Justify My Love

"Justify My Love" is a song by American singer Madonna from her first greatest hits album "The Immaculate Collection" (1990). It was released as the lead single from "The Immaculate Collection" on November 6, 1990, by Sire Records. 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 that she later employed on her following studio album "Erotica" (1992).
Musically, "Justify My Love" is a trip hop 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 by many contemporary critics, noting it as one of Madonna's best songs to date. The song became Madonna's ninth number-one single on the "Billboard" Hot 100, peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and reached the top-ten in several countries including Australia, Canada, Finland, Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland. In 2003, "Q Magazine" ranked "Justify My Love" at number 842 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".
The accompanying music video, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and shot in Paris, 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 US television debut December 3, 1990, on ABC during its late-night news program "Nightline". "Justify My Love" was part of the set list of three of Madonna's concert tours, the most recent being The MDNA Tour in 2012.
Background.
"Justify My Love" was originally written and recorded by Ingrid Chavez, Prince's protégé and friend, and Lenny Kravitz: he and producer André Betts composed the music while Chavez penned the lyrics based on a poem she had written for Kravitz, and read them aloud. Kravitz added the title hook and chorus to the demo while Madonna corrected one line. Chavez was not credited for the song and later sued Kravitz in 1992: she received an out-of-court settlement and gained a co-writing credit for her work. When the lawsuit was settled, Chavez's attorney, Steven E. Kurtz, clarified that Madonna's additional writing credit was not questioned in the lawsuit. The song was released on November 6, 1990, three days before the release of "The Immaculate Collection".
Producer Kravitz used the drums found on Public Enemy's instrumental "Security of the First World", without consent, which was in turn based on the end drum break of James Brown's "Funky Drummer", and used it as the basis of the song. The song was unusual in that Madonna's vocals are primarily spoken and whispered, but almost never sung. This style served as a prelude to her next studio effort "Erotica", in which she spoke the lyrics on some of the songs rather than singing them. Kravitz and Madonna provided background vocals. Chavez' had previously provided the "spoken intro" to Prince's 1988 song "Eye No", and Chavez' vocal style on her 1991 debut album has been described as "breathy spoken passages".
Composition.
Composed as a mid-tempo song, "Justify My Love" is a trip hop-inspired song. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is set in common time, with a tempo of 100 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of B minor with Madonna's voice ranging from the tonal nodes of A4 to D5. According to Jim Farber from "Entertainment Weekly", he described the song's musical beat and Madonna's vocals as "vague, tuneless phrases chanted in Madonna's most breathless voice over a minimal house groove — serves mainly to justify the visuals." In a review for "The Immaculate Collection", David Browne said that she introduced an "adult" pop. The song features "heavy breathing with a backbeat." Robert Christgau had compared the song composition to the songs on Madonna's "Erotica" album. Bill Lamb from "About.com" said the song is "quite powerful and enthralling in its dreamy, beat heavy celebration of carnal coupling."
Remix.
Madonna and Kravitz remixed the song and named it "The Beast Within". It was included on the 12" vinyl and CD maxi-single release in North America. The remix uses only the chorus and certain lines of the original song, with the verses being replaced by passages from the Book of Revelation. Subsequent live concert performances have simply billed the song as "The Beast Within", a song in its own right, it is now no longer referred to as a remix. The song first garnered media attention early in 1991 when the Simon Wiesenthal Center accused the song of containing anti-semitic lyrics; specifically the lyric "those who say that they are Jews, but they are not. They are a Synagogue of Satan".
Critical reception.
