreleased Tracks
- You Do You Think I Am
- Nice
- Simple (Very Hard, No Doubt)
[edit] Album credits
Personnel
- Madonna — vocals
- Steve Sidelnyk — drums
- Guy Sigsworth — guitar, keyboard
- William Orbit — keyboard, guitar, programming, backing vocals
- Mirwais Ahmadzai — keyboard, guitar, programming
Production
- Producers: Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzai, William Orbit, Guy Sigsworth, Mark "Spike" Stent
- Engineers: Jake Davies, Mark Endert, Geoff Foster, Sean Spuehler
- Assistant engineers: Tim Lambert, Chris Ribando, Dan Vickers
- String engineer: Geoff Foster
- Mixing: Mark "Spike" Stent
- Mastering: Tim Young
- Programming: Guy Sigsworth, Sean Spuehler
Design
- Art direction: Kevin Reagan
- Design: Matthew Lindauer, Kevin Reagan
- Photography: Jean-Baptiste Mondino
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (2000) | Peak Position |
Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Australia ARIA albums chart | 2 | |
| Austria albums chart | 1 | 3 wks |
| Canada albums chart | 1 | 2 wks |
| European albums chart | 1 | 4 wks |
| Finland albums chart | 1 | 2 wks |
| France albums chart | 1 | 2 wks |
| Germany albums chart | 1 | 3 wks |
| Italy albums chart | 1 | 1 wk |
| Hungary albums chart | 1 | 1 wk |
| Ireland (Éire) albums chart | 1 | 2 wks |
| Mexico albums chart | 1 | 1 wk |
| Norway albums chart | 1 | 1 wk |
| Portugal albums chart | 2 | |
| Spain albums chart | 1 | 1 wk |
| Sweden albums chart | 1 | 1 wk |
| Switzerland albums chart | 1 | 4 wks |
| UK albums chart | 1 | 2 wks |
| USA Billboard Top 200 | 1 | 1 wk |
| USA Billboard Top Internet Albums | 1 | 1 wk |
[edit] Certifications
Note: Certifications are based on the number of shipped copies and not the number of copies sold.
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia | 3x Platinum |
| Austria | Platinum |
| Belgium | 2x Platinum |
| Brazil | 2x Platinum |
| Canada | 3x Platinum |
| Europe | 5x Platinum |
| France | 2x Platinum |
| Germany | 3x Platinum |
| Greece | Platinum |
| Hong Kong | Platinum |
| Ireland | 3x Platinum |
| Italy | 5x Platinum |
| Mexico | 2x Platinum |
| Nederlands | 2x Platinum |
| Norway | Platinum |
| Poland | Platinum |
| Singapore | 2x Platinum |
| Spain | 3x Platinum |
| Sweden | Platinum |
| Switzerland | 2x Platinum |
| UK | 5x Platinum |
| USA | 3x Platinum |
[edit] References
- "Chart Performance of Madonna Records - A Compiled History". MoCaW: Madonna on Charts around the World. link - last accessed on December 26, 2005.
- "Music Album". Madonna Village. link - last accessed on December 26, 2005.
- "Music". Mad-Eyes. link - last accessed on November 25, 2005.
