Hollywood (Madonna song)

When Madonna started working on her ninth studio album, the cultural mood of America was bleak and paranoid after the September 11 attacks. In an interview with Q, in April 2003, she described the song as the allure of the beautiful life in Hollywood. The singer expressed her opinion about fame and celebrity culture, and how people think it to be a "wonderful life" but in reality is a "very powerful illusion". In the VH1 special Madonna Speaks, the artist further clarified that the theme behind "Hollywood", as well as "American Life" and "I'm So Stupid" from the album, was about her "wanting to shout from the rooftops that we have all been living in a dream. I have been living in a dream — and you're all living in a dream and we have to wake up to reality." Madonna's first single from American Life—the title track—became the lowest charting first single from a Madonna album since her debut, reaching a peak of number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. Warner Bros. Records hastily wanted to save the album from dropping off the charts, and decided to release "Hollywood", believing the song had commercial potential. == Recording ==

"Hollywood" was produced by Madonna, along with Ahmadzaï. The mixing for the track was done by Mark "Spike" Stent at the Westlake Recording Studios at West Hollywood, California, while Tim Young did the mastering of the song at Metropolis Studios in London. Ahmadzaï played the guitars, and also did the necessary programming. He used a drum kit and percussion from an E-mu Emulator and also added extra drum sounds to give the song an old, disco vibe. Wanting to have a loud bass synth sound, Ahmadzaï used a Nord Lead synthesizer with lot of filtering manipulations. But he faced problems with it, so he used a Yamaha O2R mixer. He did not want "Hollywood" to sound like the music being played at the nightclubs, so he recorded Madonna's vocals with heavy compression in her headphones. Two machines were used for the vocal editing in "Hollywood". Madonna preferred the Antares Auto-Tune plug in, while Ahmadzaï chose an AMS pitch shifter]. Madonna wanted Auto-Tune because she wanted "Hollywood" to have a more dance-like feel to it, although Ahmadzaï was against it. Describing the recording of the vocals, Ahmadzaï said: "We used mainly analog compressors on the vocals, sometimes very cheap or mid-budget stuff, recorded with a Sony G800 tube mic, a Neve 8081 preamp and an LA-2A compressor/limiter. But everything is about the setting ... We experiment a lot with vocal sounds. For example, the pitch-down vocal at the end was initially much longer. The mix of this one was very hard — like almost all tracks — because there was so much stuff going on. This is why maybe the final version is so simple." == Composition ==

"Hollywood" is a "bouncy" folk rock, electropop and psychedelic folk It is followed by the sound of drums and synthesizers until after a minute, when the arrangement is pulled out, leaving just Madonna's vocals and the acoustic guitar accompaniment. During the final sequence, Madonna's singing is slowly morphed lower in pitch into a distorted, robotic voice and she raps, with the repeated phrase "Push the button". It is composed in the key of B minor with Madonna's voice spanning from B3 to C5. Further, Madonna questions the Hollywood experience, singing, "How could it hurt you when it looked so good?". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian noted Madonna's vocals in the song are "high-pitched [to sound like a] little-girl", with the intention of "[underlying] the notion of innocence lost". == Remixes ==

Several remixes of "Hollywood", done by DJs such as Jacques Lu Cont, The Micronauts, Paul Oakenfold, Deepsky and Victor Calderone, were included on physical releases of the single around the world. Copies of the promotional CD were given to customers and were not available for individual purchase. An extended version, "The Passengerz Mix", was also included on the remix album Remixed & Revisited (2003). A promotional video for the remix was also shot. Rob Walker of Slate considered the video "interesting because Madonna has always been praised as much for her ability to market herself as for her actual talent as a singer and performer". However, he noted that "[the singer] can't even get an actual commercial right. Maybe Madonna really is over." A parody of the commercial which satirized at Madonna's age was featured on the ninth season of MADtv & the 2003 French & Saunders Christmas special. "Hollywood" was also remixed by American DJ duo Blow-Up. The remix was set to be included on Madonna's second remix album planned for 2004; however, it remained unreleased. A Billboard review by Michael Paoletta considered it a "funky dark remix". Madonna's publicist Liz Rosenberg confirmed that this did not mean the singer would collaborate with Vasquez in the future since the commissioning of the remix was just a "personal favor" for Versace. == Critical reception ==

