Madonna’s ‘Erotica’ Reuses ‘Vogue’ Lyrics as a Joke
Madonna‘s Erotica was a bold new direction for the singer. It still includes a reference to one of her biggest hits: “Vogue.” The producer behind Erotica explained why he and Madonna included that reference.
The connection between Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ and ‘Erotica’
Shep Pettibone is a dance artist who produced Madonna’s “Vogue.” After that, he collaborated with the Material Girl on Erotica, her most daring album. One hit song from that album, “Deeper and Deeper,” almost sounds like a downbeat take on “Vogue.” It even reuses the lyrics “Let your body move to the music.”
During a 2015 interview with Billboard, Pettibone was asked if he and the Queen of Pop intentionally included the “Vogue” shoutout in “Deeper and Deeper.” “Oh yeah, definitely,” he said. “We got to that point and we’re like, ‘What the hell. Let’s have fun with it.’ We had a lot of fun doing that album.”
Madonna’s other producer where the idea came from
During a 2017 interview with Billboard, producer Tony Shimkin elaborated on the connection between “Vogue” and “Deeper and Deeper.” “We were in the process of adding background vocals [to ‘Deeper and Deeper’],” he said. “Most of the vocals came from a Shure SM57 and a quarter inch tape from the demo session, but we did recut some of the vocals.
“And Shep, while recording, was singing the ‘Vogue’ line over ‘Deeper and Deeper,'” he recalled. “She heard it and emulated it, and it just made it. It’s happenstance when the melody and key of an original song meld with another one. I think Shep may have suggested [keeping the ‘Vogue’ reference] as a joke and she did it, and we decided to keep it.”
“Vogue” isn’t the only song quoted in “Deeper and Deeper.” It also reuses the hook from “Do-Re-Mi,” a famous showtune from The Sound of Music. Despite these Easter eggs, “Deeper and Deeper” still feels fresh.
‘Vogue’ was the bigger hit but ‘Deeper and Deeper’ had the last laugh
“Vogue” was a massive hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and remaining on the chart for 24 weeks. The tune appeared on Madonna’s jazz album, I’m Breathless. That record hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spent 25 weeks on the chart.
“Deeper and Deeper,” on the other hand, was a more modest hit. That little tune peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 17 weeks. For other artists, “Deeper and Deeper” would have been an enormous hit but in the context of Madonna’s catalog, it wasn’t that popular. “Deeper and Deeper”‘s parent album, Erotica, climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and charted for 53 weeks.
Erotica‘s singles weren’t as popular as “Vogue,” but the whole Erotica album improved Madonna’s critical standing. That record proved that Madonna was more willing to experiment with her sound than most pop stars. It’s also the rare example of a concept album from a 1990s pop star. There’s an unwritten rule that every great musician has to create at least one concept album.
“Deeper and Deeper” includes a tip of the hat to “Vogue,” but it’s a great song in its own right.
