Express Yourself

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This article is about the 1989 single by Madonna. For other uses, see Express Yourself (disambiguation).

"Express Yourself"

Single by Madonna
from the album Like a Prayer
Released	May 9, 1989
Recorded	December 1988
Genre	Pop/Dance
Length	4:39
Label	Warner Bros. / Sire Records
Producer(s)	Madonna Stephen Bray
Chart positions
#5 (UK) #5 (Australia) #2 (USA) #2 (Japan) #4 (Canada)
Madonna singles chronology
"Like a Prayer" (1989)	"Express Yourself" (1989)	"Cherish" (1989)

"Express Yourself" was the second single from Madonna's multi-platinum selling 1989 album Like a Prayer. It was composed and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, with additional production and remixing by Shep Pettibone (Pettibone did another remix a year later, the "Shep's Spressin' Himself Remix"). The extended mixes from this single also appeared on Remixed Prayers.

1 Song information
2 Music video
3 List of official mixes
4 Charts
5 Certifications
6 References

[edit] Song information

"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.

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". Some critics, however, felt that the song was detrimental to the feminist movement, arguing that women shouldn't need "a big strong hand" to lift them to their higher ground.

In 1989, Madonna performed "Express Yourself" at the MTV Video Music Awards; the song went on to win several awards that night. 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, 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 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, 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, who earlier saw a vision of the star's eyes, meets with a now-naked and seemingly vulnerable Madonna. The pair kiss as 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".

[edit] List of official mixes

Album Version
Local Mix / Extended 12"
7" Remix / Local Mix Edit
Non-Stop Express Mix
Remix/Edit / Non-Stop Express Edit
Q-Sound Mix / The Immaculate Collection Mix
Remix/Edit Instrumental
Stop and Go Dubs
Express Yourself 1990 (Shep's 'Spressin Himself Re-remix)
Remix Video Version #1
Remix Video Version #2

Audio sample:

"Express Yourself" (file info) — play in browser (beta)

The second top-ten single from Like a Prayer stirred up opinions about feminism with its subject matter and highly expensive music video.

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[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
Australia ARIA Top 50 Singles	5
Austria	5
Canada	4
Eurochart Hot 100	1
Germany (Media Control)	3
Japan (ChartJapan)	2
Switzerland	1
UK Singles Chart	5
China Top Singles	5
USA Billboard Hot 100	2
USA Billboard Adult Contemporary	12
USA Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart	1
USA Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	1