On January 3 2003, Madonna.com announced: “Madonna’s next album is scheduled to be released in April, and there is no title as of yet. The video for the first single will be shot in February and will be directed by Jonas Akerlund. The album cover will be shot next week by Craig McDean (he also did the Vanity Fair Madonna cover). ”
On December 13 2003, “Nobody Knows Me (P. Rauhofer, Above & Beyond, Mount Sims Mixes)” hit #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the US.
The track from American Life had been serviced to clubs as a promo-only 12-inch, with the remixes being issued commercially in North America as part of the Nothing Fails maxi-single.
(Thanks to ElOr98 for sharing the video!)
((and to aviddiva for making it!!))
On October 25 2003, Me Against the Music (Britney Spears featuring Madonna) debuted at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single spent 13 weeks on the chart, eventually peaking at #35 in the USA.
On September 16 2003, Madonna made an hour-long appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote her first children’s book, The English Roses. It was Madonna’s third appearance on the popular daytime talk show.
On September 15 2003, Madonna’s first children’s book, The English Roses, was released worldwide. To promote the book, Madonna held a reading to a group of children (and adults!) at the Gallimard Gardens in Paris.
The English Roses debuted at #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The book remained at #1 on the New York Times Children’s Best Sellers list for 7 weeks.
To date, The English Roses has sold over 500,000 copies.
On September 14 2003, Madonna attended The English Roses tea party in London, to launch her first children’s book.
The tea party took place at the Kensington Roof Gardens, with many celebrity parents and their children in attendance, including Nigella Lawson.
On June 17 2003, the single cover for Madonna’s Hollywood single was revealed. The photo was taken from the photo shoot by Steven Klein for W Magazine.
Hollywood was the second single from the American Life album, released on July 14, 2003.
In April 2003, in an interview with Q Magazine, Madonna described the allure life in Hollywood:
“I’ve had 20 years of fame and fortune, and I feel that I have a right to an opinion on what it is and what it isn’t. All everyone is obsessed about at the moment is being a celebrity. I’m saying that’s bullshit and who knows better than me? Before it happens you have all kinds of notions about how wonderful celebrity is and how much joy it’s going to bring you. Then you arrive … Look like this you’re gonna be happy. Drive this car you’re gonna be popular. Wear these clothes and people are gonna wanna fuck you. It’s a very powerful illusion and people are caught up in it, including myself. Or I was.”
Today In Madonna History 