Well, you might say I have been hating on Madonna recently due to her pact with the devil & photoshop. But I really do love Madonna. I think she is the most important woman in music history. There have been many great female performers before her and they paved the way for Madonna to happen but ultimately she was the one that took herself from simple pop star to international icon.
In 1990 Madonna’s “Justify My Love” video was banned for being sexually explicit and for 1990, it certainly was. There were men dressed as women, boobs a flashin’, and of course Madonna making out with a “she-he.” It was sooo obvious that MTV (who at the time played videos) was gonna slap a big fat NO on the video but that did not stop it from becoming the biggest selling video of all time.
That was the first of what many called “Madonna’s Sexual Assualt On The World.” I remember being excited because of the fact that things were now being discussed in the media, words such as “Gay, Homosexual and Sex” were all sort becoming of mainstream and there were discussions about Madonna taking things a step too far. The one thing it did do was open up a dialogue about topics that were completely taboo till then. It was quite an exciting time but no one could have predicted what she had in store next.
In October 1992 Madonna’s new single “Erotica” hit airwaves and it was an instant hit reaching top 5 and No.1 positions around the world. The entire image campaign for the single and album “Erotica”was brilliant. It was a mix of lush ultra-glamorous looks mixed in with smutty, toe licking and boob piercing, candle wax on the nipple kind of affair. The video was again banned by most video outlets.
Madonna explained that it was a concept album exploring sexuality and relationships and it was to be accompanied hand in hand by her book, SEX. This is where things got a bit out of control and even though it went on to sell over 1,5 million copies it would mark the start of the Madonna backlash. The book was dismissed by many critics as “calculated,” “cold,” and “not sexy.” I thought the book was brilliant, not only because of the pictures but also for what it stood for. It was the first time that any popular celebrity literally “put it all out there” for everyone to see. It was not bashful of fearful, Madonna did not apologize for the book.
This did not go down too well with America and she was called a “whore” a “slut” and all those wonderful words people use to describe someone that is in complete control of their sexual identity. This is what made me love Madonna so much. It was the fact that no matter what she did she always stood by her work and didn’t back down not matter how much shit people gave her. She did not remove SEX from the bookstores, she did not stop releasing singles from “Erotica.” (She went on to release 6 ) It was this fiercely brave attitude that won her the undying and loyal love from many “underdogs” that had also taken a lot of shit from other people as well. (Gays, drag queens, etc…)
For me this is when Madonna was her most relevant and while many would say it was an all time career low for me it was an all time high. Most say that she pushed people’s buttons and I would have to say that, this is what she did best. She actually pushed boundaries, she took it there, she made people feel uncomfortable and it was fucking amazing!
Listen to the best “Erotica” remix: Madonna – “Erotica (William Orbit Remix)”
