| "Nothing Fails" | ||||
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| Single by Madonna | ||||
| from the album American Life | ||||
| B-side | "Nobody Knows Me" | |||
| Released | October 27, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Studio | Olympic (London, UK) | |||
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| Length | 4:48 | |||
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| Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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| Licensed audio | ||||
| "Nothing Fails" on YouTube | ||||
"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" Stent, it was released as the third single from the album on October 27, 2003. Originally demoed as "Silly Thing", "Nothing Fails" is a love song which has acoustic guitar chords and a gospel choir appearance. Lyrically, the song discusses a lover who is the one, and how their meeting was not just chance. A number of remixes were done, including one on Madonna's remix album Remixed & Revisited (2003).
The song received generally positive reviews, with music critics praising it as one of the best tracks from American Life, while others compared it with Madonna's previous single "Like a Prayer" (1989), as both songs feature a gospel choir. "Nothing Fails" was released in the US in hopes of attaining sales from American Life. However, it did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the second single from the album to fail to chart in the US. Nevertheless, the song reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs and Hot Singles Sales charts. The single also reached number one in Spain and the top ten in Canada and Italy.
Although initially reported on the contrary, no music video was filmed for "Nothing Fails". The song was performed during a promotional tour for American Life in 2003, along with other songs from the album and her past hits. One of these performances was shown by MTV in a special named Madonna on Stage & on the Record. It was also performed during Madonna's sixth concert tour, the Re-Invention World Tour (2004), with Madonna alone on stage singing the song accompanied by an acoustic guitar. Many reviewers noted that Madonna in the performance was a "solitary figure" as it was herself alone playing the acoustic guitar.