Justify My Love (video)
"Justify My Love" was the first ever VHS video single to be released by American singer Madonna. This was the first time an artist had released a single in this format. It was released by Sire Records and Warner Music Vision, to capitalize on the controversy surrounding the music video which was subsequently banned by MTV. It contained the highly controversial and sexually-charged video.
On December 3, 1990, ABC's Nightline played the video in its entirety, then interviewed Madonna live about the video's sexual content and censorship. When asked whether she stood to make more money selling the video than airing it on MTV, she shrugged and answered, "Yeah, so? Lucky me." She also mentioned that the banning was hypocritical as male artists were able to show music videos on the channel that contained sexist and violent imagery. She also mentioned that in her "Vogue" music video, she had worn a see-through lace top that exposed her breasts, but this was passed by the channel.
The video contained imagery of sadomasochism, voyeurism, and bisexuality. Madonna biographer Mark Bego commented that "Throwing a scandal Madonna's way is like throwing gasoline on a fire." The controversy turned out to be a publicity and financial coup, with the single spending two consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in early 1991.
The video single was released exclusively in the United States and Europe, and was never released anywhere else in the world.
Read more about Justify My Love (video): Formats, Track Listing, Certifications, Production Credits
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