"Hollywood" received mixed reviews from music critics. Michael Paoletta from Billboard described the song as "punky" and compared it to "Ray of Light" (1998). Dimitri Ebrlich of Vibe magazine gave a positive review for the song, describing it as "disarmingly self-deprecatory as it reflects on people's desperate attempts to make it in America's glamor industry", writing that it was a perfect fit for American Life. Jude Adam of Third Way magazine gave the song a positive review, considering it as "quirky, sunny, and sweet in perfect measures." Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club considered the song as "actually catchy". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian noted that Madonna divulges in the song that not everyone who wants to make it in the movies succeeds. Dennis Ferrera from Out, while interviewing Madonna for her 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor, described the song as a "killer single". Another positive review by J. J. Evans from Naperville Sun described "Hollywood" as a track which best exemplifies Madonna's "silly way of writing" but felt that it worked in this case. Chris Heath from Yahoo! Music commented that "'Hollywood' breaks free of its inferior siblings to strike out as a sexy sliver of dance pop that's as good as anything on Music". Chuck Arnold from Entertainment Weekly found it ironic that Madonna was singing about Hollywood, given all her failed attempts at a successful movie career. Nonetheless, he concluded that "with its sweet guitar picking, this American Life single shines its light wherever you are". Ian Youngs of BBC News noted that the song was another diatribe about fame and how difficult it is being in the public eye. Ed Howard from Stylus Magazine commented that barring Madonna's rapping, "Hollywood" is at least engaging. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine thought "following up 'American Life' with 'Hollywood' was nearly as ballsy" due to its lyrical content. Michael Hubbard of musicOMH commented that everything rhymes with "Hollywood", and after commented the song would be better without these lazy lyrics, adding "[The song] has the name Madonna on it so it will sell, but it's hardly vintage stuff. Time for some musical reinvention to go with the incessant changes of image." Ben Wener from The Beaver County Times condemned the track as a "knowingly hypocritical attack on Hollywood". Writing for The Guardian, Jude Rogers praised its "fantastic Roland bassline and reflective sun-dappled guitar", placing the song at number 47 on her ranking of Madonna's singles, in honor of her 60th birthday. == Chart performance ==

performing during the "Hollywood" interlude on the 2004 Re-Invention World Tour "Hollywood" failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, or the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. It was the first time since "Burning Up" (1983) that a Madonna single did not reach the Hot 100. However, it peaked at number one on both Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Singles Sales component charts. The debut of the "Hollywood" remixes atop the Dance Singles Sales chart gave Madonna her longest stretch of chart-topping titles on this chart, "Hollywood" being her sixth in a row. This stretch began with "Music" in 2000, followed by "Don't Tell Me", "What It Feels Like for a Girl", "Die Another Day" and "American Life". "Hollywood" was Madonna's 22nd number-one on the Dance Singles Sales chart, the most for any artist. On the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart, the song debuted at number four, but did not accumulate enough points to appear on the Hot 100. Other than the dance charts, "Hollywood" also reached a peak of number 35 on the Adult Pop Songs. In Canada, the song peaked at number five on Canadian Singles Chart. The song was present for a total of seven weeks on the chart, and as of August 2008, has sold 59,633 copies according to the Official Charts Company. In Australia, "Hollywood" debuted on the chart at number 16, before falling out to number 37 the next week. On April 27, 2003, "Hollywood" debuted at number 55 on the Austrian Singles Chart, peaking at number 34 after four weeks. The song achieved moderate chart positions in both the Flemish and Wallonian territories in Belgium, peaking at numbers 14 and 32, respectively. Making its debut at its peak position of number 22, "Hollywood" charted for a total of 23 weeks in France during 2003. Between 2008 and 2009, the song charted for five weeks. On the Dutch Singles Chart, the song made its debut at number 20, spending a total of six weeks in the chart. On April 24, 2003, "American Life" debuted at number 20 on the Swedish Singles Chart. Similarly in Switzerland, the song debuted at number 15 on the Swiss Singles Chart, spending 13 weeks on the chart. == Music video ==

's works in the music video for "Hollywood". This scene, depicting Madonna with her legs spread on top of a TV set, was mentioned in the lawsuit against the video. The music video for "Hollywood" was filmed at Universal Studios in Universal City, California and directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, who previously worked with Madonna on her videos for "Open Your Heart" (1986), "Justify My Love" (1990), "Human Nature" (1995), "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (1996), and "Don't Tell Me" (2000). In the United States, it premiered on June 23, 2003, on VH1. Arianne Phillips created the costumes for the video and she described Madonna's looks as an homage to old Hollywood glamour, while trying to be literal as well as conceptual. She paid tributes to stars like Ginger Rogers, Jean Harlow and Mae West. The first day of shooting took place on June 2, 2003, and the scenes shot included the wall-of-mirrors, the massage, the botox injection and the ballet dancing sequences. After the release of the music video for "Hollywood", Samuel Bourdin, the son of Guy Bourdin, filed a federal lawsuit that accused Madonna of ripping off the work of his father. Bourdin said they are "strikingly similar" to pictures taken by his father from the 1950s to 1980s decades and published in French Vogue magazine. He accused Madonna of copyright infringement over at least eleven of Bourdin's works, including one of Madonna with her legs spread on top of a TV set. The lawsuit named Madonna, Warner Bros. Records, and Mondino as defendants. The details presented in the lawsuit read as: "Factors such as composition, background, wardrobe, lighting, narrative, camera angle, decor, and objects depicted are strikingly similar ... There are very few scenes or sequences in the 'Hollywood' video that are not directly derived from the Bourdin works." In 2011, news website Independent Online disclosed the settled amount by Madonna to be $600,000. In 2009, the video was included on Madonna's compilation, Celebration: The Video Collection. == Live performances ==

