American Life - Composition

Composition

"This song, Mother and Father, is about letting go of the pain caused by my mother's death. And at the same time not to use it as an excuse for a certain behaviour: oh please feel sorry for me because I had to suffer so much pain, or: I am only doing this because I went through such a hard time. That’s really bullshit. In the end you have to be responsible for your own actions. Towards my father I often pretended to be this rebel who doesn't care about anything, and I say whatever I want and do whatever I want. But that's not really true."

Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani stated that "Madonna couldn't possibly have intended to make a pop album. American Life is a folk album in the purest definition of the term—and it's reflected right in the title." Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune called the record an "electro-folk album" with electronic beats and synthetic burps. "American Life", the title track is the first featured on the record. Starting with Madonna's voice multi-tracked questioning, "Am I gonna be a star", "should I change my name", the lyrics then develop into what Rikky Rooksby of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna states is a complaint about modern-day life. The lyrics accompany a "punchy octave synth figure" synchronized with a drum and bass beat. "American Life" features violent transitions, the repeated acoustic guitar riff "adds a touch of pathos" until after three minutes Madonna performs a rap naming the people who are working for her. The second single and track "Hollywood" is introduced with sounds of tweeting birds before an acoustic guitar starts a four chord sequence that has been compared of that of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. The texture grows as drums and synths until after a minute the instrumental is pulled leaving just Madonna's vocals and the acoustic guitar accompaniment. The final sequence is another rap part, as is featured in the first song with the repeated phrase "Push the button". Lyrically like the first track it discusses American culture and greed focusing on Hollywood as a place of stars and illusory dreams.

"I'm So Stupid" is the third track on the record, an introduction with a two-chord electric guitar leads to a minor drum beat, with the guitar later changing to a three-chord chord. The chord scheme throughout is generally minor. At the 2:15 mark different pitched synths change manically, the synths are treated with effects but towards the end the synths become less prominent as the guitars become the main focus. Lyrically the song expresses disillusionment with Madonna singing "I used to live in a fuzzy dream" and "It was just greed", also proclaiming that once she was "stupider than stupid" before stating "Everybody's stupid" towards the end of the song. Track four "Love Profusion" starts with another acoustic guitar introduction, rhythm is produced by a bass drum with synth-strings added later in the song. Vocally the line "I got you under my skin" is repeated, whilst a male voice acts as the backing for the track whilst the final words "feel good" are performed with no backing instrumental. "Nobody Knows Me" is the fifth track, featuring vocoder treated vocals the song is accompanied by bleeping synths and a heavy drum part. The title is repeated throughout the song as she references "social disease" which is also repeated. A recurring theme to the record is the acoustic guitar introduction to a song which is yet again featured in the sixth track "Nothing Fails". The guitar is accompanied by a "light" drum section and low-pitched vocals from Madonna, the song also features a cello in the first part of the song. Lyrically the song discusses a lover who is the one, and how their meeting was not just chance, a reference to the "tree of life" is made during the song as Madonna states "I'm not religious" but she wishes to pray.

Acoustic guitars introduce another track on the album, a repeated concept throughout, the seventh track on the record "Intervention" starts with a three chord minor sequence which changes to a four chord sequence during the chorus section and a bass section starts at the end of the track. Lyrically the song is an optimistic track about how a relationship will last as Madonna says "the road looks lonely but that's just Satan's game". "X-Static Process," the eighth track starts once again with an acoustic guitar part, throughout there are vocal harmony lines in addition to an organ part which is also featured in the track. Lyrically like the title track, it questions modern life as Madonna sings "Jesus Christ will you look at me, don't know who I'm supposed to be". "Mother and Father" is the albums ninth track, with a drum and bass beat paired with an electric guitar present the instrumental. Lyrically the song reflects on Madonna's childhood including her mother's death and her father's reaction, and the effect on their relationship. The tenth track is "Die Another Day", the theme to the James Bond film of the same name which featured dominating string and synth parts. The eleventh and final track on the album, "Easy Ride", is a heavily string-oriented song. It addresses Madonna's feelings towards old age, wanting to live forever, and coming full circle to a point in her life where she could be comfortable, "Not defined by time and space".