Mother and Father

When Madonna was six years old, her mother died of breast cancer. She told Q magazine that this song was a way of letting go of the sadness and moving on. Madonna added that she had been searching for a reason for her existence since the loss of her mother. The superstar reflected: "Most people ask it, but they don't dwell on it. Don't you really want to know why you're here? Do you really think that life is just about being born, making lots of money, finding someone to have kids with, then dying?"

In August 2005 the Rauhofer mix of this track peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart. This was Madonna's seventh Top 10 hit from the American Life album on that chart, the most Top 10 entries any recording artist has ever had on that listing.