You will see her being joyful in the tour. I think she never looked happier on stage than in the Girlie Show. You can tell she was really really enjoying herself, big smile on her face throughout the whole tour.
This version is so much better than the album version. I think she realised after and used it for the video and live performance. She recently re relased the audio for this version.
By 1992, Madonna was an icon-untouchable, literally and figuratively-and Erotica was the first time the artist's music took on a decidedly cold, combative, even threatening tone, and most people didn't want to hear it. Erotica's irrefutable unsexiness probably says more about the sex=death mentality of the early '90s than any other musical document of its time. This is not Madonna at her creative zenith. This is Madonna at her most important, at her most relevant. No one else in the mainstream at that time dared to talk about sex, love, and death with such frankness and fearlessness.
100% agree this is the superior version. The pounding dance beat and stabbing gospel backing vocals hit way harder. The idea of her covering Fever came about very spontaneously when she just started singing the song in the studio over the backing for a song called Goodbye to Innocence. It was just an impulsive moment in studio that resulted in a cover that I think is a clever addition to the Erotica album. It’s not my favourite stand alone track at all, but it’s clever to include a cover of a famous song about desire, from a female perspective, that also tells the story of desire across history. An excellent way to contextualise the Erotica manifesto as part of a broader cultural direction, of artists reminding us that our erotic, desirous self is part and parcel with our romantic selves. That one is the other, and shouldn’t be denigrated or repressed for fake moral reasons. Desire is a fundamental power and pleasure of our species, and this song reminds people that, hey, Madonna didn’t invent sex, so don’t blame her for it like you do!! She’s just celebrating something natural. And on that point of celebration, I do agree there’s been a shift by the time we get to Erotica. I still believe she’s celebrating (again “my love is alive, and I’m never gonna hide it again”) but by the early 90s, life had gained a harder edge in general. The escapist 80s were behind us, and AIDS had firmly established itself as a new reality with no cure in sight. Sex had become the enemy, unless it was cordoned off within the safety of monogamy and marriage, and anyone invested in their autonomous sexual power, be it gay and bi men, trans people or women who wanted to explore life and weren’t “ready” to settle down, were now well established as the bad element in society, threatening the safety of the suburbs. Add to this Madonna’s personal losses of chosen family to AIDS, the rumours she was HIV positive herself, and the CRUSHING conservatism of the time, it’s no wonder she’s a little world weary, and has her walls up. That feeling was very relatable at the time, so while we could see she had become tougher and more reserved, we also felt that ourselves. It was also a feeling in the broader community due to a worldwide recession and the Gulf War, the 1991 police beating of Rodney King, that sparked the LA riots, the beginnings of the emergence of the Grunge music and aesthetic that would wipe out the chintz of the 80s and replace it with a more fatalistic decade. Life felt much heavier, and much more real, in a way it hadn’t since the early 70s. I’m sure there were fans who were sheltered from the tragedies that surrounded us, who might’ve wished for the return of the irrepressibly up energy of 80s Madonna, but for anyone who was actually in touch with the true spirit of that time, this new more “serious artist” Madonna had exactly the gravitas we needed. On her own aesthetic, the thinner (or sometimes completely absent) eyebrows were also a clever move. Her strong brows had been such a defining part of her image, along with her darkened beauty mark above her lip, and in the Erotica era she eliminated these 2 major elements of her iconography so that she could get full escape velocity from people’s preconceptions of her as a pop star who defined the 80s. As I’ve said before, pop stars (specifically that genre) REALLY struggle to carry their careers from one decade to the next, because their music and image is driven by (or in the case of the real icons, DRIVES) the tides of the moment. Madonna I’m sure was taking cues from her idol David Bowie in how thoroughly she erased her previous image/s and built up many new ones across the 90s and beyond. And ever since Ziggy Stardust in the early 70s, having no eyebrows, or bleached eyebrows, has been a mark of a kind of intellectual elitism in popular culture. An untouchable chic that isn’t about other people, or attracting a mate, it’s about standing alone as a special and isolated, once might say “alien” (thanks Ziggy) figure of power. Also M’s bestie Herb Ritts had called her “baby Dietrich” for several years by then, and through her thin brows, masculine suits, berets and chic looks of this era, she was leaning into that imperiously bisexual stance. Btw Goodbye to Innocence was cut from the album and appeared later on a feminist fund raiser album called Just Say Roe, released in support of abortion rights/the right to choose, as established in the historic case of Roe v Wade (recently overturned in a conservative religious attack on the rights of women and people with wombs over how they manage their own bodies). Ugh… don’t get me started on the cruelty of religious “morality”. So Fever isn’t the greatest Madonna release, but it fits very cleverly into her overall manifesto of sexual and gender autonomy.
