Justify My Love

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Lore & Background

The song's origins trace back to a personal love letter written by Ingrid Chavez for Lenny Kravitz during their affair. Kravitz recorded the letter in one take at a studio where he was working with André Betts. Although Kravitz initially planned to use it, he realized it was perfect for Madonna after hearing her potential. When Chavez was asked to sign away credit and most royalties for just 12.5%, she agreed but later sued upon release, claiming Kravitz only wrote the title line while Madonna altered lyrics. This legal battle resulted in an out-of-court settlement granting Chavez 12.5% of royalties and credit on future pressings, though her name remains absent from compilations. Meanwhile, André Betts also sued Kravitz for promised co-producer credit and half the royalties, receiving only associate producer status instead.

In Their Own Story

In New York City, Lenny Kravitz played his demo of "Justify My Love" to Madonna on the same day they met. She listened multiple times before agreeing to record it, with the session happening entirely in one day alongside Kravitz and his engineers. The result was a minimal yet powerful track recorded at Waterfront Studios in London and Unique Recording Studios in New York City. The song features a drum sample initially thought to be from Public Enemy's "Security of the First World," leading to legal threats, though industry members debated if it originated from James Brown's "Funky Drummer." Producer Hank Shocklee denied the group ever sampled their beat. Madonna later clarified she didn't write the music, while Kravitz dismissed the claims as finding a beat "on the floor somewhere." The final mix utilized QSound technology to create a three-dimensional audio effect.

Reader's Guide

Released on November 6, 1990, in the US, "Justify My Love" quickly became Madonna's ninth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts in Canada as well. The song's B minor composition features a moderate tempo of 132 beats per minute with Madonna's vocals ranging from A4 to D5. Its music video, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and shot in Paris, pays tribute to the 1963 film *Bay of Angels*. Starring then-boyfriend Tony Ward, it depicts a woman seduced into a sexual encounter involving a mysterious man and woman, featuring imagery of sadomasochism, voyeurism, and bisexuality. Banned internationally by MTV and other networks, the video was released as a VHS single, becoming the first short-form video certified multiplatinum by the RIAA. The "Beast Within" remix faced condemnation for anti-semitic remarks by some Jewish organizations. Despite bans, the song received positive critical reviews and has been performed on four tours, most recently the 2023–2024 Celebration Tour.

Did You Know?

• The song was recorded in just one day with only Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, and his engineers present.
• Ingrid Chavez initially signed away credit for the song but later sued, resulting in an out-of-court settlement where she received 12.5% of royalties.
• The music video was banned from MTV due to its explicit content featuring sadomasochism, voyeurism, and bisexuality.
• Despite being banned on television, the video became the first-ever short-form video certified multiplatinum in the US by the RIAA when released as a VHS single.
• The track includes a drum sample that was mistakenly attributed to Public Enemy's "Security of the First World," though industry experts believed it came from James Brown's "Funky Drummer."