during the medley performance of "Hollywood" and "Like a Virgin" at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards To start marketing American Life, Madonna performed the American Life Promo Tour. A performance on Tower's Fourth Street in Manhattan was presented to around 400 people and featured acoustic performances of "American Life", "Mother and Father", and "Hollywood". On August 28, 2003, Madonna opened the MTV Video Music Awards performing a medley of "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliott. Spears appeared on stage atop of a giant wedding cake, wearing a wedding gown and veil; she sang the first few lines of "Like a Virgin" before Aguilera appeared from behind the cake and joined her. Madonna then emerged from the cake wearing a black coat and hat and started singing "Hollywood" before proceeding to kiss Spears and Aguilera on the lips. The whole performance was a tribute to Madonna and an homage to her performance of "Like a Virgin" at the awards' inaugural show in 1984. The kiss generated strong reaction from the media and the celebrities alike. Nekesa Mumbi Moody from Associated Press deduced "Twenty years after the first MTV Video Music Awards, and not much has changed — Madonna still makes jaws drop and cheeks blush." Brian Hiatt from Entertainment Weekly felt that "The close-up of [Madonna] locking lips with the 21-year-old Spears was an indelible MTV moment — sexy, vaguely transgressive, and as meaningless as it was entertaining." Elysa Gardner from USA Today explained that the performance "offered a poignant reminder of MTV's role in defining a youth culture that has become something of a tease — winking at convention without offering any fresh alternatives." When asked about it, Madonna revealed, "I am kissing [Britney] and passing my energy on to her. Like kind of a mythological fairytale." The performance was listed by Blender magazine as one of the twenty-five sexiest music moments on television history. MTV listed the performance as the number-one opening moment in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards. In Madonna's 2004 Re-Invention World Tour, a remix interlude of "Hollywood" featured a breakdancer, a firedancer, a bellydancer, a tapdancer, and a skateboarder. The screens displayed animations of tarot cards. The performance was included in the ''I'm Going to Tell You a Secret'' live album and documentary. On the same tour, the performance of "Into the Groove" contained samples from the remix "Into the Hollywood Groove". Elements of "Into the Hollywood Groove" were also incorporated into The Celebration Tour and a snippet was sung acapella on March 11,2024. == Track listings and formats ==

• UK CD single 1 • "Hollywood" (radio edit) – 3:42 • "Hollywood" (Paul Oakenfold full remix) – 7:01 • "Hollywood" (Deepsky's Home Sweet Home vocal remix) – 7:34 • UK CD single 2 • "Hollywood" (radio edit) – 3:42 • "Hollywood" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix) – 7:09 • "Hollywood" (The Micronauts Remix) – 6:25 • "Hollywood" (Oakenfold full remix) – 7:00 • "Hollywood" (Deepsky's Home Sweet Home vocal remix) – 7:34 • "Hollywood" (Calderone & Quayle Glam Mix) – 9:22 • German, UK, and US 12-inch vinyl • "Hollywood" (The Micronauts Remix) – 6:25 • "Hollywood" (Oakenfold full remix) – 7:01 • "Hollywood" (Calderone & Quayle Glam Mix) – 9:22 • "Hollywood" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix) – 7:09 • "Hollywood" (Oakenfold 12-inch dub) – 7:01 • "Hollywood" (Deepsky's Home Sweet Home vocal remix) – 7:34 • Digital single (2023) • "Hollywood" (radio edit) – 3:42 • "Hollywood" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix) – 7:09 • "Hollywood" (The Micronauts Remix) – 6:25 • "Hollywood" (Oakenfold 12" Full Remix) – 7:00 • "Hollywood" (Deepsky's Home Sweet Home vocal remix) – 7:34 • "Hollywood" (Calderone & Quayle Glam Mix) – 9:22 • "Hollywood" (Oakenfold 12" Dub) – 7:03 == Credits and personnel ==

• Madonna – lead vocals, background vocals, songwriter, producer • Mirwais Ahmadzaï – songwriter, producer, guitars, programming • Tim Young – audio mastering • Mark "Spike" Stent – audio mixing Credits for "Hollywood" are adapted from American Life liner notes. == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Sales ==