@@EmpressReacts I just realised I think it was actually Francesco Scavullo (another brilliant photographer) who first called Madonna “Baby Dietrich” My Madonna mind-archive is pretty vast, so sometimes a factoid gets jumbled!
She was definitely beginning her transition to her more underground dance club phase, I would say she was returning to her roots, by the early 2000s she was fully in it, that’s about when they stopped playing most of her music on the radio
I DEFINITELY prefer the album version (with that cool xylophone) but this mix works perfectly with the video & in The Girlie Show! 2:59 Donna & Niki sound glorious 😂🔥💯
Direct by Stephane Sednaoui ... at time he was on the wave cause Red hot chili peppers video Give it away, pretty similar for the plated paint body ... 🧏🏻♂️
But that is what it is with Madonna, she is such a chameleon, you just reacted to the Bad Girl and she delivered this right after. We are a thousand miles away from it and that is why I love her. You are never bored, hence why I never stopped following her for the last 40 years. Empress you have to see the Celebration tour this year!! please!!
She was really copping it at this point from everyone after the book and Body of Evidence, maybe you are picking up how she was feeling. She had admitted it was a tough period. Rain video is stunning though and helped win the public back.
Yeah, this was definitely a weird time for her and her fans. She was getting the sh*t kicked out of her by the media and "Bad Girl" flopped. "Fever" was released as a single in Europe but it was only serviced to clubs in the U.S. Radio didn't touch it and MTV only played the video a few times. It was like the upside-down. She did do quite a bit of promo though - SNL and Arsenio performances, where she did two very different versions of "Fever" (both amazing). The interviews for this era were mostly done prior to the album/book dropping, so you get a lot of insight into her creative state of mind, which is basically "f*ck the patriarchy." But you don't really get much into into how she felt about the reaction until Arsenio and especially the Girlie Show interviews (one with Molly and another with MTV). Oh, I do agree this is a better mix but the album version fits perfectly on the album IMO. It's a little colder, which was kind of the point. Can't wait for "Rain" and the interviews/performances!!! 😍
This was a massive club hit and I think the video conveys exactly that. Another cool "fashion video" rocking some Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood. No need for a complex storyline when we're still reeling from that last episode of Law & Order:SVU aka Bad Girl! She was for sure feeling disillusioned at this time. You'll hear her speak about it in later years as being a very difficult period. She insists all the hate made her stronger, and I believe that. However we all know that's a realization that only really comes with time. I do think you'll see the joy you're looking for when you watch the tour.
Oh right, while she was filming the videos, the whole Madonna backlash was happening, i forgot. Obviously shes gonna look different in the eyes even when she gets told everyday, she*s a whore, devil, should quit etc.
Yes. I think Madonna was in a moodier, darker place with the Erotica album. She was her most sexually provocative state of mind. Also, she was older and moving into a new chapter. However, Rain - was uplifting and possibly the Lighter side of all this.
Erotica is a dark album at a dark time…height of the AIDS pandemic, Madonna’s “career low” based on the backlash she got over the album and sex book. She was racked over the coals by the press who had moved on to Janet, Mariah and Celine as the new “good girls” of pop while Madonna was kind of in her villain era
Great way to put it. This was Madonna's 'villian' era. I think she went in with the goal of being antagonistic and defiant, and that's reflected in the early interviews from late '92 when the album and book was released. She came off as cold and petulant in her answers. But she didn't count on the media poking back at her as hard as it did. Into 1993, I notice her tone in interviews became more mellow and tactful.
@@rowanmayfair9249 You didn't ask me, but I don't think 1993 was the height of the AIDS epidemic. This was post-Freddie Mercury and Magic Johnson. By then, new drugs and treatments had been introduced, and people started living longer with HIV. IMO the "height" was 1984-87. That was the most dangerous period, no one knew anything conclusive, and if you got it, you didn't have years; you had months.
