Collectibles #15: Madonna American Life (2003)

After tasting success with Ray Of Light and Music, Madonna decided to retread the electronica path once again with American Life. Reuniting with producer Mirwais, Madonna thought that the album would be another bonafide smash hit for her. However, she couldn't be more wrong.

First single, the title track, was met with universally negative reviews, as critics complained that it offered nothing new, and the rap segment sounded contrived and forced. Courting controversy with the music video, it featured Madonna in military garb amid war scenes.

The video was banned by MTV because America was going to war with Iraq at that time, and it was seen as being too sensitive a subject. Madonna decided to release a toned down version of the video, which simply has her singing the song with flags of different countries flashing in the background.

However, the damage was done by then. The album never really recovered from the early negative publicity and the other singles bombed.

Second single, Hollywood, featured an interesting voice morph segment in the middle, but it didn't resonate with listeners. Love Profusion and Nothing Fails were not bad too, but they didn't do well on the charts. Also included in the album is the track Die Another Day, the James Bond song, which was slammed by many as well.

Included in this special limited edition version is a giant poster and a stamp sheet. The image on the CD is a little eerie as Madonna has only one eye - her left eye is missing. Scary.