Tappin' That Azz Thursday: Justify My Love

Welcome back to another edition of Tappin’ That Azz Thursday! This week we are going to take it back to the years 1990 & 91, when all the talk was about Madonna…

In 1990, The Queen of Pop would release her 1st greatest hits album, ‘The Immaculate Collection’. It would feature all of her top hits up until that point; it would also include 2 new songs, that would give us an itty bitty peek about what was in store for the world.

One of these two songs would create such a controversy, that it would be both loved and hated all at the same time! It would also inspire such a music video, one that would have all the lovers “wanting, needing, waiting” for their significant others to ‘justify their love’…

Written mostly by Lenny Kravitz, and having Madonna as a contributor to other lyrics, it was based on a poem by Ingrid Chavez (who would later be credited as a writer). Its melody would be sampled from the song, ‘Security of the First World’, originally used as an interlude for Public Enemy’s album, ‘It Takes a Nation…’.

The vocals would be sung by Kravitz, in the background, while Madonna spoke the lyrics over the music, as she would do later on the ‘Erotica’ album. With this combination, who cannot blame a person for wanting to ‘get down’ with their loved one? However, the song was just the beginning… the video was the oh so climactic end…

Directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, the video would be shot in black and white with elements of a 1960s film noir art film. It would be the story of a woman seeking for her lover to simply justify her love, while adding in elements of S&M, Bondage, and other sexual fetishes. It would also heavily display the themes of being deliberately ambiguous while also be very androgynous about sexual preferences. All in all, an erotic experiment for the whole world to see, and influence in bedrooms all over the world.

Although banned on MTV, the song would go on to be a best selling video single, and rated as one of Rolling Stone’s Top Music Videos ever made. It would have everyone talking, and laughing as well. In 1991, the Sketch show, ‘Saturday Night Live’ would parody this, by having Madonna herself star in the title role alongside Wayne & Garth (Mike Myers & Dana Carvey), proving that the Queen of Pop was not only sexual, but humorous as well…

SNL Short Wayne's World & Madonna - Justify My Love from His Dudeness on Vimeo.

Later on, the song would go onto influence many artists, for it would be covered and sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, Ashanti, and even re-invented by Madonna herself, as it was used in the ‘Girlie Show’ & ‘Reinvention Tour’. The song redone and re-titled, ‘The Beast Within’, would take a transcendent approach, as it was no longer about just sex, but also religion… as both have the power to take us to a higher level…


So here it is, your Tappin’ That Azz Tune Of The Week. Enjoy it, I know I sure will ;o)

Madonna - Justify My Love from James on Vimeo.