January 5 1991, Madonna’s Justify My Love single hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

(Written by Lenny Kravitz/Ingrid Chavez/Add. lyrics by Madonna. Producer: Lenny Kravitz/Andre Betts)Released by Sire Records on November 06, 1990

Found in:
The Immaculate Collection (1990)

Certification: PLATINUM (1,000,000 copies)

Live performances:
The Girlie Show World Tour (1993)

CHART RUNS:

Billboard Hot 100
Debut Date: November 17, 1990
Peak date: January 5-12, 1991
Final week on chart: March 2, 1991
Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
Chart run: 46-36-23-10-4-2-2-1-1-2-6-15-26-40-68-86-off (16 weeks)

BILLBOARD HOT 100: (January 5, 1991)#1 “Justify my love” MADONNA (8 weeks/5 weeks at Top 10/1 week at #1) 
#2 ”Because I love you” STEVIE B
#3  ”From a distance” BETTE MIDDLER
#4   ”High enough” DAMN YANKEES
#5 ”Tom’s Dinner” DNA FEAT. SUZANNE VEGA
#6 ”Impulsive” WILSON PHILLIPS
#7  ”Love will never do (without you) JANET JACKSON
#8 ”Sensitivity” RALPH TRESVANT
#9  ”The first time” SURFACE
#10  ”I’m your baby tonight” WHITNEY HOUSTON

Hot 100 Single SalesDebut date: ?, 1991
Peak date: ?, 1991
Final week on chart: ?
Peak: #1
Chart run: ? (? weeks)

Hot 100 Airplay
Debut date: November 24, 1990
Peak date: December 22, 1990-January 5, 1991
Final week on chart: February 23, 1991
Peak: #5 (4 weeks)
Chart run: 23-16-15-11-5-5-5-5-7-10-24-33-46-58-off (14 weeks)

Adult Contemporary
DID NOT CHART

Hot Dance Music/Club PlayDebut date: November 24, 1990
Peak date: January 5-12, 1991
Final week on chart: February 23, 1991
Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
Chart run: 27-11-7-7-3-2-1-1-3-6-18-26-33-49-off (14 weeks)

Hot Dance Music/Maxi Singles SalesDebut date: January 12, 1991
Peak date: January 19-February 2, 1991
Peak position: #1 (3 weeks)
Final week on chart: March 2, 1991
Chart run: 3-1-1-1-2-6-20-30-off (8 weeks)

UK SinglesDebut date: December 8, 1990
Peak date: December 15, 1990
Certification: None
Peak position: #2
Final week on chart: February 9, 1991
Chart run: 9-2-3-7-8-11-24-38-63-65-off (10 weeks)

Rest of the world

Australia: #4
Austria: #9
Canada: #1
European Hot 100 Singles: #4
Finland: #1
France: #17
Italy: #2
Netherlands: #4
New Zealand: #5
Norway: #3
Spain: #3
Sweden: #8
Switzerland: #3

“Justify my love” is Madonna’s 30th single and 25th released in the United States. It’s the first single released from her greatest hits compilation “The Immaculate Collection” in 1990, and at the moment it was her most controversial release. The black and white music video for the song, directed by Madonna’s long time collaborator, Jean Baptiste Mondino and shot in Paris, featured Madonna and other male and female characters indulging themselves into different sexual fantasies. The costumes for the video involved leather outfits, S&M, corsets and other fetish like outfits, but overall is a very elegant, provocative video filled with imagery and noir film elements, displaying very brief nudity, if a woman’s breasts can be called nudity. But the reaction of the media was outrageous, and eventually MTV ended up banning the video. In a smart move, Madonna released the first ever video single in history and became a hot seller.

In my opinion Madonna probably was testing the limits of what’s acceptable in society, what should be censored and definitely pushing people’s buttons. I think she likes the idea of stirring things up, even if it’s going to get her in trouble, but in the end I think it ignited a good debate, where Madonna made her points through. The legacy of this song and video are huge, not only it was a great hit for Madonna (her 9th US number one single) but also has been subject to a lot of parodies and one of the most controversila episodes in modern pop culture. 

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