Hollywood (Madonna Song) - Composition

Composition

"Hollywood" is a "bouncy folk-rock tune", as noted by James Hannaham of Spin. It also contains house beats with elements of space age and retro music, as well as synthpop. Following the sound of twittering birds, the song opens with an four-chord sequence played on an acoustic guitar; the rift was compared to songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I grows as drums and synths until after a minute the instrumental is pulled leaving just Madonna's vocals and the acoustic guitar accompaniment. During the final sequence, Madonna raps, with the repeated phrase "Push the button". Lyrically, it discusses American culture and greed, focusing on Hollywood as a place of pop stars and illusory dreams. The bridge opens with Madonna saying, "Music stations always play the same songs/I'm bored with the concept of right and wrong". Contemporary author Ben Shapiro noted the verse "seems to be Madonna's credo. Her purposeful degradation of morality has led to monumental success for her-and created a monumentally bad influence for her teenage fans." Further, Madonna questions the Hollywood experience, singing, "How could it hurt you when it looked so good?". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian noted Madonna's vocals in the song are "high-pitched little-girl", with the intention of " the notion of innocence lost". The instruments used on "Hollywood" are similar to the ones used on the other songs from American Life.