Ragazza cattiva lo è sempre stata. Magari non cattivissima, ma un pò fuori dagli schemi sì. E poi gira sempre quella storiella: più che artista, bieca manager di sè stessa. Il che non è propriamente una cosa negativa, ma per molti lo è. In una parola: Madonna.
Nel bene e nel male, tra mille polemiche (sulle quali abilmente campa) e qualche bel disco sparso qua e là (a proposito, l'ultimo non era niente male). Qualche volta persino attrice, i risultati però sono sempre stati pessimi. Negli anni Ottanta fece un certo scalpore, perchè raccontò alle ragazzine la favoletta che è bello essere vergini. Tutti dissero di sì poi però, di nascosto, ognuno faceva ciò che voleva. Ed a pensarci bene, tra lei e Michael Jackson gli anni Ottanta non furono così barbosi come molti si ostinano ad affermare. Magari non furono eccitanti da un punto di vista musicale, e chissenefrega, l'importante è esagerare.
Poi però, inevitabilmente, la corda tende a spezzarsi. E tira tira, alla fine si spezza. Gli anni Ottanta finirono e fu la volta dei Novanta. E lo scandalo, quello costruito a tavolino, cominciò a logorare anche i fans più accaniti. "Like a Prayer" (1989) era, praticamente, la stessa cosa di "You Can Dance" (1987), che poi era praticamente la stessa cosa di "True Blue" (1986). L'immagine comincia a perdere consensi, e non basta una colonna sonora, tutto sommato pulitina, ("I'm Breathless") per ritornare agli epigoni di qualche anno prima.
Madonna però, possiede sempre una carta di riserva, il jolly da tirare fuori quando non puoi nemmeno tentare il colore. Prima cosa: il cambio di etichetta. Dalla Sire passa alla Maverick (da lei appositamente creata), si ricostruisce una sorta di identità perduta (non è più una ragazzina, d'accordo, ma insomma, è ancora molto attraente) e sfonda gli argini: questa volta lo dichiara apertamente, è "Erotica". Bel colpo Signora Ciccone!, Lei sì che ci sa fare!.
"Erotica" esce nel 1992 e viene accompagnato da un libro, "Sex", che Madonna fa uscire per l'occasione. Insomma, dopo l'era frivola e scanzonata, è arrivata l'ora dell'era adulta e piccante, quella dove il confine tra pornografia di massa e provocazione d'elité è qualcosa di più di una 'sottile linea rossa'. Meglio comunque non scomodare Terence Malick (e nemmeno Conrad, già che ci siamo) visto che, nonostante il grande battage pubblicitario, "Erotica" è un disco di poco conto, lieve lieve, quasi come una piuma. E troppo poco 'musicale', da deludere persino i fans.
E sì, perchè quello che doveva essere il rilancio in grande stile si rivelerà ben presto un mezzo passo falso, una di quelle cadute che non fanno tanto rumore ma provocano qualche leggero scossone. "Erotica" è un disco che punta tutto sull'immagine, ma che ha poca ciccia, poca sostanza: la musica è banale, o meglio, già sentita, e la dance proposta da Madonna più che innovativa è fuori tempo massimo. Brani da discoteca che nessun deejay passerebbe mai (perchè troppo ricercati) e brani per teenager che nessun bamboccio ascolterebbe mai (perchè troppo complessi). Qualche vecchio cuore di burro, che ha amato Madonna potrebbe anche divertirsi ad ascoltare il disco, ma allora etichettiamo il lavoro per quello che è: un disco per pochi, perchè estremamente noioso. E poco importa che il video che accompagna "Bad Girls" sia più hard che soft, il risultato non cambia, la noia neppure.
E poi le tanto amate trasgressioni: nel brano che dà il titolo all'album, Madonna si dichiara (oibò!) Mistress Sadomaso, e già questa la dice lunga. Gli altri brani sono quello che sono (cioè poco) se si escludono almeno due pezzi abbastanza riusciti: "Rain" (normale amministrazione, ma con una marcia in più) ma, soprattutto, la bella cover di un pezzo jazz di Peggy Lee, "Fever". Un brano rivoltato, nelle mani di Madonna un gran bel pezzone pop, pieno di ritmo e sfumature dance tutto sommato abbastanza divertenti.
