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What were your first impressions of Erotica album?


Shane

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She was the biggest pop star the world had ever seen, and Erotica was her first new studio album in more than three years.

Although a fan favorite now, the cd received mixed reviews in 1992. Do you remember (those who are old enough) your initial impression of the album? What tracks struck you right from the get go? Did you love the entire album, or were you underwhelmed?

I can vividly remember sitting on my bed and playing the cassette (!) for the very first time.

To be honest, I remember thinking that both Fever and Bye Bye Baby went on a bit too long. The first track to blow me away was Deeper and Deeper. I enjoyed the slinky Where Life Begins, and then was blown away again by the hook and chorus melody of Bad Girl. I loved the trinity of Waiting, Thief of Hearts and Words, then went into ecstatic reverie for Rain.

The final section didn't stick as much at first.

What are your memories of Erotica?

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I was lucky enough to snag a new, original run US CD edition in 1998 :)

At the time I was obsessed with the Erotica opening intro, but when I got home and actually heard the album I though it sounded teeny and many of the song themes flew right over my 12yo head. I did hear it all the way through but it was kept away for many years until about 2004 when AL came around, I decided to relisten and I found the magical musical gem that it is.

Over the years and over continual listening sessions, its layers keep unraveling and it's amazing to me (at the same time, not) that Madonna produced this album at that stage in her career. She had really grown organically as an artist and was ready to explore a raw, perhaps darker, side to her persona.

Edited by billyto
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I remember reading mostly great reviews, Rolling Stone called it "brilliant". That said, I remember feeling that the album was really cold & uninviting. At first listen, I loved "Bad Girl", "Secret Garden", "Rain" and "Thief of Hearts". Of course, now it's one of my favorites.

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Loved most of the album when first started listening to it.

Thought it was pretty edgy and dark, especially compared to most of her earlier eighties albums.

I was obsessed with the pics inside CD booklet and made me want to have kinky sex!

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I was 22. I couldn't wait. Another reminder to the youngins out there - there was no internet.

Obviously, my initial reaction was that I loved it. Songs that stood out for me at the time were, D&D, Erotica, Bad Girl. I especially liked Waiting and Secret Garden.

I was dating an abusive asshole at the time and Waiting was my saving grace. So was Secret Garden - on so many different levels. From then on, I swore off relationships!

Erotica was my epiphany album. No relationships for me anymore. I just wanted sex!

It was an avant-garde album.

I do have memories of listening to it in my car. I remember having sex to it. And listening to it on headphones in my bedroom alone.

The release was huge. She got a lot of criticism for the SEX book and BOE.

I waited in line for the SEX book. I went to see BOE in the cinema and I hated it. Bad film.

It was a wonderful time to be a Madonna fan. Also, that's when I learned how to tune out all bad criticism. A good skill to have for a Madonna fan.

Best line in the album: And the next time you want pussy, huh, just look in the mirror, baby.

I got to use that line!!

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It was so long ago. But I played it while I was looking through the S.E.X book. Bought both at the same time.

I guess I was a little underwhelmed by some songs, Fever, Bye Bye Baby & Did You Do It?.

Generally loved the rest of the album. Can't go past Deeper & that insane flamenco guitar (it gets me goin!).

Aside from lyric content I think Where Life Begins is beautiful as well as Bad Girl, Waiting, Rain & Whys It So Hard.

The song I think could've been better was Thief Of Hearts, for me it's the vocals , she sang it like she was bored out her arse.

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I was 18 at the time and couldn't wait for Madonna's new album. I'd bought the Erotica single a few weeks before and had played it to death,excited that this was the direction she was going to go in next. I remember going to HMV to buy the album and rushing home to play it. The standout tracks for me were Erotica, Deeper & Deeper,and Rain. Whilst I loved the raw grit of tracks like Erotica and the slinky jazz of Where Life Begins,I actually thought that the album could've been shorter. Certain songs could've been edited down,and to be honest I'd have done away with what I considered to be weak songs and would've trimmed the album down to a 9 or 10 track LP. That's exactly what I did,I taped my own version of the album and played it endlessly. My tracklist was as follows;

Side One;

1. Erotica.

2. Fever.

3. Bye Bye Baby.

4. Deeper & Deeper.

5. Where Life Begins.

Side Two.

