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Human Nature (Madonna song)

"Human Nature" is a song by American singer Madonna for her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories (1994). It was written as an answer song to her critics, who had panned her provocative image of the previous two years and Madonna's release of sexually explicit works. Written and produced by Madonna and Dave Hall, "Human Nature" includes a looping sample from Main Source's 1994 track "What You Need", therefore its writers Shawn McKenzie, Kevin McKenzie and Michael Deering are also credited. The track was released on June 6, 1995, by Maverick Records as the fourth and final single from Bedtime Stories.

"Human Nature"

"Sanctuary"

June 6, 1995

1994

R&B

4:54

  • Madonna
  • Dave Hall

"Human Nature" is an R&B track where the sound of drums and the sample is heard looping throughout, with Madonna sarcastically asking rhetorical questions based on her real-life actions over the prior two years. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics who have later noted its anthemic and empowering nature. "Human Nature" became a moderate hit in the United States, peaking at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number two on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. In the United Kingdom, the single entered the chart and peaked at number eight and it also charted within the Top 10 in Italy and the Top 20 in Australia.


The accompanying music video was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, and features Madonna and her dancers dressed in latex and leather, while executing highly choreographed dance routines. Inspired by S&M imagery, the video later influenced the work of singers Rihanna and Christina Aguilera. Madonna has performed "Human Nature" on four of her concert tours, most recently on the 2023-24 The Celebration Tour. [1] In 2012, during The MDNA Tour, the performance of the song became the subject of controversy, when the singer exposed her nipples during a show in Istanbul.

Recording and composition[edit]

"Human Nature" was written and produced by Madonna and Hall. The song was recorded and mixed by Frederick Jorio and P. Dennis Mitchell with Robert Kiss working as an assistant engineer during the sessions and Joey Moskowitz doing the programming.[14] Musically, "Human Nature" is an R&B[15] song with a hip-hop influenced beat.[16] It also includes a looping sample from the song "What You Need" performed by hip-hop group Main Source along with the sound of slamming doors, therefore its writers Shawn McKenzie, Kevin McKenzie and Michael Deering are also credited.[17]


"Human Nature" begins in a trip hop style with the sound of bass and drums and Madonna whispering "express yourself, don't repress yourself". Throughout the song, the music continues looping around the same chord sequence and Madonna utters whispered phrases to counterpoint the actual lyrics. Her vocals utilized the 1990s soul style of music with a nasal, thin sound. The chorus ends with the line "I'm not your bitch, Don't hang your shit on me" which was often censored by the radio stations from airplay.[18] Unlike the other tracks on the album, "Human Nature" does not employ the pentatonic melody and is devoid of the melancholy nature of Bedtime Stories, as observed by Jon Pareles of The New York Times.[19] Composed in the time signature of common time, "Human Nature" has a key of C major while progressing in 88 beats per minute. Madonna's "nasal" vocals range from F3 to E7 and the song follows a repetitive sequence of Fmaj7–E7–Am7–Fmaj7–E7–Am7 as its chord progression.[20]


Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna felt that the lyrics, along with being an answer-song, could also be interpreted as a rebellious one, where Madonna looks back on a relationship where she was not allowed to speak her mind.[18] The song's lyrics contain sarcastic backing vocals with Madonna asking rhetorical questions based on her real-life actions, such as "Did I say something wrong? Oops, I didn't know I couldn't talk about sex. I must have been crazy," as well as the line "What was I thinking?"[21] Madonna explained that the lyrics were about "basically saying don't put me in a box, don't pin me down, don't tell me what I can and can't say. It's about breaking out of the restraints."[22] With the Los Angeles Times she further clarified that there was defensiveness in the lyrics for "Human Nature", as well as sarcasm and unapologetic.[23]


"Human Nature" received nine official remixes, with most of them converting the R&B music into house.[24] The radio edit omitted the line ""I'm not your bitch/Don't hang your shit on me", which AllMusic's Jose F. Promis felt "lack[ed] the punchline" and made it repetitive. The "Runway Club Mix" is stripped down while the "I'm Not Your Bitch Mix" replaced the verse and the chorus with whispered comments like "I have no regrets", "I'm not your bitch", "Deal with it" and "I'm HIV negative" which are added over a much deeper house groove.[24] The hip hop mixes include one clean and one adult rated version. According to Promis, the "Love is the Nature Mix" was the best remix created, describing it as containing "swirling instruments", which converted the song into a dance track.[24]