Ad accompagnare questa mastodontica operazione mediatica, ecco arrivare puntuale un film simil-promozionale. Trattasi di "Body Of Evidence - Corpo del reato" recitato insieme a Willem Dafo e Joe Mantegna. In cabina di regia un certo Ulrich Edel. Anche qui, come nel disco, atteggiamenti erotici, manette, frustini, corde, palate di sadomasochismo gettate in faccia allo spettatore in maniera tanto volgare quanto innocua. Un film osceno (tralasciamo la trama che è meglio) che venne snobbato dal pubblico e maltrattato dalla critica.
"Erotica" è dunque, come si è potuto notare, un punto di svolta nella carriera dell'artista italo-americana. Come ogni crocevia non è lineare, e procede a zig zag: manca la compattezza di certi album storici di Madonna, manca soprattutto un'idea portante che sorregga la costruzione. Non basta l'erotismo spicciolo e fine a sè stesso, ci vogliono anche, e soprattutto, dei contenuti. E ci vuole la buona musica. L'album comunque, vende circa 5 milioni di copie (non poco!), ma visti i precedenti album di Madonna un risultato inferiore alle aspettative. Una gioia (immensa, per essere sinceri) per tutti quei detrattori che fin dal primo momento non sono mai riusciti a sopportare Madonna: aspettavano un passo falso, ed eccoli accontentati, l'hanno avuto.
Divisa costantemente tra cinema e musica (inutile parlare di "Evita", sarebbe come sparare sulla Croce Rossa), Madonna ritornerà seriamente al lavoro solo nel 1998 con l'album "Ray Of Light", il suo migliore da almeno dieci anni. Poi vennero i tour mondiali, la consacrazione definitiva, gli 'anta' abbondantemente superati, per arrivare dunque ai giorni nostri. Provocante e seducente come sempre, solo con qualche anno in più e l'esperienza che non è mai da buttare: oltre all'immagine, oggi, non sempre ma spesso, c'è anche la sostanza. "Erotica" è un ricordo lontano. E speriamo che stia il più lontano possibile!.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Erotica (05:18)
Erotica Romance
Erotica Romance
My name is Dita
I'll be your mistress tonight
I'd like to put you in a trance
If I take you from behind
Push myself into your mind
When you least expect it
Will you try to reject it
If I'm in charge
And I treat you like a child
Will you let yourself go wild
Let my mouth go where it wants to
Give it up
Do as I say
Give it up
and let me have my way
I'll give you love
I'l hit you like a truck
I'll give you love
I'll teach you how to
uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh
I'd like to put you in a trance
All over
Chorus
Erotic,Erotic
Put your hands all over my body
Erotic,Erotic
Put your hands all over my body
Erotic,Erotic
Put your hands all over my body
Erotic,Eotic
Once you put your hand in the flame
It will never be the same
Theres a certain satisfaction
and a little bit of pain
I can see you understand
I Can tell you're the same
If You're Afraid, Well Rise Above
I Only Hurt The Ones I Love
Give It Up
Do As I Say
Give It Up
And Let Me Have My Way
I'll Give You Love
I'll Hit You Like A Truck
I'll Give You Love
I'll Teach You How To
UUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHH
I'd Like To Put You In A Trance
All Over
Erotic , Erotic
Put Your Hands All Over My Body
Eroic , Erotic
Put Your Hands All Over My Body
Erotic , Erotic
Put Your Hands All Over My Body
Erotic , Erotic
Erotica Romance
I'd Like To Put You In A Trance
Erotica Romance
Erotica Romance
Put Your Hands All Over My Body
I Don't Think You Know
What Pain Is
I Don't Think
You've Gone That Way
I Could Bring You
So Much Pleasure
I'll Come To You When You Say
I Know You Want Me
I'm Not Going To Hurt You
Just Close Your Eyes
Erotic(Repeat Several Times)
Put Your Hands All Over My Body
All Over Me
All Over Me
Erotica Romance
(Give It Up ,Give It Up)
I'd Like To Put You
In A Trance
Erotica Romance
(Give It Up , Give It UP)
I'd Like To Do A Different
Kind Of uuuuuuuhhhh
Only The One That Hurts You
Can Make You Feel Better
Only The One That Inflicts The Pain
Can Take It Away
Eroti--ca
02 Fever (05:00)
You give me
You give me fever
Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
Listen to me baby, hear every word I say
No one can love you the way I do
'Cause they don't know how to love you my way
Chorus:
You give me fever, when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
My eyes light up when you call my name
'Cause I know you're gonna treat me right
Bless my soul I love you, take this heart away
Take these arms I'll never use
And just believe in what my lips have to say
(chorus)
Everybody's got the fever
That is something you should know
Fever isn't such a new scene
Fever started long ago
You give me fever, fever
You give me, you give me fever
(chorus)
Romeo loved Juliet
Juliet, she felt the same
When he put his arms around her
He said Julie baby, you're my flame
He gave her fever
Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
