TRAINWRECKORDS: "American Life" by Madonna

The Material Girl becomes... The Political Girl?? Madonna brought one of the longest winning streaks in pop music to a sudden, ignominious end in 2003 with her little-loved dip into politics.
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[@rattyeely]

The 60s gave everyone the unrealistic expectation that bad times equals good music, turns out 60s music was just good

[@Flowtail]

My boomer mother is of the opinion that 60s music was so much more political than the music of today because of the draft; people felt a more personal stake in the conflict, whereas the Iraq war is a lot more abstract for folks who (like my mom and me) don't have family or friends in the force i'm hardly a scholar, but i think that's at least a piece of the full explanation

[@calmbbaer]

I credit the disillusionment in the wake of the Gulf War with the alternative explosion of the early 90s, but none of the memorable songs coming in that time actually seemed directly connected to the conflict. "Rockin' in the Free World" came out a year and a half earlier, and I doubt there are many people who know more than a line of "Highwire" - plus both of those were by 60s singers in the first place. But would "Smells Like Teen Spirit" have been a hit in a world where the "peace dividend" had properly materialized? I'm not sure. For the Iraq War, everyone was either writing about the war or marketing their albums as though they were, whether it's Madonna's career-killing American Life or Radiohead's critically acclaimed but ultimately forgettable, Hail to the Thief. (Look at Apple Music's list of Radiohead songs by popularity and you won't hit a Thief track until number 36.) It was interminable. For every American Idiot there were ten or twenty Riot Acts. Whether it's the draft or something else, hit-makers now emote our outrage rather than being authentically affected by it. The music reflects that.

[@Cor_Nelis]

And better drugs, probably

[@Flowtail]

@@Cor_Nelis my boomer mother also assures me that LSD was much better in her day

[@465marko]

It was actually drugs = good music. (Yeah sure, not always, not if you take it too far etc etc. But that was the thing behind that music).

[@Rob-yj1gg]

Looking back, Madonna repackaging her song about the alluring but ultimately empty glamour of Hollywood for a GAP commercial is the most American Life thing out there.

[@terrymbridges]

“There is almost no one on earth who could lose a being-down-to-earth contest to Kanye West, but Madonna is one of those elite few.” 💀💀💀

[@mastermonochrome]

Yeah, that's another Todd line that aged like milk, huh?

[@colly7963]

​@@mastermonochromelove yoghurt

[@daelen.cclark]

@@mastermonochrome How so?

[@mastermonochrome]

@@daelen.cclarkWhile Madonna still isn't the most "in-touch" person out there, Kanye has grown SIGNIFICANTLY less down-to-earth over the years. Madonna's ego and showboating pales in comparison to Kanye's current pride-fueled madness.

[@saltiney8578]

@@daelen.cclark Kanye west had a mental breakdown and became a nazi didnt you notice?

[@Jimmy-Mc]

In the era of CDs, having your song start with a long, drawn out "I" that makes it sound like your disc froze isn't the greatest idea.

[@StudioScarecrow]

That sort of bait and switch can be done in a clever way. I always liked how the first few seconds of U2’s Achtung Baby were designed to make listeners think they had bought the wrong album

[@RoPiDe]

Something kinda similar happened on with the "Music" cd, with "Dont Tell Me"

[@bigredradish]

it's like the opposite of a Pharrell 4 count. the Madonna paulstretch

[@sephyfan]

Reminds me of my favorite joke tracks from Type O Negative. They had feedback on October rust and record scratching on world coming down.

[@leonardosalinasnavia1051]

I think it's smart, she took a risk

[@taylorgabbey2371]

10:40 Gwyneth Paltrow couldn't have written a rap that white

[@chicagoakland]

Even Lisa Kudrow in Marci X didn't have a rap that white.

[@SirCrudo]

GP NEEDS TO BE STOPPED

[@Ocelot80524]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2eylp1tgJlpb6s the goop lady hasn't written any of her own BUT she can rap some ice cube and you kinda wanna encourage her to do some more vs lighting her on fire. i wouldn't pay money for it but if she was my friend i'd tell random people about her party trick. madonna makes me uncomfortable, like 100% more so than my dad doing air guitar on his belly to ac/dc when i was 14.

[@Crazy56U]

A Chekhov's Gun that took three years to fire. Trainwreckords taking Cinemadonna out behind the shed to finish the job.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

The corpse will be crawling out of its grave very soon!

[@EpicB]

@@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep How so?

[@connorross123]

"Bush, I'm Madonna" is one of the most underrated lines Todd has ever said

[@miraprime474]

I'm still fond of "strike a pose is for dance. Not for activism."

[@2-d_in_a_bag]

i pass away when todd says ""mercy mercy me" is about the ENVIRONMENT you vapid eunuchs!!!" in his top ten worst for 2015 video.

[@justme0910]

My favorite is probably when he described "All Around The World" as a "death march of peace and love".

[@Sydney-Casket-Base]

i read this as he said it! XD

[@thedamnyankee1]

I don't know the bit about "losing a down to earth contest with Kanye" hits pretty hard.

[@kitkatcutie520]

I have to say, the American Life rap hits a lot differently when you watch the original music video. Watching her deliver it immediately after she kool-aid man's her way through the wall and kills a model with her vehicle is a special experience.

[@gabeguarin1096]

"I drive my Mini Cooper and I'm feeling super duper." SUPER DUPER!!!

[@andysee6996]

I was expecting a Barney clip there. Super dee Duper!

[@barbarakirk3064]

I liked the use of the Putting On The Ritz scene from Young Frankenstein at that point!

[@nickrustyson8124]

Even in the 1980s when Valley Girl talk was a thing, that will still be a joke of a line

[@bethanymorgan8866]

"I take my Mini for a wash. Golly gosh!"

[@anone.mousse674]

The epilogue to Cinemadonna at last. *Everybody comes to Hollywood...*

[@royhe3154]

We're gonna make it in the neighbourhood.

[@Raderph]

You should have never come to Hollywood~

[@kirby-rh5js]

Good news: she’s announced a return to film. Cinemadonna may not be over quite yet

[@YouCanCallMeXoe]

@@Raderph Damnit, you beat me to it! XD

[@Drogon7102]

@@mariokarter13 was this a response to a comment that was deleted? I am very confused.

[@sletter1100]

when "i'm so stupid" started, i legitimately thought my computer froze

[@AJOmega2]

Same. I was like, wtf did my sound card just crash?

[@quanashiab.9620]

And now madonna really wanted us to think we're stupid lol

[@TheLowBrassDude]

American Life stumbled so Witness could fall on its face.

[@ladyhaha7548]

More like American Life stumbled so Witness could car crash into a cliff

[@jonova3187]

@@ladyhaha7548 I agree, but Katy Perry's album is better.... I cannot believe I just said that.

[@jonova3187]

@@ladyhaha7548 because at least Katy Perry didn't rap but Hey Hey Hey is almost there

[@schtive81]

"Madonna didn't want to be known as the material girl" She lived in a castle in England and pretended to be British.

[@andysmith5806]

Up until 5 mins ago I thought she WAS British. I had to check because her accent is so strange.

[@KariIzumi1]

Anyone who brags about owning a MINI Cooper in 2003 forfeits the right to whine about being seen as bougie

[@KariIzumi1]

@@andysmith5806 what, really? 🤣 Oh girl, homegirl was born to an Italian family in New York, she American as fuck :p

[@steelcitywriter]

@@KariIzumi1 Born to an Italian family in Michigan. Fixed that for you.

