Madonna performs ‘Take A Bow’ on the 22nd Annual American Music Awards on Jan. 30, 1995 in Los Angeles.
In honor of the 2017 American Music Awards, Billboard is counting down the best performances from the awards show’s history. Here is no. No. 8.
Sometimes the hardest act to follow is yourself.
Throughout the early to mid-’90s, Madonna leaned into the concept that sex sells. But by the time she doled out the 1992 coffee table book Sex — complete with nude images of herself — her sexualized image had reached its peak. At the same time, the shock factor of the Erotica era had lost its impact.
Before rebranding became a thing, the chameleon-like “Material Girl” had a way of reinventing her image. This time, she chose to dial it down on her next album, 1994’s Bedtime Stories. The autobiographical elements of her poetic balladry exhibited a newfound vulnerability that felt more revealing than her sexual gimmickry. The album’s second single, “Take a Bow,” ended up becoming Madonna’s longest running No. 1 on the Hot 100 with a seven-week run at the top.
Two months after that song stormed the charts, Madonna and Babyface delivered their only live performance of the track at the American Music Awards on Jan. 30, 1995. The presence of a live orchestra added a lush texture to the song. Madonna’s distinctive vocal colors were given new life through the prism of Babyface’s R&B-style vocal runs.
Looking at Madonna’s sartorial decision from a 2017 perspective, the cultural appropriation of a white woman wearing a cheongsam (a Chinese dress) might not fly — but it was not entirely random, as the song’s pentatonic strings were intended to evoke Chinese opera. The stage production was relatively barren as Madonna and Babyface stood in place while elevated on their respective pillars.
Babyface previously spoke to Billboard about his appearance onstage with Madonna. “I was nervous as hell,” he said. “But you couldn’t actually see my legs shaking under the suit. When we finished, she told me she had never been that nervous before. That was crazy to me — I was thinking, ‘You’re Madonna, you’re on stage all the time!'”
But the stage fright never showed up on Madonna’s theatrical facial expressions, complementing lyrics like, “You deserve an award for the role that you played.”
New in our discography is Madonna’s next studio album (after the notorious ‘Like a Prayer’) I’m Breathless.
Madonna recorded the album inspired by the songs featured in the movie Dick Tracy where she portrayed the part of Breathless Mahoney. Only 3 songs on I’m Breathless were actually featured in the film (Sooner Or Later, What Can You Lose and More). Two singles were only ever released off of I’m Breathless (VOGUE and Hanky Panky), while there were plans for a single release for ‘Now I’m Following You’ but that idea was scrapped (promo’s do exist).
In this discography we have collected 27 different pressings from various countries for you to enjoy.
Next and new in our discography is Madonna’s smash hit VOGUE!
One of Madonna’s greatest signature hits! The song was included on Madonna’s forthcoming LP I’m Breathless with songs inspired by the movie Dick Tracy. In the discography we have collected 31 different pressings from our own collection for you to view. Check out the various pressings with different matrix numbers and variations HERE
The English Roses by Madonna; more than 500,000 copies sold! An inspiring story about the importance of compassion and the rewards of friendship in a new 15th Anniversary Edition. Madonna’s The English Roses is a story of rivalry and friendship among schoolgirls in contemporary London. Four girls–Nicole, Amy, Charlotte, and Grace–are eleven years old and the very best of friends. They have sleepovers, picnics and ice-skating parties that exclude Binah, a beautiful girl whose seemingly perfect life makes them “green with envy.” However, when a feisty, pumpernickel-loving fairy godmother takes them on a magical journey, they learn to their great surprise that Binah’s life is not nearly as enviable as it had seemed. This tale is cleverly told, with many teaspoonfuls of good humor. Children and adults alike engage with this story that celebrates friendship as much as it teaches compassion. Jeffrey Fulvimari’s illustrations are no less than stunning–they fill every page with vivacious black ink lines and gorgeous watercolor reminiscent of 1960s fashion sketches.
“Madonna has written a whole series of children’s books, illustrated by Jeffrey Fulvimari. The ongoing story is about four girls who become jealous of another girl who they believe lives a perfect life…. Whatever wisdom they contain has certainly been shared widely – the first book was published simultaneously in 100 countries, something most debut children’s authors could only dream about.”
