At the time, Grey was close friends with Madonna.
“We did Bloodhounds of Broadway together,” she says of the 1989 film. The pop star threw her a 29th birthday party. “She told me she wrote ‘Express Yourself’ about me breaking up with Matthew,” Grey remembers of the first time she heard the song. “She played it for me in her car. I was in my log cabin with Johnny and she said, ‘Come into my car.’ And I got in her Mercedes where she had a really good sound system and she was like, ‘Listen to this song I just did. It’s about you.’
When reading the song’s lyrics, it makes sense. Even her character’s name in Dirty Dancing may have a shout-out.
You deserve the best in life
So if the time isn’t right, then move on
Second best is never enough
You’ll do much better, baby, on your own
Of her past relationships, Grey says today, “What I’ve learned is that I demanded second best.” And as for the inspiration for “Express Yourself,” Grey reveals she contacted Madonna recently. “I wrote her an email where I asked, ‘Did you just tell that to everyone?'”
Read the full article at PEOPLE
