| "Love Profusion" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byMadonna | ||||
| from the albumAmerican Life | ||||
| B-side | "Nobody Knows Me" | |||
| Released | December 8, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Studio | Olympic Recording (Barnes, London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:37 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Love Profusion" onYouTube | ||||
"Love Profusion" is a song by American singer and songwriterMadonna for her ninth studio album,American Life (2003). Written and produced by Madonna andMirwais Ahmadzaï, it was released as the fourth and final single from the album on December 8, 2003, byMaverick Records. "Love Profusion" was first premiered during the release of the album onAOL. It later received a number of remixes, which were also released alongside the single. The song contains rhythm from afour piece bass drum, withacoustic guitar riffs and Madonna's voice backed by a male vocal during the chorus. Ahmadzaï used thestutter edit to create a new groove. Dedicated to Madonna's then-husband,Guy Ritchie, the song's lyrics deal with Madonna's confusion regarding American culture.
After its release, "Love Profusion" received generally favorable reviews frommusic critics. Reviewers called it the highlight ofAmerican Life, complimenting its fusion of dance beats and acoustic guitar, although some thought that it was too similar to other songs from the album. "Love Profusion" failed to chart in the USBillboard Hot 100 like its predecessors fromAmerican Life, but it reached number one on the singles sales chart and the dance chart. Internationally, the single reached number one in Spain as well as the top five in Canada and Italy.
The accompanyingmusic video of the song was directed byLuc Besson and was shot atWarner Bros. Studios inBurbank, California. It featured Madonna in front of agreenscreen effect with her walking through a city, until walking into a surreal background, filled with red flowers, sea and fairies. "Love Profusion" also appeared onEstée Lauder "Beyond Paradise" fragrance television commercial, which was similar to the music video and was directed by Besson, but featured supermodelCarolyn Murphy. The advertisement debuted in more than 10,000 cinemas across the country. Madonna did not perform the song during any promotional appearances or on any of her tours; she rehearsed it for 2004'sRe-Invention World Tour but it was dropped from the setlist.[1]
According to biographerLucy O'Brien, nothingness is the main theme ofAmerican Life; it appears in the titles of songs like "Nobody Knows Me" and "Nothing Fails" and in the repetition of the word "no" in "Love Profusion". Madonna's negative tone in this song and throughout the album allowed her to be sarcastic about people's assumptions about her and to emphasize her knowledge of romantic love.[2] The tracks fromAmerican Life were released toAOL fordigital download. Since Madonna was the "Artist of the Month" at AOL website, "Love Profusion" was premiered there on April 14, 2003, as part of AOL's First Listen program.[3][4] Several remixes of the song, done by DJs such as The Passengerz, Craig J., Blow-Up andRalphi Rosario, were included on physical releases of the single around the world, released on December 8, 2003, in the United Kingdom and March 16, 2004, in the United States.[5][6][7]
The remixes were premiered by Warner Bros. Records at the 2003Winter Music Conference in Miami, wherePeter Rauhofer, Rosario and Blow-Up played their remixes of "Love Profusion". Blow-Up also debuted their own version of "Good Boys" (2003) byBlondie, and remixes of Madonna's previous single, "Hollywood".[8] An extended version of the "Love Profusion" remix, titled "Headcleanr Rock Mix", was also included on Madonna's remix albumRemixed & Revisited (2003).[9] Michael Paoletta ofBillboard named the remix (along with the "Mount Sims Old School Mix" of "Nobody Knows Me") as the highlight ofRemixed and Revisited, calling it "a new-wave-styled-rock tune", a "blast of fresh air" and an "essential listening experience".[6][10] John Payne fromLA Weekly compares the lyrics of the song ("Only you make me feel good") with the cautionary lyrics of "X-Static Process", in which the protagonist loses herself in her lover's ego.[11] The "Headcleanr Rock Mix" was included on the setlist during the rehearsals of Madonna's 2004 Re-Invention World Tour, but it was ultimately not included in the show.[1]
"Love Profusion" was composed and produced by Madonna andMirwais Ahmadzaï.[12] The song is dedicated to Madonna's then-husband, directorGuy Ritchie.[13] The recording sessions forAmerican Life started in late 2001, but was put on hold as Madonna filmedSwept Away in Malta and starred in theWest End playUp for Grabs. She returned to theOlympic Recording Studios in late 2002 and finished the sessions.[12][14]
Themixing for the track was done byMark "Spike" Stent at theWestlake Recording Studios atWest Hollywood, California, and Tim Young did themastering of the song atMetropolis Studios in London. Tom Hannen and Simon Changer served asassistant engineers during the recording. Ahmadzaï played the guitars and provided its backing vocals.[12] According to the sheet music published at Sheetmusicplus.com, "Love Profusion" is written in common time with a moderately fasttempo of 120beats per minute.[15] According to a writer fromThe Arizona Republic, it is anelectronica-meets-folk song and is composed in thekey ofB minor with Madonna's voice spanning from B3 to F♯5.[15][16]