“The story explores several issues, among them the idea that one can be envied or pitied and the emotional deprivation that often motivates overcompensation in both children and adults…Forget Madonna’s wild ways. She offers a vital message for girls.”
“This book deals with a group of friends who snub a beautiful girl because they are ‘green with envy;’ ultimately they learn to have empathy for her, and include her. While a picture book, this is really more for the pre-tween crowd: It may be a good bridge for early readers who are feeling too big for picture books but aren’t quite ready to tackle chapter books.”
Many of us collectors are fully aware of the famous artwork of the German Borderline vinyl picture sleeve, what a lot of us don’t know is that this is actually the second pressing of the single from Germany. The first vinyl pressing for the 12″ of ‘Borderline’ actually has the same artwork as the well known alternate picture sleeve from the U.S.A (and Canada, Portugal, Brazil and so on). The first pressing is a lot harder to find than the very common second pressing.
We have just added the first pressing of ‘Borderline’ on vinyl from Germany to its discography, check out all the HQ scans out HERE
Throwback vibe Madonna sweatshirt featuring a photo + text graphic at the front. Pullover silhouette is complete with ribbed banding at the crew neck, cuffs + hem. Get it only at Urban Outfitters.
Content + Care
– Cotton
– Machine wash
– Imported
Size + Fit
– Model is 6’0” and wearing size Large
– Measurements are taken from size Large
– Chest: 20”
– Length: 28”
It was 25 years ago today that my mother brought home Madonna’s brand new ‘Erotica’ album. I had been a massive fan ever since seeing ‘Truth Or Dare’ the year before and to me Madonna was (and is) the coolest person in the world. There was a huge hype building up to the release of ‘Erotica’, Dutch magazines were already writing articles speculating that Madonna would be taking it further than we’d ever thought. I still remember seeing the Vanity Fair photoshoot and thinking…..well this is going to be something else!
I remember the Dutch news even dedicating an entire segment in their morning news to the ‘extremely risky’ new song and video by Madonna (‘Erotica’) and showing a few seconds of it. I was hooked instantly. The vibe, that song, the darkness, the mystery, the look….I loved it all.
So when my mother went shopping and brought home ‘Erotica’, happy 11 year old me instantly put the disc in my CD player and listenend. Upon hearing the first seconds of the first song I though my copy was bad….the static noise was intentional though. I listened to the entire album and fell in love with each and every song, it became my favorite Madonna album. Upon visiting my dad a short while later, he told me he had a surprise for me. He grabbed a large package and told me to open it. When I unwrapped it, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that it was Madonna’s infamous brand new and talked about book ‘SEX’. I needed a knife to open it and my father helped me to open the packaging. When I flipped through the pages, I noticed that my dad was shocked. Turned out he had no clue what the book was about, he went to the book store and asked for ‘that new Madonna book’, paid 65 Dutch guilders (around 30 EUR) and went home.
However in the days that followed everyone I knew wanted to see ‘that’ book. In class I had to ‘defend’ my Madonna fandom, to my classmates she went too far and was a ‘slut’. It became a ‘thing’ for people to hate on Madonna and I was the only one defending her. I even performed the song ‘Erotica’ in front of my entire school (nothing erotic…don’t worry), but it was still ‘lame’ to like her. I didn’t care and wasn’t afraid to show my love for her. I wasn’t cool anymore and was suddenly called stupid for sticking up for my favorite singer and music album.
25 years later here I still am, still defending her almost daily to many people….that hasn’t changed! What has changed though is that that same album that was labelled a flop 25 years ago, is now being called a ‘masterpiece’, ‘important work’ and ‘so ahead of its time’. Did it really take 25 years for people to finally ‘get it’?
Twenty five years ago today, Erotica was released to the general public and was met with a wide variety of backlash. Some of which was due to the release of her Sex book, but also due to the S & M laced music video for the title track.
Looking back, I can understand some of the backlash because just months before this CD was released, Madonna had released ‘This Used to be My Playground’.. which was a heartfelt ballad with a beautiful music. To say that both the book and CD were a complete 180 from that song/video would be an understatement. Even though Madonna was known for sudden 180 turns in her image and music, this was a pretty big switch that felt like whiplash for some of her fans. Sadly, the merits of the album were not reviewed and it fell out of the charts within a matter of months.
