Maps of Music

Music (2000)

Where the lyrics of Music take you, and where it was really made.

Madonna first worked with William Orbit and scrapped most of the material recorded with him. She then started over with Mirwais Ahmadzaï, a producer she had found through a demo tape.

Key places

Sarm West Studios, Notting Hill (2000)

Recording site Sarm West Studios — Recording sessions for the album started here in September 1999 and were almost finished by January 2000. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Music: eighth studio album by Madonna
• Released 18 September 2000 by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records
• Follows Ray of Light (1998), a dance-pop and electronica record
• Mixes funk, house, techno, rock, country, folk and R&B into a dance-pop and electronica sound
• Embraces a western motif, with Madonna reimagining her image as a cowgirl

Background

• Ray of Light won four Grammy Awards at the 41st ceremony, including Best Pop Album
• Planned 1999 tour was canceled after filming The Next Best Thing
• Cover of Don McLean's American Pie for The Next Best Thing reached number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100
• Shortly after American Pie, Madonna announced she was pregnant with her son Rocco, from her relationship with director Guy Ritchie
• Madonna wanted to distract herself from the media attention and focused on the new album
• Young artists such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were reshaping the industry at the time

Recording

• Sessions began in September 1999 at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London
• Sessions were almost completed by January 2000
• Madonna first worked with William Orbit, then scrapped most of the material recorded up to that point
• Madonna was introduced to Mirwais Ahmadzaï by her manager and Maverick partner Guy Oseary
• Impressive Instant was the first song the pair worked on
• Language barriers were eased when Ahmadzaï's manager acted as translator
• Guy Sigsworth produced What It Feels Like for a Girl, built on a sample from The Cement Garden

Cover

• Photo shoot on 10-13 April 2000 by Jean Baptiste Mondino at Smashbox Studios in Los Angeles
• Cowboy-inspired concept was suggested by Mondino
• Styling by Arianne Phillips, with vintage Western clothing and rhinestone-embellished shirts
• Packaging and design by Kevin Reagan

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Madonna Louise Ciccone, born August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress.
• Raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township; moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue dance.
• Performed as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in the rock bands Breakfast Club and Emmy before signing with Sire Records.
• Debut album Madonna (1983) brought her fame.

Career

• Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), and The Immaculate Collection (1990) are among the best-selling albums of all time.
• Rolling Stone ranked Like a Prayer (1989), Ray of Light (1998), and Music (2000) among the greatest albums of all time.
• Known for continual reinvention and for works addressing social, political, sexual, and religious themes.
• Acting credits include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996), for which she won a Golden Globe.
• Founded the entertainment company Maverick (1992–2009), including Maverick Records.
• Is the best-selling female music artist of all time and the first female performer to accumulate US$1 billion from concerts.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, in her first year of eligibility.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average score 80 from 16 reviews, generally favorable
• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the layered music and credited Madonna's collaboration with Ahmadzaï
• Vibe: Dimitri Ehrlich praised the keyboard arrangements and futuristic drums
• Spin: Alex Pappademas called it a much-needed breath of fresh air and the first Madonna record in years that felt effortless
• Q: Danny Eccleston called it brave, radical and punchy
• Billboard: Michael Paoletta noted the vibrant and uplifting tone
• The Village Voice: Robert Christgau cited consistency and flow
• Rolling Stone: Barry Walters compared it to Ray of Light and called it a more instinctive record
• Entertainment Weekly: David Browne was less enthusiastic and called it her most patchwork record since the Sean Penn years
• NME: Victoria Segal said the beats overshadowed Madonna
• The A.V. Club: Stephen Thompson panned it as a dreadfully dull misstep
• The Guardian: Garry Mulholland dismissed it as screamingly naff

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone: Rob Sheffield wrote in 2015 that it remains Madonna's hardest-rocking and most seductive album
• Billboard: Joe Lynch called it a key piece of 21st century dancefloor canon on its 20th anniversary
• Stereogum: Tom Breihan wrote that it anticipated electro-house, vocal manipulation and cowboy kitsch

Records

• US Billboard 200: debuted at number one with over 420,000 copies in its first week
• Madonna's highest first-week sales to date at that time
• UK Albums Chart: debuted at number one with 152,000 copies
• Europe: topped the European Top 100 Albums chart
• Triple platinum in the United States from the RIAA, certified 21 November 2005
• Five times platinum in the United Kingdom from the BPI
• Five Grammy nominations, and one win for Best Recording Package
• Sales of more than 11 million copies worldwide as of October 2008

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album leaked on Napster on 22 August 2000, a month before its official release.
• The release party at Catch One in Los Angeles on 20 September 2000 cost £1.4 million and was attended by 600 guests.
• Guests included Sheryl Crow, Gwen Stefani, Guy Oseary and George Clinton, who arrived with Macy Gray in a horse-drawn carriage.
• American Pie was added as a bonus track on international editions only, a decision Madonna later regretted.
• Madonna held her first live chat on AOL on the day of the album's release in the United Kingdom.
• Mondino, who shot the cover, later directed the music video for Don't Tell Me.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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