"Love Profusion" is a song by American singer and songwriter

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

for her ninth studio album, ''

American Life ''American Life'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Madonna. It was released on April 21, 2003, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. The album, produced by the singer and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, features references to many parts of Am ...

'' (2003). Written and produced by Madonna and

Mirwais Ahmadzaï Mirwais Ahmadzaï (born 23 October 1960), known mononymously as Mirwais, is a French electronic dance music record producer and songwriter, born in Lausanne, Switzerland to an Afghanistan, Afghan father and an Italians, Italian mother. A former ...

, it was released as the fourth and final single from the album on December 8, 2003, by

Maverick Records Maverick was an American entertainment company founded in 1992 by Warner Music Group and run by recording artist Madonna, as well as Frederick DeMann and Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev. It included a record label ( Maverick Records), a film producti ...

. "Love Profusion" was first premiered during the release of the album on

AOL AOL (formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City, and a brand marketed by Yahoo! Inc. The service traces its history to an online ...

. It later received a number of remixes, which were also released alongside the single. The song contains rhythm from a four piece bass drum, with

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

riffs and Madonna's voice backed by a male vocal during the chorus. Ahmadzaï used the

stutter edit The stutter edit, or stutter effect, is the rhythmic repetition of small fragments of audio, occurring as the common 16th note repetition, but also as 64th notes and beyond, with layers of digital signal processing operations in a rhythmic fashion ...

to create a new groove. Dedicated to Madonna's then-husband,

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films. Ritchie left school at the age of 15, and worked in e ...

, the song's lyrics deal with Madonna's confusion regarding American culture. After its release, "Love Profusion" received generally favorable reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. Reviewers called it the highlight of ''American 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 US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 like its predecessors from ''American 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 accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

of the song was directed by

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

and was shot at

Warner Bros. Studios Warner Bros. Studios may refer to: * Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios located in Burbank, California * Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, Warner Bros. Studios located in Leavesden, England * Old Warner Brothers Studio, now known as ...

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

. It featured Madonna in front of a

greenscreen Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two or more images or video streams together based on colour hues ( chroma range). The technique has been used in many fie ...

effect with her walking through a city, until walking into a surreal background, filled with red flowers, sea and fairies. "Love Profusion" also appeared on Estée Lauder "Beyond Paradise" fragrance television commercial, which was similar to the music video and was directed by Besson, but featured supermodel

Carolyn Murphy Carolyn Murphy (born August 11, 1974) is an American model. Career In 1998, Murphy was named VH1/''Vogue''s Model of the Year. She played Dubbie in Barry Levinson's film ''Liberty Heights''. She was one of the 'Modern Muses' on the November 1999 ...

. 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's

Re-Invention World Tour The Re-Invention World Tour (billed as Re-Invention World Tour 2004) was the sixth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in support of her ninth studio album, ''American Life'' (2003). It began on May 24, 2004, at the Forum in Ingle ...

but it was dropped from the setlist.

Background and remixes

According to biographer

Lucy O'Brien Lucy O'Brien (born 13 September 1961)Author Biography, O'Brien, Lucy – She Bop: The definitive history of women in rock, pop, and soul, London: Penguin, 1995 is a British author and journalist whose work focuses on women in music. Early musi ...

, nothingness is the main theme of ''American Life''; it appears in the titles of songs like " Nobody Knows Me" and "

Nothing Fails "Nothing Fails" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her ninth studio album, ''American Life'' (2003). Written by Madonna, Guy Sigsworth and Jem Griffiths, and produced by the singer along with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Mark "Spike" ...

" 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. The tracks from ''American Life'' were released to

for digital 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. Several remixes of the song, done by DJs such as The Passengerz, Craig J., Blow-Up and

Ralphi Rosario Ralphi Rosario is an American house musician and founding member of the influential Chicago DJ group Hot Mix 5. Biography When Hot Mix 5 was formed in 1981 on radio station WBMX (now WVAZ), Rosario, the youngest member of the group, was still in ...

, 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. The remixes were premiered by Warner Bros. Records at the 2003

Winter Music Conference The Winter Music Conference (WMC) is a week-long electronic music conference, held every March in Miami Beach, Florida, United States since 1985. It is also known as the premiere platform for electronic dance music. The conference brings togethe ...

in Miami, where

Peter Rauhofer Peter Rauhofer (29 April 1965 – 7 May 2013) was an Austrian-American disc jockey (DJ), remixer and producer who formerly worked under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he was famous for a variety of his ...

