Man I stood out in a NYC city snowstorm for 5 hours to get this video on VHS. It was the first music video to released on vhs. MTV banned it completely so Madonna decided to put it on video. It went on sale two days before Xmas. I believe it remains the best selling music video of all time. I was 15 and this outweighed any Xmas gift I would have got that year.

When MTV banned the video….she doubled down and decided to sell the music video (VHS tape) and it shot to #1 because of the controversy and mystery around it. People snatched it up. Genius move on her part.

This is art...MASTERPIECE

at the end it says "poor is the man, whose pleasures depend, on the permission of another"

the video it represents EVERY (LEGAL) sexual expression/fetish/kink.. sexual freedom & power

and yes the world was shook beyond words... youd have thought a war broke out with the wall to wall coverage

Madonna did a GREAT interview after this with ABC's Nightline discussing the controversy & the hypocrisy of (mostly) American parents... its another iconic Madonna moment & she shows that she can stand up for herself with NO help from anyone else!

I'm so glad you're diving into madonna discography, she's such an interesting artist

The guy dressed in black represents desire to me. He's the one who drives every scene from beginning to end.

He's like the serpent in the story of Adam and Eve.

How did your perception and idea of Madonna as a musician and cultural figure change since you started to react to her body of work? What had you thought about her before and what are your thoughts now?

This is the point.of the video. To make people uncomfortable on things they know nothing about. Why judge someone.if you don't even know what they are making you uncomfortable for. She's a master on making people blush.

I was 10 or 11 back then and didn't freak out as much young folks still do today. I knew it was art.

Please continue to explore Madonna! Truly best pop female artist to ever exist… and forever 😎

This made people go NUTS. The transsexual and lesbian themes, the overall sexuality... She was so brave for doing this. Cultural icon.

Man, before reacting to the “Erotica” video, which I’m sure you will, I strongly recommend to watch before the ABC news 1990 Nightline interview, cool reaction ⚡️

Madonna shifted the cultural paradigm FOUR times in the space of 2 years in 1989-1991 with her music videos. I know no other artist or historical figure that came close to that. First: Like a Prayer brought attention to rac*sm into the mainstream, and featured POC represented positively. 2nd: Express Yourself empowered women in a way not seen since 1972's "I Am Woman". 3rd: Vogue brought positive gay representation to the mainstream, and finally: Justify My Love brought positive sexuality to the mainstream.

This was the first clip ever to be banned from MTV. She sold it as a video single and made some money
Go for Bad Girl, Like a Prayer and Papa Don't Preach later!

“Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another” 👍
It’s a F$&K U video & a KILLER song! The beat and harmonies are fantastic 🙈🎩
AMAZING
Thx Brady🫶🏽😎

Your Madonna reactions are great

Madonna talked about going explicit on the sexual imagery throughout her videos/shows because male artists always got away with it and it pissed her off that women had to be either smart or sexy but weren't allowed to be both.  Just consistent with her history of challenging hypocritical social norms

It was on TV at 2am so everyone at school got word of it to get up at that time to sneak into the loungeroom to watch it while our parents were sleeping.

The last line in the video you couldn't see says "Poor is the man whose pleasure depend on the permisson of another".

The dancer represents movement and fluidity, suggestively on the theme of sex and just being free. Going with the flow and fluid, and be who you are and honor your needs/wants no matter where and how they flow