Erotica (album)
Madonna's fifth studio album, a concept album about sex and romance.
Erotica is the fifth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on October 19, 1992, by Maverick and Sire Records. It was released simultaneously with Madonna's first book publication, Sex, a coffee table book containing explicit photographs, and marked her first release under Maverick, her own multimedia entertainment company. The album has been noted as a concept album about sex and romance in times of HIV/AIDS, with songs addressing themes such as S&M and homophobia, and marked a departure from the dance-oriented sound of her previous works, incorporating elements of hip-hop, house, and techno.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Madonna
- Released
- October 19, 1992
- Recorded
- 1991–1992
- Studio
- Clinton Recording
- Mastermix
- Soundworks (New York)
- Genre
- Dance-pop
- deep house
- hip hop
- R&B
- Length
- 75:24
- Label
- Maverick
- Sire
- Warner Bros.
- Producer
- Madonna
- Shep Pettibone
- André Betts
Facts from the source article.
Background
In mid-1991, producer Shep Pettibone sent Madonna a three-track demo; she liked all the songs and met him in New York City to work on more music. Madonna wrote melodies and lyrics over music Pettibone produced in the style of his previous remixes. Recording took place at New York's Soundworks Studios, Master Mix Studios, and Clinton Recording Studios. The album saw Madonna reunite with Pettibone, with whom she had collaborated on 'Vogue' and The Immaculate Collection, and enlist producer André Betts, who had co-produced 'Justify My Love'. Madonna described the album as 'soulful, with a jazzy undertone and a lot of beatnik-style poetry in it'.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erotica | Madonna, Shep Pettibone, Anthony Shimkin | 5:20 |
| 2 | Fever | John Davenport, Eddie Cooley | 5:00 |
| 3 | Bye Bye Baby | Madonna, Pettibone, Shimkin | 3:56 |
| 4 | Deeper and Deeper | Madonna, Pettibone, Shimkin | 5:33 |
| 5 | Where Life Begins | Madonna, Andre Betts | 5:57 |
| 6 | Bad Girl | Madonna, Pettibone, Shimkin | 5:23 |
| 7 | Waiting | Madonna, Betts | 5:46 |
| 8 | Thief of Hearts | Madonna, Pettibone, Shimkin | 4:51 |
| 9 | Words | Madonna, Pettibone, Shimkin | 5:55 |
| 10 | Rain | Madonna, Pettibone | 5:25 |
| 11 | Why's It So Hard | Madonna, Pettibone, Shimkin | 5:23 |
| 12 | In This Life | Madonna, Pettibone | 6:23 |
| 13 | Did You Do It? | Madonna, Betts | 4:54 |
| 14 | Secret Garden | Madonna, Betts | 5:32 |
| Total length | 75:24 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The title track 'Erotica' underwent four different versions during recording, with the singer erasing and restarting multiple times.
- Madonna incorporated a dominatrix alter-ego named Mistress Dita, inspired by German actress Dita Parlo, into the album's themes.
- The song 'In This Life' was written for Madonna's friend Martin Burgoyne, who died of HIV/AIDS.
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