, Rosario and Blow-Up played their remixes of "Love Profusion". Blow-Up also debuted their own version of " Good Boys" (2003) by Blondie, and remixes of Madonna's previous single, "

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

". An extended version of the "Love Profusion" remix, titled "Headcleanr Rock Mix", was also included on Madonna's remix album ''

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 alb ...

'' (2003). Michael Paoletta of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' named the remix (along with the "Mount Sims Old School Mix" of "Nobody Knows Me") as the highlight of ''Remixed and Revisited'', calling it "a new-wave-styled-rock tune", a "blast of fresh air" and an "essential listening experience". John Payne from ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'' 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. 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.

Recording and composition

"Love Profusion" was composed and produced by Madonna and

. The song is dedicated to Madonna's then-husband, director

. The recording sessions for ''American Life'' started in late 2001, but was put on hold as Madonna filmed '' Swept Away'' in Malta and starred in the West End play ''

Up for Grabs Up for Grabs may refer to: * ''Up for Grabs'' (play), a play by David Williamson * ''Up for Grabs'' (film), a 2004 comedic documentary * ''Up for Grabs'' (album), a 1981 album by The Radiators * ''Up For Grabs'' (board game), a variation of An ...

''. She returned to the Olympic Recording Studios in late 2002 and finished the sessions. The mixing for the track was done by

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & the Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran, ...

at the

Westlake Recording Studios Westlake Recording Studios is a music recording studio with two locations in Los Angeles and West Hollywood, California. History Westlake Recording Studios was founded in the early 1970s by the American audio engineer Tom Hidley under the name ...

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

, and Tim Young did the mastering of the song at

Metropolis Studios Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor, Karin Clayton and Alexander Skeaping. Donald Brackett It is located in the Power House, a Grade II listed building, ...

in London. Tom Hannen and Simon Changer served as assistant engineers during the recording. Ahmadzaï played the guitars and provided its backing vocals. According to the sheet music published at Sheetmusicplus.com, "Love Profusion" is written in common time with a moderately fast

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 120

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

. According to a writer from ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...

'', it is an

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

-meets-

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

song and is composed in the key of

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: Changes need ...

with Madonna's voice spanning from B₃ to F₅. Ahmadzai used the technique of making the music freeze midrhythm throughout ''American Life'', including "Love Profusion". One technique was the

, 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. The track starts with a "strummy"

introduction, as described by Michael Paoletta from ''

'', on the four-chord progression of Bm–Fm–A–E sequence. The

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

inspired song has elements of

and

at its core. Its rhythm is produced by a four piece bass drum—which fades in and out abruptly—and atmospheric synth-strings, which are added later in the song. Madonna sings in the first verse: "There are too many options/There is no consolation/I have lost my illusions/What I want is an explanation." According to ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', 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. 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 Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

. The lyrics of the song deals with questions, solutions, resurrections, confusions and other broad topics of a neo-philosophical nature.

Edna Gundersen Edna Gundersen is an American journalist who was a longtime music writer and critic for ''USA Today''. Gundersen grew up in El Paso, Texas. She attained a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at El Paso and then wrote features and en ...

of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' compared its composition and Madonna's performance with a

love letter A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

. ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'' called it "a plaintive love letter to her husband".

Critical reception

"Love Profusion" received generally positive reviews from

. Michael Paoletta from ''Billboard'' described the song as a "sparse number" and said that it was a "good fit" for the radio. Ken Tucker from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' called it "lovely". Ian Youngs of

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

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. A writer for '' Daily Record'' described it as a "stunningly beautiful ballad" and considered it as one of the many highlights from ''American Life''. Sal Cinquemani from

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

called it "dull" and wrote that "it was reinvented into a vibrant piece of guitar-driven pop-rock by Ray Carroll." Ben Ratliff from ''

'' deduced that with lyrics like "I got you under my skin", Madonna conveyed the theme of gaining transcendence through detachment, "but finally ''American Life'' comes across as defeatist more than anything else". Dan Aquilante from ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' 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 from ''American Life'', like "

" or "Easy Ride".

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As music critic and editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays, and profiles have appeared in publications worldwide ...

, while reviewing ''American Life'' for ''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

'', listed the track as one of the songs that could "save" the album from being a "profound fail". Ross Raihala, writing for ''

The Olympian ''The Olympian'' is a daily newspaper based in Olympia, Washington, in the United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and publishes a daily printed edition. History Olympia was home to the first newspaper to be published in modern-da ...