[@KariIzumi1]

@@steelcitywriter thanks 👍

[@Edelsteinsammler]

Todd: "the woman who took pictures of herself banging vanilla ice and selling them for 80 bucks?" Me, born in 2001, not very well acquainted with Madonna's history: wait... WHAT?!

[@newew15]

Yeah she made a porn book.

[@Alex-fv2qs]

He talked that book in one of his Cinemaddona videos

[@elizabethh560]

@@newew15 My parents still have that porn book. It's in the same cabinet we keep the good plates in; along with a signed copy of Kenny G's first Holiday album.

[@newew15]

@@elizabethh560 lol that's crazy

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

Why is bitch also called “pre-madonna”?

[@satanjesse]

"she lost a beeing down to earth contest with kanye west" is not a burn i expected going into this

[@jbwarner8626]

I like how you can tell how hastily the "American Life" video was remade. They didn't even shoot any new material for it, they just scrounged together all the raw footage they had from the original video of Madonna in front of a green screen and changed the explosions and war footage behind her to CGI flags. They probably made it in less than a day.

[@lepetitchat123]

They just need to cut out the unsettling final scenes. The rest of the video is actually not offensive

[@credenzamostro]

​@@lepetitchat123 the cavalcade of shocking imagery at the end is literally the best part about it

[@lunapaper7028]

Speaking of how vapid this album is, a Daria quote comes to mind: 'Your shallowness is so thorough, it's almost like depth.'

[@awbr1991]

God that show is a quote gold mine.

[@witherblaze]

Nice quote

[@cpsbBXCX]

on the american life single madonna actually sounds like a weird bizzaro version of sandi

[@lunapaper7028]

@@cpsbBXCX Now that you mention it... :O

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

That show was fucking brilliant.

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

Oh hey, it's that woman named after those film retrospectives you did!

[@michaelgear4598]

Oh hey, is that woman named after a FUCKING RELIGIUS FIGURE!

[@RyanStorey1231]

Who knew that god-awful actress had a music career?

[@mipmipmipmipmip]

looking back, it is strange that someone who created such a memorable legacy of bad acting wouldn't try to spend more effort pushing her at least decent musical ability as the feature the world should remember her by

[@mipmipmipmipmip]

@@Talisguy No way! Never heard of any of her songs before..

[@NickersonGeneral]

@@michaelgear4598 no that doesnt sound right. You sure you're not thinking of Jesus?

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

I cannot believe that Vanilla Ice gets to go around saying, 'Oh, yes, I had sex with Madonna.' And no one can even call bullshit. There are actual pictures of it in a book that anyone could buy. Vanilla fucking Ice. Life is wild.

[@optimistsofnineelms]

that's something to be grossed out by not wild

[@marya5925]

Madonna is an average looking woman- at best, with very bad narcississtic personality. I don't think Vanilla Ice hit the jackpot or something by being with her...

[@johngablesmith4671]

Simulated though.

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

@Keu V OK, you checkmated me there

[@blazicgd]

@@marya5925 Ok but she was really good looking in the 80s and early 90s

[@MMCLLC7]

I love that every trainwreckords has a segment for the "1st single released from the album that was a perfect warning that the upcoming album was already doomed"

[@Jordan-zk2wd]

This makes me curious: what is the most deceptive single in terms of quality relative to the album? Subjectively obviously but getting some answers would be fun.

[@ds4251]

@@Jordan-zk2wd first thing that comes to mind is Everything Now by Arcade Fire. even managed to get Best New Track from pitchfork while every subsequent entry was received incredibly poorly.

[@authoranonymous8892]

@@Jordan-zk2wd Well, I made the mistake of buying Bastille's "Bad Blood" based off of "Pompeii"

[@joaquinlezcano2372]

@@Jordan-zk2wd You mean a good single/track that stands out for good in comparison to the album? That's easy: One hit (to the body) by The Rolling Stones. If you check out the album, none of it holds a candle to that song.

[@dackattac]

​@@Jordan-zk2wd QotSA's Villains. Lead single was not only a banger, but made the oddball producer choice of Mark Ronson make perfect sense. Then the rest of the album drops and not only is the bulk of it the exact wrong kind of QotSA song to put Ronson on, but unprecedently weak material to begin with.

[@ramonabelowthree]

The start of I’m So Stupid sounds like the Wii crashing noise

[@blindertherabbit]

iiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMM SO STUPID-

[@cbfall]

True!

[@principality543]

That song is fucking garbage just like alot of her album songs. Her singles are great though.

[@crzylkfx]

Yeah, it literally made me cringe. I could feel it in my spine

[@ImJustSayin2014]

IWantATaco11 I thought my speakers were fucking up.

[@hikaruk.981]

Madonna's "rap" is what some of us like to call "Grumbleflaunting". Grumbling about how hard it is to be wealthy and famous, while also showing off the luxuries they've attained.

[@cocothedino_2901]

i’m stealing this term thank you

[@annamaria__]

"See what you just did? That was an Explanabrag" 😂

[@ergodoy7741]

I like

[@Flip-a-dip-dip]

I learned a new word today. Thank you.

[@wintermute8315]

She was doing it knowingly, though.

[@farenheit2456]

It’s a shame Madonna cancelled the original video for American Life because I actually think that video’s pretty amazing.

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

People would certainly still be talking about it today, rather than learning about it for the first time on Todd's KZbin channel.

[@Lwhale.3797]

The visuals and message of the video are stunning and impactful, but paired with the vapidness and shallowness of the actual song and lyrics, I think it would have backfired for Madonna. She should’ve at least written a better song for that video.

[@AlexeBriand2002]

it’s one of the best music videos of the 2000s

[@YelenaSkunky]

Pretty funny, because I remember this video being broadcasted a lot on Russian MTV. Probably, a different version, without the limbs being blown off, but I heard there were multiple cuts of that one.

[@walmorcarvalho2512]

Fun fact: the Brazillian MTV actually got cleared by the label to show the original video because they only got the tape the day after the release was cancelled, and they were only due to return it the next day. They played the video once every hour for 12 hours that day

[@amberdent651]

Imagine if she'd leaned into a juxtaposition of happy _sounding_ music with passive-aggressive, scathing commentary about how disgustingly eager people were to invade, how buffoons were in office, how we'd have to party at the end of the world. Like the idea of _Pumped Up Kicks_ but more Madonna and less indie. Could've been fucking great.

[@NJGuy1973]

Maybe someone could do that today. Instead of the droning depressing stuff we're going. There's certainly stuff to criticize.

[@amberdent651]

@@NJGuy1973 Yeah, I think it'd be amazing if someone did that. I need some upbeat, angry music in my life that still has hooks.

[@rockifythis]

Something like Fortunate Son but more tongue in cheek

[@A_Dopamine_Molecule]

I know this is a late comment but you're absolutely right... At least for me, some of my favorite music is catchy/upbeat songs with dark/heavy lyrics. Bands like The Smiths, Depeche Mode and Arctic Monkeys are some of my favorites because of songs like that. It would actually be cool if anyone can recommend me some more music like that, too.

[@lutalice]

you basically just described Madame X

[@codenamekendall2780]

Wait...... Madonna didnt stop the war????? Man the school system is failing me again

[@pallafox]

Your school taught you that Madonna ended the war? LMAO

[@noeisnothere]

@@pallafox your school didn't??

[@pallafox]

Noé Oliveira never went to school.

[@brendanb2982]

You mean Aaron Paul, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci DIDN'T end racism by taking responsibility for fucking nothing?

