“I Feel So Free”

[dollhouse]

3 hours ago, acko said:

A lot of it is If My grandma had a dick... Type of situation... 

I mean...Warner dropped the ball on the AL singles... And it's not like they managed to turn Sorry into a hit stateside... If ever there was an easy song... 

it was same as now, rap was dominating the charts no chance for disco

[Dickens]

2 hours ago, dollhouse said:

rap was dominating the charts no chance for disco

I really like the use of was in that sentence.  I just hope it's true.

[runa]

Warm summer day, here, and I'm sorry but the Peggy Gou Energy Mix is just perfect for this............................!  

[*mlvc*]

7 hours ago, acko said:

A lot of it is If My grandma had a dick... Type of situation... 

I mean...Warner dropped the ball on the AL singles... And it's not like they managed to turn Sorry into a hit stateside... If ever there was an easy song... 

I think Warner took M for granted and just expected her music to chart well. They had a huge hand in M getting mostly ignored by radio by not pushing back on releasing American Life as a single. The song sucked as a lead single on an otherwise pretty good album which was very much like MUSIC.

[markm]

I love it! 
 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYxL_WICqUq/?igsh=cnMzeHlnYXphZmE1

[Confessit II]

On 5/26/2026 at 7:04 PM, *mlvc* said:

I think Warner took M for granted and just expected her music to chart well. They had a huge hand in M getting mostly ignored by radio by not pushing back on releasing American Life as a single. The song sucked as a lead single on an otherwise pretty good album which was very much like MUSIC.

There were much better choices for lead single I agree but I would argue up to that point in her career, AL was the most uncommercial album she had ever delivered to WB. It’s amazing but it wasn’t packing single material.

Im sure Madonna insisted on it being lead but we will never know for sure, I do remember at the time early reports it was Hollywood and that was also the album title before AL was revealed, so maybe there was some discussions with WB who were not thrilled about the choice.

It was the music video that was the nail in the coffin for Madonna on American radio, not the song, and that of course was Madonna’s choice not WB, just like the SEX book, WB were against that but Madonna wanted to do it so it was done. WB have navigated Madonna’s artistic choices throughout the years that has been outstanding for her legacy as a prolific artist & visionary, but detrimental to her commercial viability.

[*mlvc*]

39 minutes ago, Confessit II said:

There were much better choices for lead single I agree but I would argue up to that point in her career, AL was the most uncommercial album she had ever delivered to WB. It’s amazing but it wasn’t packing single material.

Im sure Madonna insisted on it being lead but we will never know for sure, I do remember at the time early reports it was Hollywood and that was also the album title before AL was revealed, so maybe there was some discussions with WB who were not thrilled about the choice.

It was the music video that was the nail in the coffin for Madonna on American radio, not the song, and that of course was Madonna’s choice not WB, just like the SEX book, WB were against that but Madonna wanted to do it so it was done. WB have navigated Madonna’s artistic choices throughout the years that has been outstanding for her legacy as a prolific artist & visionary, but detrimental to her commercial viability.

I have to strongly disagree with that point. While the video, which was pulled, was controversial most of the general public never even saw it. Anytime I am playing Madonna music in mixed company or whatever I usually hear “this song is awful” or something similar when American Life plays. If we’re being honest it’s the worst lead single, and arguably the worst single she’s ever released.

AMERICAN LIFE may have been her least commercial album in her career at that time but there were several options for singles that would have done quite well. It’s unfortunate because it’s really a pretty good album.

I’m sure M insisted on American Life but Warner held the purse strings and they had the power to refuse. 

Don’t forget that Die Another Day had the same sound as AMERICAN LIFE and it was a hit and wasn’t just played because it was tied to a James Bond film, although I’m sure that didn’t hurt.

It’s ancient history at this point but it always comes up in conversation because her career shifted so hard after that release.

[Confessit II]

2 minutes ago, *mlvc* said:

I have to strongly disagree with that point. While the video, which was pulled, was controversial most of the general public never even saw it. Anytime I am playing Madonna music in mixed company or whatever I usually hear “this song is awful” or something similar when American Life plays. If we’re being honest it’s the worst lead single, and arguably the worst single she’s ever released.

AMERICAN LIFE may have been her least commercial album in her career at that time but there were several options for singles that would have done quite well. It’s unfortunate because it’s really a pretty good album.

I’m sure M insisted on American Life but Warner held the purse strings and they had the power to refuse. 

Don’t forget that Die Another Day had the same sound as AMERICAN LIFE and it was a hit and wasn’t just played because it was tied to a James Bond film, although I’m sure that didn’t hurt.

It’s ancient history at this point but it always comes up in conversation because her career shifted so hard after that release.

I agree with everything you have said here to a certain extent.

But your original point was the radio ignoring her after American Life, that was absolutely because of the video no doubt about it. The political statement was way too hot for American radio to handle and they simply didn’t forgive her. It didn’t matter that hardly anyone saw it 2003, it existed long enough for the damage in America to be done.

