When Madonna started working on her ninth studio album , the cultural mood of America was bleak and that of paranoia after the September 11 attacks . There was discontent and fear all around as the terrorism and hatred took people by surprise , as they started questioning the feasibility of the American Dream . While developing the songs for '' American Life '' with producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï , Madonna interrogated and pondered upon those values . The confusion , disorientation and the anger they created seeped into the making of each and every song , including " Hollywood " . She later spoke about Ahmadzaï 's downbeat existentialism and the long discussions they had about this , and society 's obsession with fame and fortune . In an interview with '' Q '' , in April 2003 , she described the song as the allure of the beautiful life in Hollywood . The singer expressed her opinion about fame and celebrity culture , and how people think it to be a " wonderful life " but in reality is a " very powerful illusion "
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Hollywood (Madonna song)