1. Words.

2. Rain.

3. Why's It So Hard?.

4. In This Life.

I thought visually the artwork was amazing, the videos were flawless, my only disappointment was that I felt she released the wrong singles. My single choices would've been;

1. Erotica.

2. Deeper and Deeper.

3. Rain.

4. Words.

5. In This Life.

Overall I think Erotica stands up well,and for me as singles, both Erotica and Deeper & Deeper are classics. I still listen to the LP today,I give it 8/10.

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Such beautiful gorgeous lyrics. These lyrics saved my life.... Someone else in the world could feel my pain.

It was so easy in the beginning

When you didn't feel like running from your feelings like you are now
What happened? What do I remind you of?
Your past, your dreams
Or some part of yourself that you just can't love?
I wish I could believe you
Or at least have the courage to leave you
Life has taught me that love with a man like you
Is only gonna make me blue
But I love you anyway no matter what you do
You don't come around here like you did before
When you did adore
Tell me what I did to deserve this
Finally I see a different man....
Finally I see a different face....
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When it was released I was so inspired that I lighted some candles and wrote that night an erotic short story. It won a contest and was published later.

If you would like to continue being a membe here, then you must post this short story.
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If you would like to continue being a membe here, then you must post this short story.

The book is out of print. It was published by Germans biggest publisher for gay books Bruno Gmünder. The name of the book is Schwanenflug - Phantastische Geschichten für Märchenprinzen (Swan Flight - Fantastic Stories for fairy-tale princes) The name of my story is Ich bin dein Traum - I Am Your Dream and is a melancholic vampire story. To be honest: It's poorly written - but it was so wonderful to write while listening to Erotica for the first time that night.

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I was scared of Madonna during the Erotica/SEX era. Everyone in the press said she went too far. And she looked derange to me with the blonde eyebrows and gold tooth. Of course retrospectively I love every aspect of the era except the shit she got for it in the states. I believe Madonna was ahead of herself in concept and execution.

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23 years ago - let's see if I can recall accurately. Honestly at first I was underwhelmed because foolishly I was expecting more upbeat/dance music - but that's not where she was at. It grew on my quickly and I completely fell for the title track, FEVER, DEEPER AND DEEPER, WAITING, BAD GIRL and RAIN. Those were the standouts for me. I still play it today and it sounds even better with my more refined ears. Great album overall - quite the thematic work, Madonna again was ahead of the curve and under-appreciated for her musicality back then.

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I was 12 when Erotica came out. I became a fan with JML and IC so just before and around the time of Erotica I really started to dig into her full albums. I was completely obsessed with the first album/LAV period around this time. So, thats where I was at the time in my Madonna love.....I was ready for some bubbly, upbeat, melodic dance/pop songs. Erotica didn't quite deliver on that front....lol....I didn't even finish Erotica the first time I listened to it. There was nothing that grabbed me in the way her earlier songs had. I just wasn't ready for this album. At that age I didn't quite grasp what she was going for with that album. As the era went on I finally listened to the full album and the videos/performances did help me appreciate it far more than I did initially. Honestly though, I didn't really give it a REAL chance again until I was much older....probably 18-19 years old.

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I don't remember when i first heard it (im 26 yo) but i know that it soon became my favourite and it still is. Beautiful masterpiece.

