Justify My Love

"Justify My Love"
Single cover
Single by Madonna
From the album The Immaculate Collection
Released	November 6, 1990 (Worldwide) December 10, 1990 (JP)
Format	CD maxi single CD Single Video Single
Recorded	1990
Length	4:59
Genre	Pop
Label	Sire / Warner Brothers Records
Writers	Lenny Kravitz Ingrid Chavez (Additional lyrics by Madonna)
Producers	Lenny Kravitz
Chart positions	#1 (USA) #2 (UK) #3 (Swiss) #4 (AUS)
Madonna singles chronology
"Hanky Panky" (1990)	"Justify My Love" (1990)	"Rescue Me" (1991)

"Justify My Love" is a single released by Madonna in 1990. The song went on to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Madonna's ninth number one in the United States. It was written by Lenny Kravitz, Ingrid Chavez and Madonna. Chavez was not initially credited, allegedly to prevent rumors (later admitted) that she was having an affair with Kravitz. It also contains an uncredited sample of "Security of the First World" by the rap group Public Enemy.

The song was unique in that Madonna sings only the background vocals, which are technologically distorted for a higher pitch - the verses are all spoken and whispered. This style served as a prelude to her next album Erotica, in which she spoke the lyrics on some of the songs rather than singing them. The Video also features her then boyfriend, model and actor Tony Ward. Some of the dancers featured in the video are also dancers from her Blonde Ambition Tour.

"The Beast Within" is the most famous remix of this song; it uses only the chorus and certain lines. The verses are replaced by excerpts from the Book of Revelation. Madonna showcased "The Beast Within" in her 1993 Girlie Show tour and even more in her 2004 Re-Invention tour. In the latter, "The Beast Within" was a prologue that played amongst apocalyptic imagery of Madonna on the video screens, prior to her appearance on the stage.

Music Video

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Madonna in video.

Although it was a number one pop hit, "Justify My Love" is perhaps most notable for its controversial music video. The video depicts images of goings-on at a bizarre party in the infamous Hotel Chelsea, where pop artist Andy Warhol was a regular. Featuring scenes of partial nudity, homosexuality, mild sado-masochism and other overt sexual situations, the clip became the first-ever music video to be banned on MTV. MTV's pass on the video created a furor that made headlines. ABC's Nightline played the video in its entirety and Madonna herself appeared on the program to defend her position and express her views on censorship. In any case, the video itself became a bestselling "video single" when it was released on the VHS-format that year. When Forrest Sawyer pointed out to Madonna that she stood to profit even more from the banning of "Justify My Love", Madonna, in typical fashion, smiled and said, "Well, lucky me!"

The video for "Justify My Love" was also banned from regular rotation on MuchMusic in Canada, although the controversy (as well as the subsequent banning of a video by Mitsou) led MuchMusic to launch a new series, Too Much 4 Much, which played controversial music videos accompanied by panel discussions on their artistic and cultural context.

In mid-2002, this video was aired in its entirety on MTV2 as part of a special countdown showing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was only shown late at night because of the graphic imagery of "Justify My Love" and several other videos on the countdown. Despite its controversial nature, the video was at #2 on the countdown.

US Tracklisting

1. Q-Sound Mix (Immaculate Collection version) 5:00
2. Orbit 12" Mix 7:19
3. Hip Hop Mix 6:35
4. Express Yourself (Shep's Spressin' Himself Remix) 9:33
5. The Beast Within Mix 6:13

See also

• Sex, Madonna's 1992 nude photography volume