Express Yourself (Madonna song)
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| “Express Yourself” | |||||
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| Single by Madonna from the album Like a Prayer |
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| B-side | "The Look of Love" | ||||
| Released | May 9, 1989 (U.S.) May 28, 1989 (U.K.) |
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| Format | Cassette, CD, 7", 12" | ||||
| Recorded | December 1988 | ||||
| Genre | Pop/Dance | ||||
| Length | 4:39 | ||||
| Label | Sire, Warner Bros. | ||||
| Writer(s) | Madonna, Stephen Bray | ||||
| Producer | Madonna and Stephen Bray | ||||
| Certification | Gold (United States) Silver (United Kingdom) |
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| Madonna singles chronology | |||||
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| Like a Prayer track listing | |||||
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| The Immaculate Collection track listing | |||||
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"Express Yourself" was the second single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 4th studio album Like a Prayer and was released on May 9, 1989 by Sire Records. It also appears on the 1989 Japanese Mini-album, Remixed Prayers and later appeared remixed on the 1990 compilation album The Immaculate Collection.
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[edit] Song information
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"Express Yourself" The second top-ten single from Like a Prayer stirred up opinions about feminism with its subject matter and highly expensive music video. - Problems playing the files? See media help.
"Express Yourself", written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, was released as a single on May 9, 1989. In Europe, the song hit the number one spot, where it stayed for three weeks, and Japan and the US saw it go to number two; it was generally a top-five hit around the world. The song's melody is strongly lifted from the Staple Singers' hit, "Respect Yourself."
Of all of Madonna's songs, "Express Yourself" perhaps contains the clearest message. The song is one of female empowerment, urging women never to "go for second-best" and to put their love "to the test".
"Express Yourself" was released in France only as a maxi-single due to the fact that previous single "Like A Prayer" was still very successful there during the summer of 1989. The Warner Bros plans were to skip "Express Yourself" in favor of "Cherish", without even serving the song to radio stations. However, French radios decided to play the song, which caused many stations to create their own edit versions of the song from the mixes featured in the maxi-single. The song was not eligible to chart in the French "Top 50" (France official singles chart), for "Express Yourself" was only available under a limited amount of maxi-singles, .
In 1989, Madonna performed "Express Yourself" at the MTV Video Music Awards; the song won Best Video of the Year honors. Madonna later went on to incorporate that choreography into her Blond Ambition Tour in 1990, which she opened with the Non-Stop Express remix of "Express Yourself". She also performed "Express Yourself" during The Girlie Show Tour in 1993 and the Re-Invention Tour in 2004.
American Idol's season one winner, Kelly Clarkson, performed "Express Yourself" for her audition.
[edit] Music video
Upon its release, the music video for "Express Yourself", the premise of which is that of the Fritz Lang classic film Metropolis, generated a great amount of attention in the media. In the video, directed by David Fincher and filmed in April 1989 at Culver Studios in Culver City, California, Madonna is seen as the epitome of femininity, residing with her cat high above the masculine world of hard work and steam, at once protected and isolated by her surroundings and "chained" to her desires. An older man (played by Gustav Vintas) seems to be in control of the entire situation and keeps a watchful eye over the young male workers (and over Madonna).
Eventually, the queen of pop, dressed in a man's suit (that supposedly is from the movie Dick Tracy which was being filmed the same time as the video was), the jacket of which she briefly opens to expose her bra, and grabbing her crotch, bursts forth into the male-dominated world. When the other workers are involved in a boxing match for the entertainment of the older man, a young worker (played by Cameron Alborzian), who earlier saw a vision of the star's eyes, meets with a now-naked and seemingly vulnerable Madonna. The pair kiss and fall to the floor in an embrace. The clip ends with a quotation from the film: "Without the heart, there can be no understanding between the hand and the mind".
"Express Yourself" world premiered on May 17, 1989 on MTV. It ranked #10 on both Rolling Stone magazine's "The 100 Top Music Videos" and MTV's "100 Greatest Videos Ever Made" as well as #1 on Slant Magazine's "100 Greatest Music Videos" [1].
Madonna mentioned jokingly in a 1990 BBC Interview that the main theme of the video and the cat mephor present was that "Pussy rules the world".[1][2]
- Director: David Fincher
- Producer: Gregg Fienberg
- Director of Photography: Mark Plummer
- Editor: Scott Chestnut
- Production Company: Propaganda Films
[edit] List of official mixes
- Album Version (4:37)
- 7" Remix (4:30)
- Local Mix (6:20)
- Remix/Edit (4:50) - Promo Only
- Non-Stop Express Mix (7:57)
- Stop and Go Dubs (10:49) ++
- Q-Sound Mix / The Immaculate Collection Mix (4:02) +
- Express Yourself (1990) (Shep's 'Spressin Himself Re-remix) (9:31)
- Local Radio Edit - Promo Only (4:11)
- Local Remix Edit - Promo Only (5:17)
- Shep's Dub 1 - Promo Only (6:19)
- Shep's Dub 2 - Promo Only (7:53)
Additional production and remix by Shep Pettibone for Mastermix Productions.
Edited by Shep Pettibone.
+Mixed by Shep Pettibone and Goh Hotoda.
