Madonna’s ‘Justify My Love’ Is Based on a Poem
Madonna‘s songs are great, but they usually aren’t considered poetic. Despite this, Madonna’s “Justify My Love” was based on a poem that the Material Girl did not write. The poem’s author revealed what she thought of the whole ordeal. Regardless of her feelings, “Justify My Love” still played a major role in the Queen of Pop’s career.
Madonna’s ‘Justify My Love’ has connections to Lenny Kravitz and Prince
“Justify My Love” was co-written by three people: Madonna, rock star Lenny Kravitz, and poet Ingrid Chavez. During a 2019 interview with The Current, Chavez said the started originated from a poem she wrote for Prince. She turned the poem into a song with the help of a producer. Madonna then copied her song without her knowledge.
“No one told me that this was going to be for anybody but me,” she said. “This was my song. So a little while I heard that Madonna was going to do it, and that they didn’t want anybody to know that I had written it. I kind of got talked into being a ghostwriter on it, but as soon as it came out Prince called me up immediately and said, ‘Ingrid, what’s up with that Madonna song, ‘Justify My Love?’ That’s you. I know it’s you.”
Madonna’s actions made Prince upset
Chavez later explained the situation to Prince. “And that was the first time I told anybody — anybody — about it,” she remembered. “He was upset.” Notably, Prince repeatedly protested music industry practices that he felt were unfair, which is why he’s considered one of the all-time great pop musicians.
“He was like ‘Your record is about to come out and people are going to think you’re copying Madonna,'” she added. “And so the very next day I got lawyers and made sure that did not happen, that Madonna didn’t get the [sole] credit for writing that, that it was my song.” For better or worse, “Justify My Love” remains more famous than any of the other songs Chavez wrote.
‘Justify My Love’ sent an important message
In 1990, Madonna released two singles that topped the Billboard Hot 100: “Vogue” and “Justify My Love.” Both songs inspired black-and-white music videos that proved that Madonna knew how to be sexual, classy, and retro at the same time. The songs sent out the message that the Queen of Pop would be here to stay for another glorious decade of hits. “Justify My Love” was No. 1 in the United States for two weeks, staying on the chart for 16 weeks in total.
“Justify My Love” appeared on Madonna’s greatest hits album, The Immaculate Collection. The Immaculate Collection encapsulates the first decade of Madonna’s career in chronological order. That record reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 148 weeks. Aside from Madonna’s self-titled debut album, The Immaculate Collection spent more time on the Billboard 200 than any of the Queen of Pop’s other albums. The record included two new songs: “Justify My Love” and “Rescue Me.” They are some of the best and most underrated songs of Madonna’s career.
The backstory of “Justify My Love” is ethically questionable but it’s such a good tune and a classic video.
