Мадоннаның «Human Nature» әні: Жауап және өзгеріс жолы

1995 single by Madonna

"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" 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. 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.

In 1992, Madonna released the coffee table book Sex and her fifth studio album Erotica, both being of explicit sexual content. She also starred in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence the next year. Madonna promoted Erotica with the Girlie Show, which was met with protests and boycott threats due to its explicit content. In March 1994, Madonna's appearance on Late Show with David Letterman was highly criticized for her controversial behavior and usage of profanity. The release of her sexually explicit film, album and book, and the aggressive appearance on Letterman all made critics question Madonna as a sexual renegade. She faced strong negative publicity from critics and fans, who commented that "she had gone too far" and that her career was over. Madonna wanted to tone down her explicit image. Her first attempt was to release the tender ballad "I'll Remember" (1994) from the soundtrack of the film With Honors. Journalist Mary von Aue from Vice magazine noted that Madonna and her publicist Liz Rosenberg started promoting Bedtime Stories as an apology album with the promotional videos promising that there would be "no sexual references on the album". However, the singer was still seething about how the media had treated her unfairly over the last two years. When she started working with producer Dave Hall on the album, she wrote an answer song for the media. Titled "Human Nature", it directly addressed the media and the press who had criticized her for dealing with taboo issues with her previous record and tried to punish her for that. "I'm saying in the song that I'm giving my back to them. I'm not sorry", Madonna explained. Described by Billboard as "Madonna taking on her critics more directly than ever with a logical, defiant attack on slut shaming", the song was also about closing the book on the previous two years of her life. "Human Nature" eventually became the fourth and final single released from Bedtime Stories on June 6, 1995, by Maverick Records.

"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. song with a hip hop influenced beat. 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. "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. 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. 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. 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. 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." "Human Nature" received nine official remixes, with most of them converting the R&B music into house.

"Human Nature" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave the song a positive review, stating that "for years, Madonna spoke in metaphors, fantasies and blatant shock tactics, but the performer indignantly struck back at her critics on 'Human Nature'. She didn't just hold up a mirror, she became the mirror". Barbara O'Dair from Rolling Stone also gave a positive review of the song, commenting that "Madonna does a drive by on her critics, complete with a keening synth line straight outta Dre", adding that "Madonna's message is still 'Express yourself, don't repress yourself.' This time, however, it comes not with a bang but a whisper". Scott Kearnan of The Boston Globe included the track at number 11 on his list of "30 Ultimate Madonna Singles", stating that the line "Absolutely no regrets" was a "Madonna mantra if ever there was one". Medium's Richard LaBeau deemed it "one of Madonna's best forays into R&B, this all around clever song features bold, unapologetic lyrics that serves as her unofficial manifesto". Larry Flick from Billboard was also positive, stating that "radio to hungrily come to the table and dine on this wickedly catchy jeep/pop jam in which La M unapologetically snaps at her more close minded critics". He complimented her vocals which were "playfully snide and aggressive, holding strong against a forceful hip hop groove and a host of ear pleasing funk guitar links and synth hoops". Music Week gave it four out of five, adding that "Maddy gets quirky on the hippest and most memorable track from Bedtime Stories". Mark Sutherland from NME declared it as a "self reverential "steamy" Prince esque romp". Author Chris Wade wrote in his book, The Music of Madonna, that "Human Nature" lifted the sadness emanated from the first few tracks from the album. "There's a great beat to this, a brilliant vocal where Madonna answers herself with whispers and an unforgettable chorus," Wade added. Matthew Rettenmund wrote in his Encyclopedia Madonnica that "in spite of the chart performance", the song has become a modern "self empowerment anthem". Charles Aaron from Spin described the song as "slinking through [Hall's] low ridin', gum smackin' groove, Maddy's hard bitten ingenue expresses no regrets, but this time you feel for her." Aaron highlighted the lyrics "Would it sound better if I were a man?" as subversive and coy. Author Lucy O'Brien described in her book, Madonna: Like an Icon, that "Human Nature" was one of the "quirkiest" tracks on Bedtime Stories, "throbbing with a tightly restrained but devastating anger". Jim Farber from Entertainment Weekly gave the song a negative review, noting that Madonna's "on far surer ground thrashing through such neurotic (if not uncommon) views of relationships than she is trashing the media. In striking back at her critics, Madonna simply sounds self righteous and smug. I didn't know I couldn't talk about sex, she sneers in 'Human Nature'. Did I say something true? Yes. But tooting your own horn about it just sounds petty". Entertainment Weeklys Chuck Arnold called it a "defiant declaration [ ] the original unapologetic bitch", listing it as Madonna's 24th best single.

