Remixed & Revisited

Background

In 2003, Madonna had planned a commemorative box set for her twentieth anniversary in music and the release of her debut album, but that project was canceled and replaced by Remixed & Revisited. The compilation includes remixed versions of four songs from American Life: "Nobody Knows Me" remixed by Mount Sims, "American Life" and "Love Profusion" remixed by Headcleanr, and "Nothing Fails" remixed by DJ Jason Nevins. A previously unreleased track, "Your Honesty", co-written and co-produced by Dallas Austin, originated from the Bedtime Stories era.

The Passengerz created a remix titled "Into the Hollywood Groove". The medley "Like a Virgin/Hollywood" was performed at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards on August 27, 2003, with Madonna joined by Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliott. During the performance, Spears appeared on a giant wedding cake in a wedding gown, sang the opening of "Like a Virgin", and was joined by Aguilera; Madonna then emerged, sang "Hollywood", and kissed both Spears and Aguilera on the lips.

Missy Elliott later performed "Work It". The kiss drew strong media reaction. Feminist author Camille Paglia described it as Madonna passing a torch to Spears, but later said Spears spiraled out of control afterward, calling it a "kiss of death". Madonna commented that she was the "mommy pop star" kissing the "baby pop star" to pass on energy.

Blender magazine listed the performance among the twenty-five sexiest music moments on television, and MTV ranked it the number-one opening moment in VMA history. On December 9, 2003, Warner Music France released a box set edition containing both Remixed & Revisited and American Life in a cardboard sleeve titled Édition Spéciale 2CDs: American Life + Remixed & Revisited.

Critical reception

Critical response to Remixed & Revisited was mixed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found the compilation lacking a strong hook and sense of fun, except for "Your Honesty", which he called the best track despite its slightly outdated beats. He described the remixes as "as subtle as a jackhammer" and felt Madonna sounded out of step with 2003 music. He compared Spears' vocals to early Madonna and Aguilera's to Cher's. Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone said the release improved on "Love Profusion" but otherwise missed an opportunity to revive interest in American Life.

Fabian of Daily Breeze called it an amusing collection of novelties. Sarah Crompton of Boston Herald found it more fun than American Life. The Malay Mail said the remixes were for true blue Madonna fans. Phil Udell of Hot Press called it an impressive seven-track collection.

An editor from The Journal Gazette described it as a bundle of energetic fun, though Madonna sounded a little shaky. A writer for The Miami Herald dismissed it as a pointless EP that resold songs from American Life. Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post compared Madonna's appearance on the cover to actress Drew Barrymore, calling the singer foolish and the tracks weak attempts to spice up non-commercial songs. Kevin C. Johnson of St. Louis Post-Dispatch said the remixes put life back into the songs and praised "Your Honesty", wondering why it was left off Bedtime Stories.

Keith Caulfield of Billboard was impressed with "Your Honesty" and the remixes of "Love Profusion" and "Nobody Knows Me", stating that die-hard fans would enjoy the EP. Christie Leo of New Straits Times said the remixes were more vivid and fleshed out, especially "Nothing Fails" and "Love Profusion". Martin Charles Strong, in The Essential Rock Discography, called the release equally dispensable as its parent album.

Commercial performance

In the U.S., Remixed & Revisited entered the Billboard 200 at number 115 with 22,000 copies sold its first week, and also hit number 128 on the Top Comprehensive Albums chart. By August 2005, Nielsen SoundScan recorded 114,000 copies sold domestically. The Nevins mix of "Nothing Fails" reached number seven on the Canadian Singles Chart and number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The release appeared on album charts in Belgium's Flanders and Wallonia regions and in Switzerland. In Italy, it charted as a single, peaking at number two. It also charted as an EP on the singles charts in Finland and Denmark.