Singles... if Erotica never received damage control treatment

[scamper 1,998]

Now when I look back, I think the "Erotica" era was right as it was. I mean, when people ask "What would have happened if..." well, who knows? Things were that way, and that's why we had the rest of her works the way that we have them. If she had done something different we'd had to change all the rest of her story from "I'll remember" to "The Celebration Tour". So, is almost imposible to see what would had happen with her life and her career. 

It's true that, if she had change the order of the singles, I think the album could have been a success. After "This used to be my playground" everybody was hoping to listen Madonna's new album. I think that if she had released "Deeper and deeper" as the first single, "Erotica" could have been a really successful album. In my opinion the problem with "Erotica" was all the controversy it was around the relased and people tried to ignore her.

I think that albums sell thanks to the first and second single most of all. So I think the "Erotica" sells could have been much better if she had released "Deeper and deeper" and "Rain" as the first two singles. And in that moment, when most of the people had bought the album, release "Erotica" and "Sex" to make the promotion going on. The controversy would be the same, yes, but I think the album would have sell much more and people would remember it much more than what the do.

[Material Girl 4,651]

I have only one regret: that IN THIS LIFE didn't appear in single... And that FEVER didn't appear with its EDIT ONE version in singles !

[Pootz333 2,691]

3 hours ago, Blue Jean said:

I think you’re right. Probably because it’s a song nobody knows/remembers. Imagine if she’d instead performed Fever from The Girlie Show at the VMA’s  Pretty sure they’d remember that one.

No doubt. That or D&D.

[Prayer 14,375]

2 hours ago, thegoldencalf said:

Didn’t Erotica the single have a great debut? 

It was a Top 3 single in the UK and the US but also her first lead album single since 1984 in not reaching the #1 spot so surely that was seen as some kind of failure when they got "Deeper" rushed into the airwaves next.

[Mden 2,252]

I remember listening to the charts countdown by Ray McDonald on VOA on the 📻 . 

[GregVsMatt 3,703]

I don't think there was any damage control with Erotica except the choice of Rain as the 5th single with the two new remixes as b-sides which was a common strategy at the time for later singles in album campaigns.

Bye Bye Baby was just a case of available remixes, perhaps explored as an earlier single and then released in Germany and then the two touring markets Australia and Japan where Warner wanted a single to go with the tour etc

Of the 6 singles, I think they were the strongest choices and the right way to go 

[Honey Little 3,996]

I would chose:

1. Erotica 

2. Secret Garden / Fever (double A-side)

3. Deeper and Deeper

4. Why’s it so Hard 

 

[Drownedboy 1,676]

After LAP and Vogue you know that a song like Erotica, quite trancy and hipnotic maybe, but not really catchy in a pop sense, in my opinion, was never going to achieve the same level of success. 

Justify my love was not a catchy pop song but it was very fresh and new at its time, but that was enough of Madonna speaking on her songs and achieving number 1 status.

[Prayer 14,375]

7 minutes ago, Drownedboy said:

After LAP and Vogue you know that a song like Erotica, quite trancy and hipnotic maybe, but not really catchy in a pop sense, in my opinion, was never going to achieve the same level of success. 

Justify my love was not a catchy pop song but it was very fresh and new at its time, but that was enough of Madonna speaking on her songs and achieving number 1 status.

I can see why Warner was confident with "Erotica" as the lead single... it was basically "Justify My Love" part II or at least a clear continuation of it. If that sound and style had been number one for her only 18 months earlier why not again? Record companies always demanded more of what worked previously.

But of course it never works like that.

[GhostOrchid 702]

6 minutes ago, Drownedboy said:

After LAP and Vogue you know that a song like Erotica, quite trancy and hipnotic maybe, but not really catchy in a pop sense, in my opinion, was never going to achieve the same level of success. 

Justify my love was not a catchy pop song but it was very fresh and new at its time, but that was enough of Madonna speaking on her songs and achieving number 1 status.

Yeah, lightning doesn't strike twice. She was into a lot of spoken word around that time.

Nice ass btw

[GhostOrchid 702]

2 minutes ago, Prayer said:

I can see why Warner was confident with "Erotica" as the lead single... it was basically "Justify My Love" part II or at least a clear continuation of it. If that sound and style had been number one for her only 18 months earlier why not again? Record companies always demanded more of what worked previously.

But of course it never works like that.

I think with Erotica single specifically, and the video, Warner was praying their asses off for it to not be a disaster. But I think they gave her that initial freedom as agreed in the 60 million contract she had signed earlier. 

Justify My Love was fresh, yes. Erotica was pure gamble.

[Prayer 14,375]

1 minute ago, GhostOrchid said:

I think with Erotica single specifically, and the video, Warner was praying their asses off for it to not be a disaster. But I think they gave her that initial freedom as agreed in the 60 million contract she had signed earlier. 

Justify My Love was fresh, yes. Erotica was pure gamble.

It had worked before with "JML". I'm sure they thought she could pull it off again. In a way she did, a Top 3 single with a song like that (I love it but it's not her most commercial piece ever) and no video (couldn't be aired) and all purely based on her name and the whole hype was a success. I mean who else could have a song like that on the radio then.

The book and all the bad press around it was the problem, really.

[GhostOrchid 702]

7 minutes ago, Prayer said:

It had worked before with "JML". I'm sure they thought she could pull it off again. In a way she did, a Top 3 single with a song like that (I love it but it's not her most commercial piece ever) and no video (couldn't be aired) and all purely based on her name and the whole hype was a success. I mean who else could have a song like that on the radio then.

