Erotica is the fifth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on October 19, 1992, by Maverick and Sire Records. The album was released simultaneously with Madonna's first book publication Sex, a coffee table book containing explicit photographs of the singer, and marked her first release under Maverick, her own multimedia entertainment company. For the album, the singer enlisted Shep Pettibone and André Betts, with whom she had collaborated on 1990's "Vogue" and The Immaculate Collection.
In mid-1991, Pettibone sent Madonna a three-track demo; she listened to the songs and liked all of them. Afterward, the two met in New York City to start working on more music. The singer would write the melodies and lyrics on top of the music Pettibone produced in the style of his previous remixes. Erotica has been noted as a concept album about sex and romance in times of HIV/AIDS, with songs that address "heavy" themes such as S&M and homophobia. Additionally, it marked a departure from the dance-oriented sound of Madonna's previous works, incorporating elements of hip-hop, house, techno, and new jack swing.
Upon release, it received praise from critics, who regarded it as one of Madonna's most adventurous albums. Some, however, felt the music was overshadowed by its sexual themes. Commercially, it was less successful than Madonna's previous endeavors; it peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200, becoming her first studio album not to top the chart since her debut. Internationally, it reached number one 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 and "Deeper and Deeper", both of which reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The album was supported by the Girlie Show, Madonna's fourth concert tour, which visited cities in Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Asia in 1993. Initially overlooked, partly because of the backlash surrounding the Sex book, Erotica has been retrospectively considered one of Madonna's most important albums, as well as one of the most revolutionary of all time by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many critics have since noted the influence of Erotica in works by contemporary female artists from Janet Jackson to Beyoncé.
Background
On April 21, 1992, it was reported that Madonna had teamed up with Time Warner Inc. to form Maverick, a multimedia entertainment company. Maverick consisted of a record company, a film production company, and associated music publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing, and merchandising divisions. The first two projects from the venture were Madonna's fifth studio album and a coffee table book depicting her "erotic fantasies", titled Sex.
Madonna described the album as "soulful, with a jazzy undertone and a lot of beatnik-style poetry in it". Alongside Pettibone, Madonna enlisted help from producer André Betts, who previously co-produced "Justify My Love" from The Immaculate Collection.
Development
Erotica was generally well received by critics upon release and in later decades. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said it was an "ambitious" album, that contains "some of Madonna's best and most accomplished music". From The Daily Telegraph, James Hall opined Erotica is a "venturous epic that was eclipsed by the audacity of the idea that spawned it", even if it's not Madonna's best album. Mark Elliott from website This is Dig! called Erotica a "more noble" concept album than I'm Breathless (1990). Matthew Rettenmund, author of Encyclopedia Madonnica, deemed it Madonna's best, and J. Randy Taraborrelli her "most promiscuous". To the staff of Billboard, "La M's first studio outing since 1989's Like a Prayer [...] is her most varied and creatively challenging collection to date". Less positively, Charlotte Robinson from PopMatters referred to Erotica as the "first disappointment of [Madonna's] seemingly enchanted career".
One element focused on by critics such as J. D. Considine, from The Baltimore Sun, was the sexual and romantic themes. Some critics acclaimed the presentation of them as raw and harshly realistic elements that justified the singer's unpolished and amateur vocals, and unexpectedly found the songs to be more about the pains of romance than sex. Other critics argued the sexual display was excessive, for some critics at the expense of musical depth. Mark Bego expressed a mixed view, deeming it "artistic yet suggestive, some of it is genuinely sexy, and some of it is lewd and musically unappealing". Richard Harrington from the Washington Post likened the record to a number from Bob Fosse's All That Jazz (1979), in which "dancers-as-nearly-naked stewards and stewardesses say, as they explore all manner of sexual coupling before a small, shocked audience of potential investors, 'Our motto is we take you everywhere but get you nowhere'". Conversely, reviewers such as Stephen Holden considered the lack of an upbeat, joyous vibe to be a downside for the dance style. Tom Ford, from the Toledo Blade, was the only critic to dismiss the musical styles as "recycled" from Madonna's previous albums. Priya Elan from NME expressed that, "ditching Patrick Leonard for Shep Pettiborn was a bold move that didn't wholly pay off. The hard house beats of Erotica may have reflected the sexually explicit lyrical content brilliantly on tracks like 'Deeper And Deeper' and 'Thief Of Hearts', but over a whole album it seemed a bit much". Both Entertainment Weeklys David Browne and Slant Magazines Sal Cinquemani reacted negatively to Madonna's vocals: the former deemed them "soulless", and the latter "nasal and remote". Billboards Larry Flick described the tracklist as consisting of "intelligent, pensive tunes and tough, dance/hip-hop jams" that "comes across like a conscious return" to Madonna's club origins.
Commercial performance
left|upright|thumb|[[The Chase (Garth Brooks album)|The Chase by Garth Brooks (picture) kept Erotica from the Billboard 200's first spot.]]
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. The Chase by Garth Brooks kept it from the top spot; Erotica was Madonna's first studio album since her 1983 debut to not top the chart. The following week, the album dropped to number four on the chart. In Canada, Erotica debuted at number seven on the RPM Albums Chart on November 7, 1992; it peaked at number four on November 21, spent 38 weeks on the chart and was certified double platinum by Music Canada (MC) for shipments of 200,000 copies. Similarly in Mexico, Erotica achieved sales of 250,000 units according to Billboard. The album received a gold certification from Pro-Música Brasil, denoting shipments of 100,000 units.
Across Europe, Erotica sold 1.5 million copies in its first week, and reached the top of the European Top 100 Albums chart. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart on October 24, 1992. It remained at that position for three weeks, held off the top by Simple Minds' greatest hits collection Glittering Prize 81/92, and spent a total of 38 weeks on the chart. In Germany, the album reached the top five on the Media Control Charts and was certified gold for shipments of 250,000 copies. In Sweden, the album debuted and peaked at number six and spent seven weeks on the chart.
In Australia, the album entered the ARIA chart at number 159, before climbing to number one in its second week, and was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 210,000 copies. Erotica was honored as 1992's Top Selling English Album by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). Initial shipments of the album in Singapore totaled 20,000 units, but quickly sold 37,000 copies, becoming Warner Music's best-selling album of 1992 in Singapore.
In total, Erotica has sold more than six million copies worldwide.
Legacy
Erotica has been referred to as one of Madonna's best and most important albums. In 2017, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame considered it one of the most revolutionary albums of all time, writing 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 [...] [Erotica] remains one of the boldest expressions of female sexuality". Kurt Loder added that, although she wasn't the first female artist to "exploit sexiness", with Erotica and Sex, Madonna "set a template for what women could get away with". Influence of Erotica can be seen in the work of contemporary female artists such as Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, Cardi B, and Kim Petras. With the album, Joe Lynch from Billboard held that Madonna "set the blueprint for singers to get raw", while for Chuck Arnold it "forever sexed-up pop music".