Pop superstar, Madonna has officially released what stands as perhaps her most notorious music video: The controversial original clip for her 2003 single American Life.

 

The video was scrapped 20 years ago due to its gruesome content. The jaw-dropping video was intended to be a commentary on the then-ongoing American invasion of Iraq, mixing haute-couture with the brutality of war.

 

 

The five-minute video started out seemingly normal, with models walking down a runway in army costumes as Madonna sang about life in the spotlight.

 

However, the models were then joined by victims of war, who they started beating as blood spewed onto the runway. The audience of snooty-looking fashion-goers laughed as the violence continued, even as bloodied bodies were dragged across the stage without their limbs.

 

 

Pictures of real victims of war started flashing across the screen before Madonna burst from backstage in a tank ultimately killing the crowd with a grenade.

 

Madonna released a highly censored version of the “American Life” video in 2003 after facing backlash before the video even aired. At the time, she explained that the original version “was filmed before the war started” and didn’t think it would be “appropriate to air” despite already airing abroad.

 

It however seems the fearless pop star left a couple of controversial moments out of the recent upload, such as a George W. Bush lookalike catching a grenade and lighting his cigarette with it at the end.

 

The singer is now set to kick off the North American leg of her “Celebration” world tour in Vancouver on July 15.