[@EpicB]

@@brendanb2982 Didn't they do it in monochrome too?

[@natmar8308]

When I started watching Cinemadonna, deep down in my bones, I knew. It was always leading up to this.

[@MaleaBotor]

Honestly, Todd using 'Hollywood' as the theme to CineMadonna has given me a weird affection for the song...

[@fusetunes]

me too. it gets stuck in my head all the time

[@sacrecharlemagne2262]

I will say this for the GAP commercial rendition of the song: it's fun, catchy and has a beat you can dance to. Todd uses it for a reason. I genuinely feel the song would have worked a lot better if Madonna's lyrics about the "dark" reality of show-business were paired with music that was light, polished and commercial. The contrast would at make it a little bit more interesting and with a catchy beat you at least would remember it.

[@talesofawhovian9690]

@@sacrecharlemagne2262The version from the GAP commercial seems to be a mashup with the instrumental of Madonna’s own “Into The Groove”.

[@Varnicus]

Ah, the 2000s. Started with Fergie wanting to be Madonna and ended with Madonna wanting to be Fergie.

[@nickrustyson8124]

And it happened with 4 years

[@awfulwoman]

Madonna with a guitar being shallowly deep is the alternate reality where Jewel somehow kept milling around the top 100

[@nomobobby]

If that happened we would've coined "fake deep" then just to describe it.

[@wadespencer3623]

@@nomobobby I like "deepity" to convey that idea.

[@Dogeathotdog1]

Deep Fake

[@nomobobby]

@@Dogeathotdog1 No, the Deepest Fake. Nothing could ever be more disingenuous on record!

[@timmy841212]

2003 was a pretty bad year for pop music. 😖

[@UnderdogRecords91]

I'm from Germany and I remember "Hollywood" getting played all the time on the radio over here. So it's funny to hear it bombed so hard in America.

[@Vondreema]

Right, in Belgium we were bombarded with singles from that album for over a year and I seem to remember that each and every one of them was as successful as the next (she rightfully got shit for the rap part tho). Yet Hollywood had more longevity and replays over the years

[@FERDINANDVSLVCIVS]

It was a huge hit here in Brazil as well

[@denisenova7494]

Can confirm. Hollywood and Love Profusion were hits in Europe.

[@Udontkno7]

I'm so sorry

[@mj-yo7vt]

I remember hearing "American life" in Russia. Maybe cause we love to criticize America

[@baumhauser]

I don't know why she just didn't make "Hollywood" the title track. It seems more like an album built around the topic of show business, and the "actress" angle is kinda a natural progression for someone known for taking on a different persona nearly every album; she's a famous wealthy diva, not someone who knows more than we do about what "American Life" is. If she wants to write a protest song that's fine, but it would work better if were intentionally framed from a show-biz angle: war as a spectacle, art as propaganda, protest as popular entertainment, etc. Instead she's framing this as a "protest" album but all she knows how to protest is Hollywood and the double shotté in her latté because of course it is.

[@5thejurassic]

I don't disagree about the concept and she may be a diva but she wasn't born into a wealthy family. She came from nothing and only got to where she is thanks to hard work, discipline and of course the good amount of luck that any success story needs.

[@dysperdotted]

“don’t address your daddy issues in a rap.” Tyler, the Creator: ayo.

[@lydiavalentino]

HEY DAD IT'S ME UM

[@Shrimpy08]

I MIGHT BE UM YOUR SON

[@thevandalstookthehandles]

Shrimpy _ SORRY I CALLED YOU THE WRONG NAME, SEE, MY BRAINS SPLITTING

[@Volvagia1927]

Tyler, the Creator is also, vitally, under 30. Even if she weren't rapping, Madonna delving into her daddy issues at 28 (Papa Don't Preach) plays differently then doing it at 44, y'know?

[@yungstilla5685]

@@thevandalstookthehandles DAD ISNT YOUR NAME, SEE ______ A LITTLE MORE FITTING

[@Franniiv3]

“Your music doesn’t become deep, just because you put on camo pants” sums this record up exactly. I remember this coming out, the premier of the video on the internet, the hour long insufferable Tv interviews and it actually becoming number one in the UK! I think Hollywood actually got to number two here too. A music journo at the time said “Take your red string, and sling yer hook, don’t come back until you’ve written another Vogue” She returned with Hung Up, So I guess she figured out what works for her mudically.

[@moongem4489]

It's like singers (and people in general) who think dyeing their hair gives them a personality or makes them alternative.

[@caitlinrix294]

Yep. At least three of the singles got to #2 in the UK. Couldn't fucking move for the album.

[@marcosmohamed3046]

And the she forgot once again in MDNA

[@LaNoLaCola]

Click on for a music review, gets greeted with a chilling recollection of the early 2000s worthy of a video essay

[@ArizonanSummer]

LaNoLaCola The intro gave some heavy Lindsay Ellis vibes, fittingly enough

[@kaydwessie296]

I often forget people back then were as terrified as I constantly am now, since I was literally 12 in 2003

[@PhoenixFireZero]

Welcome to TiTS

[@qty1315]

He's not a metalhead, which is frustrating in this video because he didn't mention all the great angry punk, metal and industrial songs we got during the war. Tempo Of The Damned? The Bush Trilogy? Rammstein? Marilyn Manson? So much good stuff. They weren't pop hits, but neither were most of those great 60s protest songs.

[@auldthymer]

"Pull the string!"

[@CC-1987]

She should have called this album "Hollywood Life" and dropped the political stuff.

[@cigarettearms5992]

or just Hollywood tbh

[@ShroudedWolf51]

Can't *really* drop the "political stuff". There's no such thing as an apolitical statement. And the refusal to make a statement is a political statement in and of itself.

[@littlekingtrashmouth9219]

@@ShroudedWolf51 “this piece of glass is political!”

[@theitfactorjameswheezer2852]

@@littlekingtrashmouth9219lol

[@geiseric222]

@@littlekingtrashmouth9219I mean he’s not wrong. Just because something involves the status quo doesn’t make it apolitical, just conservative

[@cherrypopscile3385]

So at a time when peoples children were being sent to war, people were reeling from 9/11 still, and the world was generally scared.... She wrote a song saying "Guys don't worry, I have money and *I'm sad too!'"* That is hilarious for all the wrong reasons, and its even funnier coming from miss "I have thought about blowing up the white house."

[@carybeweary7209]

Maybe she was trying to make up for going soft on one warmonger,fear spreading president by going hard after another? Honestly,if she made a song about blowing up the white house on American Life,it might have helped the image she was going for

[@hearmymotoredheart]

I am surprised and a little impressed that you knew "I'd like to express my extreme point-of-view / I'm not a Christian and i'm not a Jew" was there and you let that slide

[@InaZeaAnaZazi]

Personally, I think those lines where she's like "I'm not a Christian and I'm not a Jew/I'm just living out the American dream/And I just realized that nothing is what it seems" are the best lines of the song. I mean, they're not GOOD or anything, but fr what I remember, that's sorta poignant that those are the last actual lines of the song... And if that had been the focus of the song, instead of what she was actually talking about, this could have been way better. Like, she could have actually talked about how things are in show biz, with the nervous breakdowns and having to sleep with people to get ahead/being abused by studio heads... But naaah, she'd rather talk about being unsatisfied with being rich...

[@Pooky1991]

@@InaZeaAnaZazi those lyrics belong in a better song

[@ChaosoneX]

"I'm drinkin' a soy latte/I'm gettin a double shot-tay." This is the kind of cringe that rolls into your face like unexpected fine mist on superthin paper, and your face curls up into a permanent rictus grin like a Guy Fawkes mask.

[@grimkaizer8417]

Your cringe inducing extrapolation on this particular cringe is worthy of respect

[@michaelhall5429]

@@grimkaizer8417did you overwrite that sentence sarcastically?

[@grimkaizer8417]

@@michaelhall5429 yeah probably, i dont remember making this comment tho

[@michaelhall5429]

@@grimkaizer8417 hope so.

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

Yeah...that's the point. Have you ever seen Curb Your Enthusiasm? Its Always Sunny? Valerie Cherish in The Comeback? This album is the musical version of that. Its meta-modernist. The "soy-latte" thing is a reference to rappers who rap about things like "lollipops" or "milkshakes" or WAPs. Its meant to be cringe and Madonna even said that its a satire. In the context of the album, she's being generic to highlight how generic everything in mainstream media is. Its useless for the sake of being useless to show how useless the media is. Is this rocket science? Jewel did the same thing with her song "Intuition" and she also got huge backlash for it. People thought she was actually being literal and she even addressed that she was being satirical and even gave a reference for her work. Are you people intentionally playing dumb for jokes or are y'all just haters? I'm really curious how no-one gets this.

[@hobobohemian]

When Todd started talking about “good songs/albums against the Iraq war”, my mind jumped straight to “Demon Days” by Gorillaz and more specifically the song Dirty Harry

[@arandompasserby7940]

"WWIII" by the German industrial rock group KMFDM is a good anti-Iraq War song, but it's obvious why it wasn't gonna get much air time lol But maybe that's it - the only good anti-war music was gonna be the songs that weren't going to be widely played due to its content, and it wasn't going to come from anyone living at the top of social / financial pyramid.

[@katatat2030]

@@arandompasserby7940 agreed 100%

[@fbrown9861]

@@arandompasserby7940 wwIII slaps so hard, before listening to that I'd genuinely never heard anyone using gun/weapon sound effects as percussion

[@SiRenfield]

I would argue Metalocalypse but the satire of the military industry complex is more in the show via the Tribunal than on the Dethklok albums. Whenever the music did have social commentary it was more on stuff like capitalism

[@huwguyver4208]

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club did an amazing anti-Iraq war track called "Generation" in 2003. It also took aim at what they saw as the comparative apathy of their generation in response to the war. It's an absolute banger of a tune in it's own right, but the subject matter just adds even more fuel to the fire.

[@VDJVivacity]

I think Madonna not releasing the original American Life video was what truly sealed the album's fate. That video should have released when it was supposed to.

[@mightyfilm]

I disagree. This album TOTALLY could have stopped the war. That is to say, if they forced Saddam and Bush into a locked room and played it on repeat.

[@crzylkfx]

I think I'd prefer the waterboarding

[@theloverlyladylo9158]

Look, violating the Geneva Convention is not the answer.

[@chuckbatman5]

Just play the start of I'm So Stupid on loop, that would actually drive someone mad

[@warhawk638]

fun fact: this is an actual CIA coercion tactic. Radical Nationalist/Religious terrorists would be locked in a room, and played American music, either bad songs or songs with repetitive choruses, on repeat. There's a fucking chance this would have actually been used as a torture song.

[@AlexSpalex1]

@@warhawk638 One of them is "I love you" by Barney the Dinosaur.

[@windpotato]

"The room is full of hotties and you know I'm satisfied"Which part of this is supposed to convey emotional disconnect and emptiness?

[@itshardtofindabandname]

Unpopular opinion, but that's the point of the song/lyrics. It's a jest at Americans and American Life, or rather what she perceived the meaningless and pointless dumb things Americans/do consume and consider that "the American dream".

[@Moonhermit-]

@brandon roberts And by trying you already put more effort in than Madonna in conveying some kind of message.

[@windpotato]

The main problem I have with the line is that she literally says that she is satisfied. If she'd just said "do you think I'm satisfied?" during these lines it could've actually made some sense.

[@Nagoragama]

I'm not defending, because the lyrics are amazingly bad, but in explanation, the repetitions of "you know I'm satisfied" are meant to be sarcastic.

[@TheSufferingDarkness]

Moonhermit the fact you put in the “effort” to make that observation at Brandon Roberts is more effort than Madonna conveyed

[@neoman289151]

"Maybe don't address your daddy issues in a rap" Kendrick Lamar in 2022: "I GOT DADDY ISSUES THATS ON ME"

[@danka1167]

Father time is so good

[@kimifw58]

Todd also says there was no good music in the early 2000s.

[@ricardoediza2690]

14:25 I love how one TrainWreckord video foreshadows another TrainWreckord video.

[@EpicBeard815]

Todd and Madonna are like the Joker and Batman. They need each other.

[@RepublicofE]

More like Todd and Christ Brown.

[@monthly.girls.digital8728]

@@RepublicofE Chris Brown is Ra's al Ghul to Todd. Someone who's always lurking in the shadows and whom Todd has a powerful distain but comes around rarely considering how uninteresting Chris's music is while Modanna has a vast variety of bad content, much like the joker and his tricks. And yes I regret that I expanded this metaphor. Katy Perry is Catwoman to him btw.

[@EpicBeard815]

@@monthly.girls.digital8728 Will.I.Am has to be the Mad Hatter.

[@scoopmaloop3203]

@@monthly.girls.digital8728 I thought Taylor was his Catwoman.

[@realgamergirl4638]

No, they both just need therapists.

[@rollinnollin546]

So basically, Madonna lured people in with the aesthetics of an anti-war album, but when people started listening she just started venting about her midlife crisis and how she regrets basically her entire career.

[@bdp8102]

... except the fact that she doesn't even regret it and was just pretending to in order to sound deep

[@Jermbot15]

@@bdp8102 That's not fair. She might be stupid enough to legitimately think she'd have an adventurous and spiritually fulfilling life as a traveling bohemian songstress, if it only weren't for all that pesky money, fame, and commercial success.

[@trevorturner9733]

You thought it would be an anti-war album but it was me, First World Problems

[@babscabs1987]

@@Jermbot15 great comment

[@NewGoldStandard]

She's always been a chameleon, swapping one image for another at least once a decade. But, as someone else in the comments mentioned, she's just been rich too long. Back when she was hungry and younger she could make the drastic switch from "Material Girl" to "Repentant Catholic" with ease. Her beauty helped but she was also more grounded. Sadly, you see it everywhere; there's something about that grind that really distills talent...

[@alisaurus4224]

10:51 When someone says their coffee “goes right through my body” they mean they have diarrhea. Does Madonna not know this idiom??

[@gckbowers411]

I'm pretty sure that's what she meant.

[@alisaurus4224]

@@gckbowers411 well, if that’s what makes her “satisfied” that’s none of my business i suppose, though it’s weird she told us about it

[@gckbowers411]

@@alisaurus4224 i think it's meant to be ironic

[@theproletkulttn]

I feel that madonna could've taken a direction similar to vaporwave and be so indulgent in its materialism that it becomes self aware of it and mocks itself. I feel that would've been pretty interesting.

[@neneargueta8332]

14:38 why is there a Madonna song that sounds like my wii froze

[@gwenc1371]

I know, right? I was looking at my phone when that started, and I honestly thought that my computer had a BSOD.

[@EpicB]

Madonna.exe has stopped working

[@kewlusername6692]

I read this comment before that part in the video and when it came up I was dying!!!

[@juanjuan8242]

@@EpicB Not this comment 😭😭😭😭

[@tafua_a]

The first time I watched this video and listened to this song, I legit thought my PC was about to blue screen.

