On October 14 1993, Rolling Stone magazine featured Madonna (several times) in an article featuring The 100 Top Music Videos. Rolling Stone included the following Madonna music videos: Express Yourself at #10, Like A Prayer at #20, Borderline at #24, Vogue at #28, Justify My Love at #43 and Oh Father at #66 – Madonna had more videos on the list than any other artist or group.
On June 12 2012, Lady Gaga hit back at Madonna after the Queen of Pop made a public dig at her by performing a mash-up of her own Express Yourself and Gaga’s Born This Way during her MDNA World Tour.
Gaga was clearly unimpressed by the stunt and decided to retaliate during a concert in Auckland, New Zealand, telling fans: “You could never invalidate the power of Born This Way. I don’t want to be your fucking queen, I want to be your friend.”
On May 10 1989, Madonna’s Express Yourself video premiered on MTV. The video was filmed on a $5 million budget – the highest in music video history (at the time). The video was directed by David Fincher.
On May 9 1989, Madonna released Express Yourself, the second single from her Like A Prayer album.
Lyrics:
Come on girls
Do you believe in love?
‘Cause I got something to say about it
And it goes something like this
Don’t go for second best baby
Put your love to the test
You know, you know, you’ve got to
Make him express how he feels
And maybe then you’ll know your love is real
You don’t need diamond rings
Or eighteen karat gold
Fancy cars that go very fast
You know they never last, no, no
What you need is a big strong hand
To lift you to your higher ground
Make you feel like a queen on a throne
Make him love you till you can’t come down
(You’ll never come down)
Don’t go for second best baby
Put your love to the test
You know, you know, you’ve got to
Make him express how he feels
And maybe then you’ll know your love is real
Long stem roses are the way to your heart
But he needs to start with your head
Satin sheets are very romantic
What happens when you’re not in bed
You deserve the best in life
So if the time isn’t right then move on
Second best is never enough
You’ll do much better baby on your own
(Baby on your own)
Don’t go for second best baby
Put your love to the test
You know, you know, you’ve got to
Make him express how he feels
And maybe then you’ll know your love is real
Express yourself
(You’ve got to make him)
Express himself
Hey, hey, hey, hey
So if you want it right now, make him show you how
Express what he’s got, oh baby ready or not
And when you’re gone he might regret it
Think about the love he once had
Try to carry on, but he just won’t get it
He’ll be back on his knees
To express himself
(You’ve got to make him)
Express himself
Hey hey
What you need is a big strong hand
To lift you to your higher ground
Make you feel like a queen on a throne
Make him love you till you can’t come down
(You’ll never come down)
And when you’re gone he might regret it
Think about the love he once had
Try to carry on, but he just won’t get it
He’ll be back on his knees
So please
Don’t go for second best baby
Put your love to the test
You know, you know, you’ve got to
Make him express how he feels
And maybe then you’ll know your love is real
Express yourself
(You’ve got to make him)
Express himself
Hey, hey, hey, hey
So if you want it right now, make him show you how
Express what he’s got, oh baby ready or not
Express yourself
(You’ve got to make him)
So you can respect yourself
Hey, hey
So if you want it right now, then make him show you how
Express what he’s got, oh baby ready or not
On April 20 2010, The Power of Madonna – Glee episode (Season 1, Episode 15) aired on the Fox network.
When cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) demands that Madonna’s music be played over the school intercom system, Glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) sets the club a Madonna-themed assignment, hoping to empower the female club members.
Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna, an EP containing studio recordings of songs performed in the episode, was released on April 20, 2010. Its tracklist includes Express Yourself, a mash-up of Borderline and Open Your Heart, Vogue, Like A Virgin, 4 Minutes, What it Feels Like for a Girl, and Like a Prayer.
The iTunes edition features a bonus track, Burning Up, which was not performed in the episode.
Lynch received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in the episode.
March 21 2014 marked the 25th Anniversary of Madonna’s Like a Prayer album. Like a Prayer was released on March 21, 1989 by Sire Records. Madonna worked with Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard, and Prince on the album while co-writing and co-producing all the songs.
Six singles were released from the album: Like a Prayer, Express Yourself, Cherish, Oh Father, Dear Jessie, and Keep It Together.
On February 5, 2012, Madonna performed the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as part of Super Bowl XLVI. The performance featured Madonna with special guests LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A. and Cee Lo Green. Madonna’s performance broke a record as the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show in history, garnering 114 million viewers.
Madonna performed Vogue, Music, Give Me All Your Luvin’, Open Your Heart/Express Yourself and Like A Prayer.