DAD had repeat value, a cool techno vibe & was catchy. AL on the other hand was clunky, brash & had the questionable rap. So although they were cut from the same cloth they were very different as singles, so I agree with what you are saying.

Things did change after 2003 in her career absolutely, had AL been a hit who knows we might not have got leotards & Timberlake afterwards but we will never know. 

[tuckeye]

On 5/25/2026 at 12:16 AM, domyeyebrows said:

I still think Crazy could have been a hit.

T H I S 

[Ekubo]

32 minutes ago, Confessit II said:

I agree with everything you have said here to a certain extent.

But your original point was the radio ignoring her after American Life, that was absolutely because of the video no doubt about it. The political statement was way too hot for American radio to handle and they simply didn’t forgive her. It didn’t matter that hardly anyone saw it 2003, it existed long enough for the damage in America to be done.

DAD had repeat value, a cool techno vibe & was catchy. AL on the other hand was clunky, brash & had the questionable rap. So although they were cut from the same cloth they were very different as singles, so I agree with what you are saying.

Things did change after 2003 in her career absolutely, had AL been a hit who knows we might not have got leotards & Timberlake afterwards but we will never know. 

After AL Madonna did damage control. She toured with RIT to make peace with the general audience (who would have expected that!) and for her next album she went back to what was safe for her, the dance floor. It's funny that we are witnessing the same sequence of events right now: Mirwais & Madame X (which was not as controversial as AL but still disappointed many fans), Celebration Tour, Confessions II. Maybe she also has patterns like all of us. 

[*mlvc*]

44 minutes ago, Confessit II said:

I agree with everything you have said here to a certain extent.

But your original point was the radio ignoring her after American Life, that was absolutely because of the video no doubt about it. The political statement was way too hot for American radio to handle and they simply didn’t forgive her. It didn’t matter that hardly anyone saw it 2003, it existed long enough for the damage in America to be done.

DAD had repeat value, a cool techno vibe & was catchy. AL on the other hand was clunky, brash & had the questionable rap. So although they were cut from the same cloth they were very different as singles, so I agree with what you are saying.

Things did change after 2003 in her career absolutely, had AL been a hit who knows we might not have got leotards & Timberlake afterwards but we will never know. 

Yes, the video and message did damage as the political climate was hot hence radio distancing themselves from her, however, the song and video are separate entities. What I mean is that if the song had been amazing the song would have been played regardless of the video, but because the song was weak it gave them full justification to ignore the entire project.

As I said, when the song is played in my home or if I have an M concert on in the background American Life always gets shit because of the song itself - I’ve never heard a casual listener say they don’t like it because of the original video.

I hope that makes sense. 

Edited May 27 by *mlvc*

[Dickens]

2 hours ago, *mlvc* said:

If we're being honest, ["American Life" is] the worst lead single, and arguably the worst single, she’s ever released.

I totally agree.

[strictmachine]

Y’all need to leave American Life alone, not everyone feels that way about it at all. Maybe the point for her then wasn’t about making commercial music for people with basic bitch tastes. 

[*mlvc*]

4 minutes ago, strictmachine said:

Y’all need to leave American Life alone, not everyone feels that way about it at all. Maybe the point for her then wasn’t about making commercial music for people with basic bitch tastes. 

But that’s just it, Madonna wasn’t attempting to make an underground indie-type record and she wasn’t happy about the album’s performance or rather underperformance. She had huge success with MUSIC working with Mirwais so it wasn’t a huge departure.

No one says that you must agree with the general consensus - Madonna fans are known for strong opinions, but it boils down to a discussion in what precipitated the almost instant decline of M ruling the charts because it wasn’t a slow decline. So I guess it’s a question of was it the song, album, or controversial video.

M has no peers and she’s an absolute badass and living legend who continues to pump out quality music - that’s not even up for debate.

[Icykiller]

10 minutes ago, strictmachine said:

Y’all need to leave American Life alone, not everyone feels that way about it at all. Maybe the point for her then wasn’t about making commercial music for people with basic bitch tastes. 

Exactly! She's not fucking Kylie dropping padams. Much of her endurance and longevity is also due to her capacity to make bold statements, and that includes her concept albums. Not all is top 40. 

[*mlvc*]

43 minutes ago, Icykiller said:

Exactly! She's not fucking Kylie dropping padams. Much of her endurance and longevity is also due to her capacity to make bold statements, and that includes her concept albums. Not all is top 40. 

The album AMERICAN LIFE is great IMO (except for the title track, again just my opinion), I just think the execution of the project didn’t do her any favors.

I don’t think anyone should be comparing her to Kylie because there is no comparison. Madonna is light years beyond Kylie.

[Paul]

3 hours ago, strictmachine said:

Y’all need to leave American Life alone, not everyone feels that way about it at all. Maybe the point for her then wasn’t about making commercial music for people with basic bitch tastes. 

thank you!