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I was in love with Erotica, the song, I thought, and I still think , it´s perfect, sexy-risky...I loved deper and Deeper, I kind of liked Fever and Rain, and I nearly died with plessure after hearing Bad girl...the rest of the album? it sounded repetitive and lame to me!!I guess I was expecting a poppier madonna...little by little I statred liking BBB, waiting,WISH...and now the ones that I really love are the ones that I never heard in the first months! specially secret garden: I still remember laughing about that song with a friend when it came out (why isn´t she singing it????).

anyways, it´s a great, and a risky album.if it wouild have been out a few weeks, or a few months before the book...the story would have been different,and all the critisim that it suffered would have never existed

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I was 17 and on first few listens I was dissapointed because for the first time I didn't like some songs on a Madonna's album (words, Bye Bye Baby, Did You Do It). For the first month, my favourite songs was Erotica, Where Life Begins, Waiting, Secret Garden, Rain, Bad Girl, D & D and Thief of Hearts. To be honest, it's takes me years to really appreciate the album as a whole.

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I know it's supposed to be an underrated masterpiece, but I didn't like it upon the first listen and I still don't really now. Other than Erotica, Waiting, and Secret Garden.

I remember feeling very disappointed. I became a fan around the time of Blond Ambition/Like a prayer so I wasn't expecting this.

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My first impression was.... I hated it. lol

I LOVED the "Erotica" track and expected to fall in love with the album right away....the same way I did I'm breathless, but Erotica was so different. After a few listens, tracks began to grow on me. Erotica, Bye Bye Baby, Deeper and Deeper, Bad Girl,

I didn't care for "Rain" until after hearing the radio remix, the same with "waiting" and "fever"

I didn't care for "why's it so hard" until after hearing the live version on the Girlie Show Book CD.

Now I enjoy the album, even though the production on the album is not my favorite sound.

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Ahh yes the Erotica album, I remember it well. It went something along the lines of: NEW MADONNA ERA!!! Where's my remixes? OMG RED VINYL. Must. See. Video. Now. New reinvention she looks awesome!!! PHOTO. SHOOT. There's a book? We're getting a book too? Well there's $50 I can happily kiss goodbye. Up Down Suite on a Rain picture disk? This was not on the album, even w/ a ballad she still delivers some smooth House!! Oh and I can't wait for the tour so I can watch it over and over until my eyes bleed (Madonna peephole trinket I bought at the show). $30 full wall-size Erotica poster from Chicago, yada yada yada Bad Girl 7"..

Deeper & Deeper I went.

I have no idea about Fever being too long or anything like that lol ,,

Not much has changed in my fandom world. Bitch has got me 4 lyfe.

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Completely enamored. I was 14 when it was released, and the era was perfect timing for me and my raging teenage hormones. lol

But seriously, it remains my favorite album/era to this day. I remember the first time I heard "Fever," and it thinking it sounded like total sonic bliss.

And OMG "Secret Garden." Completely smitten from the get go. Still one of the best songs she has ever done.

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I was 8 and I asked my mom to buy me Erotica and the SEX book. It didn't happen but I watched all the videos and The Girlie Show when they showed it on tv without anyone finding out of course. I feel like that even at that age I understood it. I was a really sexual kid

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I really love reading all of these stories about listening to the album when it first came out. I wish so badly I could have lived through this album release in particular...I would like to say I would have immediately loved it but who knows since I was about four months old at the time.

I didn't really discover the album until my teenage years and I loved it right away, but of course I already knew about all the late critical acclaim it has received from magazines like Slant and that, I'm sure, influenced my view of it.

Bad Girl and Waiting will always be two of my favorite Madonna gems and anytime I feel lost or angry at the world, this is the album I turn to.

Can't wait to read more stories about all of your initial reactions :)

Edited by tycole6
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'Erotica' was when I first got into Madonna and it was the first new studio album I got from her (after buying IC).

I was very excited and remember being blown away by 'Fever', D&D and the Andre Betts tracks.

Some of the other Shep tracks could have been better done. But I still love them. I think "In This Life" was a bit too meandering. Now that I reflect, it should have been a B side to something else, and 'Goodbye to Innocence' included.

Her voice is amazing on the album, I love that they just used the demo tracks I believe.

The cover of the album and font absolutely rules, so do the pics on the insert. I had no idea that those pics would be there when first opening it.

I first listened to it on Christmas morning because I got it for Christmas. Aside from the belief that the album could have been even better than it is, it is still my fave Madonna album of all time.

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