Common Sense Note
The unedited version has a few four letter words. Both versions refer to gender and religious confusion. In "American Life," Madonna sings "I'm not a Christian and I'm not a Jew," but in other songs she refer to Jesus Christ, Satan, and prayer. In "Mother and Father," Madonna laments the death of her mother when she was a child.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Cynthea Riesenberg
Long known for an almost feral capacity to sniff out the emerging trend, in this outing Madonna is more haunted than hunter. Her past mistakes seem to weigh heavily, as she berates or pities herself in song after song. This wearisome self-flagellation might induce sympathy or at least reflection, were it not expressed with numbing repetition.
For example, considering the lyrics, who would dare argue when Madonna complains, "I'm so stupid/ … I was stupid/ Stupider than stupid/ Stupider than stupid" ("I'm So Stupid"). More is again less in "Love Profusion," where she chants, "I've got you under my skin" twenty times, without a trace of Cole Porter's melodious zing. Bad poetry abounds in "Nobody Knows Me," where we are treated to, "I'm not that kind of guy/ Sometimes I feel shy/ I think I can fly/ Closer to the sky." Perhaps Madonna was striving for Hemingway-like economy, but the writing is without guts, sinew, or inspiration.
And, though she rejects her past choices, such as the religion of her childhood ("Mother and Father"), Madonna offers no replacement philosophy. Instead, judging by tracks like "I'm So Stupid" and "X-Static Process" ("Don't know who I'm supposed to be/… Don't know what I believe"), she seems without moral compass, and not sure of what she now wants to say.
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Sexual ContentSex is not mentioned explicitly, although there are references to love and yearning. A stranger's "social disease" appears to refer to consumerism rather than STDs. "American Life" mentions gender confusion in a way that may be metaphorical ("I tried to be a boy/I tried to be a girl/I tried to be a mess/I tried to be the best"). |
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LanguageThe explicit version of the title track contains isolated use of four letter words beginning with "F" and "S." |
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Social BehaviorAlthough she doesn't endorse obvious antisocial behavior, Madonna describes herself as confused and unhappy in many tracks, making her less than an admirable role model in this album. |
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CommercialismIn the album's wittiest lines, the title track ironically describes the rich life: "I got a lawyer and a manager/an agent and a chef/three nannies, an assistant/and a driver and a jet." |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoOther than infrequent references to feeling "fuzzy" in her past, drugs and alcohol are not mentioned. |
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