''Erotica'' is the fifth studio album by American singer
Madonna, released on October 20, 1992, by
Maverick and
Sire Records
Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records.
History Beginnings
The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehre ...
. The album was released simultaneously with Madonna's first book publication ''
Sex'', a
coffee table book
A coffee table book, also known as a cocktail table book, is an oversized, usually hard-covered book whose purpose is for display on a table intended for use in an area in which one entertains guests and from which it can serve to inspire convers ...
containing explicit photographs featuring the singer, and marked her first release under Maverick, her own multimedia entertainment company. ''Erotica'' is a
concept album about sex and romance, incorporating her
alter ego Mistress Dita, inspired by actress
Dita Parlo
Dita Parlo (born Grethe Gerda Kornstädt or Gerda Olga Justine Kornstädt; 4 September 1908 – 12 December 1971) was a German film actress.
Early life and career
Dita Parlo was born on 4 September 1908 in Stettin, Pomerania, then in the G ...
. Some of its songs also take on a more confessional tone, influenced by the loss of two of Madonna's close friends to
AIDS.
Madonna recorded the album in New York City with
Shep Pettibone
Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s.
Career
Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...
and André Betts while she was working on her book and film projects. She began creating the album's
demos with Pettibone in his apartment in October 1991, and wrote the melodies and lyrics on top of the basic music which Pettibone produced in the style of his remixes. During the sessions, they had problems during sequencing, and, as a result, Pettibone kept trying to move development as fast as possible as he did not want Madonna to lose interest in the music. According to him, Madonna's compositions were serious and intense, moving the creative direction of the songs into a deeply personal territory.
''Erotica'' received generally favorable reviews from critics, who regarded it as one of Madonna's most adventurous albums and praised her comments on taboos and AIDS. Commercially, the album was less successful than Madonna's previous albums, peaking at number 2 on the
US ''Billboard'' 200, becoming her first studio album not to top the chart since
her debut. Internationally, it topped the charts in Australia, Finland, and France, and peaked within the top five of several other countries such as Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. ''Erotica'' was later certified double-platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America and has sold more than six million copies worldwide.
Six singles were released from the album, including the
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may a ...
and "
Deeper and Deeper
"Deeper and Deeper" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album, '' Erotica'' (1992). It was written and produced by both Madonna and Shep Pettibone, with additional writing from Anthony Shimkin. In Australia and most Eur ...
", both of which reached the top ten of the
US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album was supported by
The Girlie Show World Tour
The Girlie Show was the fourth concert tour by American singer and songwriter Madonna, in support of her fifth studio album, '' Erotica'' (1992). In October 1992, Madonna simultaneously released ''Erotica'' and the coffee table book ''Sex''. Th ...
, which visited cities in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and Australia in 1993. Somewhat overlooked at the time of its release in part due to the backlash surrounding the ''Sex'' book, ''Erotica'' has been retrospectively considered one of "The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s" by ''
Slant Magazine'' and one of the most revolutionary albums of all time by the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many critics have since noted the album's influence on the works by female artists such as
Janet Jackson and
Beyoncé.
Background
Ten years after signing her first
recording contract with
Sire Records
Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records.
History Beginnings
The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehre ...
, Madonna founded her own multi-media entertainment company,
Maverick, consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and associated music publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing and merchandising divisions. The deal was a joint venture with
Time Warner
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
and paid Madonna an advance of $60 million. It gave her 20% royalties from the music proceedings, one of the highest rates in the industry, equaled at that time only by
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's royalty rate established a year earlier with
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
. Madonna said that she envisioned the company as an "artistic think tank" and likened it to a cross between the
Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...
, the innovative German arts institute formed in Weimar in 1919, and
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...
's New York-based Factory of artists and assistants. She stated: "It started as a desire to have more control. There's a group of writers, photographers, directors and editors that I've met along the way in my career who I want to take with me everywhere I go. I want to incorporate them into my little factory of ideas. I also come in contact with a lot of young talent that I feel entrepreneurial about." The first two projects from the venture were her fifth studio album, ''Erotica'', and a coffee table book of photographs featuring Madonna, entitled ''
Sex''.
Madonna primarily collaborated with
Shep Pettibone
Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s.
Career
Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...
for the album. Pettibone first began working with Madonna during the 1980s, providing remixes for several of her singles.
He later co-wrote and co-produced the lead single from the soundtrack album ''
I'm Breathless'', "
Vogue", which topped the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1990.