[runa]

16 hours ago, strictmachine said:

Y’all need to leave American Life alone, not everyone feels that way about it at all. Maybe the point for her then wasn’t about making commercial music for people with basic bitch tastes. 

 

16 hours ago, Icykiller said:

Exactly! She's not fucking Kylie dropping padams. Much of her endurance and longevity is also due to her capacity to make bold statements, and that includes her concept albums. Not all is top 40. 

Thanks for that !

AL is fucking great ! I love it to death !
She was BOLD, RISKY, ARTISTIC - all the reasons why I love her. I still think it's one of her most underrated songs. 

And many people will form their opinion based on how well a song performs on the charts. This is the perfect example of that. 
Regardless of the backlash she received in the U.S. and the fact that she was boycotted on the radio because of her political views, the song would have been more successful.

Now, end of story. Let's get back to the topic, which is how great IFSF is ! 

[*mlvc*]

1 hour ago, runa said:

 

Thanks for that !

AL is fucking great ! I love it to death !
She was BOLD, RISKY, ARTISTIC - all the reasons why I love her. I still think it's one of her most underrated songs. 

And many people will form their opinion based on how well a song performs on the charts. This is the perfect example of that. 
Regardless of the backlash she received in the U.S. and the fact that she was boycotted on the radio because of her political views, the song would have been more successful.

Now, end of story. Let's get back to the topic, which is how great IFSF is ! 

I agree with most of this but I don't like American Life (the song) because I think it's terrible, but the album itself I find absolutely SUBLIME, which is why I think is why the project sticks in my craw 23 years later. I'm a huge M FANATIC and I don't base whether or not I like a song on it's commercial performance regardless of how much I think M deserves chart success.

Most of the songs of hers I love weren't hits. My favorite compilation is SOMETHING TO REMEMBER and aside from Frozen I prefer the deep cuts from RAY OF LIGHT to the song Ray of Light and besides Take A Bow I think Bedtime Story is the best song on BEDTIME STORIES, etc.

You must understand that I can find American Life awful while still thinking her other avant garde songs are brilliant. I just always felt that some of it seems forced and unfinished. I can say something similar about Candy Shop - I was watching The Rebel Heat Tour last night and said, "why does she love Candy Shop so much? It's just so meh..." while at the same time loving the rest of the show because I think REBEL HEART is one of her best albums of all time (sans the rap) when it comes to songwriting and Lord knows I am in the minority there. I still think she should officially release the REBEL HEART demos.

I think that's what makes Madonna's fanbase so impressive: we are very opinionated, outspoken perfectionists.... I wonder why we love Madonna so much 

AND YES! I Feel So Free is bussin.

I think we got bored with nothing new to chew on this week, LOL!

I am very proud of our girl, at almost 68 she is killing it and no one else can say they've accomplished half of what she has and frankly I don't think her legacy will ever be matched.

[markm]

I Feel So Free mixed with Future Lovers

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYxGwxsIUGd/?igsh=MTQ5cXIxY2E4bDZqNw==

[Icykiller]

2 hours ago, markm said:

I Feel So Free mixed with Future Lovers

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYxGwxsIUGd/?igsh=MTQ5cXIxY2E4bDZqNw==

Thanks for sharing! I am dying for a FL/LFSF mashup to be official !! This one in particular I feel like it is a bit all over the place, but it's ok.

I can see a mashup of these two songs performed live!!

[Ekubo]

40 minutes ago, Icykiller said:

Thanks for sharing! I am dying for a FL/LFSF mashup to be official !! This one in particular I feel like it is a bit all over the place, but it's ok.

I can see a mashup of these two songs performed live!!

that would be so cool!

I love mashups - this one between IFSF and I Feel Love is also pretty good (btw, the looks of the guy in the video did not influence my opinion!!! )

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8pTS3SS/

[Shut Your Mouth]

 

[peter]

1 hour ago, SOON said:

 

@Confessit II, I know you’ll finally feel at peace now that she’s acknowledged Gymskin. 

[markm]

5 hours ago, Icykiller said:

Thanks for sharing! I am dying for a FL/LFSF mashup to be official !! This one in particular I feel like it is a bit all over the place, but it's ok.

I can see a mashup of these two songs performed live!!

A live mash up would be so amazing and would definitely work. Imagine Stuart working his magic

[Ekubo]

Mashup of IFSF with Raided by Salt Ashes by Paris Hilton 

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8pEuMr6/

 

[mtzlplk]

Finally warmed up to that Peggy Lou remix...

[MCHL]

This song has grown on me so fucking much. It has heroin in it. I can’t get enough. 

[Mr Ciccone]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYCxYMQyM6n/

[nightcutter]

On 6/1/2026 at 2:58 PM, MCHL said:

This song has grown on me so fucking much. It has heroin in it. I can’t get enough. 

It's utterly addictive.

The first time I heard I though: yeah, good.

Second time: oh I like this. That bridge is a great addition 

Third time: I couldn't wipe the smile off my face