***MADONNA EROTICA / 'FEVER' TRIVIA TIME!!!*** ...you give me... (4:11) ... - ....(1:34) ...well, glad you asked, Empress...she came up with the instrumental track (w/ Shep Pettibone), and there was talk about doing a cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walking"...then, when she was at near completion, Billy Ray Cyrus covered it on his MASSIVE "Some Gave All" CD in 1992, and Madge had to do an about FACE! - ....THIS version, was the 'Edit One' remix, done by Daniel Abraham, who was popular in the UK, with his remixes for Daryl Hall ("Stop Loving Me") & CeCe Peniston ("Crazy Love")... - ...this was around the time Madge was reaching for ANY new ideas, and even though this Video was fine, it's reeked of, 'shock & awe', and showed a decline in popularity for Madge... (6:21) .... - ....but, NOT in the CLUBS! ...a #1 Dance hit, May of 1993, the (US) remixes were done by MURK (aka the Funky Green Dogs), and they were NAAAASTY, and underground...the deepest Madge got, bringing her closer to Junior Vasquez territory... the "Hot Sweat" mix, was the most popular... - ...but, you just wait for "The Girlie Show" Empress, you'll change your mind on EVERYTHING.... ; ) ....
Stephane Sednaoui directed the video. She wanted to work with him because she loved how he made for the video ''Give It Away'' by Red Hot Chili Pepper and fit with her gritter and raw sound she wanted during this period in her booklet and her images during this period. This director was know to make very distinstual videos, like in this video, ''Give It Away'' and also particulary ''Mysterious Ways'' by U2, who he distorted images he shot in order to fit with the song himself (since it's a distorsed funky, rock and electronic song).
I felt the video was done more as a club video than an actual video release like Bad Girl and considering its a remix of the song supports that it was released more as a club/dance song than an actual single. I think you will really enjoy the girl show live version better.
I totally agree with you, to me this is her most "depressive" era and it shows in the interviews too. There's a feeling of hopelessness throughout this period that would only get worse with all the backlash. It's a subject for the album review, but this whole project is very psychoanalytical - and she was admittedly doing psychotherapy at the time. With all the media declaring she was 'finally over', the decline in the album sales .. to me as a fan it felt like a sad ending some times. Also as you noticed she looked older and that contributed to that feeling - it was unthinkable at the time for a pop star to look older and still have success. It's a pretty complex era, indeed. But I love Fever, though. It made sense at the time, worked for the underground scene and I think it perfectly fits the album 🔥
@@EthansTarot Absolutely! I mean the promo season, the videos and the tone of the album itself that felt weirdly depressing, but the tour definitely brings the joy back!
I think this was released in the USA as a club oriented song. She seemed in this era to alternate between a ballad and dance song as a single. Cool video..but Madonna has said in later years that this was her angry era
Yes, she was in a darker mood. She was in the middle of a backlash. People hated what she did with the sex book, they were calling her satan and a whore. She later (a few years ago) talked about this period in an emotional speech. She wasn't happy, you'll see that in interviews. But when she is going on tour with "The girlie show" you'll she the happiest and most confident Madonna. And this song is a highlight, believe it or not!
Depist it's was only a club released in US (while it's was single in Europe and in the rest of the world)), the video was playing in MTV and received great airplay. I think this video was influencal, for example, the Rihanna video ''Umbrella'' have a shot who Rihanna was naked who it's was really influenced by this video. I think the look of the video fit with the pictures of the booklet of the album, because the booklet pictures (like the cover) was very icey and dark and so cold. Since ''Fever'' was the very last song recording on the album and also in the last day in the studios (15 august 1992) before the album parting for the pressing, she didn't have the time to adding the Nikki and Donna background of this song before the released of the album. So when she released this siong in Europe, she make the necessary changes for this song. Because for the album version, it's was originally for a different song who she wrote (Goodbye to innocence).
Madonna coverd Fever because she had originally recorded a song called Goodbye to Innocence and while listening to the backing track of that song started to sing Fever. She preferrd it and so that's how the song originated. Goodbye to Innocence was donated to a charity record and a remix called Up Down Suite featured as the B-side to the Rain single.
