Crave
by Madonna (featuring Swae Lee)

Album: Madame X (2019)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Crave" is a love song in which Madonna and Swae Lee express their desire for each other.

    Cause you're the one I crave
    And my cravings get dangerous
    The feelings never fade
    I don't think we should play with this


    The obsessed pair realize the power of their attraction and are ready to get their romance started.
  • Speaking backstage at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, Madonna said "Crave" was one of the first cuts she wrote for Madame X and that the song is about "desire and longing."
  • On the day that "Crave" was released (May 10, 2019), Madonna was 60 years old and Swae Lee just 23.
  • Madonna and Swae Lee wrote "Crave" with Starrah. The LA songwriter's other credits include Rihanna's "Needed Me," Drake's "Fake Love" and Big Sean's "No Favors."
  • The mid-tempo track with a chilled, propulsive trap beat was produced by Mike Dean. The Texas-born producer is best known for working with hip-hop artists such as Kanye West, Travis Scott and Jay-Z.
  • Filmed by Rebel Heart Tour director Nuno Xico, the video switches between black-and-white and color. The clip begins with panoramic shots of New York skylines before we see Madonna attaching a love note and sending it to Swae Lee. The two meet up on the rooftop at the end of the clip and touch hands.
  • Describing the music video to Radio.com, Madonna explained she wanted to create a visual representation for yearning. "I tried to visualize and portray the idea - or the concept, the feeling - of two people longing for each other," she said. "The idea of the song 'Crave' is wanting something, desiring something, craving something that ultimately you know is not good for you."

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