Ahmadzai used the technique of making the music freeze midrhythm throughoutAmerican Life, including "Love Profusion".[17][18] One technique was thestutter edit, which Ahmadzaï clarified was not characteristic of his production and recording. "People get upset because they think it is not natural to skip and stutter the music. But I do it because it is natural. The stuttering can help you create a new groove", he said.[17] The track starts with a "strummy"acoustic guitar introduction, as described by Michael Paoletta fromBillboard,[6] on thefour-chord progression of Bm–F♯m–A–E sequence. Thefolk rock inspired song has elements ofelectronica andfolk at its core. Its rhythm is produced by afour piece bass drum—whichfades in and out abruptly—and atmospheric synth-strings, which are added later in the song.[19]
Madonna sings in the firstverse: "There are too many options/There is no consolation/I have lost my illusions/What I want is an explanation." According toRolling Stone, although not explicitly stated, the lines confirm Madonna's belief that American culture will not "give her an explanation", so she had rejected American values, and along with them her own values.[20] She repeats the line "I got you under my skin" while a male voice acts as the backing for the track. The song ends with Madonna singing the words "feel good"a capella.[19] The lyrics of the song deals with questions, solutions, resurrections, confusions and other broad topics of a neo-philosophical nature.[21]Edna Gundersen ofUSA Today compared its composition and Madonna's performance with alove letter.[22]The Advocate called it "a plaintive love letter to her husband".[23]
"Blessedly, there's plenty of soul elsewhere on American Life. For most of the gorgeous 'Love Profusion', Madonna wraps her voice — that candy-coated piece of plastic we've come to know and love — around a simple acoustic-guitar hook and some achy lyrics: 'There is no comprehension/There is real isolation/There is so much destruction/What I want is a celebration.'
"Love Profusion" received generally positive reviews frommusic critics. Michael Paoletta fromBillboard described the song as a "sparse number" and said that it was a "good fit" for the radio.[6] Ken Tucker fromEntertainment Weekly called it "lovely".[25] Ian Youngs ofBBC News commented that "Love Profusion" is one of the highlights from the album, with layers of dance beats and acoustic guitar that made it a more complete song.[26] A writer forDaily Record described it as a "stunningly beautiful ballad" and considered it as one of the many highlights fromAmerican Life.[13]
Sal Cinquemani fromSlant Magazine called it "dull" and wrote that "it was reinvented into a vibrant piece of guitar-driven pop-rock by Ray Carroll."[27] Ben Ratliff fromRolling Stone deduced that with lyrics like "I got you under my skin", Madonna conveyed the theme of gaining transcendence through detachment, "but finallyAmerican Life comes across as defeatist more than anything else".[20] Dan Aquilante fromNew York Post was dismissive of the track, saying that although there was nothing wrong with the guitar-driven composition of the track, it was not different from the strings and orchestration of other tracks fromAmerican Life, like "Nothing Fails" or "Easy Ride".[28]Robert Hilburn, while reviewingAmerican Life forThe Press of Atlantic City, listed the track as one of the songs that could "save" the album from being a "profound fail".[29] Ross Raihala, writing forThe Olympian listed the track as a standout onAmerican Life, in contrast to the "dreary, directionless dance numbers and plodding ballads" on the album.[30]
Caroline Bansal frommusicOMH gave a mixed review for the song, feeling that the singer's vocals over the Spanish guitar was monotonous. She felt that the chorus was more melodic but it was the lyrics and the dance beats which did not complete the track. Bansal said that "Love Profusion" could have been composed better.[5] Ed Howard fromStylus Magazine wrote that "Love Profusion", along with the song "Intervention", "address Madonna's marriage to directorGuy Ritchie", and "find the once-cynical pop star surprisingly open and emotional, which prompts her to spit out cliché after cliché as she tells us how happy she is".[31] Alan Braidwood fromBBC Music felt that the song was the most straight forward dance track on the album. He added that "this is one of those [songs] which could become a favorite and it feels like a classic upbeat Madonna song. It fuses the message behind the songAmerican Life with Mirwais' beats and acoustic elements really well".[32] Sean O'Brien fromThe People complimented the song for its "great melody and acoustic guitar flavor to it", and deduced that it would be a hit in the night clubs.[33] Dan Gennoe fromDotmusic website gave a positive review of the track, calling "Love Profusion", along with "Intervention" and "X-Static Process" fromAmerican Life, "gracious" and "beautiful" songs.[34] In 2012, websiteAfterElton.com listed "Love Profusion" at number 91 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs".[35] Writing forThe Guardian,Jude Rogers placed "Love Profusion" at number 58 on her ranking of Madonna's singles, in honor of her 60th birthday, writing that "the tune begins labouredly, but digs in".[36] Chuck Arnold fromEntertainment Weekly listed "Love Profusion" as the singer's 58th best single; "this ray of sunshine fromAmerican Life is one of Madonna’s finest folktronica moments".[37]
