Music (Madonna album)
Music is the eighth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on September 18, 2000, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. Following the success of her previous album Ray of Light in 1998, the music scene was being dominated by a younger generation of singers like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, prompting Madonna to look for a distinctive sound within this market. Her collaborations with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and William Orbit resulted in a more experimental direction for the album. Music incorporates many different genres into its overall dance-pop and electronica vibe, taking influences from funk, house, rock, country and folk. Elaborating a western theme for the album, Madonna reinvented her image as a cowgirl.
Music
September 18, 2000
1999–2000
- Sarm West (London)
- Guerilla Beach (Los Angeles)
- Hit Factory (New York)
44:40
Music received positive reviews from music critics, with many comparing its production to Ray of Light. The album earned a total of five Grammy Award nominations, winning one for Best Recording Package at the 43rd ceremony. The record was also a commercial success, debuting at number one in 23 countries with four million copies sold in its first ten days of release. In the United States, Music debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 420,000 copies, making it her first album to top the chart in more than a decade. It received multiple certifications in several regions, and became the 19th best-selling album of 2001 with a total of over 11 million copies sold worldwide.
To promote Music, Madonna embarked on a small promotional tour, consisting of televised performances in occasions such as the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards and the 43rd Grammy Awards, and with two free concerts at Roseland Ballroom and Brixton Academy limited to contest winners. It was also supported by the Drowned World Tour in the following year, her first concert tour eight years; the tour visited North America and Europe, grossing over US$75 million and making it the highest-grossing tour by a solo act of the year and fourth overall.
Three official singles were released from the album. The title track was the lead single, topping the record charts in 25 countries worldwide and became Madonna's 12th and most recent number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was followed with another top-five hit "Don't Tell Me", and "What It Feels Like for a Girl" which attained the top-ten in several countries worldwide. "Impressive Instant" was released as a promotional single in the United States, topping the Dance Club Songs chart. "Amazing" was also briefly released as a promotional single in selected countries before being withdrawn shortly afterwards. Retrospectively, Music has been recognized by music journalists for anticipating a number of musical trends.
Background and development[edit]
In 1998, Madonna released her seventh studio album Ray of Light, which became a critical and commercial success, winning four Grammy Awards at the 41st ceremony, including Best Pop Album.[1] Madonna intended to embark on a new concert tour to promote it in 1999, after filming The Next Best Thing; however, the film's production suffered a delay and due to limited time, plans for a tour were eventually cancelled.[2] The Next Best Thing was released in March 2000, receiving unfavorable reviews from critics.[3] As part of the film's soundtrack, she recorded a cover version of Don McLean's "American Pie" (1971) at request of her co-star Rupert Everett, which garnered mixed reactions from critics and the public.[4] However, it became a commercial success worldwide, topping the charts in several countries throughout Europe.[5][6] The song also became her ninth number-one single in the United Kingdom, extending her record of most chart-topping singles by a female artist in the region.[7] Despite not being released commercially in the United States, it was also a radio success, reaching number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[8][9] The success of "American Pie" increased the public's anticipation for Madonna's next album at the time.[10]
Shortly after releasing "American Pie", Madonna announced she was pregnant with her son Rocco, from her relationship with director Guy Ritchie.[11] Wanting to distract herself from the media frenzy surrounding this news, Madonna concentrated on the development of her eighth studio album, entitled Music. Buoyed by the commercial success of her previous album, she was keen on getting back to the studio to record new music. Madonna was well disposed towards William Orbit, producer of Ray of Light, but by 2000, his production and sound had become ubiquitous. Also, the music scene was being dominated by a younger generation of singers like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and peers from her own generation like Prince and Janet Jackson were experiencing diminishing record sales, prompting Madonna to look for a distinctive sound within this market.[12] She was then introduced to French DJ and producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï. Madonna instantly liked his pitch-shifting, pulverizing rhythms and his utilization of acid bass in his songs. Ahmadzaï always preferred taking musical risks and hence he wanted the collaborations with Madonna to get out the best from the singer.[13]
Commercial performance[edit]
The CNN reported that Music had sold over four million copies worldwide 10 days after its release.[1] The album set a record in Warner Music Group as the biggest album shipment in the company, with three million copies worldwide in its first week of release.[138] It debuted at number one in 23 countries.[139] Overall, the record was the 19th best-selling album of 2001 worldwide, selling 4.1 million copies.[140] As of October 2008, Music has sold more than 11 million units around the world.[141]
Music debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with over 420,000 copies sold in its first week, becoming the first Madonna album to top the chart in more than a decade since Like a Prayer (1989).[142] The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 21, 2005.[143] As of August 2016, Music has sold 2,934,000 copies there according to Nielsen SoundScan.[144] It sold additional 97,000 units through the BMG Music Club, whose sales are not counted by the Nielsen SoundScan.[145] In Canada, the album debuted at the top of the Canadian RPM Albums Chart with first-week sales of 50,300 copies and was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipments of 300,000 units.[146][147] The album experienced success in Latin America, topping the charts in Argentina and receiving a two times platinum certification by the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers (CAPIF).[148] It was also certified gold in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico.[149][150][151]
The album enjoyed success in Asia-Pacific countries. In Australia, Music debuted at number two on the ARIA Charts on October 1, 2000, failing to reach the top spot due to the success of The Games of the XXVII Olympiad: Official Music from the Opening Ceremony.[152] It spent 41 weeks on the chart and was eventually certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[67][153] The album was also highlighted by ARIA as one of the biggest releases in their year-end report of 2000.[154] In New Zealand, Music also debuted at number two on October 8, 2000, only behind Robbie Williams' Sing When You're Winning;[155] it charted for 33 weeks and was certified two times platinum by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ).[156][157] The album debuted at number seven on the Oricon Albums Chart in Japan.[68] It was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for sales of 200,000 copies.[158] In Hong Kong, Music was honored at the 2001 Hong Kong Record Sales Award by the IFPI Hong Kong for becoming one of ten biggest-selling international album of the year.[159]
In Europe, Music topped the European Top 100 Albums chart, selling two million units in its first 10 days,[160][161] for which she broke records according to Billboard's Paul Sexton.[162] It ended as one of the highest certified albums in Europe by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), being certified five times platinum.[163] The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart in the United Kingdom with 152,000 copies sold,[164][165] and was certified five times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[166] As of January 2020, Music has sold 1,640,000 copies in the region.[167] In Denmark, it topped the charts and was fifth best selling album in Denmark with 66,996 copies sold in 2000.[168][169] The album was later certified two times platinum by the IFPI Danmark for sales of 100,000 units.[170] After debuting at the top the charts in France, Music stayed for 67 weeks on the chart, before falling out on June 29, 2002.[171] The album was certified two times platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP).[172] The album sold 50,000 units in Poland in its first five days and was later certified with platinum by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV) for sales of 100,000 units;[173] it ended as the best-selling foreign album of 2000 in the country.[174]
All tracks produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, except where noted.
Notes