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Madonna and Che Guevara are both icons but for wildly different reasons. That didn’t stop Madonna from writing an album inspired by the Cuban revolutionary. Here is a look at how the Queen of Pop described one of the most baffling choices of her career.

1 Madonna album has a cover inspired by Che Guevara

In 2004, Madonna released her album American Life. The cover for that album was inspired by Che Guerrillero, a famous photograph of Guevara wearing a beret. That photograph has been used on countless T-shirts. It was striking for the Queen of Pop, a noted capitalist, to evoke a communist leader so forcefully. Furthermore, it was provocative for her to use Guevara’s image to market an album called American Life when he was deeply critical of the United States.

During a 2004 interview posted on Oprah’s website, Madonna discussed her creative process for that record. “One of the things that helps me tell a story through music is to create a character,” she said. “I have to have a muse, whether it’s Frida Kahlo, Martha Graham, Marlene Dietrich, or Pippi Longstocking. My muse for my newest album [American Life] was Che Guevara. I never think, ‘Oh, I can’t do that.’ I think of myself as a blank canvas, and I can paint anything on myself.”

Oddly, enough, why taking inspiration from a famous atheist, Madonna said she was inspired by God. “I’ve never felt more creative,” she said. “One thing I’ve learned is that I’m not the owner of my talent, I’m the manager of it. And if I learn how to manage my talent correctly — and if I accept that I’m just channeling things that come from God — the talent will keep flowing through me.”

The album wasn’t the only time the Queen of Pop was inspired by another culture

The Material Girl explained why she had a history of transformations. “My physical transformations — like changing my hair — are usually a reflection of what’s inspiring me at the moment,” she revealed. “The change starts inward and moves outward.”

Of course, Madonna’s transformations were rarely as simple as changing her hairstyle. She often drew inspiration from cultures that were not her own, such as African-American culture (“Vogue”), Middle Eastern culture (“The Beast Within”), and Japanese culture (“Nothing Really Matters”). This approach has garnered controversy in recent years. Drawing from Guevara for American Life could be seen as a similar appropriation of a Latin American cultural icon.

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Madonna dismissed the idea of cultural appropriation

In a 2015 interview with HuffPost, the Queen of Pop defended herself. She compared herself to Elvis Presley, who has been similarly criticized for cultural appropriation. She felt that she appropriated nothing but merely referenced other cultures. In her view, it’s an artist’s job to shake things up and make audiences question everything they think they know.

Of course, for some onlookers, this response will be unacceptable. While Madonna’s legacy in pop culture is undeniable, fans and detractors will debate the merits of her cultural references for decades to come. In regard to American Life, however, the connection to Latin culture is small. While the album cover evokes Guevara, its musical style is based on 2000s techno rather than Latin music.

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