Madonna - Justify My Love
NME.COM feature on Madonna - Justify My Love album including album review, artwork, tracks, listen now, tour dates, discography and more.
Release date: 12 January 2000
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![Madonna - Justify My Love [MDNA World Tour Backdrop by Tom Munro]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fEMOYhb4DSU/0.jpg)
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Madonna - Justify My Love: Wikipedia Album Entry
"Justify My Love" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection and was released on November 6, 1990, by Sire Records. It caused international controversy due to the accompanying music video which was sexually explicit and even banned by MTV. This outraged Madonna and she appeared on ABC's Nightline to defend it. The single was also released as a video-single and became the highest selling video single of all-time. When released, the single rose to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and many other worldwide charts. The single made number two in the UK christmas charts selling 228,683 copies.
Background
"Justify My Love" was written by Lenny Kravitz, Ingrid Chavez and Madonna. Kravitz wrote the song for Madonna, based on a poem written by friend and Prince protégé Ingrid Chavez. Kravitz added the title hook and chorus. Madonna contributed a few lines. 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.
Producer Kravitz sampled the intro found on Public Enemy's instrumental, "Security of the First World", and used it as the basis of the song. The song was unique in that Madonna's vocals are primarily 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. Kravitz provided background vocals. Rumors of a love affair between Kravitz and Madonna sprang up in the press upon the release of the song. Kravitz has denied these rumors.
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 #12 spot.
Rapper Mase sampled the song on his 1999 album, Double Up, on his song "Stay Out of My Way". The song was covered by rapper Vita and pop–R&B singer Ashanti for The Fast and the Furious soundtrack in 2001. Rapper Jay-Z's song, "Justify My Thug", from his 2003 album, The Black Album produced by DJ Quik, is a remake of "Justify My Love." Enigma sampled "Justify My Love" for their "Orthodox Remix" of the 1990 single, "Mea Culpa (Part II)".
Madonna performed this song on her 1993 Girlie Show Tour.
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