The book and all the bad press around it was the problem, really.

But they must have known that radios and especially TV wouldn't play it. The initial chart success faded quickly because everybody only tuned in to see the naked Madonna and hear her (once probably) talk about sexual fantasies.

JML had something in it that you want to keep listening to over and over. For the general public Erotica really doesn't. It was a really risky move on their part - to choose that song to lead the whole era. In my opinion that would have been the perfect 3rd single, to release along the book and the movie. Good few months after the album hit hard. But, they chose to give in to her demands I think.

[Donna 16,456]

14 minutes ago, Prayer said:

It had worked before with "JML". I'm sure they thought she could pull it off again. In a way she did, a Top 3 single with a song like that (I love it but it's not her most commercial piece ever) and no video (couldn't be aired) and all purely based on her name and the whole hype was a success. I mean who else could have a song like that on the radio then.

The book and all the bad press around it was the problem, really.

Exactly this.  The movie added to it all.  Erotica the song wasn't so much an issue as a single.  It's the video and the book that went along with it, was too explicit for some.

If Warner was really that concerned about "damage" happening, they would have pressured her into releasing something like Deeper and Deeper first.  Warner knew exactly what they were getting with Madonna with the single, album and book.  But of course, they as well as Madonna would choose other singles to follow to divert away from the negativity, but they all knew that that song, video and book was going to twist many people's tail feathers.  I'm sure they all knew they had to stay the course and choose follow up singles that could get back to more safer ground.

[Drownedboy 1,676]

33 minutes ago, GhostOrchid said:

Yeah, lightning doesn't strike twice. She was into a lot of spoken word around that time.

Nice ass btw

Thank you!❤️

[Anapausis 5,914]

Question is, if Shame and original GTI (not the tamed bullsh!t she lovely scrapped in favour of Fever) had found some place in album would they be considered as singles, esp given the environment M and Warner found after GP's backlash? Shame still looks to me a better option to D&D since its lyrics talk better to the heart (sorry deeply D&D but truth needs to be told).

EDIT: rewrote text after realizing my brain needs some rest... Lo siento, ik ben droevig etc.

[Jackie 8,075]

I agree it wasn't the song that was the issue - it was just the accumulation at the time. The book,  the movie and then the single - perhaps the strategy should have been the book + single  - then an album a year later maybe.

I also agree with @Blue Jeanif they were doing any damage control - Rain would have been the natural follow up single! 

But, at the end of the day, despite the intense press good and bad - it didn't hurt her career - Bedtime Stories the album was a hit - Take A Bow her longest No. 1 single in the US and the GS was a knock out!

[Donna 16,456]

58 minutes ago, Jackie said:

But, at the end of the day, despite the intense press good and bad - it didn't hurt her career - Bedtime Stories the album was a hit - Take A Bow her longest No. 1 single in the US and the GS was a knock out!

True this.  In the grand scheme of things, it's only a failure simply because it didn't measure up to her past album sales, but she managed just as much exposure and attention during this era.  She still managed to sell several million copies of this album back then, and over the years, the album has become a bit more appreciated and respected for what it was at the time.  No one in their right mind would think back then that releasing such a song, book and movie is going to be accepted by the masses. I'm sure Madonna and Warner knew this. However Madonna was still huge, so I'm sure Warner was willing to see this era out. And I'm sure there was some thought that "sex sells" as well. Looking now on it, it seems much of her fan base holds that album up as one of her best or favorites. 

 

[MaDöner Kebab 6,878]

10 hours ago, Blue Jean said:

I think if they were in damage control mode they would have released Rain right after Deeper and Deeper.

But even then she went ahead and did The Girlie Show which featured some of her raunchiest performances.

Bad Girl was the most critically acclaimed song after the album's release. I think they were really shocked when the single bombed.

[Donna 16,456]

10 minutes ago, MPowered said:

Bad Girl was the most critically acclaimed song after the album's release. I think they were really shocked when the single bombed.

To be fair, Bad Girl is a bit dreary in the sense of top 40 pop songs.  I love it, but I can see how some can feel the song is boring or not really a friendly song for the public.

[MaDöner Kebab 6,878]

7 minutes ago, McDonna said:

To be fair, Bad Girl is a bit dreary in the sense of top 40 pop songs.  I love it, but I can see how some can feel the song is boring or not really a friendly song for the public.

It’s definitely less dreary and slow than This Used To Be My Playground though and that song went to #1. 💀

[Donna 16,456]

3 minutes ago, MPowered said:

It’s definitely less dreary and slow than This Used To Be My Playground though and that song went to #1. 💀

I guess it's subjective as I prefer This Used To Be My Playground over Bad Girl.  Bad Girl is more depressing to TUTBMPG

[Blue Jean 15,254]

Does anyone remember when Madonna did a live stream with Diablo Cody and fans were asking about Bad Girl. And Diablo started singing the Donna Summer song 

[Markdonna 692]

I Love BYE BYE BABY.  This was also a Marilyn Monroe shout out that nobody ever caught or noticed as its the same title as a song from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

And BAD GIRL was simply EPIC on every level.  That video!!

To me, the song that SHOULD have been a single but sadly never was remains WORDS.  Love, love, love that track.  

[deathproof 10,608]

In the Multiverse of Madonna, there’s a timeline where Thief of Hearts was the 2nd single, and became a global #1. With a music video featuring Naomi Cambell and a performance at the Grammys where it picked up 4 wins.