As a pre-teen/young teen, the album spoke to me as I’ve written before, but I decided to listen to Erotica with an fresh perspective. Below is a breakdown of each song and my thoughts on them as an adult.
Erotica:
After hearing her redo the song for her Confessions Tour as a disco dance song, I find myself not feeling this version as much as I did back then. It did introduce me to the concept of S & M so for that, I’ll always remember this song :)
Fever:
Cover song that takes a sensual song previously sung in a slow sensual manner, and adds a dance beat. What I most remember of the song was the video of a red spot light background with Madonna covered in silver singing the song. Decent cover, but much prefer the original version sung by Peggy Lee.
Bye Bye Baby:
Decent song, but not her most memorable song. Although I love the New Jack Swing beat :)
Deeper and Deeper:
My favorite song then and now :) A truly fun song done in a genuine club beat with the infectious flamenco guitar played during the bridge of the song.
Where Life Begins:
In middle school, I honestly didn’t understand the meaning of this song. My mom heard it and basically explained it to me. Listening to the song as an adult, I love the double entendres sprinkled throughout the song. It kind of reminds me of what she attempted to do on Holy Water from her Rebel Heart CD. The difference was that this particular song has a slower, r and b groove to it that sounds more sensual then the backdrop for Holy Water.
Bad Girl:
An overlooked song that barely made the top 40 back in early 1993, that was overshadowed by the more sleazy Erotica and Sex book. The music video for this song plays like a mini-movie (owing to Looking for Mr. Goodbar as inspiration for the video).
Waiting:
Another song I never paid much attention to back in the day, but it’s kind of catchy with a nice R & B groove about longing and waiting for the other person to not run away from their feelings.
Thief of Hearts:
A song about backstabbing and blaming the other woman when her man is stolen from her. Unknown if she was singing about anyone in particular, or if she was just singing about a common occurrence in the often complex world of female friendship and interaction. Catchy with a cool dance beat.
Words:
I admit to skipping past this song back when I first got the CD, but it’s a pretty good song about how powerful words can be especially if there is truth behind them. The only drawback to the song is the almost 6 minute run-time. Had the song been edited down to 4 minutes, I think it would have tightened up the song and gotten the message behind the song across better.
Rain:
The most romantic song on the CD. It was released as the 4th single from the album with a really cool video that’s hi-tech (by 1993 standards), yet has a warmth underneath the cold beat of the song. I love this song more now then I did back then.
Why’s It So Hard:
Another song I never really listened to much back in the day, but now the message of the song fits with what is going on in the world. About feeling alienated, and wondering how she can fight to change the system without being in pain. I’d ask both GOP and Dems this very question since we are nation of division.
In This Life:
A sad song lamenting the loss of friends to AIDS. This song came out in 1992 right after the peak of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, especially in the gay community. The song briefly touches on the story of two people in her life that succumbed to the disease with her wondering who is next. Very sad sad song :(
Did You Do It?:
The song that caused the CD to have a Parental Advisory label plastered on it. Back in 1992, you had the option of getting the clean and non-clean version so naturally I only could purchase the clean version. Hearing the song now, it’s a rap with the chorus from ‘Waiting’ playing.. it’s two guys rapping about sex with someone. So I can see why it got the label, but the song could have easily stayed off the CD. It doesn’t add anything to the cd, except for a male point of view to the concept of the cd.. which was sex.
Secret Garden:
Another song I never listened to back then, but while it isn’t the catchiest of songs.. the symbolism and message behind the song speaks to me now as an adult. To me, even though she’s been hurt.. she still believes that she will find the perfect person and be happy all the time in her secret places of place.
So as I finish listening to this album, it’s one of her deepest and most honest pieces of work. It’s amazing how mature and introspective she was in this concept album. It examined the different variations of sex from a romantic, as well as primal, point of view. The fact she wrote/produced this at 33 makes me look at current female singers and wonder when they will be producing such works of art. Beyonce is the only one that comes close to doing that, imho.
Twenty-five years ago, Madonna changed. Sure, Madonna was always changing, but with the release of Erotica on Oct. 20, 1992, she fully shed her ebullient ’80s pop skin, donned a leather cat mask, and kicked open a rusty back alley door that previous chart-toppers only dared to scratch at.