I knew you'd love the Niki and Donna backup vocals on this remix! And this is the version she uses on The Girlie Show Tour too, even if it's not her most momentous video.
There was a popular gay club in Phoenix, AZ called 'Preston's', and they had a outdoor patio bar with fireplace and video screens. One night they played this video, and I was mezmerized. Seeing Madonna on these numerous video screens made it even more magical. 90’s club music at it's best.
Everybody's always talking about Bad Girl on SNL, but I don't see people suggesting Fever live at Arsenio Hall, and for me it's a must. She sings it with a whole orchestra, along with a piano, having a great time and singing more like Peggy Lee. So I hope you check it out. As for this video, it has always been one of my favorites, and I prefer this version. I look forward to the rest of the journey... there are great things to come. The Girlie Show... I can't wait!🎉
Intersting observation about MADONNA being "cold". Although she had a lot of Fun with the tour and EROTICA / SEX BOOK release, It was hell for MADONNA in real life. --- People criticyzed her a lot...really put her down as seen into her WOMAN OF THE YEAR speech
This was one of my all-time favorites of her songs! It had a lot of different remixes, many of them were very good. Can’t wait until you get to her bedtime stories album, and react to the “secret” remix, that’s smother big fave of mine
Told you this version is better!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 But yes once you get to the interviews and the reactions of the album you’ll understand her demeanor during this era a little better. This is the most talked about era in her career but from 1992/93 perspective all of this was considered “too far” for the music world. But once you get to the tour and see her in front of her fans, you’ll see the old her shine through. Also side note… I have an erotica playlist for the album but I swapped out the album version of Fever for this one. And it flows better lol. 😂
I really can’t wait for you to see how happy she was performing this on The Girlie Show, and the iconic Arsenio Hall show version. You will be feeling that dress. 💙
Not my favorite, but it grew on me and was a huge club hit, especially at gay clubs that had big screen projectors playing. It definitely packed the dance floors when it was played! The live performance of this during Girlie Show is one of my all time favorite live performances of hers! P.S. - you still haven't reacted to my Michael Buble version of this song from about 6 months ago!!! What up wit dat?? 😜
Also since you also know a bit of her more grown up, serious real grown up music from 1989 onwards especially starting here, you might understand why some of us smile at some silly albumtracks from True Blue because they were so innocent and young and she grew up so much afterwards.
I enjoy your reactions so much, been here since day 1 before the journey, so glad you're still going,. Yeah Fever video edit should've been on the album
Madonna called the album Erotica, but it turned out to be more complex and was about the various aspects of love and even loss, instead of just a single minded exploration of sexual themes (which I wouldn't have complained about!). She became more guarded during this period, probably because the controversy was too intense even for her. But she always stood her ground during interviews. While in Italy to promote the album, an Italian tv host asked her during a televised interview (which was kind of an event) what she thought was 'scandalous' or offensive. She replied that she thought homophobia and ingnorance were scandalous to her. This video was from Stephane Sednaoui, who is a brilliant photographer and video director with his own approach to visual effects. I have always loved this video! To me, Erotica musically is both brilliant and average. Songs like Thief of Hearts or Words are kind of average to me, others are still some of my favourites songs by M... Erotica, Bad Girl, In This Life, all Andre Betts productions...
Empress, the Erotica album was written in 1992, which makes me think it was written during the 1990s Grunge era which was a dark and mood era and bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden were becoming at the height. Besides the impact of her reputation and career, this moodiness may have affected her delivery of her songs on Erotica.
And wait when you arrived with the last video of this era ''Rain'', because the last video of the album ''Rain'' was a transition between this album and her 1994-1997 period, who she soft her image. My favorite video of this ''Erotica'' era and this was the video of this era who i playing the most back when i have the "Celebration'' music videos DVD.
Why wouldn’t the woman who started with Burning Up cover Fever? Right in her wheelhouse, and we know she loves the “golden age”. 😘 Did we need it though? 😂 😂. I do remember loving this video and this version though. A bop!
