Credits

Album

Single

"This song is like a metaphore for me. It's the city of dreams and superficiality. It's the place where you forget about the really interesting things in life. In Hollywood you can lose your memory and your vision of the future. You can lose everything because you can lose yourself." With this motto, Madonna released Hollywood as second American Life single on July 7 (Europe) and 8 (US), 2003. Remixes were made by Jacques Lu Cont, The Micronauts, Paul Oakenfold, Deepsky and Victor Calderone. The single debuted at UK's #2 (Beyonce Knowles' Crazy In Love' kept it from the top spot), but already dropped out of the top 10 in its 2nd week. In Australia it debuted at #16; in France at #22, rising up to #4. And in the US, the single became Madonna's first to miss the US Hot 100 since Everybody, due to the boycott of American radio stations after M opposed to the US-Iraq war. So much for freedom of speech.
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Video

Early June 2003, Jean-Baptiste Mondino directed a glamourous video in - of course - Hollywood, which premiered on VH1, June 23rd. Madonna portrays several glamourous Hollywood characters, inspired by famous actrices. Once blond, glamourous and covered with expensive jewelry (which originally belonged to Mae West!), then red-head, sexy and playful. But despite all the glamour, we see the flaws of Hollywood: the struggle to stay interesting and beautiful. For the latter she's even seen receiving Botox injections in her face. No doubt it's her answer to the rumours that she herself is using Botox. But is this her way to admit it or to joke with it? The typical Madonna game...
The video editor Dustin Robertson also made a remix video, which includes some unseen footage and which is played on a mix of the official remixes.
It quickly became clear that Madonna and Mondino were inspired by the art work of famous photographer Guy Bourdin. Madonna herself has said before that she likes his work and has some of his photos in her bedroom. Check Bourdin's website for a complete comparison between his work and the Hollywood video. Bourdin's son quickly smelled easy money and filed a lawsuit on the ground of copyright.
» Watch the video on our blog

Tour

When promoting her new American Life album, Madonna performed Hollywood several times. But it was the legendary 2003 VMA that made the song famous. The Thin White Duck mix followed after Britney's and Xtina's homage to Like A Virgin, with them being Madonna's two little brides. When Madonna teasingly kissed her brides on the mouth, it caused an outrage in the press for months.

On the Re-Invention Tour however, Madonna didn't perform the song. Instead it was used as an interlude between Material Girl and Hanky Panky, giving Madonna the time for her costume change. It was again the Thin White Duck mix playing, while dancers showed off their "Hollywood talents": a fire artist, a belly dancer, a tap dancer, a skateboarder, and most of all Cloud, the break dancer who stole the show. With the display of fortune cards on the screen, the performance symbolized the superficiality of Hollywood.