Remixed & Revisited
Remixed & Revisited is a remix album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 24, 2003 by Maverick Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album contains four songs, in remixed form, from her 2003 ninth studio album American Life and a previously unreleased song, "Your Honesty", originally written and recorded for her 1994 sixth studio album Bedtime Stories. The other tracks included are the live performance of "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" on the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards—which ended with Madonna kissing co-performers Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera—and a remix of 1985 single "Into the Groove". The release peaked at number 115 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. It received mixed reviews from critics; "Your Honesty" was generally the only song to receive praise. The remix album also marked the closing release under her contract with Maverick Records.
Remixed & Revisited | ||||
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Remix album by | ||||
Released | November 24, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 1985–2003 | |||
Length | 29:27 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Madonna chronology | ||||
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Background
In 2003, Madonna planned to release a special commemorative box set to celebrate her twentieth anniversary in the music business and the release of her first studio album, Madonna, in 1983.[1][2] The plan for the box set was eventually cancelled and Remixed & Revisited was conceived in its place. The compilation contains remixed versions of four songs from American Life and a previously unreleased song called "Your Honesty"; co-written and co-produced by Dallas Austin, the track is from Madonna's sixth studio album Bedtime Stories era (1994).[1][3] "Nobody Knows Me" was remixed by performance artist Mount Sims, Headcleanr mixed "American Life" and "Love Profusion". DJ Jason Nevins remixed "Nothing Fails", while "Into the Hollywood Groove" was created by The Passengerz.[4][5][6] On December 9, 2003, Warner Music France released a box set version containing both the remix collection and the original album American Life in a cardboard sleeve entitled Édition Spéciale 2CDs: American Life + Remixed & Revisited.[7]
2003 MTV VMA performance
The medley track "Like a Virgin/Hollywood" was performed during the opening of the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards on August 27, 2003, where Madonna was joined by Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliott.[8] The performance started with Spears appearing on stage on top of a giant wedding cake while 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.[9] Madonna then emerged from the cake wearing a black coat and a hat and started singing "Hollywood" before proceeding to kiss Spears and Aguilera on the lips.[10] Missy Elliott came out from a wedding chapel to sing her song "Work It" halfway through the performance.[10] The kiss generated strong reaction from the media. Feminist author Camille Paglia described the moment as great; she noted that the kiss was like Madonna saying to Spears, "I'm passing the torch to you." However, according to her, Spears could not take advantage of the kiss as later her career and lifestyle came under immense media scrutiny and criticism. Paglia said that "literally from that kiss, from that moment onward, Britney has spiraled out of control. It's like Madonna gave her the kiss of death!"[11] Madonna commented on the kiss; "I am the mommy pop star and she is the baby pop star. And I am kissing her to pass my energy on to her."[12] This performance was listed by Blender magazine as one of the twenty-five sexiest music moments on television history.[13] MTV listed the performance as the number-one opening moments in the history of MTV Video Music Awards.[14]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Billboard | (favorable)[15] |
Boston Herald | [16] |
Daily Breeze | [17] |
The Denver Post | (unfavorable)[18] |
The Malay Mail | (favorable)[19] |
Rolling Stone | [20] |
St. Louis Post-Dispatch | (favorable)[21] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic felt that the presence of a "strong hook and a strong sense of fun" was missing from the compilation, except for the song "Your Honesty", which he declared as the best track despite feeling its beats to be a little outdated. He compared the work of the remixers as "as subtle as a jackhammer, whether it's on the metallic-flaked "American Life" by Headcleanr or the '90s-retro Nevins mix of "Nothing Fails". On all these mixes, Madonna sounds as if she's out of step with the music of 2003". Erlewine also compared Spears' vocals with that of Madonna's during her early days and Aguilera's with that of Cher's.[1] Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone commented that the release "improves upon American Life's standout single "Love Profusion", but the rest botches an opportunity to revive interest on its parent album".[20] Fabian from Daily Breeze commented that Remixed & Revisited "is an amusing collection of novelties."[17] Sarah Crompton from Boston Herald proclaimed the album to be "more fun than her full-length 2003 offering American Life."[16] The Malay Mail said that the remixes from the album are for "true blue Madonna fans."[19]
A writer for The Miami Herald was negative towards the release saying that "Madonna's latest misstep is this pointless Remixed & Revisited seven-track EP in which she tries to resell five songs from her recent American Life CD to an audience who deserve far better efforts from the queen, than this."[22] Ricardo Baca from The Denver Post compared Madonna to actress Drew Barrymore on the cover of the EP, feeling that the singer looked foolish and that the tracks were weal attempts at "spicing up" the already non-commercial songs from American Life.[18] Kevin C. Johnson from St. Louis Post-Dispatch said that with the remixes, Madonna "put some life" back into the songs of American Life, complementing "Your Honesty" and wondering why it was left from the Bedtime Stories sessions.[21] Keith Caulfield of Billboard was impressed with "Your Honesty" and the remixes of "Love Profusion" and "Nobody Knows Me". He said, "Die-hard fans, even those unenamored of American Life will dig this EP."[15] In his book The Essential Rock Discography, Martin Charles Strong called the release as "equally dispensable as its parent album".[23]
Commercial performance
