Background
The song was written and produced by Madonna and long-term co-writer Stephen Bray for the Who's That Girl film soundtrack. It was inspired by her then husband Sean Penn and their often tumultuous relationship. Madonna felt that her marriage to Penn was on the verge of breaking-up, due to Penn's abusive and violent nature. That translated as the inspiration behind the song. In a Rolling Stone article dated September 10, 1987, Madonna spoke about Penn's impact on her life and the song,
"I don't like violence. I never condone hitting anyone, and I never thought that any violence sould have taken place. But on the other hand, I understood Sean's anger and believe me, I have wanted to hit him many times. I never would you know, because I realize that it would just make things worse. I felt like he was 'Causing a Commotion' to purposefully distract me. I wrote this song and vented my frustration in it."
In the United States, "Causing a Commotion" was released in August 1987. In the United Kingdom, the song was released just before the commencement of Madonna's 1987 Who's That Girl World Tour in October. In 1991, the Silver Screen Single Mix of the song was included on Madonna's The Holiday Collection EP.
Read more about this topic: Causing A Commotion
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