Nothing Really Matters

This song was written by Madonna and her frequent collaborator Patrick Leonard. She told Interview Magazine in 1998 it was inspired by her relationship with her daughter Lourdes, who was then just two years old. The singer explained: "She doesn’t know about me being famous. She hasn’t got a clue. And it's completely unconditional love, which I've never known because I grew up without a mother [who died of breast cancer when Madonna was 6]. I mean I did have my father, but I think that the love that you get from a mother is quite different. It's had a huge impact on me, as I suppose it has on everyone who has children. But definitely, when you have children you have to step outside of yourself. You can't sit around feeling sorry for yourself, or feeling like you’re a victim in any way, shape or form. You really look at life from a totally different perspective."

The video was inspired by Arthur Golden's book Memoirs of a Geisha. Madonna portrays the character Hatsumomo from the book, and dresses like a geisha. This was part of a new look for Madonna, as she used a Japanese theme for her 2001 Drowned World tour and for her performance at Grammy Awards in 1999. Jean-Paul Gaultier designed the costumes. The singer told Entertainment Tonight why she chose the geisha look: "The whole idea of a geisha is a straight metaphor for being an [entertainer] because, on one hand you're privileged to be a geisha, but on the other hand you're a prisoner."

A songwriter named Elizabeth Janie Coffey sued Madonna and Patrick Leonard, claiming "Nothing Really Matters" infringed on a song she wrote called "Forever After." In 2005, the case was dismissed when a judge ruled against Coffey.