'' listed the track as a standout on ''American Life'', in contrast to the "dreary, directionless dance numbers and plodding ballads" on the album. Caroline Bansal from

musicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

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. Ed Howard from

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

wrote that "Love Profusion", along with the song "Intervention", "address Madonna's marriage to director

", 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". Alan Braidwood from

BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...

felt that the song was the most straight forward dance track on the album. He added that "this is one of those ongswhich could become a favorite and it feels like a classic upbeat Madonna song. It fuses the message behind the song ''American Life'' with Mirwais' beats and acoustic elements really well". Sean O'Brien from ''

The People The People may refer to: Legal jargon * The People, term used to refer to the people in general, in legal documents * "We the People of the United States", from the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution * In philosophy, economics, and political scienc ...

'' 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. Dan Gennoe from

Dotmusic ''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...

website gave a positive review of the track, calling "Love Profusion", along with "Intervention" and "X-Static Process" from ''American Life'', "gracious" and "beautiful" songs. In 2012, website

AfterElton.com TheBacklot.com (TheBacklot), founded in January 2005 as AfterElton (AfterElton.com), was a culture website that focused on the portrayal of gay and bisexual men in the media, and was the companion site of the lesbian-focused AfterEllen (AfterElle ...

listed "Love Profusion" at number 91 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs". Writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'',

Jude Rogers Jude Rogers (born 1978) is a Welsh journalist, lecturer, arts critic and broadcaster. She is a music critic for ''The Guardian'' and also regularly writes features and articles for ''The Observer'', ''New Statesman'' and women's magazines such a ...

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". Chuck Arnold from ''Entertainment Weekly'' listed "Love Profusion" as the singer's 58th best single; "this ray of sunshine from ''American Life'' is one of Madonna’s finest folktronica moments".

Chart performance

"Love Profusion" did not chart on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 or the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

, making it the third consecutive single from ''American Life'' to fail to chart in the US. However, the song peaked at number 41 and "The Passengers Mix" topped on the

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. The song reached No. 4 on the

Hot Singles Sales The Hot Singles Sales, also known as the Hot 100 Singles Sales and the POS chart, was a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling physical singles in the United States, such as CD singles, vinyl single ...

and topped the

Hot Dance Singles Sales The Dance Singles Sales was a record chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling dance singles in the United States. Its previous names include Hot Dance/Disco 12-inch Singles Sales (1985–1987), Hot Dance Mu ...

charts for five weeks. 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. In Canada, the song peaked at number three on the

Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian music charts are a collection of record charts reflecting the music consumption of people in Canada. '' RPM'' and '' Billboard'' are the biggest publications to have published Canada's official charts for decades. However, the first ...

. 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). The following week, it dropped to number 33 on the chart, ultimately remaining there for six weeks. "Love Profusion" reached a peak of number 33 on the UK Airplay Chart in five weeks, but quickly descended. As of August 2008, the song had sold 41,025 copies according to the

Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...

. In Australia, the song debuted at its peak of number 25 on December 28, 2003. It remained on the chart for another seven weeks. "Love Profusion" debuted at number 27 on the

French Singles Chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

on November 30, 2003. In its second week, it reached its peak of number 25. The song was popular in Italy, peaking at number five on the

Italian Singles Chart The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...

, staying on the chart for a total of twenty weeks. The song also achieved commercial success in Spain, debuting at number one on its singles chart. On the

Swiss Singles Chart The Swiss Hitparade () is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * Singles Top 75 (released since 1968) * Singles T ...

, the song peaked at number 31, falling out of the chart after a total of eleven weeks.

Music video

A few weeks before the official music video's release in November 2003, Madonna's manager Caresse Henry confirmed video plans for "Love Profusion". It was directed by

and shot in September 2003, at

and

EuropaCorp EuropaCorp S.A. (stylised in opening logo as EUROPA CORP. until 2022) is a French motion picture company headquartered in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, and one of a few full-service independent studios that both produce and distribute ...

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Besson later directed Madonna in the 2007 animated film ''

Arthur and the Invisibles ''Arthur and the Minimoys'' () is a 2006 English-language French live-action/animated fantasy film directed and co-written by French filmmaker Luc Besson. It is based on the first two books of the ''Arthur'' children's books series, ''Arthur and ...