"Love Profusion" did not chart on the USBillboard Hot 100 or theBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, making it the third consecutive single fromAmerican Life to fail to chart in the US. However, the song peaked at number 41 and "The Passengers Mix" topped on theHot Dance Club Play chart. The song reached No. 4 on theHot Singles Sales and topped theHot Dance Singles Sales charts for five weeks.[38][39] At the year-end Hot Dance Singles Sales recap, "Love Profusion" was at number three position, while "Me Against the Music" was at number one and "Nothing Fails" was at number two.Billboard reported that Madonna was the first artist in its chart history to have the top three Dance Sales songs. The song also ranked at number 24 on the year-end Dance Club Play tally.[40] In Canada, the song peaked at number three on theCanadian Singles Chart.[41]
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at its peak of number eleven on December 20, 2003, with sales of 15,361 copies, becoming Madonna's first song to miss the top ten since "One More Chance" (1996).[42][43] The following week, it dropped to number 33 on the chart, ultimately remaining there for six weeks.[43] "Love Profusion" reached a peak of number 33 on the UK Airplay Chart in five weeks, but quickly descended.[44] As of August 2008, the song had sold 41,025 copies according to theOfficial Charts Company.[45] In Australia, the song debuted at its peak of number 25 on December 28, 2003. It remained on the chart for another seven weeks.[46] "Love Profusion" debuted at number 27 on theFrench Singles Chart on November 30, 2003. In its second week, it reached its peak of number 25.[47] The song was popular in Italy, peaking at number five on theItalian Singles Chart, staying on the chart for a total of twenty weeks.[48] The song also achieved commercial success in Spain, debuting at number one on its singles chart.[49] On theSwiss Singles Chart, the song peaked at number 31, falling out of the chart after a total of eleven weeks.[50]
A few weeks before the official music video's release in November 2003, Madonna's manager Caresse Henry confirmed video plans for "Love Profusion".[51] It was directed byLuc Besson and shot in September 2003, atWarner Bros. Studios inBurbank, California andEuropaCorp inParis, France.[52] Besson later directed Madonna in the 2007 animated filmArthur and the Invisibles.[53] "There are a lot of special effects. I talked to things that weren't there – which is what you do when you're doing green-screen or blue-screen stuff. There's going to be a lot offairies dancing around me. Isn't that exciting? I always have a lot of fairies dancing around me", Madonna commented about the music video.[54] The video premiered in the US on February 11, 2004, onAOL's First View. After the premiere, it was streamed onYahoo!,MSN,Windows Media,Apple, MTV, VH1,iFilm and Madonna.com.[55] In 2009, the video was included on Madonna's compilation,Celebration: The Video Collection.[56]
The video begins with Madonna walking at night in the middle of the street of an American city surrounded by skyscrapers and wind. Then she finds herself in another dimension, as moving flowers surround her. As the video advances, Madonna walks on other different kinds of roads. She walks on a path of red flowers in the sky, and then walks on her knees on a deep, blue colored sea, as she is followed by little white fairies. At the end of the video, when there is destruction in the real dimension, Madonna finds peace and is surrounded by the fairies. When they go away, Madonna disappears altogether.[57]
"Love Profusion" was used on theEstée Lauder "Beyond Paradise" fragrance television advertisement.[58] It was also directed byLuc Besson and shot the same day as the official music video.[52] The Estée Lauder advertisement featured supermodelCarolyn Murphy wandering through a world full of water, and surrounded by flowers and fairies while "Love Profusion" played in the background.[59] The 30 second commercial debuted in more than 10,000 cinemas in September, while the television version of the advertisement aired onMTV,VH1,E! andStyle Network.[59] Estée Lauder group president Patrick Bousquet-Chauvanne explained that they "wanted the advertising to be groundbreaking for Estée Lauder... The association of Luc Besson, Madonna and Carolyn Murphy will make for an exceptional visual and acoustic experience for movie and television audiences around the world."[59]The Olympian's Ross Raihala wrote that it made sense that "Love Profusion" was used as the soundtrack for the commercial, and felt like it was another attempt by Madonna to "salvage her career" following the commercial disappointment ofAmerican Life.[30]
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Credits and personnel are adapted fromAmerican Life album liner notes.[12]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | — | 41,025[45] |
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | December 8, 2003 | CD single | Warner Bros. | [83] |
| Australia | December 15, 2003 | [84] | ||
| France | February 5, 2004 | [85] | ||
| Germany | March 16, 2004 | [86] | ||
| United States | March 23, 2004 | 12-inch single | [87] |
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