The same year, Pettibone worked with Madonna on her greatest hits album ''
The Immaculate Collection'', co-producing new song "
Rescue Me" and remixing her earlier songs for the compilation using audio technology
QSound
QSound is the original name for a positional three-dimensional (3D) sound processing algorithm from QSound Labs that creates 3D audio effects from multiple monophonic sources and sums the outputs to two channels for presentation over regular ster ...
. During the recording session of ''Erotica'', Madonna and Pettibone worked on "
This Used to Be My Playground", the soundtrack single of the 1992 film ''
A League of Their Own
''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena ...
''.
It became Madonna's tenth Hot 100 chart-topper, making her the female artist with the most US number-one singles at the time.
Alongside Pettibone, Madonna enlisted help from producer André Betts, who previously co-produced "
Justify My Love" for ''The Immaculate Collection''.
Madonna said that she was interested to work with Pettibone and Betts due to their ability to remain plugged into the dance underground, "They come from opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their music style and approach to music, but they're both connected to the street and they're still young and hungry."
Development
Having started his career as a remixer, Pettibone built the basic music of the ''Erotica'' songs in the style of his remixes for which Madonna wrote the melodies and lyrics. According to Pettibone in an article "Erotica Diaries" published on Madonna's ''Icon'' magazine, he began with a tape of three tracks for Madonna to listen to, before he traveled to Chicago, where she was filming ''A League of Their Own''. She listened to the songs and liked all of them.
After filming was complete, Madonna met Pettibone in New York City to start working on
demos in his apartment in October 1991.
Their schedule was sporadic in the beginning. Madonna and Pettibone were in the studio for a week and then she would work with
Steven Meisel on ''Sex'', for two weeks. Occasionally, Madonna also would meet André Betts.
At first, Madonna did not like the first group of songs she had recorded. She wanted ''Erotica'' to have a raw edge to it, as if it were recorded in an alley in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
, and not a light glossy production to permeate her sound, according to Pettibone.
"Deeper and Deeper" was not working for Madonna. Pettibone said they tried different bridges and changes, but in the end, Madonna wanted the middle of the song to have a
flamenco guitar
A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar but with thinner tops and less internal bracing. It usually has nylon strings, like the classical guitar, but it generally possesses a livelier, more gritty sound compared to the clas ...
.
They had problems during sequencing and had to repair the songs, taking some time. Pettibone had to keep things moving as fast as possible as he did not want Madonna to lose interest in the music.
At this point, as far as the music went, it was getting a little melancholy. However, as Pettibone explained, Madonna's stories directed the creative direction of the songs into deeply personal territory as they were more serious and intense.
Madonna left the album's production to work on her next film ''
Body of Evidence'' in Oregon.
Shortly after, Pettibone started on a song called "Goodbye to Innocence", which was not working. He further commented that he made a new bass line for the track. When Madonna went to record her vocals for "Goodbye to Innocence", she started singing
Little Willie John's song "
Fever
Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...
" instead of singing the original words. They decided to record it, as they felt it sounded good. As they did not know the words, Madonna called
Seymour Stein
Seymour Stein (born April 18, 1942) is an American entrepreneur and music executive. He co-founded Sire Records and was Vice President of Warner Bros. Records. With Sire, Stein signed bands that became central to the new wave era of the 1970s ...
from
Sire Records
Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records.
History Beginnings
The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehre ...
, and within an hour, they had the
Peggy Lee version, and the original version of the song.
This song was the last to be recorded for the album, in August 1992, and it was finished within a month later.
Music and lyrics
''Erotica'' is a
concept album about sex and romance, on which she incorporated an
alter-ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...
named Mistress Dita, heavily inspired by actress
Dita Parlo
Dita Parlo (born Grethe Gerda Kornstädt or Gerda Olga Justine Kornstädt; 4 September 1908 – 12 December 1971) was a German film actress.
Early life and career
Dita Parlo was born on 4 September 1908 in Stettin, Pomerania, then in the G ...
.
Musically, the album mixes
dance,
electronica,
hip hop,
deep house,
ambient techno
Ambient techno is a subgenre of techno that incorporates the atmospheric textures of ambient music with the rhythmic elements and production of techno. It was pioneered by 1990s electronic artists such as Aphex Twin, Carl Craig, the Black Dog, ...
and
R&B, and incorporates elements from
classic disco,
modern house,
techno
Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
and
new jack swing.
Lyrically, the album played on
innuendo
An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion ...
s and
double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
s instead of explicit words. "
Erotica
Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use ...
" is the opening track from the album. Starting with Madonna saying "My name is Dita", she invites her lover to be passive, while she tells him to "do as I say" and leads him to explore boundaries between pain and pleasure.
It deals with sex hang-ups, and has been described as "an ode to
S&M".
Her cover version of "Fever" follows the title track. It is described as a "sassy, house-style remake" of the pop standard.
The third track, "
Bye Bye Baby," starts with the declaration, "This is not a love song," and goes on to ask questions of a lover she is about to abandon. At one point, Madonna asks angrily: "Does it make you feel good to see me cry?"
The fourth track from ''Erotica'', "Deeper and Deeper," is described as one of the "pure disco" moments of the album.
Its bridge features a
flamenco guitar
A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar but with thinner tops and less internal bracing. It usually has nylon strings, like the classical guitar, but it generally possesses a livelier, more gritty sound compared to the clas ...
,
and its lyrics talk about sexual obsession.
In "Where Life Begins", Madonna promises to teach "a different kind of kiss" to the listener. In the song, Madonna talks about the pleasures of
oral sex
Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth) and the throat. Cunnilingus is oral sex p ...
and also references
safe sex.
The sixth track is "
Bad Girl". It talks about a woman who would rather get drunk than end a relationship she is too neurotic to handle.
The seventh song, "Waiting", has been described as a "yearning ballad."
Featuring
spoken words, it addresses rejection and unrequited love.
It ends with lyrics "The next time you want pussy, just look in the mirror, baby."
The next track, "Thief of Hearts", is a dark and rumbling song.
It uses tough
hip-hop language to ward off a rival for her lover's attention. It opens with the smashing of a glass, and Madonna shouting, "Bitch!/Which leg do you want me to break?" and later, she sneers, "Little miss thinks she can have his child/Well anybody can do it."
"Words" was compared to the previous track "Thief of Hearts," with music critics finding similarity in scope, each with sharp lyrics and catchy beats. The song features clattering programs and icy synth block-chords.
"
Rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...
" is the tenth track whose lyrics talk about waiting and hoping for love. The song features a
crescendo
In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependin ...
towards the end.
The subsequent track, "Why's It So Hard," is considered the album's plea for solidarity with her audience, as Madonna sings: "Why's it so hard to love one another?"
The following song, "In This Life," was written in memory of friends who Madonna had lost to the
AIDS epidemic.
The drums were compared to a
doomsday clock and the keyboard intervals were also compared to
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
's blues lullaby "Prelude No. 2," creating a sense of dis-ease.
The thirteenth track, "Did You Do It?" features rappers Mark Goodman and Dave Murphy. The song was released exclusively on the explicit version of ''Erotica''; the clean version doesn't have this song. Producer André Betts claimed that for fun, he just rapped over the track "Waiting," while Madonna was gone, and she liked it after hearing later.
The last track from the album, "Secret Garden," is described as ''Erotica''s most personal song. In addition, "Secret Garden" is dedicated to the singer's vagina, "the secret place where she could enjoy herself."
It features a jazz-house beat.
Release and promotion
''Erotica'' was released on October 20, 1992 by
Maverick Records
Maverick was an American entertainment company founded in 1992 by Madonna, Frederick DeMann, and Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev, and formerly owned and operated by Warner Music Group. It included a record label (Maverick Records), a film production ...
.
The first album of Madonna's career to bear
Parental Advisory
Advisory (abbreviated PAL) is a warning label introduced by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1985 and adopted by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2011. It is placed on audio recordings in recognition of profan ...
label, ''Erotica'' was banned in several Asian countries, such as China and Singapore.
To promote the album, Madonna appeared on the cover of the October edition of ''
Vogue'', where she appeared dressed in "Hippie trip" fashion. These photographs were taken by Meisel.
After the book was released, on October 22, 1992,
MTV aired a special called ''The Day in Madonna'', hosted by
Kurt Loder
Kurtis Loder (born May 5, 1945) is an American entertainment critic, author, columnist, and television personality. He served in the 1980s as editor at ''Rolling Stone'', during a tenure that ''Reason'' later called "legendary". He has contribute ...
(the title of this special was a pun of the title of the channel's daily show ''The Day in Rock''), which profiled the release of Madonna's ''Sex'' and ''Erotica'', even taking the book to the streets to allow people, including a sex therapist and group of real-life New York City
dominatrices, to view it. MTV also interviewed many people who had viewed the ''Sex'' book on the day of its release at the HMV music store in New York City. In celebration of the release of the book, the store held a Madonna look-alike contest and set up a booth where people could view the book for one dollar a minute, with all of the proceeds going to Lifebeat, the music industry organization founded to help fund AIDS research.
Madonna additionally performed "Fever" and "Bad Girl" on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' in January 1993. During the latter, she referenced
Sinéad O'Connor's actions who had ripped up a photograph of
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
and yelled "Fight the real enemy". The photograph Madonna used was of
Joey Buttafuoco. During the 1000th ''
The Arsenio Hall Show
''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall.
There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...
'', Madonna performed the original version of "Fever" accompanied by a band, wearing a black classic dress and smoking a cigarette.
Following this performance, Madonna sang "
The Lady Is a Tramp" with
Anthony Kiedis of the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
, dressed up in matching skirts, stockings, leather vests and cat-ear caps.
On September 2, 1993, Madonna opened the
1993 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1993 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 2, 1993, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1992, to June 15, 1993. The show was hosted by Christian Slater at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. This would be Kurt Coba ...
performing "Bye Bye Baby" cavorting with three scantily clad women in a brothel-style setting, dressed in tuxedos and top hats, danced with women in corsets in a choreographed, highly sexual routine.
Singles
"Erotica" was the lead single released from the album in late September 1992. It peaked at number three on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Internationally, it reached the top ten in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Following the release of the song, Lebanese singer
Fairuz
Nouhad Wadie' Haddad ( ar, نهاد وديع حداد, ; born November 21, 1934), known as Fairuz ( ar, فيروز, ; also spelled Fairouz, Feyrouz or Fayrouz), is a Lebanese singer. She is considered by many as one of the leading vocalists a ...
claimed her vocals appeared on the song without her consent, and said the lyrics "he was hung on a wooded cross today", which was sung in Arabic, were taken from a religious song that is traditionally heard during
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
services. Fairuz sued Madonna for $2.5 million for plagiarism over the Arab section/sampling in her song "Erotica". The song contains a section of a Christian Great Friday hymn that translates "Today, He is held to a cross" while Madonna repeatedly chants over Fairuz's voice 'All over me'. Upon the song's release, the Vatican banned Madonna from entering the Vatican and she was banned on its radio stations. The song and its accompanying album were also banned in Lebanon. An undisclosed settlement was reached between Fairuz and Madonna. The accompanying music video for "Erotica" also suffered mainstream condemnation due to its explicit sexual imagery. MTV put the video into
heavy rotation
In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time. However, they are not completely ...
, but only after midnight.
But after playing three times during mignight, MTV banned totally the video from rotation and was her second video to banned in MTV after ''Justify My Love''. It was also completely banned from broadcast on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
and
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
because its bondage imagery was deemed too racy. "Deeper and Deeper" was released as the second single in November 1992. It achieved top-ten success in Belgium, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"Bad Girl" was released in February 1993, receiving positive reviews, with music critics naming it "riveting".
The song had a modest success on the charts, peaking at number ten on the UK Singles Chart while reaching number 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
"Fever" was released as the fourth single of the album in March 1993 in Europe and Australia. It became a top-ten hit in several European countries including Finland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom,
while topping the
Dance Club Songs chart without a North American release. The fifth single, "Rain", was released in July 1993. It peaked at number two in Canada. "Bye Bye Baby" was released as the last single from the album in November 1993. It reached the top five in Italy and peaked within the top twenty in Australia.
Tour
The album was further promoted on her fourth
concert
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...
tour, the
Girlie Show World Tour, which visited Israel and Turkey, Latin America and Australia for the first time in 1993. The tour required 1500 costumes for the cast, and a 24-hour set up time for the stage. Madonna opened the show dressed as a
dominatrix
A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for infli ...
, surrounded by topless dancers of both sexes. Lighter moments included Madonna descending from the ceiling on a giant disco ball, wearing an
Afro
The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...
wig for "
Express Yourself", as well as the singer singing "
Like a Virgin" in the guise of actress
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
and singing the word 'virgin' as 'wirgin'.
She caused uproar in Puerto Rico by rubbing their national flag between her legs on stage.
Orthodox Jew
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...
s protested to force the cancellation of the concert in Tel Aviv, Israel. However, the rallies were unsuccessful as the show went on as scheduled.
The Girlie Show received positive reviews from critics, and was a commercial
success, grossing around US$70 million.
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
described the album as "ambitious" and noted that ''Erotica'' contains some of Madonna's best and most accomplished music.
Paul Verna from ''
Billboard'' considered it her most varied and creatively challenging collection to date, as well as "bottomless with potential hit singles".
Arion Berger of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' praised the album's "cold, remote sound", and wrote that "''Erotica'' is everything Madonna has been denounced for being — meticulous, calculated, domineering and artificial. It accepts those charges and answers with a brilliant record to prove them".
''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' said: "When ''Erotica'' the album is good – i.e. when it's funny, original, lively and, yes, sexy – it's about as good as the modern media event gets."
J. D. Considine of ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...
'' stated that the most surprising thing on the songs is that they find Madonna singing about love, not about sex.
Phil Sutcliffe gave three stars in a review for ''
Q'', writing: "The biggest surprise is '
Deeper and Deeper
"Deeper and Deeper" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album, '' Erotica'' (1992). It was written and produced by both Madonna and Shep Pettibone, with additional writing from Anthony Shimkin. In Australia and most Eur ...
', which could be mistaken for a bopalong tribute to
Kylie. However, the substance of ''Erotica'' resides in a range of straight-talking, almost intimate songs based, not on an idea about sex, but on experience of relationships."
In a retrospective review in ''
Blender
A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...
'', Tony Power concluded: "That female artists (except
Millie Jackson
Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs o ...
) never come on this strongly makes ''Erotica'' shocking and, well, arousing."
''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
''s Giles Smith noted that ''Erotica'' revealed that "unlike
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
and
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
and
Springsteen and the rest of her established, major league competition, Madonna's albums are still getting better each time".
Charles Aaron from ''
Spin'' noted that the album is a brave comment on the chilly, tragic detachment of sex under AIDS.
Stylus Magazine commented that each song has its own energy. He also noted that "''Erotica'' was too sophisticated for a mainstream besotted with ''
The Bodyguard'' and a college-radio claque eager to praise
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
's opaque dirges for the wisdom that Madonna's club fodder showed with less fuss and with a better rhythm section".
Robert Christgau commented that "The singer doesn't have great pipes, but because she's too hip to belt
his time
His or HIS may refer to:
Computing
* Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company
* Honeywell Information Systems
* Hybrid intelligent system
* Microsoft Host Integration Server
Education
* Hangzhou International School, ...
she doesn't need them. She's in control, all understated presence and impersonal personality except when she's flashing some pink.
.."Love your sister, love your brother" thing, the lyrics are not stupid. I love the rap where the boast turns out to be a lie."
Sal Cinquemani of
Slant Magazine recognized that "Pettibone's beats might be time-stamped with the sound of a genre that ruled a decade of one-hitters before being replaced by commercialized hip-hop" and classified Madonna's voice as "nasal and remote".
David Browne of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' declared that ''Erotica'' may be the most joyless dance music of all time, while criticizing Madonna's "soulless" voice.
Stephen Holden from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' wrote that the album is far from Madonna's best album, as the hip-hop songs lack the "musical breadth and confessional poignancy" of ''
Like a Prayer'', the record that established Madonna as a mature pop songwriter.
Commercial performance
In the United States, ''Erotica'' debuted at number two on the
''Billboard'' 200 on November 7, 1992, with first week sales of 167,000 copies. It was held off from reaching the top spot by
Garth Brooks's fourth studio album, ''
The Chase'', which that same week sold 4,000 copies more than ''Erotica''. The next week, the album dropped to number four on the chart.
It was eventually certified double platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of two million units.
According to
Nielsen SoundScan, ''Erotica'' has sold 1.91 million copies in the United States as of December 2016, along with 79,000 sold through BMG Music Clubs.
In Canada, the album debuted at number seven on the
''RPM'' Albums Chart on November 7, 1992. It reached a peak of number four on November 21, 1992.
The album was present for a total of 38 weeks on the chart, and was certified two times platinum by
Music Canada (MC) for shipments of 200,000 copies.
''Erotica'' performed well in Latin America, mainly in those countries where she toured for the first time. In Argentina, the album received four-times platinum from the
Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videograma (CAPIF) for shipments of 240,000 copies.
Similarly in Mexico, ''Erotica'' achieved sales of 250,000 units according to ''Billboard''.
The album received a gold certification in Brazil denoting shipments of 100,000 units.
Actual sales in Brazil stand at 180,000 copies, as of October 1993.
Across Europe, ''Erotica'' sold 1.5 million copies in the first-week and topped the
European Top 100 Albums
The European Top 100 Albums chart was the European adaptation of the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. It ran from March 1984 until December 2010. Also commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums, the chart showcased the sales of an act in 19 E ...
chart.
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number two on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
on October 24, 1992. It remained at its peak at number two for three weeks, being held off the top spot by
Simple Minds' greatest hits collection ''
Glittering Prize 81/92'',
and a total of 38 weeks on the chart. The album was certified two times platinum on June 1, 1993, by the
British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
(BPI) for shipments of 600,000 copies.
In France, the album debuted at number one on the
French Albums Chart on October 28, 1992, staying there for two weeks, then descending down the chart, selling a total of 250,000 copies by May 1993.
In Germany, the album reached the top five on the
Media Control Charts
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass ...
and was certified gold for shipments of 250,000 copies.
In Italy, ''Erotica'' sold 250,000 copies in its presales.
In Sweden, the album debuted in its peak of number six and spent only seven weeks on the chart.
Similarly in Switzerland, ''Erotica'' peaked number five and was certified gold by IFPI Switzerland.
It also received a platinum certification in Spain and sold 150,000 units there as of 1993.
By November 1992, the album sold 350 copies in Iceland.
The album also enjoyed commercial success in Asia-Pacific countries. In Australia, the album entered the ARIA top 100 albums chart at number one, and was certified triple platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...
(ARIA) for shipments of 210,000 copies.
It also reached the top five on the New Zealand Albums Chart.
''Erotica'' reached a peak of number five on the Japan
Oricon Albums Chart, and received a double platinum certification from the
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The RIAJ's activities include pr ...
(RIAJ) for shipping 400,000 copies.
At the 7th annual
Japan Gold Disc Awards
The is an award presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Associa ...
, Madonna was awarded the RIAJ's Artist of the Year with sales totaling
¥844 million throughout the year, an equivalent of $6.5 million ($ million in dollars) Initial shiptments in Singapore were 20,000 units,
and quickly managed to sell 37,000 copies as of November 18 of that year.
[Claimed sales for ''Erotica'' en Singapore:
*
*] In total, ''Erotica'' has sold more than six million copies worldwide.
Legacy
The
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame considered ''Erotica'' one of the most revolutionary albums of all time, declaring that "...few women artists, before or since ''Erotica'', have been so outspoken about their fantasies and desires. Madonna made it clear that shame and sexuality are mutually exclusive... In the end, ''Erotica'' embraced and espoused pleasure, and kept Madonna at the forefront of pop's sexual revolution." ''
Slant Magazine'' listed ''Erotica'' at number 24 on "The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s", calling it a "dark masterpiece".
Miles Raymer of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' said that "in retrospect it's her strongest album — produced at the peak of her power and provocativeness... and helped elevate her from mere pop star to an era-defining icon." Bianca Gracie from
Fuse TV channel called ''Erotica'' "the album that changed the pop music world forever... one of the most controversial and genre-defining albums in pop history." Samuel R. Murrian from ''
Parade'' commented that the influence of ''Erotica'' "is seen in the work of virtually every current pop act".
J. Randy Taraborrelli documented at the time of ''Erotica''s release, "much of society seemed to reexamining its sexuality.
Gay rights issues were at the forefront of social discussions globally, as was an ever-increasing
awareness of AIDS." Barry Walters from ''Rolling Stone'' noted that the album's greatest contribution is "
tsembrace of the other, which in this case means
queerness,
blackness,
third-wave feminism
Third-wave feminism is an iteration of the feminist movement that began in the early 1990s, prominent in the decades prior to the fourth wave. Grounded in the civil-rights advances of the second wave, Gen X and early Gen Y generations third-w ...
,
exhibitionism and
kink
Kink or KINK may refer to:
Common uses
* Kink (sexuality), a colloquial term for non-normative sexual behavior
* Kink, a curvature, bend, or twist
Geography
* Kink, Iran, a village in Iran
* The Kink, a man-made geographic feature in remote ea ...
. Madonna took what was marginalized at the worst of the
AIDS epidemic, placed it in an emancipated context, and shoved it into the mainstream for all to see and hear."
