Express Yourself

"Express Yourself" is a song by Madonna from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989). Released as the second single on May 9, 1989, through Sire Records, it later appeared on greatest hits compilations like The Immaculate Collection (1990), Celebration (2009), and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). The track was the first collaboration between Madonna and co-producer Stephen Bray for the album, serving as a tribute to the funk and soul band Sly and the Family Stone. Its core message is female empowerment, urging women to demand the best from their partners and encouraging men to express their emotions.

Musically, "Express Yourself" is an upbeat dance-pop and deep funk song driven by percussion, handclaps, and drum beats, with a horn section backing the chorus. Lyrically, it rejects material pleasures and promotes self-worth, with subtle subtexts woven throughout. Critics praised the song for its gender equality message, calling it a hymn to freedom for women and oppressed minorities. Commercially, it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Madonna's eighth number-one hit on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles chart, also topping charts in Canada and Switzerland.

The music video, directed by David Fincher, was inspired by Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis. With a budget of $5 million (about $13 million in 2025 dollars), it was the most expensive music video ever made at the time and remains the third most expensive of all time. The video depicts a dark, stormy city of skyscrapers and railways, with Madonna playing both a glamorous lady and a chained masochist, surrounded by muscular male workers. She ultimately chooses one of them, model Cameron Alborzian, as her date. Critics noted its depiction of female sexuality and gender-bending masculine imagery.

"Express Yourself" has been performed on four of Madonna's world tours and covered by the female leads of Glee in the episode "The Power of Madonna." The song and video are noted for their feminist themes and postmodern nature, influencing later pop acts like the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Lady Gaga.[edit]