You are correct Empress... after the release of the Erotica album Madonna became a little lost (especially since the early 90s brought in a new era of music). After 8 years, we find her following trends and not setting them (she was also trying to find herself amidst the alternative-grunge wave; hanging out with Anthony Kedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers; in fact this video is in the same style as their Give It Away Now video). She also made two bad films: Body of Evidence and Dangerous Game. The tour does have her looking thrilled and triumphant!
I’m waiting for the RAIN video and the tour. The album was a cold dark, house, druggy era switch up and very the time. But by the time she went out to tour with the show she brought color and life back with a lil sparkle. Dance. Just ride it out. In real time this switch up was important. We were growing up. The old pop was behind us. Sales were down on this record so her next one is a big $ grab, sales up, regain power move enforced by Warner Bros.
If you follow the line of thinking that Erotica the album was a concept album about love and sex in the time of HIV and AIDS, then this song takes on a whole new meaning. Everybody’s got the fever…
I like this video. I think the background vocals definitely bring up the energy of the song and make for a better single version, although I like the album one as well. With this video and Deeper and Deeper, sure she could've gone the more storyline route like she did with her classic videos of the 80s, but she was almost a decade into the game and maybe just didn't want to rehash what she'd already done. I see the comment saying this was a "club video" and that definitely makes sense and is fitting considering the style of the song. Why did she pick this song to cover? It's one of the classic songs most synonymous with sensuality and seductiveness so I think it fits the erotic theme of the album. I like the juxtaposition in the album between sexual freedom and club aesthetic with darkness and depression, since there is a dark side and fun side to both of those things. Without the dark side expressed, the album would've felt more one-dimensional to me and like she was just promoting hedonism without giving a balanced perspective(as much as I love the 90s club scene, it was extremely excessive and hedonistic; many of the prominent Club Kids ended up destroying themselves). As far as the more technical aspects of the video, I think that the way it's shot and the lighting effects are very fun and cutting edge for the time. I like all the fashion too, since it perfectly encapsulates the 90s club, underground vibe with some high fashion elements added into the mix 🥰
In fact, she cover this song by accident, because a another song was originally planned for the album and she sing the lyrics of ''Fever'' in the beat of the another song, so she deciding to cover instead.
@@WCD199317 You are right, it came up accidentally, but I think she would never put it in the final product if it didn't also fit the concept she had in mind, it was intuitive since it happened under the spirit she was in while recording, IMO :)
Interesting what you say about the song and video. I definitely agree video version is superior. Video is cool, its very Pop Art and very 1993 so i like it. It looks stylish and is entertaining enough with just her performing and her looks for the obviously for her standard low budget video( i think this was only a single in the UK, in many other countries it was either not released or was the b side or double a side with Bad Girl). I think Erotica as a whole is more serious, maybe it was her growing into her mid 30s and just experiencing life as a grown woman who had to deal with losing her friends to AIDS, divorce, people betraying her, sexism, homophobia...maybe it was the early 90s which were just not a jouyous time as the late 80s. i dunno, i was just born but i love the fact its more grown up and in some parts ice cold. This is fun for the club as a sexy mellow house track. I have other favorites on the album of course and i would not put Fever as track 2 on the album tracklist but hey she and record company seemed to really like it. I'm glad we are back with getting more Madonna reactions now, the journey is so fun and interesting. Rain is next :D
Love the performance of this song. When Erotica video debuted with Sex book she was being dragged everyday that by the time she filmed this video I am sure she must have been tired. In one of the interview she mentions her hair falling off due to the pink color hair but I always thought it was because of stress.
I mean, this video is just 'okay'... not bad, and the disco-infused track is better than the album version, however, it doesn't really give me 'fever' like the other three videos from this era give me. It's kind of a throwaway. Maybe this is more 'serious/grown' M than her previous albums, but I think she was going through the divorce to Sean Penn plus the height of the AIDS epidemic. Still my favourite M album, though. I will always stan it. Lots of great albums yet to come, though. Not Justify and Ancient. 🤣🤣🤣
Totally agree. This remix is way superior to the album version. And those backing vocals (presumably by Niki and Donna) add a lot. As for why Madonna recorded this song in the first place...apparently while working on a track called "Goodbye to Innocence" for 'Erotica' she suddenly started singing the lyrics to "Fever" over the instrumental for fun. And she liked the way it sounded so much that she then recorded it. Two years later "Goodbye to Innocence" was released on a compilation album called 'Just Say Roe'. By the way Peggy Lee's rendition was a cover, too. "Fever" was originally released by a guy called Little Willie John in 1956.