Madonna has performed "Human Nature" five times on tour. During the 2001 Drowned World Tour, she performed the song dressed as a cowgirl while slow riding on a mechanical bull, which was considered by Rob Mancini from MTV News as "magical". For John McAlley from Entertainment Weekly, Madonna "prompts the oddly natural sight of lap dancing a mechanical bull". Similar review was shared by Alexis Petridis from The Guardian, who noted that the media had heavily reported on the tour making all the details available from much before the London show that he reviewed. Nevertheless, Madonna riding the bull and performing "Human Nature" was one of the "most startling moments" of the tour according to him. The performance of the song on August 26, 2001, at The Palace of Auburn Hills was recorded and released in the live video album, Drowned World Tour 2001. Madonna performed the song again on her 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour, while playing an electric guitar and adding vocoder voice effects on the background harmonies. The singer was dressed in a black leotard and fishnet tights. She also wore a white hat and black leather boots. Madonna explained that she intended the video to stand as an analogy of Spears' career, saying "Didn't that explain what I thought? 'I'm not your bitch, don't hang your shit on me". On November 6, 2008 in the Los Angeles show at Dodger Stadium, Spears joined Madonna onstage halfway through the performance. Aidin Vaziri from Gibson. com was positive in his review, saying that the best moment of the tour was when Madonna picked up her black Les Paul guitar and emulated musician Slash while performing the song. Paul Schrodt from Slant Magazine was negative in his review of the performance, saying that by the time the performance of "Human Nature" had started, "it's the same as all her shows: A remixed mind fuck". The performance was included on the Sticky & Sweet Tour live CD and DVD release, recorded during Madonna's four shows in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2008. In 2012, Madonna performed the song on The MDNA Tour as part of the third segment of the show. She performed the song while her dancers moved mirrors around her, as she removed articles of clothing. At her concert in Istanbul on June 7, 2012, Madonna briefly exposed her right breast to the audience, before covering it up again. This prompted criticism about her age, with Sophie Wilkinson from Heat World asking, "at 54, is she too old to be getting a boob out?" The striptease towards the end of the song continued in other cities where the tour visited, and most of the times the singer had messages written across her back talking about social issues. Amy Odell from The Huffington Post said that criticizing the gesture based on her age sends "a very archaic message", adding that "Women who are 53 still have breasts and sex drives!". The performance of the song at the November 19–20, 2012, shows in Miami, at the American Airlines Arena were recorded and released in Madonna's fourth live album, MDNA World Tour. In April 2015, Madonna performed "Human Nature" along with her 2005 song "Hung Up" as a medley at the Coachella Festival during Drake's act, sporting thigh high boots and a tank top that read "Big as Madonna". She then went on to kiss Drake, whose shocked expression was popular on the Internet. The rapper then revealed that he actually enjoyed the kiss, posting a picture of the moment on his Instagram account. Madonna included "Human Nature" on the first section of her Madame X Tour (2019–20), featuring her doing a spreadeagle position. The performance was included on the live album Madame X: Music from the Theater Xperience. She again included the song in 2023 24's The Celebration Tour as part of the Act II Ballroom segment of the concert.