++At 6:25, the dub stops and the Remix/Edit Instrumental (4:24) begins.
[edit] Tracklisting
US 7" Vinyl Single (Promo Only)
- Express Yourself (7" Remix) 4:30
- Express Yourself (Remix/Edit) 4:50
US 7" Vinyl Single
- Express Yourself (7" Remix) 4:30
- The Look Of Love (Album Version) 4:03
US 7" Vinyl Single "Back To Back Hits"
- Express Yourself (7" Remix) 4:30
- Cherish (Fade) 4:03
US 12" Vinyl Maxi-Single
- Express Yourself (Non-Stop Express Mix) 7:54
- Express Yourself (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:40
- Express Yourself (Local Mix) 6:20
- The Look Of Love (Album Version) 4:03
US 5" CD Single (Promo Only)
- Express Yourself (7" Remix) 4:30
- Express Yourself (Remix/Edit) 4:50
- Express Yourself (Non-Stop Express Mix) 7:54
- Express Yourself (Local Mix) 6:20
Brazilian 12" Maxi-Single (Promo Only)
- Express Yourself (Album Version) 4:37
- Express Yourself (7" Remix) 4:30
- Express Yourself (Non-Stop Express Mix) 7:54
- Express Yourself (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:40
UK 3" CD Single
- Express Yourself (Non Stop Express Mix) 7:54
- Express Yourself (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:40
German 12" Vinyl Maxi-Single
- Express Yourself (Non Stop Express Mix) 7:54
- Express Yourself (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:40
German 5" CD Single (Re-Issued)
- Express Yourself (Non Stop Express Mix) 7:54
- Express Yourself (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:40
Japanese 3" CD Single
- Express Yourself (Album Version) 4:37
- The Look Of Love (Album Version) 4:03
Japanese CD Mini-Album "Remixed Prayers"
- Like a Prayer (12" Dance Mix) 7:55
- Like a Prayer (12" Extended Mix) 7:26
- Like a Prayer (Churchapella) 6:09
- Like a Prayer (12" Club Version) 6:38
- Like a Prayer (7" Remix Edit) 5:45
- Express Yourself (Non-Stop Mix) 8:01
- Express Yourself (Stop + Go Dubs) 10:52
- Express Yourself (Local Mix) 6:27
[edit] Tracklisting as B-side
US CD Maxi-Single "Justify My Love"
- Justify My Love (Q-Sound Mix) 5:00
- Justify My Love (Orbit 12" Mix) 7:19
- Justify My Love (Hip Hop Mix) 6:35
- Express Yourself (1990) (Shep's 'Spressin' Himself Re-Remix) 9:33
- Justify My Love (The Beast Within Mix) 6:13
German 7" Vinyl Single "Justify My Love"
- Justify My Love (Album Version) 4:58
- Express Yourself (Remix Album Version) 4:02
German 12" Vinyl Maxi-Single "Justify My Love"
- Justify My Love (William Orbit Remix) 7:13
- Justify My Love (Album Version) 4:59
- Express Yourself (Shep's 'Spressin' Himself Re-Remix) 4:02 - Wrong labeled. It plays the "Remix Album Version"
Japanese 3" CD Single "Justify My Love"
- Justify My Love (Album Version) 4:58
- Express Yourself (Remix Album Version) 4:02
Japanese CD Mini-Album "Rescue Me (Alternate Mix)"
- Justify My Love (Q-Sound Mix) 5:00
- Justify My Love (Orbit 12" Mix) 7:19
- Justify My Love (Hip Hop Mix) 6:35
- Express Yourself (1990) (Shep's 'Spressin' Himself Re-Remix) 9:33
- Justify My Love (The Beast Within Mix) 6:13
- Rescue Me (Single Mix) 4:54
- Rescue Me (Titanic Vocal) 8:16
- Rescue Me (Houseboat Vocal) 6:58
- Rescue Me (Lifeboat Vocal) 5:18
- Rescue Me (S.O.S. Mix) 6:24
[edit] Charts
"Express Yourself" debuted at a high #41, the week of June 3, 1989, on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, and was in the Top 10 by the week of July 1, 1989, rocketing 13-6 that week, and eventually spending two weeks in the runner-up spot beginning on July 15, 1989. "Express Yourself" was kept from the top spot by Simply Red ("If You Don't Know Me By Now") and Martika ("Toy Soldiers").
| Chart (1989) | Peak Position |
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| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 1 |
| Australia | 5 |
| Austria | 5 |
| Belgium | 2 |
| Brazil | 4 |
| Canada | 4 |
| Chile | 2 |
| China | 5 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 1 |
| Germany | 3 |
| Japan | 2 |
| Netherlands | 5 |
| Norway | 4 |
| Israel | 4 |
| Ireland | 3 |
| Italy | 1 |
| South Africa, Republic of | 4 |
| Spain | 3 |
| Sweden | 3 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| United Kingdom | 5 |
[edit] Certifications
| Country | Certification |
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| Australia | Gold |
| UK | Silver |
| USA | Gold |
[edit] References
- ^ BBC Omnibus Madonna Special (1990), Broadcast: December 1990, BBC One
- ^ http://video.aol.com/video-detail/madonna-bbc-documentary-1990-part-2/944214368
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