Skip to main content

November 6, 1990 - "Justify My Love" was released as Madonna's first Single from her first compilation album "The Immaculate Collection"



"Justify My Love" is a song by Madonna from her first compilation The Immaculate Collection (1990). It was released on November 6, 1990 by Sire Records, as the first single. The song later appeared on the greatest hits compilation album Celebration (2009). The song was written by Lenny Kravitz and Ingrid Chavez, with additional lyrics by Madonna. Chavez was not credited on the song, which led to a lawsuit against Kravitz. Chavez settled out-of-court, the terms of which included a songwriting credit. Madonna's vocals are primarily spoken and whispered, but almost never sung, a style which she again employed on her following album Erotica (1992).

 Musically, "Justify My Love" is a trip hop inspired song, with mid-tempo settings and instrumentation. The lyrics of the song are primarily about sex and romance. "Justify My Love" received mixed reviews from older critics, but was critically appreciated from many contemporary critics, noting it as one of Madonna's best songs to date. The song became Madonna's ninth number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while reaching the top ten in countries including Australia, Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, including more other countries.
The accompanying music video portrayed Madonna as a woman walking in a hotel hallway, looking distressed and tired from work, until being seduced into having sex with a mysterious man and woman. It caused controversy worldwide, due to its explicit sexual images, and was subsequently banned from MTV and other TV networks. The video, which contained imagery of sadomasochism,voyeurism, and bisexuality, made its U.S. television debut December 3, 1990 on ABC during its late-night news program Nightline. The song has been performed on three of her concert tours, most recently being on her MDNA Tour in 2012.

"Justify My Love" has a legacy as one of the most, if not the most, controversial songs and videos of Madonna's career. It has been covered multiple times by other artists and also frequently parodied.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Madonna's Career From 1983-2020, In Photos

In addition to her professional accomplishments, she is an activist, who has adopted four of her six children from Malawi. Madonna is the "Queen of Pop Music" and she's one of those iconic celebrities who is known by her first name alone. She's an accomplished performer, businesswoman, and mother, with a career that is entering its fifth decade. Her music, old and new, continues to be played all around the world. Known for pushing boundaries in terms of expression and sexuality, Madonna remains a relevant household name. She’s showing no signs of slowing down and is currently in the middle of her 14 th  tour, for her album,  Madame X . Her tour dates will continue well into 2020, at venues in London and Paris. In 2006, Madonna formed a not-for-profit, charitable organization with Michael Berg, to help combat the poverty and hardship experienced by the million orphans in Malawi. In addition to her professional accomplishments, she is an activist, who has ad...

September 24 1992, Madonna baring her breasts and blowing kisses, At The Jean-Paul Gaultier fashion show.

September 24 1992,   Madonna baring her breasts and blowing kisses, Billy Idol in double leather... we explore the fashion show that raised $700,000 for AIDS research Jean Paul Gaultier  is renowned for many things – his exceptional tailoring, his conical bras, his impassioned approach to sociopolitcal causes in fashion – and, on September 2, 1992, all of these elements united for a show that definitely mattered. In honour of  amFAR  (The American Foundation for AIDS Research), Gaultier held a fashion benefit whose runway included everything from lip-synching to Dr Ruth dressed in rubber to raise money for a cause that devastated (and continues to devastate) communities around the world. "Tonight will be about protection... wear rubber and protect yourself!" – Jean Paul Gaultier "Tonight will be about protection... wear rubber and protect yourself!" explained Gaultier before the show. "I think fashion can make people thin...

The Making of Madonna’s First Album Cover

Carin Goldberg — the art director behind Madonna’s debut album cover — spoke to  the Cut  about her first experience with the then-unknown pop star. It’s the first question that anybody asks me, even today: What was it like to work with Madonna? People think that maybe something dramatic or interesting or kind of wild might have happened, based on, you know, Madonna’s persona. But I would say that Madonna was probably the easiest job I ever had — the most cooperation from a recording artist I think I ever had. She was a true professional, even at that young age. It was ’83, and at that point I had my own small design firm. Warner Bros. called and asked me to do her cover as a freelance designer. When I got the call, I rolled my eyes, because it was another [musician with a] one-word name. At that time it had become cliché to have a one-word name, because of Cher, so I remember thinking, God, it’s going to be one of those. So I really went into it with very little expec...