erotica blu Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Deeper and Deeper Albums: Erotica (1992), GHV2 - Greatest Hits Volume 2 (2001) Songwriters: Madonna/Shep Pettibone/Tony Shimkin Producers: Madonna/Shep Pettibone “‘Deeper and Deeper,’ from the same album, lowered some of the upturned noses caused by the ‘Erotica’ single. But they were soon raised again when they discovered that the track was about a miner coming to terms with his homosexuality, ‘I can’t help falling in love, I fall deeper and deeper the further I go,’ he sings as he disappears into the dark shaft.” - Dan Cadan, only slightly joking, from the GHV2 liner notes Miner metaphors aside, Deeper and Deeper may be Madonna’s single gayest track - or at the very least, her most unabashed attempt at recreating the string-heavy disco sound she was born half a decade too late for. And though it resembles Vogue, even quoting its euphoric final chorus to great effect, it’s not exactly a direct sequel. Instead of falling back on the era’s dominant house beats, Shep Pettibone’s production does what Stuart Price’s would fourteen years later: update disco for the (then-)present. As perhaps the only overt pop song, and therefore the one truly commercial single on the Erotica album, Deeper and Deeper sounds like a contradiction on paper; what detractors would call a last-ditch sell-out to radio. And yet in classic Madonna fashion, it nails the sense of conflict at the heart of Erotica over one of her most danceable tracks ever, whilst maintaining her artistic vision - she notably insisted on including the flamenco guitar interlude, which, radio be damned, even gets a full, glorious airing on the single edits. “I can’t help falling in love I fall deeper and deeper the further I go Kisses sent from heaven above They get sweeter and sweeter the more that I know” Though pop is filled with similarly lovestruck choruses, it’s not hard to see where Deeper and Deeper’s particular gay appeal stems from - it may be about a man she loves, but it deliberately reads like an argument for homosexuality as individual nature, not a choice. Whilst Celebration may have inadvertently summed up Madonna’s entire ethos with “If it feels good, then I say do it”, Deeper and Deeper - evoking Like a Prayer - even suggests God himself endorses homosexuality. Why resist what feels natural, and above all, right? “Someone said that romance was dead And I believed it instead of remembering What my mama told me Let my father mold me Then you tried to hold me You remind me what they said This feeling inside I can’t explain But my love is alive And I’m never gonna hide it again” Furthermore, if your parents taught you the values of independence and intuition - “think with your heart, not with your head” - why not take that advice, even if they disapprove of homosexuality? As the song’s tension builds, it takes on an almost I Will Survive-like combination of celebration and determination (minus the camp), whether or not it’s directly about coming out. And though Madonna never quite had the vocal power to truly be one, her final, infinitely triumphant “never gonna hide it again” is one of her greatest diva moments on record. So Deeper and Deeper was the obvious choice, the reassuringly danceable follow-up single to the controversial Erotica - yet it only peaked at #7 on the Hot 100. Why did such a predestined-sounding hit never quite make it big? Looking at the 1992/93 charts, R&B and ballads dominate - Whitney Houston’s cover of I Will Always Love You spent a mind-boggling 14 weeks at #1 - and the Erotica album was not so blatantly of its time, though it holds up far better than most of the time-stamped music of its era. With Madonna carving out her own, not-entirely-hip musical path, her star power alone was simply not enough (and never again would be), especially with the public backlash against her during the Sex era. It’s telling that in a time where Mariah Carey reigned, Madonna would have to conform to top the charts (albeit while producing excellent music) - the R&B-styled Take a Bow was her second-last ever #1 in 1995. Director: Bobby Woods The video for Deeper and Deeper is not so much deliberately uncommercial as totally unconcerned with MTV airplay. Perhaps the bigger problem is that although its treatment is a clear tribute to the ’60s and Andy Warhol, with Madonna as Edie Sedgwick (ironically, without eyebrows), it’s difficult to find any meaning in the visuals, or story in Madonna’s wanderings. There’s something impersonal about the whole affair - Madonna doesn’t lipsync, and barely looks at the camera bar a photoshoot scene - but for once, her makeover doesn’t feel like yet another extension of her personality. Nor is she reincarnating Edie Sedgwick like she did Marilyn Monroe in Material Girl; it feels like another person altogether, someone clearly enjoying herself, but hard to relate to. Seeing her under disco balls doesn’t make us feel like dancing. Nothing wrong with mildly baffling music video treatments (Madonna !), but this one just wasn’t compelling enough to work. That was beautiful. I posted my initial response based on the first page. I just figured there would be nothing but empty praise so I should just get my honest reply out the way. Boy: am I shocked at how awesome this write-up is about Deeper and Deeper – it certainly elevates my understanding with the lyrics being highlighted for context. I love the video for being itself: without attempting to sell anything – not the song nor the album or Madonna. I’ll have to make today another Erotica Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I remember her saying that she mentioned studio 54 and how she missed out on it and this was her take on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ladyluck13 Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 I love the acoustic demo version the most. me too, the piano makes me cry, I always put it on repeat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magom Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Yesterday I watch the Girlie Show and this performance is definitive the highlight (Express yourself-Deeper & Deeper are the best part of the whole show) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promise to try Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I was sooooooooooooo disappoitend with the video when I saw it...I still think she should have had eyebrows! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acko Posted October 11, 2010 Author Share Posted October 11, 2010 I was sooooooooooooo disappoitend with the video when I saw it...I still think she should have had eyebrows! U want a hug from acko? I think I can sorta imagine where ur coming from. I think at that time it came across as one of the least glamourous vids she'd ever done..I mean it wasn't glossy in the least with a slight almost amateurish edge in terms of editing..very much of its time, Madonna circa the grunge era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Personally I see it as hyper glam. To me it has a wonderful and adorable seventies vibe. Very aloof and carefree and smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magom Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 One question for the real fans Which is the song that Madonna sang during the Deeper and Deeper orgy in the Girlie show???? When she sang "Every morning every night I just wanna hold you tight, every morning everynight I just wanna love you right, uh yeah, uh yeah" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 The song samples http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeRWPEkfc_o However that is the part that Nikki and Donna sing. The intro also seems to be inspired by it. However, I think that the part you are asking about is actually an original Madonna lick. I can think of songs with the same or similar lyrics but not one of them has the same melody that I can recall. I think it's just a way to segue from 'Deeper and Deeper' to 'Why's it so hard?' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonski43 Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 I'm pretty sure "Every morning every night I just wanna hold you tight" is from a classic or based on a classic. Ever since I first heard it, I thought it was based on another song. As for the video, I still watch in awe at it. I just love the Mercedes and club scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsaacHarris Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 ^ I thought she just made it up w/ Donna & Nikki. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 I'm pretty sure that it is a totally ad libed lick as opposed to an excerpt from another song. Anyone know better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Some shows she sang "love to love you baby" instead of those "every morning/every night" lines I always thought it was from an actual song, but i've never been able to find the original Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Donna Summer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acko Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 Some shows she sang "love to love you baby" instead of those "every morning/every night" lines I always thought it was from an actual song, but i've never been able to find the original I think the 'every morning/every night' bit was done by Niki, she should be credited for all vocal arrangements & 'ad libs'.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acko Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I love that car. Imagine riding in it with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promise to try Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 U want a hug from acko? I think I can sorta imagine where ur coming from. I think at that time it came across as one of the least glamourous vids she'd ever done..I mean it wasn't glossy in the least with a slight almost amateurish edge in terms of editing..very much of its time, Madonna circa the grunge era. it was like she wanted to look bad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 anyone have the hand written notes from madonna that she did for the concept of the video? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest xela Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 One question for the real fans Which is the song that Madonna sang during the Deeper and Deeper orgy in the Girlie show???? When she sang "Every morning every night I just wanna hold you tight, every morning everynight I just wanna love you right, uh yeah, uh yeah" maybe it's Love Hurts, Shame or You Are The One... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 ^ Thanks for posting those! I'd seen them before, but hadn't remembered everything about them. Amazing how much detail she had included -- she always has such a concept of what ideas she wants to convey and very specific things she wants to use to convey them. On the other hand, interesting how her notes don't mention Udo Kier and all the dark, weird, occult stuff going on with him. Wonder who's idea that was and why it was necessary? (I think the balloon-popping could have been enough of the 'underbelly' so to speak... but I'm not criticizing. The video wasn't an early favorite of mine, but I've grown to appreciate it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemini1313 Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 i love this song. DIta ruLEs ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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