[@justcallmecaligula]

whenever i start missing todd uploads and start rewatching old videos, todd blesses us with a new one. what a guy!

[@thenotsodemocraticrepublic7731]

Good to se another Roman emperor here

[@brunixot1]

And then she released confessions on the dance floor and everything is forgiven, the natural order is restored. The evil is defeated. PS. "Nothing Fails" is actually good, that should have been the first single

[@eyeheartsushi2212]

Confessions on the Dance Floor definitely made up for it

[@user-bt7ix6sw2g]

I like Intervention and Easy ride as well Xtatic process has its beauty too I guess the biggest problem of the album was the total lack of focus on the soundscape and themes She's doing rap, pop, rock, electroclash then a bunch of folk tunes and then whatever mother & father is

[@dunderbread]

whenever someone brings up protest music of the 60s I remember the Kurt Vonnegut quote about every single artist coming together to give their all for the movement only having about as much political power as a pie dropped from a 6ft stepladder. this album feels like the embodiment of that quote in the most painful of ways

[@PuppetMasterIX]

Nothing fails... as hard as Madonna trying to rap.

[@Boobalopbop]

She'll never learn, lol. I love Madonna more than words, but when she raps or aligns herself with rappers it's always cringe.

[@culwin]

Taylor Swift: hold my beer

[@tylerhackner9731]

That comes pretty close (THIS SICK BEAT), but American Life, in my opinion, is worse. And that sucks because I like Madonna.

[@AlexYorim]

Strange that she rapped the bridge so smoothly in "Vogue".

[@wadespencer3623]

Except for Taylor Swift trying to rap.

[@bigphattank4755]

That "strike a pose works for dance not activism" line was such a savage mic drop the force of it blew my house down

[@5thejurassic]

And yet she is still an activist. Todd doesn't seem to be aware that Madonna was one of the first high profile celebrities who spoke about AIDS in the 80s, a time when it was pretty taboo to do so. Madonna has lost many friends and acquaintances to the disease. And even apart from that she has always spoken up for minorities. To say she was never political is quite simply not true. Todd needs to do better research.

[@jessicazeller8060]

“I bribe my kids’ way into college.” *Lori Loughlin has entered the chat*

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

Dixie Chicks "I'm Not Ready to Make Nice" is the best music to come out of that war.

[@m1k3l1f3]

Agreed

[@sbel6626]

Lily Allen’s song Fuck You was pretty good too

[@Skullkan6]

What about Yanqui UXO?

[@Skullkan6]

Or Demons Dance Alone?

[@pixeljacked8047]

Demon days was good too

[@cheeze4brains948]

14:37 A problem has been detected and Windows has shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

[@weirdotzero7065]

For second, I thought it was about to turn into the THX deep note

[@AlexSpalex1]

@@weirdotzero7065 "Turn it up! TURN IT UP!"

[@hafsaz4513]

*sits quietly in the corner, genuinely enjoying Hollywood, Love Profusion and Die Another Day* There's no excuse for that rapping though, yikes

[@amphioxusanniversary]

I also legit like "Die Another Day" I remember really enjoying it when it came out, when I was *checks notes * jegus, was I really 16? I felt like it was a lot longer ago...

[@chuckbatman5]

I feel like Die Another Day probably gels better with Madonna's overall discography than it does in a lineup of Bond themes

[@averagebritishguy7082]

@@chuckbatman5 Yes. Definitely.

[@ECL28E]

The 60s was a mix of all sorts of stuff that made it a great decade for music. The counter-culture wasn't just rock music and 'Nam; but had LSD, weed, free-love, the Civil Rights movement, Women's Lib Movement, LGBT Rights, etc. Even if you were only a fair-weather follower of these political movements (which there were a LOT of) you stayed for the perks. Not to mention, 'Nam was not a direct-attack on the US, itself. By the 2000s, the counter-culture didn't have these perks and 9/11 was a direct attack on the mainland. If you were anti-war, you were diehard because there was nothing else to stay for, especially after the Dixie Chicks debacle.

[@nickrustyson8124]

Also another thing, it was harder to hate the Iraq war because there wasn't a draft unlike 'Nam, all of the men going to war went there by choice where in 'Nam it was war or prison for the everyman

[@ShroudedWolf51]

​@@nickrustyson8124 Well... You say "by choice", but many still go because they have no choice. I don't think I'll ever forget the argument brought up against student debt forgiveness that it'll harm the military's recruitment. Because the way it works is poor people get suckered into serving with the promise of "free" college. And end up on the other end, either dead or with permanent mental issues from their time in service. Be it from the job itself or the outright insane levels of abuse within the organization of the military.

[@krisaaron8180]

The counter culture in the 60s got a huge kick in the ass from the draft. Any war fought after Viet Nam was an all volunteer war and the rest of us are just spouting opinions. It doesn't have the same urgency.

[@KamradO]

"Talking about sounding like Garbage". This. This is Todd's best joke. This will never be topped.

[@Conankun66YT]

this is also the second time todd has pulled that joke. he also said it about the cardigans in that OHWL

[@Gingerm0nster]

KamradO “when I say ‘self’, you say ‘harm’!” is still the best one. But that joke is def up there

[@aristotleasparaguspodcast1129]

On his Twitter Todd says he thinks his best joke is "Number o-It's Wiggle" from Worst Songs of 2014

[@WarningNimrod39]

Sam J. Boomhauer That’s a strong contender tbf

[@roguishpaladin]

SWAN LAKE! Ye-AH!

[@calvinfolan1736]

Sliced bread drenched in milk is less white than that 'rap'. Sweet tapdancing Christ.

[@JennaLeigh]

Love your pfp. 💖Jim💖

[@MegCazalet]

Add some hydrogen peroxide and that’s how you get a dog who ate something poison to throw up.

[@JennaLeigh]

@@MegCazalet i just ugly laughed so loud. 😂😂😂😂 you're absolutely right, and for some reason that just cracked me completely up!😂😂

[@ata5855]

@Luke Wasn't she taking a swipe at American culture/consumerism/privileged white girl? The rap would HAVE to sound awful. but if it WASN'T tongue-in-cheek... holy hell

[@CNNBlackmailSupport]

It's kind of weird that you equate rapping ability to skin pigment. I've never heard anyone say "A tunnel in an underground bunker on the opposite side of the moon is less black than that "rap." I haven't heard anyone say "Great lines, man! Your bars are really black! They are the blackest ever!", and yet, "bad lines, man. Your bars are really white! They the are the whitest ever!" is perfectly acceptable. Strange.

[@VinchVolt]

Rewatching this video, I realized that a *lot* of 70's artists, not just the Rolling Stones, fell victim to the curse of running on fumes during the bulk of the 80's. Some acts, like the Stones, were doing so both commercially and critically. Others, like David Bowie, Pink Floyd, or Genesis, were still commercial successes (Bowie and Genesis even more so in the 80's than in the 70's), but artistically stagnated during that time due to a variety of circumstances (I myself still like 80's Floyd and Genesis, but they do feel noticeably outpaced from an artistic standpoint by their 70's albums; Pink Floyd's sole 90's album is also a huge step up from their 80's work, though with Genesis the jury's still out). Overall the 80's was just not a good time for acts who got big in the 60's and 70's, much in the same way that a lot of 80's artists just flopped like gutted fish between 1991 and the start of 80's nostalgia in the 2000's. And the funny thing is, with mainstream rock having collapsed in on itself due to a wide variety of factors big enough to write a book about, rock as a whole is stuck running on fumes and dying out in the most literal sense of the term; in a way, things have come full circle since the 80's.

