It is an answer song to the backlash Madonna endured for the sexually explicit projects released in 1992, particularly her fifth studio album Erotica, and the coffee table book Sex.

An R&B song with hip-hop influences, the lyrics see Madonna lashing out at her detractors, referring to her interest in "taboo" subjects as mere human nature.

Directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, the accompanying music video features the singer and a troupe of dancers in bondage-inspired gear, and was praised for its humorous tones.

In 1992, Madonna released her fifth studio album Erotica, the coffee table book Sex, and starred in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence.

This made the episode the most censored in American network television talk-show history while at the same time garnering host David Letterman some of the highest ratings he ever received.

[5] For her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories, Madonna decided to venture in the R&B and hip hop mania that was dominating the charts in the early-to-mid 1990s.

[12][13] Personnel working on "Human Nature" included Frederick Jorio and P. Dennis Mitchell on mixing, while Joey Moskowitz was in charge of programming.

[19] Deemed an "unintentional sequel" to "Express Yourself" (1989), its lyrics explicitly address the "media firestorm" Madonna faced with Erotica, Sex, and Body of Evidence.

[32] Most of them were produced by American DJ Danny Tenaglia, who took the "face crackin' hip-hop jam" of the original and turned it into a "defiant house anthem", as noted by Billboard's Larry Flick.

From Billboard, Larry Flick called it a "wickedly catchy jeep/pop jam in which La M unapologetically snaps at her more close-minded critics", and highlighted her "playfully snide and aggressive" vocals.

[36] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine opined that, "whether licking her wounds over lovers or critics, Madonna has never sounded more emotionally vulnerable or more cerebrally plugged in than she does here".

[39] For Rolling Stone, Barbara O'Dair referred to "Human Nature" as an "infectiously funky [...] drive-by on her critics, complete with a keening synth line straight outta Dre".

[40] Lucy O'Brien, author of Madonna: Like an Icon, deemed "Human Nature" one of the "quirkiest" tracks on Bedtime Stories, "throbbing with a tightly restrained but devastating anger".

[41] Chris Wade opined that the song "lifted the sadness" emanated from the first few tracks from the album: "[T]here's a great beat to this, a brilliant vocal where Madonna answers herself with whispers and an unforgettable chorus".

[42] While Melissa Ruggieri from USA Today compared it to the work of TLC, Pitchfork's Owen Pallett wrote that, "with its anti-slut-shaming slogan", "Human Nature" is one of Madonna's "most effective grooves" and one of her best songs.

[45] Despite singling out its "clever" samples and interpolations, Quentin Harrison from website Albumism opined that the "petulant" "Human Nature" interrupts Bedtime Stories' "demure [and] introspective" tone, and "would have been better served up as a B-side".

[71][28] Jean-Baptiste Mondino, who had previously collaborated with Madonna on the visuals for "Open Your Heart" (1986) and "Justify My Love" (1990), directed the "Human Nature" music video.

[74][75] After Mondino came across the work of artist Eric Stanton, who did S&M-inspired drawings, him and Madonna decided to have the video focus on the "fun" aspect of the erotic subject; "S&M is a game, you know?

[77] Madonna wanted it to be more "dance-oriented" than the previous Bedtime Stories videos, something Mondino disagreed with; he's not be fond of clips where "[there's] five different cameras shooting a performance [...] too much editing.

[83] While Matthew Jacobs called it "iconic in its own right", Sal Cinquemani considered it Madonna's ninth best, naming it "about as subtle as a slamming door", and adding that, "['Human Nature'] feels like a Party City send-up of her Sex persona, with costumes that are decidedly latex rather than cold leather".

[92][91] The performance, deemed one of the night's "most startling sights" by The Guardian's Alex Petridis, was included on the live video album Drowned World Tour 2001, shot at Detroit's Palace of Auburn Hills.

[93][94] A remixed "Human Nature", with Madonna playing a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar and singing with vocoder effects, was included on the Sticky & Sweet Tour.

[105] Writing for India Today, Deepti Jakhar felt Madonna came across "a bit desperate to regain her controversial stage presence", and compared the antic to Janet Jackson's 2004 Super Bowl incident.

[106] By contrast, BuzzFeed's Amy Odell defended the singer; "apparently now when that inevitable thing called aging happens, [women] have to worry about covering up enough so that we don't look 'desperate' [...] Heavens!

[107] The performances of the song at the November 19–20 shows in Miami were recorded and released in Madonna's fourth live album, MDNA World Tour (2013).

[110][111] Two years later, Madonna sang "Human Nature" at the Women's March on Washington, with added explicit lyrics aimed at Donald Trump.

[113] The performance saw the singer writhing "like a gymnastic clock inside a circular wall inset" surrounded by video imagery of pointing fingers, before doing a bongo solo.

[121] She's then "rescued" by her "younger self" —a dancer in the latex catsuit and braids from the music video— and begins to sing "Crazy for You" as a "touching recognition of her bravery", as noted by PopMatters' Chris Rutherford.

[123] The song's unapologetic feminist theme has influenced and can be seen in the work of contemporary artists, such as Christina Aguilera's "Can't Hold Us Down" (2003), Britney Spears' "Piece of Me" (2007), Beyoncé's "Flawless" (2013), and Demi Lovato's "Sorry Not Sorry" (2017).

[125] According to the staff of Indian magazine Verve, the "Human Nature" video inspired the dance sequence of the song "Kambaqt Ishq", from the 2001 Bollywood film Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya.