Erotica (album)

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Erotica
Studio album by Madonna
Released	October 20, 1992
Recorded	July 8, 1991 — August 15, 1992
Genre	Pop/House/R&B/ Hip Hop/Jazz fusion
Length	75:24
Label	Maverick Records Sire Records Warner Bros. Records WEA International
Producer(s)	Madonna, Shep Pettibone, André Betts
Professional reviews
Robert Christgau (A) link Rolling Stone link Slant Magazine link All Music Guide link
Madonna chronology
The Immaculate Collection (1990)	Erotica (1992)	Bedtime Stories (1994)

Erotica is the fifth studio album (and eighth release) by singer Madonna, released on October 20, 1992. The album has sold an estimated 5 million copies worldwide (see chart below).

Contents 1 Album information 2 Original artwork and tracklisting 3 Controversy 4 Critical reception 5 Commercial reception 6 Promotional press cards 7 Track Listing 8 Singles 9 Credits 9.1 Personnel 9.2 Production 10 Chart performance 11 Certifications 12 Miscellanea 13 External links

[edit] Album information

Erotica is a concept album about sexuality. Each track explores a different facet of sexuality, usually involving sexual relationships. Lyrically, the album does not tie sex and sexual relationships with the traditional ideals of romance. A dance record by all accounts, the album showcases hip hop- and jazz-affected club production from co-producers Shep Pettibone and André Betts. It is interesting to note that the song "In This Life" is based on George Gershwin's Prelude No. 2.

The album is Madonna's first album to bear a parental advisory label (the only other albums to do so being 2003's American Life and 2007's The Confessions Tour). A separate "clean" version was released without the song "Did You Do It?".

Madonna's intentions were that the album would be an accompaniment to her book Sex, which share the same cover photograph - a colored reverse negative of Madonna's face done à la Andy Warhol, from whom Madonna found much inspiration during her so-called "Erotica period" (for example, her "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper" videos were shot in near identical style to many of Warhol's films, with Madonna paying obvious homage to Edie Sedgwick in the latter). The photos included in the album's liner notes also come from the Steven Meisel Studio photographs shot for the Sex book.

[edit] Original artwork and tracklisting

Originally, the album was to feature completely different artwork: an image of Madonna, hands extended into the air, licking a whip. Warner Bros. Records refused to use it, as it was too explicit. This original image is now seen in the inlay sleeve of the album.

Up until near the release date, the finished artwork did not include any writing on the cover and later a "Madonna" font sticker was added to the bottom right corner using the same font as the "Bad Girl" single. The new writing was added at the last minute.

The completed tracklisting was not what Madonna originally had planned, if the Maverick Records press information is to be believed:^[1]:

1. "Erotica"
2. "Waiting"
3. "Rain"
4. "Deeper and Deeper"
5. "Thief of Hearts"
6. "Bad Girl"
7. "Why's It So Hard"
8. "Where Life Begins"
9. "In This Life"
10. "Words"
11. "Bye Bye Baby"
12. "Secret Garden"
13. "Goodbye to Innocence"
14. "Fever"

[edit] Controversy

While Madonna had always expressed her sexuality suggestively through her art -- primarily through music and promotional music videos -- she was never as explicit as she had been during the Erotica period of her career. Erotica was one of a trio of sexually oriented mainstream projects released by Madonna or with her involvement within a span of several months. Released nearly simultaneously with Erotica was the coffee table book Sex, which featured the singer in photographs depicting simulations of sexual acts and BDSM. Less than four months later, a poorly received film titled Body of Evidence was released to theatres, featuring Madonna fully nude and in scenes engaged in simulated sexual acts.

By American cultural standards, a celebrity of Madonna's stature releasing such sexually explicit material was quite anomalous and noteworthy, and it could be argued that no mainstream American star with such immense fame has ever gone as far, before or since. In spite of the poor reception at the time of this era in Madonna's career, today many critics and fans highly respect her for what she presented during this period.

[edit] Critical reception

The controversial sexuality presented to the mainstream by Madonna during the Erotica period was not well received. Madonna had always been considered an expert at "pushing buttons", but many thought she had greatly misstepped here. At the time of Erotica's release, she was widely condemned in the media for having pushed the limits of sexuality too far and was no longer considered acceptably suggestive, but lewd.

Interestingly, the sexual imagery Madonna put forward in both Erotica and Sex was widely criticized for not actually being erotic, but sterile and calculating. On the subject, Madonna said to CNN's Larry King on January 19, 1999, "I didn't write a book about sex. I wrote a book that -- I mean I published a book that basically was sort of a -- an ironic tongue-in-cheek, sticking-my-tongue-out-at-society photo essay..."

Reviews of Erotica that concentrated only on the musical aspect of the album were mostly positive; Rolling Stone hailed the album as one of Madonna's best. In hindsight, both fans and critics have warmed to the album over the years, with some even considering it to be among her best work.

[edit] Commercial reception

The surrounding massive media and critical backlash hurt Erotica's sales. While sales were initially brisk, the album didn't go through the roof as many predicted, shifting 167,000 in the first week. The album stalled over the long-term, selling a disappointing two million copies each in the USA, and Europe. Erotica also became the first album since her debut to yield no number one hits in either the UK or the USA. In fact, the #36 Billboard Hot 100 peak of "Bad Girl" made it the first Madonna single to fail to reach the U.S. top 20 after 29 consecutive releases stretching back to "Holiday" in 1983 had done so. Nonetheless, the album produced six singles and was well received on the dance club circuit. To date, "Erotica" has shifted 6.5 million units globally.

[edit] Promotional press cards

[edit] Track Listing

#	Title	Time
1.	"Erotica" (Madonna, Pettibone)	5:18
2.	"Fever" (Cooley, Davenport)	5:00
3.	"Bye Bye Baby" (Madonna, Pettibone)	3:56
4.	"Deeper and Deeper" (Madonna, Pettibone, Shimkin)	5:33
5.	"Where Life Begins" (Betts, Madonna)	5:57
6.	"Bad Girl" (Madonna, Pettibone, Shimkin)	5:23
7.	"Waiting" (Betts, Madonna)	5:46
8.	"Thief of Hearts" (Madonna, Pettibone)	4:51
9.	"Words" (Madonna, Pettibone)	5:55
10.	"Rain" (Madonna, Pettibone)	5:24
11.	"Why It's So Hard" (Madonna, Pettibone)	5:23
12.	"In This Life" (Madonna, Pettibone)	6:23
13.	"Did You Do It?" * (Betts, Madonna) (performed by Madonna, Mark Goodman, & Dave Murphy)	4:54
14.	"Secret Garden" (Betts, Madonna)	5:32

* omitted from the "clean" album

[edit] Singles

#	Title	Date
1.	"Erotica"	September 1992
2.	"Deeper and Deeper"	November 1992 (UK) / December 1992 (US)
3.	"Bad Girl"	February 1993
4.	"Fever"	March 1993 (UK)
5.	"Rain"	July 1993
6.	"Bye Bye Baby"	September 1993 (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany)

[edit] Credits

[edit] Personnel

• Madonna - vocals
• André Betts - synthesizer, bass, piano, strings, drums, keyboard, synthesizer strings
• Emile Charlap - contractor
• Donna Delory and Nikki Harris - background vocals
• Jerome Dickens - guitar
• Glen Dicterow - conductor, concert master
• Anton Fig - drums
• Mark Goodman - voices
• Joe Moskowitz - drums, keyboard
• Dave Murphy - voices
• New York Philharmonic Orchestra
• Paul Pesco - guitar
• Shep Pettibone - keyboard
• James Preston - piano, keyboard, synthesizer strings
• Jimmy Preston - piano
• Tony Shimkin - keyboard, background vocals
• Danny Wilensky - saxophone
• Doug Wimbish - bass

[edit] Production

• Producers: Madonna, André Betts, Shep Pettibone
• Engineers: Mike Farrell, Robin Hancock, George Karras, P. Dennis Mitchell, Shep Pettibone, Tony Shimkin
• Assistant engineer: Mark Goodman
• Mixing: Goh Hotoda, George Karras
• Mastering: Ted Jensen
• Sequencing: Shep Pettibone, Tony Shimkin
• Programming: Joe Moskowitz, Shep Pettibone, Sander Selover
• Drum programming: Andre Betts, Tony Shimkin
• String arrangements: Jeremy Lubbock
• Contractor: Emile Charlap
• Art direction: Siung Fat Tjia
• Design: Siung Fat Tjia
• Photography: Steven Meisel

[edit] Chart performance

Chart (1992)	Peak Position
Australia albums chart	1
Austria albums chart	10
Canada albums chart	3
France albums chart	1
Germany albums chart	5
Japanese albums chart	5
Mexico albums chart	8
Norway albums chart	11
Portugal albums chart	3
Spain albums chart	1
Switzerland albums chart	5
UK albums chart	2
USA Billboard 200	2

[edit] Certifications

Country	Certification
Australia	3x Platinum
Austria	Gold
Brazil	Gold
Canada	2x Platinum
France	Platinum
Germany	Gold
Italy	2x Platinum
Japan	Platinum
Mexico	Platinum
Netherlands	Gold
Poland	Gold
Singapore	2x Platinum
South Africa	Gold
Spain	2x Platinum
Switzerland	Gold
UK	2x Platinum
USA	2x Platinum

[edit] Miscellanea

• In Malaysia, Erotica was the only Madonna album banned by the government for homosexual-related content. At the same time, Sex was also banned from bookstores around the country. In spite of this, her singles "Rain", "Deeper and Deeper", "Bye Bye Baby" were significant airplay hits on national radio.

• Malaysian all-girl group Feminin recorded a version of "Bye Bye Baby", called "Rindu Dirimu", in the '90s.

• Madonna's book Sex included a CD which contained the original, more stripped-down version of the song Erotica titled Erotic, which included alternate lyrics of Madonna reading lines from the book.

[edit] External links

• Producer Shep Pettibone's "Erotica Diary"