[@TheAndradeCS]

Could you point out some of the reasons Rock died out? I know bad rock bands were part of the reason, like Nickelback, Limp Biskit, Puddle of Mud and the likes. Is there another example too?

[@VinchVolt]

​ Pedro Andrade Well like I said, there's a huge number of issues, but I think of all the ones I can think, of the biggest would have to be changing demographics in the landscape of popular music. Rock music, despite originating as black music, became something of a "white man's genre" over the years and shifted focus to the lower class as the years went on, partly due to the working-class origins of British punk, grunge, post-grunge, and 2000's indie rock, as well as the hedonistic audiences glam metal became associated with. By the time the 2010's came along, the image of rock became that of a genre for beerbellied Middle American louts like the kind Dire Straits scathingly mocked in "Money for Nothing". Meanwhile, pop music, R&B, and hip-hop tended to be kinder to female, non-white, and LGBT listeners, and over time these groups started to make up the bigger portion of visible music listeners, leading record labels to promote the kinds of artists they listened to more. I do agree that general burnout towards bad rock music was another big factor, but people didn't just spontaneously decide to listen to Beyonce and Kanye as an alternative; their audiences simply started to become a greater force among music listeners in much the same way that the teenagers who listened to rock 'n' roll overtook those who listened to Louie Armstrong and Frank Sinatra. Coincidentally, jazz was also a black genre that started off controversial for its then-radical sound and because of underlying racist sentiment towards its black origins, only to later be overtaken by white artists. Funk went down the same path in the 70's, and now hip-hop is facing the same. Now jazz and funk didn't become an Archie Bunker genre in the way that mainstream rock did, but they did face the same shift to a white demographic and ended up being overtaken by a newer genre that appealed to a previously ignored demographic (rock 'n' roll for jazz and synthpop & glam metal for funk). Jazz also underwent a change in the kind of social class it was associated with over time, now being thought of as a sophisticated and bohemian genre compared to the rebellious image it used to have. Time will tell what becomes of hip-hop a decade or two later. I'm not trying to push the message that "the gays killed rock," because frankly that would be a dangerously harmful and shortsighted overgeneralization. However, it's important to know that the demise of mainstream rock music, similarly to the demise of mainstream jazz, was more the result of changing demographics in both artists in the genre and in general music listeners than from just an abundance of bad Pearl Jam and Korn knockoffs.

[@lucasoheyze4597]

To me the problem seemed to be those older acts tried to stay relevant by following trends, particularly in production, instead of staying true to themselves.

[@VinchVolt]

@@lucasoheyze4597 With following trends it becomes a big double-edged sword, as both not adapting and badly over-adapting can both kill an artist's momentum in its tracks (as shown by how the sudden explosion in popularity of grunge affected a great deal of 80's artists). Adapting to changing times is necessary to continue to thrive, but there also has to be enough of a balance with one's artistic ethos to ensure that it doesn't become blatant posturing. And yeah that was a big factor in why a lot of 70's artists burned out in the 80's, as well as why many big rock musicians burned out in the 2000's (which becomes especially obvious after watching the St. Anger episode and hearing how heavily Metallica tried to chase the nu metal craze with that album in addition to the chaotic production), though again it's not the only factor.

[@jmckenzie962]

I feel that rock is going down the path of jazz, in that the mainstream stuff is dying out and most new developments in rock now are coming from the borderline avant-garde, improvisational side of things. Just listen to any of the recent wave of British post-punk bands like black midi or Black Country New Road and you'll see what I mean.

[@mottmatt7844]

I remember Hollywood. It was a small hit in Europe. Which makes me think that we eat up anything by older pop stars out of sheer nostalgia.

[@Ruinwyn]

It's probably because Madonna was living and making music in UK at the time, so actually promoted more in Europe than in other eras of her career. It also had more European influences and the theme made more sense in Europe. US was getting hyperpatriotic and confused and scared. Europe was getting tired of American showbiz propaganda and getting generally disillusioned by American media.

[@TimmyTickle]

In Australia, a breakfast TV show used "Hollywood" as the opening theme for its entertainment report.

[@TimmyTickle]

@@Ruinwyn That would explain the garage/indie rock boom that started in the UK around the same time

[@leaffinite2001]

Or that takes mediocre shots at the us lol

[@ShinMario098]

"Push the button, Don't push the button, Flip the station, *Change the Channel* " Hmm....

[@EpicB]

I'm surprised Todd didn't make a joke about it.

[@robinchesterfield42]

When he... PAUSED a second there at that exact line, I cracked up. If he DIDN'T mean that, it's still a wonderfully...well-timed? place for a (blink) "WAIT a minute" kind of pause...

[@stephenemmett9753]

"PULL THE STRING!"

[@samanteater]

@@EpicB Prolly doesn't wanna bring that up.

[@brendanb2982]

@@EpicB Yeah, he could've interspliced a clip of Zangief from the Street Fighter mov- Wait what? Ohhhhh.

[@casketbase7750]

“A shallow critique of shallowness.” Todd has been laying on the zingers lately.

[@krzuker]

Jack Casey his writing has gotten especially sharp in the past couple of years at least. Guess when you’ve been doing this as long as Todd has, you get very good at it. I still think about him describing Florida Georgia Line as having “a stack of old Maxims where their brains should be”

[@browncoat697]

@@krzuker Where Todd has always been understated in presentation (dude's not doing crazy studio-quality editing/costuming/whatever like Contrapoints, Lindsay Ellis, or Philosophy Tube), he has always made up for in quality writing. Guy's got a real talent for words.

[@markborishnikoff5485]

I agree with you.

[@WarningPuzzle]

My personal favourite is still from his Fight Song review "If this is your fight song, you're going to lose".

[@murciadoxial8056]

A better line from this review "strike a pose works for dance, not for activism"

[@corvettez06usa]

I find the sentiment "at least we will get good music out of this" such an insightful look on American culture and perspective. The more I think about it the more terrifying it is.

[@janjanbinks1710]

I'm Syrian and honestly no line ever made me understand how Americans see the outside world like this one. We're all just entertainment to them. It's ironic contrasted to this fake deep album that one line from a review cuts deeper than an entire album

[@twoinacarcrash]

“we did not get good music out of this.” *demon days wants to know your location*

[@riilhiiro]

Hail to the thief was a good radiohead album

[@moongem4489]

The easiest and most effective thing she could have done was compare all those shallow luxuries to the poverty and violence faced by people in war-torn countries intead of just humble-bragging about them.

[@austinshoupe3003]

Except that's its own mocked cliche.

[@helenanilsson5666]

@@austinshoupe3003 True, but it would at least be a mocked cliche tangentially connected to the alleged topic of the album.

[@aynosekeponer]

that was what she made in the video

[@Scorpia161]

Literally, the connection between American consumerism/ wealth and global instability isn't a hard one to make. It's been done to death. The Iraq war is understood today exclusively as a ploy for oil and I think people were aware of that motive even then. Kanye effectively made that point simply by shining a line on the bloodshed behind a single popular status symbol--Kanye, for Christ's sake! Todd made an astute connection with Posner, even, succeeding in speaking to the spiritual emptiness of success very succinctly, with personal details from his life! ''I took a pill in Ibeza to show Avicci I was cool' is still one of the most devastating lines I've ever heard! But reflections like Kanye's or Posner's might make Madonna feel guilty or force her to express actual vulnerability, which I doubt she's capable of.

