Madonna Changed ‘Girl Gone Wild’ Song Title to Avoid Lawsuit

Not only did Madonna release 'Girl Gone Wild' sooner than originally planned, she also changed the name. Originally titled 'Girls Gone Wild,' Madge received a cease and desist letter last month prior to her Super Bowl halftime show to pull the track from the show. It looks like she also tinkered with the title to avoid conflict, but that hasn't stopped a certain Mr. Joe Francis from drudging it up again.

Last month, a letter from Francis’ lawyer, David Houston, was released to the press. The doc read, "Mr. Francis and ‘Girls Gone Wild’ have worked tirelessly for an excess of two decades to build his brand and to protect his trademark Girls Gone Wild’ … ‘Girls Gone Wild”s trade identity and trademark are extremely valuable assets which my clients protect vigorously.” Right, because drunken 19-year-olds flashing their goodies for a trucker hat are things with which Madonna wants to associate herself.

The letter further claimed that the Material Girl outright ripped Francis and company off, claiming she ”violated Federal and State trademark laws by making unauthorized use of Mr. Francis’ trademark Girls Gone Wild in not only the title, but subject line of her various advertisements in order to lure potential consumers to purchase her latest musical effort.”

Now, TMZ reports that Francis still ain't happy. He told the gossip site, "Clearly her label was trying to avoid legal action surrounding the song ... but [the new title] is still infringement as far as the law is concerned, and we have been in touch with Madonna’s people in an effort to resolve this issue." Can this man get over himself already? We doubt he's the first to use the phrase, nor that Madonna is the first artist to use it since he began his sleaze empire. She just has the biggest name for him to latch onto.

Listen to Madonna, 'Girl Gone Wild'