Uploaded January 2011 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Human Nature is the fourth and final single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories, released on June 6, 1995 by Maverick Records.
"Human Nature" was written in response to the public backlash involving Madonna's previous album, Erotica, and her coffee table book, Sex. 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?" This is backed up by the repeated phrase "Express yourself, don't repress yourself," along with Madonna's affirmation of having no regrets over showing off her "fantasies" and exclaiming that she is not "the one with the problem" and her detractors should "deal with it", because it is "human nature".
Madonna's record label wanted to release a more radio-friendly pop track for the fourth single off the album, "Don't Stop", but Madonna wanted to release "Human Nature" instead and ended up getting her wish.[citation needed] The song itself is a powerful R&B anthem over a heavily hip-hop flavored beat. The song also samples "What You Need" as performed by hip-hop group Main Source.
While "Human Nature" became Madonna's second consecutive single not to enter the top 40 in the U.S. (peaking at number forty-six), it still was a smash on the dance and club charts.
It also entered the top ten on several charts around the world including the UK, Italy, and Japan. In the UK the single entered the chart and peaked at #8. The UK single cover was a shot of Madonna from the video, clad in PVC and leather and sitting on a chair. The cover shot for the U.S. version is from a photo shoot by Bettina Rheims for the December 1994 issue of Details magazine.
Madonna has performed "Human Nature" twice on tour, first by slow-riding a mechanical bull on her 2001 Drowned World Tour adding some vocoder voice effects, and in her Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2008 with an electric guitar, also adding vocoder voice effects on the background harmonies, with a video backdrop of Britney Spears trapped in an elevator. It also adds the line "It's Britney, bitch" at the end of the song. Spears made a guest appearance co-performing the song with Madonna on November 6, 2008 during her concert date in Los Angeles.
Human Nature is the fourth and final single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories, released on June 6, 1995 by Maverick Records.
"Human Nature" was written in response to the public backlash involving Madonna's previous album, Erotica, and her coffee table book, Sex. 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?" This is backed up by the repeated phrase "Express yourself, don't repress yourself," along with Madonna's affirmation of having no regrets over showing off her "fantasies" and exclaiming that she is not "the one with the problem" and her detractors should "deal with it", because it is "human nature".
Madonna's record label wanted to release a more radio-friendly pop track for the fourth single off the album, "Don't Stop", but Madonna wanted to release "Human Nature" instead and ended up getting her wish.[citation needed] The song itself is a powerful R&B anthem over a heavily hip-hop flavored beat. The song also samples "What You Need" as performed by hip-hop group Main Source.
While "Human Nature" became Madonna's second consecutive single not to enter the top 40 in the U.S. (peaking at number forty-six), it still was a smash on the dance and club charts.
It also entered the top ten on several charts around the world including the UK, Italy, and Japan. In the UK the single entered the chart and peaked at #8. The UK single cover was a shot of Madonna from the video, clad in PVC and leather and sitting on a chair. The cover shot for the U.S. version is from a photo shoot by Bettina Rheims for the December 1994 issue of Details magazine.
Madonna has performed "Human Nature" twice on tour, first by slow-riding a mechanical bull on her 2001 Drowned World Tour adding some vocoder voice effects, and in her Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2008 with an electric guitar, also adding vocoder voice effects on the background harmonies, with a video backdrop of Britney Spears trapped in an elevator. It also adds the line "It's Britney, bitch" at the end of the song. Spears made a guest appearance co-performing the song with Madonna on November 6, 2008 during her concert date in Los Angeles.