''. "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 of

fairies A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

dancing around me. Isn't that exciting? I always have a lot of fairies dancing around me", Madonna commented about the music video. The video premiered in the US on February 11, 2004, on

's First View. After the premiere, it was streamed on

Yahoo! Yahoo (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web portal that provides the search engine Yahoo Search and related services including My Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, y!entertainment, yahoo!life, and its a ...

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Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

, MTV, VH1, iFilm and Madonna.com. In 2009, the video was included on Madonna's compilation, '' Celebration: The Video Collection''. 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.

Usage in media

"Love Profusion" was used on the Estée Lauder "Beyond Paradise" fragrance television advertisement. It was also directed by

and shot the same day as the official music video. The Estée Lauder advertisement featured supermodel

wandering through a world full of water, and surrounded by flowers and fairies while "Love Profusion" played in the background. The 30 second commercial debuted in more than 10,000 cinemas in September, while the television version of the advertisement aired on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

, E! and

Style Network Esquire Network was an American pay television network that was a 50/50 joint venture between NBCUniversal and the Hearst Corporation. Launched on October 1, 1998 as Style Network, a spin-off of E!, the channel initially consisted of fashion, ...

. 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." ''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 of ''American Life''.

Track listings and formats

*Australian CD maxi-single # "Love Profusion" (Album Version) – 3:38 # "Love Profusion" (

House Vocal Mix) – 6:02 # " Nobody Knows Me" ( Above & Beyond 12" Mix) – 8:46 *French 2-track CD single # "Love Profusion" (Album Version) – 3:38 # "Love Profusion" (Headcleanr Rock Mix) – 3:16 *UK vinyl single # "Love Profusion" (Passengerz Club Mix) – 9:34 # "Nobody Knows Me" (Above & Beyond 12" Mix) – 8:46 *UK & European CD maxi-single 1 # "Love Profusion" (Album Version) – 3:38 # "Nothing Fails" (Radio Edit) – 3:48 # "Love Profusion" (Passengerz Club Mix) – 7:01 *UK & European CD maxi-single 2 # "Love Profusion" (Album Version) – 3:38 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario House Vocal Mix edit) – 6:02 # "Nobody Knows Me" (Above & Beyond 12" Mix) – 8:46 *US & European CD maxi-single # "Love Profusion" (Blow-Up Mix) – 6:11 # "Love Profusion" (The Passengerz Club Profusion) – 9:34 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario House Vocal Extended) – 7:29 # "Love Profusion" (Craig J.'s "Good Vibe" Mix) – 7:14 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario Big Room Vox Extended) – 10:01 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario Big Room Dub) – 8:57 # "

" (

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

's Lost In Space Mix) – 8:36 *US vinyl single # "Love Profusion" (The Passengerz Club Profusion) – 9:34 # "Love Profusion" (Blow-Up Mix) – 6:11 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario House Vocal Extended) – 7:29 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario Big Room Dub) – 8:57 # "Love Profusion" (The Passengerz Dub Profusion) – 8:04 # "Love Profusion" (Craig J.'s "Good Vibe" Mix) – 7:14 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario Big Room Vox Extended) – 10:01 *Digital single (2023) # "Love Profusion" – 3:38 # "Love Profusion" (Headcleanr Rock Mix) – 3:16 # "Love Profusion" (Blow-Up Mix) – 6:08 # "Love Profusion" (The Passengerz Club Profusion) – 9:32 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario House Vocal Extended) – 7:29 # "Love Profusion" (Craig J.'s "Good Vibe" Mix) – 7:14 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario Big Room Vox Extended/Revised) – 9:59 # "Love Profusion" (Ralphi Rosario Big Room Dub) – 8:57 # "Love Profusion" (The Passengerz Dub Profusion) – 8:03 # "Nothing Fails" (Peter's Lost In Space Mix) – 8:36

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel are adapted from ''American Life'' album liner notes. *

– vocals, songwriter, producer *

– backing vocals, producer, programming, guitar * Mike "Spike" Stent – mixing * Tim Young – mastering * Tom Hannen – assistant engineer * Simon Changer – assistant engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales

Release history

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Authority control 2000s ballads 2003 singles 2003 songs American folk songs Electronica songs Folk ballads Madonna songs Number-one singles in Spain Song recordings produced by Madonna Song recordings produced by Mirwais Ahmadzaï Songs written by Madonna Songs written by Mirwais Ahmadzaï 2004 singles Music videos directed by Luc Besson Warner Records singles