My eyes light up when you call my name
'Cause I know you're gonna treat me right
(chorus)
Fever, with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Everybody's got the fever
That is something you should know
Fever isn't such a new scene
Fever started long ago
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said, daddy oh don't you dare
He gives me fever
With his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Fever, I'm his Misses
Daddy, won't you treat him right
Fever, when you kiss them
Fever, if you live and learn
Fever, 'til you sizzle
What a lovely way to burn (repeat twice)
04 Deeper and Deeper (05:33)
Deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper
Sweeter and sweeter and sweeter and sweeter
Chorus:
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
When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything
That's what my mama told me
Round and round and round you go
When you find love you'll always know
I let my father mold me
Bridge:
Daddy couldn't be all wrong
[Not gonna let you slip away, I'm gonna be there]
And my mama made me learn this song
[You're gonna bring your love to me, I'm gonna get you]
That's why
(chorus)
The deeper I go
All is fair in love she said
Think with your heart, not with your head
That's what my mama told me
All the little things you do
Will end up coming back to you
I let my father mold me
(bridge)
(chorus, repeat)
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
(bridge)
(chorus)
Deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper
Never gonna hide it again
Sweeter and sweeter and sweeter and sweeter
Never gonna have to pretend
(repeat)
You got to just let your body move to the music
You got to just let your body go with the flow
Falling in love, falling in love, falling in love
I can't keep from falling in love with you
You know there's nothing better that I'd like to do
07 Waiting (05:46)
Well, I know from experience
That if you have to ask for something more than once or twice
It wasn't yours in the first place
And that's hard to accept when you love someone
And you're led to believe in their moment of need
That they want what you want but they don't
Bridge:
Don't go breaking my heart like you said you would
Baby, you're no good
And you hurt me like no other lover ever could
Don't go making me cry
You're gonna say goodbye
Baby, tell me why
Tell me why or you're gonna have to justify this
Chorus (substituting "This" for "I'm" in 2nd line):
Waiting for you
I'm waiting
Can't you see I'm waiting for you
Don't break my heart
(repeat chorus)
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
(chorus)
(chorus, substituting "Just" for "I'm" in 2nd line)
Intermediate:
Finally I see a different man
Only love can hurt like this can
Finally I see a different face
Tell me who is going to take my place
(bridge)
I knew it from the start that you would desert me
You're gonna break my heart
Baby, please don't hurt me
(repeat)
(intermediate)
(chorus, repeat)
I knew it from the start that you would desert me
You're gonna break my heart
Baby, please don't hurt me
(repeat)
(chorus)
Break my heart
Don't break my heart
(repeat twice)
Break my heart
You broke my heart (repeat twice)
Uh, next time you want pussy, huh
Just look in the mirror baby
09 Words (05:55)
Chorus:
Words, they cut like a knife
Cut into my life
I don't want to hear your words
They always attack
Please take them all back
If they're yours I don't want anymore
You think you're so smart
You try to manipulate me
You try to humiliate with your words
You think you're so chic
You write me beautiful letters
You think you're so much better than me
Bridge:
But your actions speak louder than words
And they're only words, unless they're true
Your actions speak louder than promises
You're inclined to make and inclined to break
(chorus)
You think you're so shrewd
You try to bring me low
You try to gain control with your words
(bridge)
(chorus)
Friends they tried to warn me about you
He has good manners, he's so romantic
But he'll only make you blue
How can I explain to them
How could they know
I'm in love with your words
Your words
You think you're so sly
I caught you at your game
You will not bring me shame with your words
(bridge)
(chorus)
Too much blinding light
Your touch, I've grown tired of your words
Words, words
A linguistic form that can meaningfully be spoken in isolation
Conversation, expression, a promise, a sigh
In short, a lie
A message from heaven, a signal from hell
I give you my word I'll never tell
Language that is used in anger
Personal feelings signaling danger
A brief remark, an utterance, information
Don't mince words, don't be evasive
Speak your mind, be persuasive
A pledge, a commitment, communication, words
10 Rain (05:24)
I feel it
It's coming
Rain... feel it on my finger tips
Hear it on my window pane
Your love's coming down like rain...
