"Express Yourself" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989). It was released as the second single from the album on May 9, 1989, by Sire Records. The song was included on the greatest hits compilation albums The Immaculate Collection (1990), Celebration (2009) and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). "Express Yourself" was the first song that Madonna and co-producer Stephen Bray collaborated on for Like a Prayer. Written and produced by them, the song was a tribute to American funk and soul band Sly and the Family Stone. The main inspiration behind the song is female empowerment, urging women never to go for second-best and to urge their partners to express their inner feelings.
"Express Yourself" has been performed on four of Madonna's world tours, and has been covered by the female leads of the Fox TV show Glee, who performed the song in the episode titled "The Power of Madonna". The song and the video are noted for their freedom expression and feminist aspects, and its postmodern nature entranced academics, by resisting definition. It has also left its mark on the work of subsequent pop acts, including the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga.
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"The message of the song is that people should always say what it is they want. The reason relationships don't work is because they are afraid. That's been my problem in all my relationships. I'm sure people see me as an outspoken person, and for the most part, if I want something I ask for it. But sometimes you feel that if you ask for too much or ask for the wrong thing from someone you care about that that person won't like you. And so you censor yourself. I've been guilty of that in every meaningful relationship I've ever had. The time I learn how not to edit myself will be the time I consider myself a complete adult."
"The ultimate thing behind the song is that if you don't express yourself, if you don't say what you want, then you're not going to get it. And in effect you are chained down by your inability to say what you feel or go after what you want."[9]
"Express Yourself" begins with the sound of percussion instruments, as Madonna entreats the listener: "Come on girls, do you believe in love? 'Cause I got something to say about it, And it goes something like this."[5] Handclaps and drum beats start as Madonna moves into the chorus of the song, with a thick vocal texture and high-pitched background singing. The chorus is aided by instrumentation from a saxophone and percussion. Madonna then sings the first verse of the song, as a violin sound is added after she finishes the bridge, "Make you feel like a queen on the throne, make you love it till you never come down", a male voice repeating the last line.[5] A synthesizer is played after the second verse as Madonna continues chanting the words "Express yourself" with background vocals singing "Hey, hey, hey, hey" alongside her.[5]
According to Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, the lyrics of "Express Yourself" make it a simple love song, with Madonna exhorting the women in her audience not to go for second-best, to express their feelings and get their men to express theirs.[5] Lucy O'Brien, author of Madonna: Like an Icon, described them as a "feminist call-to-arms", with Madonna dismissing the satin sheets and gold baubles of material pleasures.[12] Author Santiago Fouz-Hernndez believed that the lyrics created identification with the gay community. When Madonna utters the line "Come on girls, do you believe in love?", she addressed both the gay male and the heterosexual female.[13] Subtexts are employed throughout the song, especially in the line "What you need is a big strong hand, to lift you to your higher ground", where the "big strong hand" is implied as one's own hand, and not the typical male helping hand.[14]
"Express Yourself" received mainly positive reviews from critics. J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of Madonna: An Intimate Biography called the song a "funky dance anthem" and reacted positively to its message of a "female call-to-arms in communication and self-respect."[15] Stephen Holden of The New York Times observed that Madonna repudiated the philosophy of her previous single "Material Girl" (1985) in "Express Yourself", which he described as "a 30-year-old's view of life unshadowed by rebellion and lingering lapsed Catholic pain."[4] In another article from the same newspaper, Carn James declared it as one of her most exuberant songs.[16] Santiago Fouz-Hernndez and Freya Jarman-Ivens, authors of Madonna's Drowned Worlds, complimented the lyrics of the song, and added that it apparently espouses "gender fluidity as a road to gender equality."[13] In his book Madonna As Postmodern Myth, journalist Georges Claude Guilbert described "Express Yourself" as a hymn to freedom, "an encouragement for all women and all oppressed minorities to resist, to express their ideas and their strength faced with tyranny."[17]
"Express Yourself" has also influenced numerous music artists. Spice Girls member Melanie C said "Madonna was doing the girl power thing a long time before the Spice Girls... 'Express Yourself' is one of the routines that I know and I used to really like doing that one because it is where she shows her bra and holds her crotch."[112] In 2010, singer Christina Aguilera paid tribute to "Express Yourself" with the music video of her single, "Not Myself Tonight". She commented "One of my favorite videos ever is 'Express Yourself' by Madonna which came across as really strong and empowering which I always try to incorporate through my expression of sexuality... I love the direct reference I made to Madonna with the eye glass moment and the smoke and stairs. I was paying tribute to a very strong woman who has paved the way before."[113] James Montgomery from MTV deemed "Express Yourself" as the primary influence of Aguilera's video with scenes like Aguilera displaying a monocle, standing atop a flight of stairs and crawling across the floor while pouring a black liquid over herself.[114]
The song's lyrics focus on the concept of free expression and the constraints placed on rappers by radio censorship. The song is notable for including lines criticising other rappers for not swearing in order to get radio airplay despite the song itself containing no profanity, being based on a pop music sample with a clearly 'radio friendly' tone.[5]
Let's assume that you're able to use about 10,000 words to express yourself clearly and freely in your first language, what do you think would happen if you're now told that you can only express yourself in 1000 in that same language?
Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students or employees show more compassion to themselves.
Although the idea is simple, it seems that few fully grasp the importance of self-expression. We are all so bogged down with messages about how we should look, think, speak, and act; what we should eat and drink and study and do for fun; who we should associate with and who we should love or despise; and, indeed, who we should be deep down.
Countries in North America and Western Europe generally fall on the secular-rational end (although the US and Ireland are two outliers when it comes to religion and tradition) and the self-expression end of the spectrums.
Not only are the differences in self-expression values interesting, they raise a good point: can there be a comprehensive theory of self-expression that encompasses and explains self-expression across the globe?
Any Western-centric theory of self-expression will likely propose that a good dose of self-expression is not only healthy but necessary for fulfillment; on the other hand, a theory from an Asian or Middle Eastern country will likely place little importance on individual self-expression and may even see it as a deviant behavior!
Research Judith Glaser agrees on the importance of self-expression; she notes that authentic self-expression not only encourages us to be the best we can be, it allows us to work effectively with others. When we open up and express ourselves, we move from what she calls a state of protection (coddling our ego and manning our inner walls to protect ourselves) to a state of partnering (being open to sharing yourself with others and vice versa).
With pre-teens and teens, you may want to upgrade your techniques and make things more organic. Follow these 10 tips from the Scholastic Parents Staff to encourage self-expression in your pre-teens and teens:
These are somewhat general tips, but truly committing to them will help you become the master of your own self-expression. For some more specific, practical ideas on improving your self-expression, read on.
To work on improving your capacity for self-expression and encourage your practice of being authentically you, you may find this impressively long list of 75 group activities from the Expressive Therapist website helpful. It includes activities like:
Those fond of making lists, checking boxes, drawing things out, and any other form of expression that involves using a pen and paper might find these projects and worksheets especially useful. There are also a few worksheets that you can use with your child to encourage their own capacity for self-expression. Read on to get some ideas!
This worksheet encourages kids to think about how they express their thoughts and ideas. It can be used to encourage them to consider what details are important and which are superfluous, help them figure out how to best get the words into their head onto paper, and show them how to tie it all together into a clear, comprehensive narrative. 2351a5e196
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