You didn’t need to pick up a copy of her celebrity nude-filled coffee table book, Sex, to realize it. You didn’t even need to see Madonna Veronica Louise Ciccone, whip in hand, mugging for the camera in the video for the title track. All you needed to do was press play on the album and let the impossibly thick, libidinous bass line of “Erotica” start vibrating throughout your body. Forty seconds in, the sampled horns of Kool & the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie” flare up, but instead of sounding reassuring and familiar, they seem disembodied and eerie. Then, Madonna’s latest alter ego addresses you, low and firm: “My name is Dita / I’ll be your mistress tonight.”
If her earlier work was an invitation to celebrate sexuality without shame, Erotica was a challenge from Dita Parlo – Madonna’s unashamed, unflinching dominatrix persona – to witness and perhaps even indulge in society’s sexual taboos. Madonna may have addressed the male gaze before, but on Erotica, she wasn’t just staring back – she was making the world her sub.
Erotica occupies a watershed place in the pop pantheon, setting the blueprint for singers to get raw while eschewing exploitation for decades to come. For its 25th anniversary, Billboard spoke to the players involved in Madonna’s most creatively daring release. Here’s what producer-writer Andre Betts, backup singer Donna De Lory, producer-writer Shep Pettibone, producer-writer Tony Shimkin and Living Colourbassist Doug Wimbish recall of the writing and recording of Erotica, the insane release party for the LP and book, and the collective societal pearl-clutching that followed.
The seeds of Erotica trace back to 1990’s The Immaculate Collection, which included two new songs: “Rescue Me” from Shep Pettibone and his assistant Tony Shimkin, and “Justify My Love” from Andre Betts and Lenny Kravitz. The gospel-house of the former hit No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the hip-hop-inflected latter – which scandalized the world with its leather-clad, ambisexual music video — reached No. 1. For Erotica, Madonna reteamed with Pettibone and Shimkin for 10 tracks, and Betts for four.
Tony Shimkin: After doing The Immaculate Collection and “Rescue Me,” she let us know she was working on a new album and wanted us to be involved in the writing. Seeing I was a musician and writer and Shep [Pettibone] was more of a DJ and remixer, we collaborated on the writing of the tracks for the Erotica album. We went up to meet with her in Chicago, post-“Vogue,” when she was filming A League of Their Own. So we met with her and started to get to work on some music, and sent it to her as we were working our way through it. She would come into New York and have a book full of lyrics and melody ideas and we started working together in Shep’s home studio. I believe the first time she was in New York for an extended period, we were working on “Deeper and Deeper” and “Erotica” and “Bye Bye Baby.” She’s very driven. There’s was never a period of feeling it out — it was diving in headfirst.
Doug Wimbish: I remember Madonna when she used to go to the Roxy before she got really put on. I’d see her at the Roxy when Afrika Bambaataa was down there or [Grandmaster] Flash, and she was down there jamming out. And not just being a spectator, but being engaged in the scene. Madonna’s association with the dance music and the gay scene and the hip-hop scene merging in the downtown clubs in New York City, and her coming from Michigan, she got it…. And she knew Dre had something special. A song like “Where Life Begins” is right up his alley. She had a relationship with Dre for his rawness and realness. You gotta be around someone in this business who tells you, “No, I’m not digging that, that’s why.” And also keep the window open to listen. I think that’s what Dre did.
Andre Betts: “Where Life Begins” was the first song we wrote on Erotica. I started working on the track and she started writing lyrics. She called me a few weeks before and asked me over the phone, “I’ll be in New York in two weeks, do you want to work?” I’m like, “Yeah of course.” She’s like, “Find a studio, I don’t want to work in a popular studio, I want to be low-key.” [The studio I picked] was a hole in the wall for real. She came in, started writing, she’s like, “What do you think about this direction and these lyrics?” I was like, “That sounds like something I’d write.” Our session got interrupted because a big rat ran across the floor. I’m the only one that got the feet up so at first I didn’t think she saw it, and she goes, “Dre, stop being a bitch, it’s just a rat.” [Laughs] She said, “I’m from Detroit, I’m not worried about a rat.”