"Justify My Love" received acclaim from many music critics. In a separate review from AllMusic, they gave the song four-and-a-half stars out of five, stating "[Justify My Love] stands as one of the best of Madonna's long history of well-packaged maxi-singles, and further helped set a precedent for the maxi-single market." Larry Flick from "Billboard" commented that "her steamy collaboration" with Lenny Kravitz "has the juice to become the '90s equivalent" of Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby". He noted that "the chameleonlike singer writhes and whispers on top of a sparse, hypnotic hip-hop beat that strays miles away from the chirpy pop of her past. Break a sweat." In a review from "Entertainment Weekly" by David Browne, he gave it a positive remark saying that people who have a "hoo-haa" surrounding the banning of the single "underestimate her". "Music & Media" commented, "The unlikely collaboration of Madonna and Lenny Kravitz is a marriage made in heaven. Kravitz brought that beat back, while Madonna's sultry moans would make the Pope faint with certain desires. Atmospheric, yet brutal in an unconventional manner, this record whispers the word SEX very loudly and very convincingly. Most of all, it's a gutsy product." "Music Week" called it a "mumbling sexy judderer". "Rolling Stone" said that the song and contemporaneous "Rescue Me" were "worthy sensual newies". While reviewing "Celebration", Bill Lamb from "About.com" said "Songs such as "Justify My Love" that sounded a little over-indulgent when first released have worn very well over time." Alexandra Capotorto from PopCrush.com said "'Justify My Love' is perfectly constructed lovemaking music. While this track might be oozing sex, it's the NSFW music video that caused the most drama [...]"
Chart performance.
In the United States, "Justify My Love" debuted at number 46 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, on the issue dated November 17, 1990. Eight weeks later it reached number one, staying there for two weeks. It also topped the Dance Club Songs chart and peaked at number 42 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On February 22, 1991, the song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million units. As of December 2020, "Justify My Love" has sold five million copies in United States. In 1991, "Justify My Love" ranked at number 21 on the year-end "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. It was also successful in Canada, where it topped the charts on the week dated February 2, 1991. The song eventually received a Gold certification by Music Canada (MC) for shipments of 50,000 copies. In Oceania, the song debuted at number 14 on the ARIA Charts, eventually peaking at number four. It was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 22 and peaked at number five for two consecutive weeks.
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number nine on December 2, 1990 and reached number two a week later. It was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). As of August 2017, the song had sold 275,500 copies in the United Kingdom and was Madonna's 23rd best selling single in the region. The song also achieved success in other parts of Europe. In Austria, "Justify My Love" debuted at number 21 on the week of January 13, 1991, before peaking at number nine within a month. On December 17, 1990, the song debuted at number 50 in Germany, eventually peaking at number ten for two weeks. The song debuted at number 16 in Sweden, eventually peaking at number eight for one week. It experienced more success in Switzerland, debuting at number 12 on January 13, 1991 and peaking at number three for two weeks. "Justify My Love" also reached number three on the European Hot 100 Singles chart, on the issue dated January 12, 1991.
Music video.
Background.
The music video for "Justify My Love" was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and shot in Paris, France on November 9, 1990. Mondino also worked with Madonna in 1986 on her video for "Open Your Heart". It features Madonna's then-boyfriend, model and actor Tony Ward. Some of the dancers featured in the video were also dancers from her Blond Ambition World Tour. It is a tribute to Jeanne Moreau of "La baie des anges". In 2013, Madonna declared it her favorite music video.
Synopsis.
The video was filmed in grainy black and white in the style of a 1960s European art film. There are also several shadowy film noir elements such as characters seen only in silhouette. The action takes place in an elegant hotel that apparently caters to alternate lifestyle couples. Madonna (or the character she's playing) enters looking tired and distressed as she walks down the hallway toward her room. There, she has a romantic fling with a mysterious man (played by Ward). Some of the doors to the other rooms are ajar and we catch glimpses of various couples cavorting in BDSM fetish outfits (leather, PVC T-shirts, latex underwear and corsets).
In a dream-like sequence, Madonna rolls around in bed wearing skimpy lace underwear and a garter belt and stockings while various figures come and go. The entire nudity (which led to the video being banned) occurs when a topless dominatrix-type woman, played by model Wallis Franken—suspenders partly covering her breasts—appears and roughly grabs a bound man (the same man who is with Madonna) by the hair. Her outfit, which includes a peaked leather hat and black gloves, copies the ensemble worn by Charlotte Rampling in the 1974 controversial film "The Night Porter". (Both the film and the video share elements of sadomasochism.) The theme of androgyny is also briefly alluded to when a woman who closely resembles Madonna's lover is seen in men's clothing with a drawn-on pencil mustache. The overall presentation is surreal and deliberately ambiguous. The retinue of strange characters may be real or simply fantasies from Madonna's imagination. In the end, a rejuvenated Madonna rushes out of the hotel room smiling and laughing.
Controversy and ban.