[@narcisosanz8137]

I actually think there's a lot of Madonna's wit inside this track. If you think about it, American Life and Material Girl have very similar concepts. They're silly songs with silly hooks, she's singing in first person and it sounds like bragging, but it is actually mocking people like that instead of being about her. And I especially think that about the cringe rap. It is cringe, it sounds robotic and ridiculous, but that's... kinda the point. If we take a closer look when she's bragging, the choices are very odd and it is deliberate. She mentions shots going "right through her body", people tell her she's a "trooper", then she mentions she's "checking out the bodies" (as in checking dead bodies instead of checking hotties during a Yoga or Pilates class) and then she mention isotopes, recalling bombs. All that make her satisfied (a mix of shallowness and war). And the rest of it is like "I have everything, but I'm greedy and I want more, I'm not different from any religious extremist when I do this". At least that's how I interpret this.

[@ChiGuy251]

That rap was a damn hate crime

[@SirEriol]

It was nice to see you at Lindsay's chanel, Todd.

[@dackattac]

i just thought about the "i get a double shot-tay, it runs right through my body" line for a second and realized that she is using Coffee Shits as an allegory for america's disposable culture and i don't know whether to be impressed or compound my disappointment

[@proevofan]

"Die another day is the album highlight" Christ that's the most brutal review I've ever heard.

[@bigguy8435]

That song became much better after watching this video tbh

[@Xondar11223344]

It's not even a good song.

[@witherblaze]

The best part of American Life is a British spy. Oof.

[@Dark.Shingo]

@@witherblaze Oh the irony.

[@witherblaze]

@@Dark.Shingo That's my point.

[@cartmann94]

I'm clickin a Todd video I get a double shottay It goes right through my body And you know I'm satisfied.

[@heelstevenmaggle5615]

Yaaaaas!

[@Feasco]

And yet this still better than the original song, my hat is off to you

[@kelvinnguyen7883]

I'm not the only one who thinks "double shottay" sounds like Madonna listened to actual hip hop, heard a cool sounding lyric and proceeded to hilariously misinterpret it, am I?

[@Flowtail]

I assume the double shottay is because you needed to watch the video twice after Todd was forced to re-upload it?

[@swooningtree]

Die Another Day actually segues into the final track Easy Ride VERY well, which makes me think its inclusion on the album isn't as cynical as you might think. I actually have a lot of time for this album. I don't always agree with your takes but they are entertaining and interesting.

[@paolocruz7917]

Todd totally missed the final track of the album "Easy Ride" which could've been an ok track until you hear the first line of the chorus that goes: "Round and round just like a circle." Well thanks Madonna for the reminder how circle looks like.

[@Avossk]

Wait, the violent American Life music video never got shown? Back when I was a little kid growing up in the Philippines I VERY DISTINCTLY remember seeing that video on TV

[@masterofstims]

It was only cancelled in the us, i remember seeing it alot on much music on canada

[@neckpeck2738]

That original music video for American Life looked actually pretty great. Like it would actually have had a cultural impact. As someone who's never sought out a Madonna song to listen to, I'm actually really sad she didn't go through with this version of the video...

[@lepetitchat123]

I just watched it for the first time, I find the final part of the video very unsettling to watch. She can sell sex but not war and violence like that.

[@arandompasserby7940]

She and her management obviously cancelled it because pairing a video about the horrors of war with a song where a super rich woman who lived in a castle moans about her chefs just shows how snobby, self-absorbed and out-of-touch she is. The references to war was nothing more than a war to sell records, but they were smart enough to realize how awfully plan was going to backfire.

[@arandompasserby7940]

@@EJY318 It's a video about the horrors of war, but the song itself is about a spoiled rich white woman unhappy about her private planes. All the mothers and fathers in 2003 - with sons in the military who'd soon be deployed, some of whom would inevitably return home permanently disfigured or in flag-draped caskets (if there was even that much left of them after the IED) - would really find solidarity in the lyrics about the latte that's traveling through Madonna's colon. It's not "unsettling" because it's shocking and provocative (like normal Madonna), it's "unsettling" because it's a blatantly cynical cash-in on topical anti-war sentiments of the time to sell a bad song/album, that had nothing to do with the war at all, by a singer on the downward slope of her career who'd been in the limelight so long that they'd completely lost touch with what normal life is like. The final video in its place was awful, but I think the decision to not go with the video showcasing the brutality of war that's paired with a song about the personal complaints of someone living at the top of the social pyramid was the smart move...

[@lepetitchat123]

@@arandompasserby7940 very well said. I love most of madonna's music but she's no bob dylan. Glad she didn't try again 🤣

[@drygnfyre]

Has anyone else noticed how 2003 seems to be like THE year for Trainwreckords? Madonna had this album. Metallica had St. Anger. Jewel had 03/04. Liz Phair released her self-titled album that year and many people hated it. Limp Bizkit put out Results May Vary. Several of these albums have been covered or mentioned by Todd on this show. What this tells me is 2003 was probably the 1991 of the 2000s, a big transition year where a lot of the old trends (nu-metal, boy bands, pop princesses) were on the way out and new trends were taking over (I remember emo music getting big around this time).

[@bonecanoe86]

"Bush I'm Madonna" I've watched this video several times and just now got that joke.

[@pinkcrayon1752]

That Reputation comparison is too accurate

[@samantham3940]

I literally just checked to see if there were any Trainwreckords I’d missed. 10/10 for timing

[@camusreviews6877]

“Madonna tackled sexuality, feminism, religion, but never politics” How do we tell him?

[@TacticusPrime]

She specifically dodged the intersection of those things with politics. She used iconography of sexuality, feminism, and religion but never actually made any statements about it. She just used the images for attention and thus success. You can't deny her charitable work. She donated money to AIDS charities earlier than just about any celebrity, *but* she didn't denounce Reagan for failing to take action or call for specific policies to do anything about it.

[@archangel_josh]

People said "at least we'll get great music' when Donald Trump was elected. It's just stupid logic.

[@Boobalopbop]

This is not my favorite album, but I did camp out 25 hours at Tower Records in the West Village for the chance to meet her, get her autograph on my special edition CD. She even said my NAME!! She was so strikingly beautiful in person. She did a live acoustic performance, and it was so beautiful and intimate. This wasn't a great album, but Nothing Fails is a gorgeous song.

[@chrisparkes]

Boobalopbop yeah amen to that; Nothing Fails is beautiful

[@th3mdt]

"Flip the station! Change the channel!" Didn't know she felt that way about the Walkers, damn.

[@a.j.gibson6717]

I regret to say this, but can you do a trainwreakords episode for witness, for years after that album Katy Perry has fallen off, and witness was the beginning of the end.

[@ShadowSorel]

congrats, you got your wish!

[@TheIkaraCult]

Alot of people cynically roll their eyes and go "Here's another pop star trying to take a political stance, go back to your mansion" etc etc etc when a famous person who cares about an issue talks about it. I normally dislike that lazy response from people. This absolute arse is one of the few occasions where I go along with it. She was latching on to a serious issue with absolutely zero history of ever doing so before, and in a non-commital way as well.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

But most celebrities' statements are either "thing bad and it should stop but you poor people figure it out I'm going back to my million dollar home" or really simplistic, child-like "deep" realizations. Like if you mixed a Banksy art piece and a Jaden Smith tweet. I want to see the gears turning in the brain goddamn it. Not a lazy statement that helps nobody.

[@jyhan1q94]

And that's why I think Madonna dodged the bullet by not releasing this album in current times.