Shimkin: She really holds fast to a general rule, which is that she’s in charge of lyrics and melody, and you’re in charge of music. While she has her say in the music end, it’s more about the arrangement and how it works with her vocal. She’ll still be open to ideas you have about a vocal. One is her dominion, the other is yours, and they don’t meet that often, but it’s not unheard of to be able to comment either way.
Donna De Lory: She would completely just hear it in her head. Especially when we’re doing vocals. Sometimes [backup singer] Niki [Haris] and I would be like, “How ’bout this? How ’bout that?” And she was like, “Nope, this is how it’s going to be.” And it ended up being great. She was open to other ideas, but I really respected that.
Wimbish: [My first day in the studio], she rolls up and she’s got a box with these Playboy magazines from like the ’60s. She comes in, Dre sees her and she’s chilling, Dre’s like, “Yo what’s up Mo how you doing?” They start having a conversation. Dre says, “What do you got here in this box.” Before she can say anything Dre takes one of the magazines and opens to the center section, is like, “Damn these old babes had some titties back then!” Dre’s real straight up and down with her. She’s Madonna, she’s got that alpha female vibe — and no disrespect. I’m like “yo, let me see that.” She’s like, “No, no, I don’t want you to see anything ’til you play some bass.” Our relationship was broken in based on Dre, that moment and Playboy magazines. Dre’s looking at the centerfold, Madonna’s doing her Madonna thing, saying, “no, no,” and I’m like, “I’m not doing anything until I see some titties and ass.”
Shimkin: I was 21, 22 years old at the time. While I’d worked on a lot of major artists’ records and spoken to some of them, it can be intimidating at first. When we worked on “Vogue” I didn’t speak to her that much, but when we started working in [Shep’s] house [on Erotica] and you’re there every day, you realize somebody is just who they are. One time, she was asking me if I was done on the computer. She asked me a few minutes later and I was like “not yet,” and I started getting more nervous. The next time she asked me, I lost it and I thought it was the end of my career, I said, “I’m not done yet, make some fucking popcorn and I’ll let you know when I’m ready.” And she was like, “Ah-k.” I think she appreciated someone not being a sycophant and kissing her ass, and just being real. It became much easier as time went on. I think she enjoys having people around her who allow themselves to be themselves. She’s really no different than what she puts out there to the public in a movie like Truth or Dare. There’s not a persona and she doesn’t hide who she is.
Back in the late 1990s I used to run into Sean Hughes all the time at parties. He was a Perrier Award-winning stand-up comedian and team captain on Never Mind The Buzzcocks who would go to the opening of an envelope, so long as it included a free drink. I was the Showbusiness Correspondent of the Evening Standard so I was often there too.
Sean usually had a fag in one hand and a drink in the other. He was often drunk, which seems to be what did for him in the end, the poor sod. Only 51 too, when he died this week, an event he foresaw in a rather wonderful poem:
“I want to be cremated
I know how boring funerals can be I want people to gather meet new people have a laugh, a dance, meet a loved one. I want people to have free drink all night.
Comedian Sean Hughes dies aged 51 after battle with liver disease
I want people to patch together, half truths. I want people to contradict each other I want them to say ‘I didn’t know him but cheers’ I want my parents there, adding more pain to their life. I want The Guardian to mis-sprint three lines about me or to be mentioned on the news Just before the ‘parrot who loves Brookside’ story.
I want to have my ashes scattered in a bar, on the floor, mingle with sawdust, a bar where beautiful trendy people
Will trample over me … again”
At that time, in the late 1990s, he rubbed shoulders with, but never seemed to be part of, the Britpop A-list who dominated the tabloids’ showbiz pages – Liam and Noel, Damon and Jarvis, Baddiel and Skinner, Meg (Matthews) and Fran (Cutler), Kate (Moss) and Sadie (Frost), Patsy (Kensit) and Davinia (Taylor). Sean was never quite on the A-list. He had the same level of fame, and he was seen at the same parties, but the paps weren’t as interested in Sean, perhaps because he didn’t have a celebrity girlfriend for them to snap. Consequently, he was occasionally reduced to talking to me.
Such was the case when we both found ourselves in a room at the ICA waiting to meet Madonna one night in November 1999.
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