Madonna’s 1994 album, Bedtime Stories, is fundamentally a smooth R&B record but, nestled between the tender Babyface ballads and slick Dallas Austin grooves, sits Human Nature, a song as confrontational as any the “Queen Of Pop” has ever recorded.
This is the story of how Madonna fought back against detractors who sought to silence her self-expression.
Listen to the best of Madonna here.
The early 90s was a confrontational time for Madonna
Across the second half of the 80s, Madonna could do no wrong. Each consecutive album elevated her critical fortunes, each provocative gesture outdid the last… and there seemed no end to her unstoppable rise, with her global fanbase growing with every creative step.
Yet controversy surrounded the release of her 1992 album, Erotica, and the boldly exploratory Sex book. Erotica would earn critical commendation in the decades that followed, but at the time of its release Madonna was engulfed by a tidal wave of misogynistic media criticism against which 1993’s The Girlie Show World Tour seemed to be a declaration of war.
- Erotica: The Story Behind Madonna’s Wildly Controversial Song
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Inevitably, a truce would have to be called. Softening her sound and image, Madonna issued the successful film ballad I’ll Remember and the more radio-friendly Bedtime Stories album. She was, however, still determined to have the final word…
R&B writers would shape Madonna’s new sound
For her sixth studio album, Madonna would work with the cream of the contemporary radio hitmakers – Babyface, Dallas Austin and Nellee Hooper – but it was Dave Hall who would create the record’s most controversial cut.
Hall had enjoyed success across the early 90s as the producer of hits for Stephanie Mills, Mary J Blige, and – most notably – Mariah Carey, on the US No.1 Dreamlover, in 1993. He would co-write and produce two other Bedtime Stories album cuts, I’d Rather Be Your Lover and Love Tried To Welcome Me, but hit gold when Human Nature was picked as the record’s fourth and final single. The track features a memorable sample from What You Need by hip-hop act Main Source.