Wash away my sorrow
Take away my pain
Your love's coming down like rain...
When your lips are burning mine
And you take the time
To tell me how you feel
When you listen to my words
And I know you've heard
I know it's real
Rain is what this thunder brings
For the first time, I can hear my heart sing
Call me a fool but I know I'm not
I'm gonna stand out here on the mountain top
Till I feel your
Rain... feel it on my finger tips
Hear it on my window pane
Your love's coming down like rain...
Wash away my sorrow, take away my pain
Your love's coming down like rain...
When you looked into my eyes
And you said goodbye
Could you see my tears...
When I turned the other way
Did you hear me say
I'd wait for all the dark clouds bursting in a perfect sky
You promised me when you said goodbye
That you'd return when the storm was done
And now I wait for the light,
I'll wait for the sun, till I feel your
Rain... feel it on my finger tips
Hear it on the window pane
Your love's coming down like rain...
Wash away my sorrow, take away my pain
Your love's coming down like
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun
And I say... never go away...
Waiting is the hardest thing [It's strange]
I tell myself that if I believe in you [I feel like I've known you before]
In the dream of you [I want to understand you more]
With all my heart and all my soul [And more and more]
That by sheer force of will [When I'm with you]
I will raise you from the ground [I feel like a magical child]
And without a sound you'll appear [Everything strange]
And surrender to me [Everything wild]
To love
Rain is what the thunder brings
For the first time, I can hear my heart sing
Call me a fool but I know I'm not
I'm gonna stand out here on the mountain top
Till I feel your
Rain...
I feel it, it's coming
Your love's coming down like rain...
I feel it, it's coming
Your love's coming down like rain...
Feel it on my finger tips
Hear it on the window pane
Your love's coming down like rain...
Wash away my sorrow, take away my pain
Your love's coming down like rain...
I feel it, it's coming
Your love's coming down like rain...
I feel it, it's coming
Your love's coming down like rain...
You step out on the mountaintop
And you're free to call my name
Rain...
11 Why's It So Hard (05:23)
Why's it so hard to love one another
Why's it so hard to love
[repeat]
What do I have to do to be accepted
What do I have to say
What do I have to do to be respected
How do I have to play
What do I have to look like to feel I'm equal
Where do I have to go
What club do I have to join to prove I'm worthy
Who do I have to know
[Chorus:]
I'm telling you brothers, sisters
Why can't we learn to challenge the system
Without living in pain
Brothers, sisters
Why can't we learn to accept that we're different
Before it's too late [first time only]
Why's it so damn hard [all other times]
What do I have to learn to know what's right for me
What do I have to know
What am I going to do when I feel righteous
Where do I have to go
Who should get to say what I believe in
Who should have the right
What am I going to do with all this anger
Why do I have to fight
[chorus]
Bring your love, sing your love
Wear your love, share your love
[repeat twice]
Bring your love, sing your love
Wear your love, show your sister how
Brothers, sisters, what do I have to say
Brothers, sisters, how do I have to play
Brothers, sisters, who should have the right
Brothers, sisters, why do I have to fight
Why's it so hard to love one another
Love your sister, love your brother
[repeat]
Why's it so hard to love one another
Why's it so hard to love
[chorus]
Sing your love
Share your love
[repeat 3 times]
Love your brother now
Show your sister how
Love your brother now
Show your sister
[repeat]
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Altre recensioni
Di flood
Quello propostoci da Madonna appare oggi come un erotismo patinato, hollywoodiano, una sorta di "raffinato" omaggio ad un erotismo d’altri tempi in bianco e nero.
Erotica trasforma Madonna da macchina "sforna-hits" ad artista più matura, interessata agli album nella loro globalità e alla sperimentazione di sonorità sempre nuove.
Di Darius
"Erotica rappresenta l'apice della funzione 'scandalo' che Madonna ha iniziato a rappresentare concretamente dal lontano 1982."
"Un mix di melodie jazz, dance e potenti inni contro l'omofobia e l'odio razziale rendono Erotica uno degli esperimenti più riusciti della sua carriera."