Music Tracklist
Music is the eighth studio album by Madonna. Following the success of her previous album, Ray of Light (1998), Madonna intended to go on tour. However, her recording company encouraged her to return to the studio and record new music before hitting the road. Madonna worked with producers William Orbit and Mirwais Ahmadazaï, collaboration in which resulted in a more experimental direction for the record. Music has an overall dance-pop and electronica vibe, with influences from rock, country and folk.
In an interview with british magazine The Face, Madonna commented on her mood during the development of the album:
To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what the mood was. I feel like an animal that’s, like, ready to be sprung from a cage. I’ve been living a pretty low-key domestic existence and I miss things. Like, I miss performing, and dancing, and being on the road, that kind of energy. So part of the record is about that. And then the other part is about love. So there’s the frivolous side of my life and then there’s the –hopefully– non-frivolous side of my life. I usually make a record that’s one or the other, and I feel I did both on this one.
A commercial success in the whole world, the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the charts of 23 countries. Despite leaking through Napster, Music sold 4 million copies on the first ten days of its released, being certified 3x platinum by Recording Industry Association of America and selling over 11 million copies worldwide.
To promote the album, three singles were released: “Music”, “Don’t Tell Me” and “What It Feels Like for a Girl”. Intended as a fourth single, “Impressive Instant” ended up being a promotional one.
Before the album release, Madonna recorded a statement to her fans where she announced the collaboration with Mirwais:
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.
Acclaimed by the critics, Music earned five nominations at the Grammy Awards of 2001, including for Best Pop Vocal Album. The record ultimately won one for Best Recording Package, given to art director Kevin Reagan.
“Music” Q&A
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Translations:
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How did she end up working with Mirwais Ahmadzaï for the album?
Guy Oseary, my partner here. But a lot of times I’ll get stuff, and I’ll go, “Oh, my God — this is amazing. I want to work with this person.” That’s what happened when I heard Mirwais’ demo for his own album. I heard it and was just like, “This is the sound of the future. I must meet this person.” So I did, and we hit it off. And that’s exactly how it happened with William Orbit, too.
–via RollingStone (2000)
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What was her response when the album leaked early ahead of its release?
There’s not much to say, honestly. I think it’s blown out of proportion. They downloaded a portion of “Music” before I’d even mixed it. It was astonishing. I have no idea how they got it. It was still in such a beginning stage. And it freaked me out, because I suddenly thought, “Oh, my God. If they got that, then they have other things on my record that aren’t finished.” And that’s really scary. So, basically, I made — well, my manager made — a public statement saying, “Anything that you’re hearing on Napster, or anything on any other Web site, is unfinished product.” Simple as that. And then suddenly it was in every headline: “Madonna is against Napster.” I mean … I don’t take that sort of a stance. I feel covetous about my work, and I don’t want people to hear it until it’s finished. At the same time, I think, to a certain extent, the trading of information is inevitable. And, on the other hand, Napster could be a great way for people to hear your music who wouldn’t have the chance to hear it on the radio. So that’s what I have to say about that. Really, I want to strangle the person who got ahold of it. I don’t know — I can’t control everybody [laughs].
–via RollingStone (2000)