The video was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and was banned from the network. Madonna responded to the banning: "Why is it that people are willing to go and watch a movie about someone getting blown to bits for no reason at all, and nobody wants to see two girls kissing and two men snuggling?" On December 3, 1990, ABC's "Nightline" played the video in its entirety, then interviewed Madonna live about the video's sexual content and censorship. When asked whether she stood to make more money selling the video than airing it on MTV, she answered, "Yeah, so lucky me." She also accused MTV of double standards regarding censorship, expressing that she did not understand why they banned the video yet allowed videos that contained violence and degradation to women to continue receiving regular airplay. The video was then released in VHS and became the best-selling "video single" of all time.
The video 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 2002, the 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 shown only late at night because of the graphic imagery of "Justify My Love" and several other videos on the countdown.
Although many complaints were received, the video was played without restriction on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's popular music video show "Rage"; as, being a public broadcaster, the ABC is not bound to follow classification guidelines.
Release.
"Justify My Love" was the first VHS video single released by Madonna. This was the first time an artist had released a single in this format in the United States (British rock band Queen released "Who Wants to Live Forever" as a video single in the United Kingdom four years earlier). Released on VHS only, the packaging in North America was a plain black slip cover with a sticker around it, so that it resembled a "seedy video". In Europe, it was given the full cover artwork treatment, and they also included a bonus video of Madonna's performance of "Vogue" at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. In the United Kingdom, the video was given an "18" certificate by the BBFC, meaning no one under that age could legally buy or see the release. At the time of its release, the video peaked at number two on the "Billboard" Top Music Videos chart for two weeks and spent 39 weeks in the chart overall. The music video was released on DVD for the first time on the greatest videos compilation "" in 2009. This version of the video was censored with black bars in a scene that contains female nudity. In Australia, the video was rated "M" and in New Zealand, the video was rated "R16" for sex scenes. Overall, after its release, the VHS single sold about a million copies.
Usage in media.
On May 11, 1991, Madonna made a guest appearance on "Saturday Night Live" on the recurring sketch "Wayne's World"; it spoofed the song's music video as well as her documentary "". It consisted on Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) encountering a seductive Madonna lying on a bed in a hotel room during a fantasy dream sequence, filmed in black and white. After some back-and-forth banter, Wayne and Madonna play truth or dare. Wayne begins by saying "truth". Madonna then asks "Have you ever made love with two women at the same time?" Wayne answers "Uh... yes!" to which Madonna says "Okay, I believe you... Not!" Wayne then dares Madonna to make out with him. As they kiss, the music for "Justify My Love" begins playing. Garth is then seen dancing in a parody of the video before being abducted by two women in fetish-wear outfits.
Live performances.
Madonna performed the song twice during The Girlie Show World Tour, the original version and also the "The Beast Within Mix". The latter was used as a dancers interlude during the show. The "The Beast Within Mix" was again used as the video introduction to the 2004 Re-Invention World Tour, including imagery of Madonna from the exhibition "X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS", prior to her appearing on stage. It was subsequently included on the 2006 live album "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret". This new version omits the controversial lyrics which caused the 1991 accusations.
The song was remixed again by William Orbit and used on The MDNA Tour as a video interlude. The black-and-white backdrop video, directed by Tom Munro, features Madonna being chased by people in carnival masks and locks herself in a room to indulge into her fantasies, while the masked followers search for her. The video is said to be a metaphor for everybody trying to take advantage of her, judge her or exploit her private life, and the interlude is her expression of escaping the judgement.
Samples of the song were also used during the SEX video/performance interlude on the Rebel Heart Tour.
Legacy.
"Justify My Love" has remained one of Madonna's most controversial singles to date. As a result of all the controversy, the single was released as a video single and went on to become the best-selling video single of all time, eventually becoming certified four-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2003, Madonna fans were asked to vote for their Top 20 Madonna singles of all time by "Q" magazine. "Justify My Love" was allocated the number 12 spot.
Bill Lamb from "About.com" had listed the song at number 21 on his "The Biggest Madonna Songs". He also made a list entitled "Top 10 Madonna Music Videos", where it ended up at number four. PopCrush.com had listed the song at number one on their "Top 10 Sex Songs". "Billboard" had listed the song at number five on their "Madonna's 40 Biggest Billboard Hits".
Certifications and sales.
!scope="col" colspan="3"|Physical
!scope="col" colspan="3"|Longform Video