American Life (song)

"American Life" is a song by American singer Madonna from her ninth studio album of the same name (2003), co-written and produced with Mirwais Ahmadzaï. An experimental folktronica track, it critiques the so-called American Dream during the presidency of George W. Bush and reflects on Madonna's own past materialism, featuring a polarizing rap section. Released as the album's lead single on March 22, 2003, it initially received harsh reviews—Blender ranked it among the worst songs of all time—but has since been reassessed as a bold and underrated statement.

Commercially, the song broke ground as the first to enter Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart from internet sales alone, peaking at No. 37 on the Hot 100, and topping the Dance Club Play chart. In the UK, it reached No. 2 and landed in the top 10 across several European markets. Official remixes came from Felix da Housecat, Missy Elliott, Paul Oakenfold, and Peter Rauhofer.

The Jonas Åkerlund–directed music video originally featured a satirical military fashion show and a grenade tossed at a Bush look-alike. Amid controversy over perceived anti-Bush imagery and the Iraq invasion, Madonna withdrew the original, releasing a toned-down flag-filled performance version instead. The singer performed "American Life" on her Re-Invention (2004) and Madame X (2019–2020) concert tours, as well as during promotional appearances for the album in 2003, her 2016 Tears of a Clown show in Miami, and during her set at Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019.