In the United States, Remixed & Revisited debuted at number 115 on the Billboard 200, selling 22,000 copies in its first week.[24] It also debuted and peaked at number 128 on the Top Comprehensive Albums chart.[25] According to Nielsen SoundScan, the EP has sold 114,000 copies as of August 2005 in the United States.[26] The Nevins' mix of "Nothing Fails" charted on the Canadian Singles Chart at seven and topped the Hot Dance Club Play chart.[27] It also debuted on the album charts of Belgium, in Flanders and Wallonia, and Switzerland.[28][29][30] The album charted in Italy as a song, reaching a peak of number two.[31] It also charted in Finland and Denmark as an EP on the singles charts.[32][33]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Nothing Fails" (Nevins mix) |
| 3:50 | |
2. | "Love Profusion" (Headcleanr Rock mix) |
|
| 3:16 |
3. | "Nobody Knows Me" (Mount Sims Old School mix) |
|
| 4:44 |
4. | "American Life" (Headcleanr Rock mix) |
|
| 4:01 |
5. | "Like a Virgin / Hollywood Medley" (2003 MTV VMA Performance featuring Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott) |
| — | 5:34 |
6. | "Into the Hollywood Groove" (The Passengerz mix) (featuring Missy Elliott) |
|
| 3:42 |
7. | "Your Honesty" (previously unreleased) |
|
| 4:07 |
Notes
Personnel
Adapted from the Remixed & Revisited AllMusic credits[5]
Production
|
Additional musicians
Design
|
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (2003–2004) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] | 61 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] | 37 |
Denmark (Tracklisten)[32] | 3 |
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[33] | 12 |
Greece (IFPI — Greece)[34] | 2 |
Italy (FIMI)[31] | 2 |
Japan (Oricon)[35] | 33 |
Portugal (AFP)[36] | 1 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] | 80 |
UK Budget Albums (OCC)[37] | 3 |
US Billboard 200[38] | 115 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2004) | Position |
---|---|
Italy (FIMI)[39] | 41 |
References
- Thomas Erlewine, Stephen (November 25, 2003). "Remixed & Revisited > Madonna". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Kaufman, Gil (February 10, 2003). "Madonna Box Set Will Mark 20th Anniversary Of Her First LP". MTV News. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Caulfield, Keith (October 21, 2003). "Madonna In A 'Remix' Mood". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Silverman, Stephen M. (October 22, 2003). "Britney, Madonna Back Together Again". People. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- "Madonna 'Remixed and Revisited' Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Vineyard, Jennifer (October 27, 2003). "Madonna's Got A Brand New Bag — And Britney's In It". MTV News. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
- Édition Espéciale 2CDs: American Life + Remixed & Revisited (Media notes). Madonna. Paris, France: Warner Music France. 2003. 9362-48673-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Moss, Corey (August 23, 2003). "Madonna Smooches With Britney And Christina; Justin, Coldplay Win Big At VMAs". MTV News. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Wiederhorn, Jon (August 29, 2003). "Beyonce, 50, Mary J., Metallica Overshadowed By Two Little Kisses". MTV News. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- "MTV VMA 2003 highlights — Madonna performance video". MTV News. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
- Paglia, Camille (December 8, 2006). "Paglia: The rise and fall of Britney Spears". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Cross, Mary (2007). Madonna: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-33811-3.
- Collis, Clark; Weiner, Jonah (February 15, 2004). "The 25 Sexiest Music Moments in TV History!". Blender. Archived from the original on February 13, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Vera, Jocelyn (August 24, 2008). "The Top 10 Opening Moments In VMA History: From Madonna To The Present". MTV News. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Caulfield, Keith (December 13, 2003). "Madonna: Remixed & Revisited". Billboard. New York. 115 (50). ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Crompton, Sarah (December 7, 2003). "Madonna 'Revisited' energizes Material Girl's 'Life' tracks". Boston Herald. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- Fabian (December 12, 2003). "'Remixed' Madonna gets in the groove". Daily Breeze. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- Baca, Ricardo (November 30, 2003). "Five discs fix slow-time-of-year problem". The Denver Post. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- Jerryz (January 13, 2004). "Remixes for true blue Madonna fans". The Malay Mail. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (2004). The new Rolling Stone album guide. Rolling Stone. Simon and Schuster. p. 508. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Johnson, Kevin C. (January 15, 2004). "Madonna Puts Some Life Into Her Old Music". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- "Awaited Second Release Strikes The Right Keys". The Miami Herald. December 20, 2003. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- Strong, Martin Charles (2006). The essential rock discography. Open City. p. 662. ISBN 1-84195-860-3. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Caulfield, Keith (December 10, 2003). "Ask Billboard: 'Revisiting' Madonna". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- "Top Comprehensive Albums — Week of December 13, 2003". Billboard. December 13, 2003. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- Caulfield, Keith (August 16, 2005). "Ask Billboard: Virginity or Prayers?". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- "Remixed & Revisited > Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
- "Ultratop.be – Madonna – Remixed & Revisited" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- "Ultratop.be – Madonna – Remixed & Revisited" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- "Swisscharts.com – Madonna – Remixed & Revisited". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- "Italiancharts.com – Madonna – Remixed & Revisited - EP". Top Digital Download. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- "Danishcharts.com – Madonna – Remixed & Revisited - EP". Tracklisten. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- "Madonna: Remixed & Revisited - EP" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- "HITS OF THE WORLD" (PDF). Billboard. January 17, 2004. p. 45. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- イントゥ・ザ・ハリウッド・グルーヴ~リミックスド・アンド・リヴィジテッド [Into The Hollywood Groove – Remixed And Revisited] (in Japanese). Oricon. January 21, 2004. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- "HITS OF THE WORLD: Portugal" (PDF). Billboard. December 17, 2003. p. 65. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- "Chart Log UK – 1994–2010: M – My Vitriol". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- "Madonna Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- "Mix e singoli" (PDF) (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2006. Retrieved December 17, 2020.