November 21, 2000 // "Don't Tell Me" was released as the second single from Madonna's eighth studio album "Music"

"Don't Tell Me" is a song by Madonna from her eighth studio album Music (2000). It was written by Madonna, Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Joe Henry, while being produced by the former two. "Don't Tell Me" is a country and dance song, with elements of trip hop and folk within its composition, and its lyrical content features "don't-tell-me-what-to-do" lyrics, where Madonna asks her lover to not tell her who she should love, or how she should love. It was released as the second single from the album on November 21, 2000 by Maverick Records. The song was also included on the compilation albums GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009).

"Don't Tell Me" received positive reviews from music critics, who cited the song as one of the album's standout and praised Madonna's "soulful" vocals performance. Madonna also received comparisons to Sheryl Crow on the track. It was commercially successful, reaching the number one in Canada, Italy and New Zealand, as well as the top five in several regions. In the United States, "Don't Tell Me" reached number four on the BillboardHot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); She became tie with The Beatles and stayed only behind Elvis Presley for the most top-ten singles and most gold singles in the history.

The accompanying music video for "Don't Tell Me" was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and featured Madonna as a cowgirl walking down an automated treadmill walkway in front of a projection screen, with cowboys dancing and playing on the sand in the video played on the screen behind her. The video received two nominations on the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, while also being nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form. Madonna performed the song live on the Drowned World Tour, Re-Invention World Tour and Rebel Heart Tour, and also as a mashup with Miley Cyrus' song "We Can't Stop" when she appeared on Cyrus' MTV Unplugged special. A number of references to the song and cover versions were made.