1 of Madonna’s Best Songs Came From Her Worst Album
Even Madonna‘s lesser albums have fantastic songs. During the 2000s, the “Like a Virgin” singer released one of the most embarrassing records of her career. It still includes an incredible tune. The track in question borrows some elements from an earlier Madonna hit to create something that feels both retro and fresh at the same time.
1 of Madonna’s best songs is a desperate ‘Like a Prayer’
In 2003, Madonna released the techno/folk album American Life, her response to the Iraq War. The album includes an infamous rap about soy lattes, a song where Madonna calls herself “stupid” over and over, and a sour grapes disavowal of the film industry. It’s an overcooked mess, however any overcooked mess is going to have its moments.
The highlight of American Life is a gospel ballad called “Nothing Fails.” Madonna previously delved into gospel music with “Like a Prayer.” While “Like a Prayer” was ecstatic, “Nothing Fails” is about religious desperation and loneliness. It’s a masterpiece.
How the writer reacted to the song
“Nothing Fails” was co-written by Jem. During a 2004 interview with MTV News, she recalled telling people that she wanted to go into the music industry. “All my friends were like, ‘What?'” Jem recalled. “I knew it’d be fine, but a lot of people were quite concerned, ’cause it’s not normal to suddenly run off and be a singer. But then I did this demo around that time and I played it to them and they were like, ‘S***, this actually might work,’ which is quite funny because they were like, ‘We were really worried it was going to be rubbish.'”
She revealed what it was like when Madonna recorded “Nothing Fails.” “When I actually heard it I was so shocked, ’cause it was the first time I believed it was actually going to happen,” Jem said. “And to hear Madonna singing it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, so bizarre.’ My mom keeps calling me whenever it’s on. She’ll go to shops in the U.K. and hold the phone up to the thing and I’m like, ‘They’re going to arrest you.'”
1 of Madonna’s best songs didn’t same ‘American Life’ commercially
“Nothing Fails” didn’t chart on the Billboard Hot 100. It was one of the first Madonna tracks in a long time to not reach even the lower half of the chart. American Life, on the other hand, performed a little better. American Life peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for one week and lasted on the chart for 14 weeks in total. While the record topped the Billboard 200, it performed a lot worse than the Material Girl‘s previous albums.
The British were not any kinder to “Nothing Fails.” According to The Official Charts Company, “Nothing Fails” didn’t chart there, even though other singles from American Life were more popular in the U.K. than they were in the U.S. American Life reached No. 1 in the U.K. for one week and spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart.
“Nothing Fails” is beautiful even if it’s not the sort of tune that the masses wanted to hear in 2003.