Brian McNair, the author of ''Striptease Culture: Sex, Media and the Democratization of Desire'', stated that upon the album's release "academic books began to appear about the 'Madonna phenomenon', while
pro- and anti-porn feminists made of her a symbol of all that was good or bad (depending on their viewpoint) about contemporary sexual culture."
Daryl Deino from ''
The Inquisitr'' dubbed the album as "a groundbreaking moment for feminism."
''Erotica'' remains the most rampantly misrepresented Madonna album with the biggest backlash of her career.
Taraborrelli commented that it is unfortunate that ''Erotica'' has to be historically linked to other less memorable ventures in Madonna's career at this time. However, he quipped that the album should be considered on its own merits, not only as one linked to the other two adult-oriented projects, because it has true value.
When asked to name her biggest professional disappointment, Madonna answered, "The fact that my ''Erotica'' album was overlooked because of the whole thing with the ''
Sex'' book. It just got lost in all that. I think there's some brilliant songs on it and people didn't give it a chance."
Brian McNair observed that Madonna took a financial risk with the album and it was not until ''
Ray of Light
''Ray of Light'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released in early 1998 by Maverick Records. A stylistic and aesthetical departure from her previous work, ''Ray of Light'' is an electronica and techno-pop reco ...
'' (1998) that her record sales recovered to pre-''Erotica'' levels. He further asserted that "what she lost in royalty payments, however, Madonna more than made up for in iconic status and cultural influence."
Walters asserted that ''Erotica'' "set the blueprint for modern pop... Without Madonna, modern pop as we know it would be unimaginable." He noticed the album's influence on various artists such as
Beyoncé,
Britney Spears,
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
,
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
,
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
, and
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...
.
Joe Lynch from ''Billboard'' wrote that the album "occupies a watershed place in the pop pantheon, setting the blueprint for singers to get raw while eschewing exploitation for decades to come." Similar thoughts were echoed by Jeni Wren Stottrup from ''
The Portland Mercury
''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''.
Contributors and staff
Editor-in-chief: Wm. Steven ...
'', who believed that "''Erotica'' should be recognized as one of Madonna's greatest albums". Critics also found its influence on
Janet Jackson's 1997 album ''
The Velvet Rope
''The Velvet Rope'' is the sixth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. The album was released on October 7, 1997, through Virgin Records. Prior to its release, she renegotiated her contract with Virgin for US$80 million, the largest rec ...
'', with Daryl Easlea from
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
writing that Jackson's album "resembles ''Erotica'' at times, in subject manner and style."
*Clean version of the album does not include, "Did You Do It?".
*Anthony Shimkin has been officially added by ASCAP as a co-writer to "Erotica", "Bye Bye Baby", "Bad Girl", "Thief of Hearts", "Words", and "Why's It So Hard". Inlay notes to the album do not include this. Shimkin was only allowed to add his credit to one composition on the album; he originally chose "Deeper and Deeper".
*"Fever" contains lyrics written and rearranged by singer
who remains uncredited for her contribution.
*CD – Explicit version with 14 tracks including the track "Did You Do It?" This version comes with a
label.
in that country. Explicit version with 14 tracks including the track "Did You Do It?"
*Vinyl – Explicit version with 14 tracks including the track "Did You Do It?" This version also comes with a Parental Advisory label. The vinyl was reissued in 2012 and 2016 by Warner Bros. Records with a different catalog number.
– European explicit version with 14 tracks including the track "Did You Do It?". This version comes with a Parental Advisory label.
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
– production, engineering, keyboard, sequencing
*André Betts – production, synthesizer, bass, piano, strings, drums, keyboard, synthesizer strings
*Emile Charlap – contractor
*
– background vocals
*Jerome Dickens – guitar
*Glen Dicterow – conductor, concertmaster
*
– drums
*Mark Goodman – vocals, assistant engineer
*Joe Moskowitz – drums, keyboard, programming
*Dave Murphy – voices
*
– guitar
*James Preston – piano, keyboard, synthesizer strings
*Tony Shimkin – keyboard, background vocals, engineer, sequencing, drum programming, programming
*Danny Wilensky – saxophone
*
– bass
;Technical
*Mike Farrell – engineer
*Robin Hancock – engineer, mixing
*George Karras – engineer
*P. Dennis Mitchell – engineer
*
– mastering
*Sander Selover – programming
*Jeremy Lublock – string arrangements
*Siung Fat Tjia – art direction, design
*Steven Meisel – photography