Express Yourself

Vorlage:Infobox Single Vorlage:Listen "Express Yourself" was the second single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her fourth studio album Like a Prayer, and was released on May 9, 1989 by Sire Records. It also appears remixed on both the 1989 Japanese mini-album Remixed Prayers and the 1990 compilation album The Immaculate Collection.

Song information

"Express Yourself", written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, was released as a single on May 9, 1989. In Europe, the single was her sixth number one hit, staying at the top for three weeks, and Japan and the US saw it go to number two; it was generally a top-five hit around the world and reached number 5 in the UK and Australia and number 4 in Canada.

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 the 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's official singles chart), for "Express Yourself" was only available under a limited amount of maxi-singles.

American Idol's season one winner, Kelly Clarkson, performed "Express Yourself" for her audition.

Chart performance

"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").

Music video

Datei:Expressyourselfmusicvideo.jpg

Madonna in the music video for "Express Yourself"

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. Its budget was $5 million, which was an all-time record for a music video at the time it was made.

"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"

Madonna mentioned jokingly in a 1990 BBC interview that the main theme of the video and the cat metaphor present was that "Pussy rules the world".

• Director: David Fincher
• Producer: Gregg Fienberg
• Director of Photography: Mark Plummer
• Editor: Scott Chestnut
• Production Company: Propaganda Films

Tracklisting & formats

• Album Version (4:37)
• 7" Remix (4:35)
• Local Mix (6:26)
• Remix/Edit (4:50) - Promo Only
• Non-Stop Express Mix (7:57)
• Stop & Go Dubs (10:49) ++
• Q-Sound Mix / The Immaculate Collection Mix (4:02) +
• Express Yourself (1990) (Shep's 'Spressin Himself Re-remix) (9:31)

Tracklisting

US 7" Vinyl Single (Promo Only)

1. "Express Yourself" (7" Remix) 4:35
2. "Express Yourself" (Remix/Edit) 4:50

US 7" Vinyl Single

1. "Express Yourself" (7" Remix) 4:35
2. "The Look of Love" (Album Version) 4:00

US 7" Vinyl Single "Back To Back Hits"

1. "Express Yourself" (7" Remix) 4:35
2. "Cherish" (Fade) 4:03

US 12" Vinyl Maxi-Single

1. "Express Yourself" (Non-Stop Express Mix) 7:57
2. "Express Yourself" (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:49
3. "Express Yourself" (Local Mix) 6:26
4. "The Look of Love" (Album Version) 4:00

US 5" CD Single (Promo Only)

1. "Express Yourself" (7" Remix) 4:35
2. "Express Yourself" (Remix/Edit) 4:50
3. "Express Yourself" (Non-Stop Express Mix) 7:57
4. "Express Yourself" (Local Mix) 6:26

Brazilian 12" Maxi-Single (Promo Only)

1. "Express Yourself" (Album Version) 4:37
2. "Express Yourself" (7" Remix) 4:35
3. "Express Yourself" (Non-Stop Express Mix) 7:57
4. "Express Yourself" (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:49

UK 3" CD Single

1. "Express Yourself" (Non Stop Express Mix) 7:57
2. "Express Yourself" (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:49

German 12" Vinyl Maxi-Single

1. "Express Yourself" (Non Stop Express Mix) 7:57
2. "Express Yourself" (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:49

German 5" CD Single (Re-Issued)

1. "Express Yourself" (Non Stop Express Mix) 7:57
2. "Express Yourself" (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:49

Japanese 3" CD Single

1. "Express Yourself" (Album Version) 4:37
2. "The Look of Love" (Album Version) 4:00

Japanese CD Mini-Album Remixed Prayers

1. "Like a Prayer" (12" Dance Mix) 7:50
2. "Like a Prayer" (12" Extended Mix) 7:21
3. "Like a Prayer" (Churchapella) 6:05
4. "Like a Prayer" (12" Club Version) 6:35
5. "Like a Prayer" (7" Remix Edit) 5:41
6. "Express Yourself" (Non-Stop Express Mix) 7:57
7. "Express Yourself" (Stop & Go Dubs) 10:49
8. "Express Yourself" (Local Mix) 6:26

Tracklisting as B-side

US CD Maxi-Single "Justify My Love"

1. "Justify My Love" (Q-Sound Mix) 4:55
2. "Justify My Love" (Orbit 12" Mix) 7:16
3. "Justify My Love" (Hip Hop Mix) 6:31
4. "Express Yourself" (1990) (Shep's 'Spressin' Himself Re-Remix) 9:30
5. "Justify My Love" (The Beast Within Mix) 6:11

German 7" Vinyl Single "Justify My Love"

1. "Justify My Love" (Album Version) 4:58
2. "Express Yourself" (Remix Album Version) 4:02

German 12" Vinyl Maxi-Single "Justify My Love"

1. "Justify My Love" (William Orbit Remix) 7:16
2. "Justify My Love" (Album Version) 4:59
3. "Express Yourself" (Shep's 'Spressin' Himself Re-Remix) 4:02 - Wrongly labeled. It plays the "Remix Album Version"

Japanese 3" CD Single "Justify My Love"

1. "Justify My Love" (Album Version) 4:58
2. "Express Yourself" (Remix Album Version) 4:02

Japanese CD Mini-Album "Rescue Me (Alternate Mix)"

1. "Justify My Love" (Q-Sound Mix) 4:55
2. "Justify My Love" (Orbit 12" Mix) 7:16
3. "Justify My Love" (Hip Hop Mix) 6:31
4. "Express Yourself" (1990) (Shep's 'Spressin' Himself Re-Remix) 9:30
5. "Justify My Love" (The Beast Within Mix) 6:11
6. "Rescue Me" (Single Mix) 4:51
7. "Rescue Me" (Titanic Vocal) 8:14
8. "Rescue Me" (Houseboat Vocal) 6:56
9. "Rescue Me" (Lifeboat Vocal) 5:20
10. "Rescue Me" (S.O.S. Mix) 6:21

Charts

Chart (1989)	Peak Position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	5
Austrian Singles Chart	5
Belgian Flemmish VRT Top 30	2
Canadian Singles Chart	4
Dutch Top 40	5
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles	1
German Singles Chart	3
Norwegian VG-lista Singles Chart	4
Israeli Singles Chart	1
Irish Singles Chart	3
Italian FIMI Singles Chart	1
South African Singles Chart	4
Spanish Singles Chart	3
Swedish Singles Chart	3
Swiss Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart	5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary	12
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	1
U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40	1

Certifications

Country	Certification
Australia	Gold
UK	Silver (194,102)
USA	Gold

Live performance

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.