[@munkyzzb7504]

I think she just did this album so she could wear a army uniform in her dance routine.

[@lunapaper7028]

So she wanted her very own Rhythm Nation?

[@munkyzzb7504]

@@lunapaper7028 People of the world unite. 😂 😂 😂

[@lunapaper7028]

@@munkyzzb7504 Lol, I think Madonna united people in their hatred for 'American Life.' That's something, right? :P

[@munkyzzb7504]

@@lunapaper7028 Lol xD

[@quanashiab.9620]

@@munkyzzb7504 And wear all decades of Hollywood dresses, and walk behind a green screen.

[@ellijahminogue344]

Trainwreckords I want to see: Metallica - St. Anger The Clash - Cut The Crap Rolling Stones - Dirty Work Genesis - Calling All Stations No Doubt - Return of Saturn Velvet Underground - Squeeze

[@OughtaBeBrynn]

Squeeze would be fantastic. On a related note, doing Metal Machine Music or Lulu from Lou Reed would be awesome too.

[@1rockcrawford]

Why would No Doubt's "Rock Steady" be on the Trainwreckords list? It was, in no regard, a trainwreck. It had 3 massively successful singles, had positive reception, and was certified double platinum after its first year out. You must be thinking of "Return of Saturn."

[@ellijahminogue344]

@QR One Yes, that’s the one I meant. Sorry for the confusion.

[@Demiglitch]

Speaking of saturn, Goldie - Saturnz Return

[@grahamkristensen9301]

@@1rockcrawford I'd argue that Rock Steady did more damage to No Doubt's reputation than Return of Saturn. That's the album where they pretty much abandoned their ska roots entirely and went full blown pop, and after its release the band went on indefinite hiatus and Gwen Stefani began her solo career.

[@gabe_s_videos]

For someone who doesn't really like discussing politics and other sensitive subjects, Todd and I seem to have a lot of the same opinions about both, or at least the way pop culture handles it: yes, people with a public platform probably SHOULD use it wisely, but that doesn't automatically mean they're even REMOTELY knowledgable enough about politics to effectively take part in them, or even want to be beyond giving into peer pressure. I'd like it if more entertainers I personally enjoyed shared the same political views I had and used what they'd gained with their success to make effective positive change, but realistically, that's not going to happen. Remember: just because you should doesn't mean you can. (Ironically, as I wrote this, I realized that most of my favorite musicians have been extremely vocally political this past year, so maybe I'm not the best example)

[@SuperJNG18]

I remember seeing her at Eurovision and, in spite of knowing full well that her glory days are long behind her, got very excited. I mean, it’s Madonna! She’s a legend! Then, in two fell swoops, she managed to not only butcher “Like a Prayer” (her best song imo) but also do the exact same kind of misguided political gesture that tanked her reputation in the first place. When it was over, I just turned to my grandma and said, “well...that sucked.” Says a lot that it got cut out of the official DVD. “Irlande Douze Points” and “Flying the Flag” are preserved for all time on their DVDs, but even the EBU is too embarrassed by Madonna. That said, it did mean we got the gloriously surreal sight of one of the chipper Israeli hosts interviewing Quavo between acts, a man who could not possibly look or feel more out of place at Eurovision. All I remember is that he knew about Madonna because “[his] mom listened to her,” and I believe I actually said “BRUH” out loud.

[@nathanieljohnson5908]

Every singer has their off days. Mariah Carey had an awful AIWFCIY some time ago and Whitney butchered IWALY in her last tour (rip). You missed Madonna's prime vocals (1991-2009)

[@SuperJNG18]

@@nathanieljohnson5908 Madonna's been in a perpetual off day since 2012

[@nathanieljohnson5908]

@@SuperJNG18 Actually, she had some decent vocals in her rebel heart tour. Idk about MDNA or Madame X. Eurovision was hands down her worst vocal performance tho. She really should have stuck with her vocal coach she got for evita

[@5thejurassic]

​@@SuperJNG18 nope her MDNA tour was absolutely amazing. Couldn't see Rebel Heart and Madame X live but they looked intriguing. She definitely delivers with her current Celebration tour.

[@5thejurassic]

​@@nathanieljohnson5908she also sounds fine in her on-going Celebration tour.

[@Boobalopbop]

"I'm drinkin a soy latte, I get a double shotty".... No. Just no.

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

Soi Boi

[@principality543]

LMFAOO its good in the car- but its stilll pretty cringe

[@spcfl1461]

Framed Smith No. Just no.

[@diibadaa9502]

*adjusts glasses* it's pronounced shott-ay

[@yourchaoticadhdfriend3523]

Shot-tay

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

The most amazing thing about this album is how it always manages to pick exactly the worst synth samples.

[@VictoriaSobocki]

I thought some of the songs were pretty good and interesting. Some moments are pretty awful though

[@matthewhunter1193]

It was giving me a headache

[@iamaunicorn1232]

The guy also has no sense of proper timing for anything ever.

[@redvelvetunderground]

mirwais the rebound techno producer when u can't get liam howlett and william orbit stops taking yr calls

[@noesunyoutuber7680]

It baffles me how they managed to get the most tasteless producer ever for this. It's like he picked all the synth sounds by their names with no idea what they sounded like. They're all just so grating and outdated sounding and they torpedo what might not otherwise be bad songs. And the ones that are bad are really bad.

[@PabloMartinMed]

I agree that not keeping the original 'American Life' video was a mistake...

[@otaking3582]

So the version of Hollywood used for Cinemadonna wasn't the original?! We've been lied to!

[@thejjfrantsexperience5572]

Literally the only reason I had ever heard Hollywood was because of Cinemadonna.

[@TransomeTrav]

"Stop trying to make Hollywood happen. It's never gonna happen."

[@southboundagain]

The weirdest thing is, in the UK it did happen. Hollywood and American Life were actually both fairly big hit singles in the UK (number 2 in the chart, along with Me Against The Music) and the other two singles were top 20. God knows why the UK liked it so much more than the US.

[@TransomeTrav]

@@southboundagain I shouldn't be surprised. The UK is a weird breed that way. They produce some of the best music ever made, but also allow The Fast Food Song, Crazy Frog, and Bob The Builder to be massive hits.

[@southboundagain]

​@@TransomeTrav Can't argue with you there!

[@thetonytaye]

Jenna not only that but they both topped the dance club charts

[@Luqas808]

@@TransomeTrav The Fast Food song is a bop though lmao

[@michaelmacleod6517]

We want her to comeback with another Like A Prayer. Sadly it'll never happen. She's 63 now and still trying to convince the world she's still 25.

[@idontneedaname318]

It's such a shame to imagine what she could do if she wasn't so insistent on trying to do the things she did at 25

[@5thejurassic]

​@@idontneedaname318well her current Celebration tour is pretty great and her last studio album was her most experimental work in years.

[@agnesm_23]

@@5thejurassic Experimental but not good at all, in my opinion ( and most critics reviews were terrible as well, including Pitchfork that embraces alternative music). It would be a shame for that to be her last album ever

[@5thejurassic]

@@agnesm_23 well I liked it, it's basically a world music pop album. And it's not true that music critics' reviews were negative, where did you find that? A quick google search will tell you that it was met with mostly positive reviews. Exactly because it covered new ground compared to her previous efforts.

[@nomduclavier]

That's exactly why we shouldn't expect celebrities to 'take a stand'; they always overshadow activists who actually know what they're talking about.

[@WilfredoWolganG]

"Your music doesn't become deep just because you put on camo pants" favourite line