I love this version especially in the clubs and yes you're so right about feeling the shift, I noticed this with her Erotica song, Deeper & Deeper, Bad Girl, it was a different Madonna, less energy & smiles. 80s Madonna had gone, here's the 90s one. This used to be my playground for me was the last time Madonnas was kind of 80s in "1992". Now she was more serious and she wanted to make that clear. She literally had a fight with the press in those days.
"The Shift" was Madonna started taking herself very seriously in this era. In addition, she got criticized for the SEX book for being 'unsexy'. That is something that throws her over the cliff each and every time.
Madonna was going through it this era. I'm sure she was worried that maybe she had gone a little to far. I read her brother book. He claims shes the type to hold things in not let you know what she is feeling inside and when you ask why did you do something shes the type to put up a defence mechanism and say Because I wanted to and never outwardly admit she may have done something wrong. The media was treating her like trash, the church was laying into her. She have been really feeling the heat and it just showed on her artistic side. Erotica at that time was her lowest selling album as well. Didn't produce the success she had been use to.
You and 12 yr old me are so on this same page with this era...lol....as usual, your perceptions are so keen! The album version of this song is....ummm....lacking let's just say....lol....this (and some of the other remixes for this song) are the only way I can listen to it outside of the context of listening to the Erotica album in full. This most definitely should've been the album version. What I remember about this video is to me, it just came out of nowhere. I had MTV on while I was doing my homework after school (as I always did) and boom there it was. This song wasn't a single (in the US) so it just seemed so random to me at the time. It's not awful for a "quickie" video but especially coming off of Bad Girl it was underwhelming. It was great having a "surprise" video though!! 🤩Totally get what you mean regarding her whole "energy" and "vibe" this era, it's like that little mischievous yet innocent sparkle she had, was completely gone. IMO though, that girl does show up in some of the interviews for this era as well as the tour. Not to give too much of a spoiler but throughout the journey I think you'll see that girl may disappear but she always seems to show up again in some way.....lol. I think others have touched on this in some other comments but it is important to consider the full context of the times in regard to the shift in her persona. The "Dynasty" era had morphed into the Kurt Cobain "grunge" era and most everything from the "Dynasty" era, seemed outdated and unnecessarily excessive by '93. As difficult as Erotica may be to take in sometimes and despite the massive backlash she faced at the time (which btw was absolutely vicious and in full swing by the time this video was filmed/released so that too may account for that "colder" look she has) I do believe in retrospect this album/era helped cement her legacy. The darker edge to her music, images and persona as a whole was reflective of the times. I've often wondered if she had released a traditional Madonna style pop album at this time more in the lane of LAP and TB, if things would have ended up the same for her. I feel like she would've had a couple more hits, possibly bigger than anything she had from Erotica. However, it may have also put this sort of "80's relic" aura around her too. If anything, the shift in sound and persona proved she was nobodies 80's relic. She dove head first into the 90's (really as early as 1990 really with JML and RM) and this would also be the beginnings of a period where she didn't really like to acknowledge her 80's work so much, even being somewhat dismissive of it at times. It's so wild to think in the grand scheme of things, this is at this point, still kinda more towards the beginning of her career......she's going to take you so many different places, especially in these next 10 yrs coming up.....even at this point, that girl from "Madonna '83" feels so far away! Hope you got your seatbelt on Empress, it's gon' be a wild ride!! 🎢🙌😂
Madonna is a PERFORMANCE ARTIST. That's how she has described herself from the beginning of her career. In a sense, she is like MOVIE DIRECTOR. She always approaches her projects from a STORY TELLING perspective, where the visual aspect is very important, so if the "story" she wants to tell happens to be a dark one, that's the vibe you're gonna get through out the entire project. So it's not that she has "lost her joy", it's just that she is playing her character accordingly.
This whole era was such a DRASTIC SHITF, that even hard core fans needed some time to "adjust" their minds to this "new Madonna". This video in particular was SOOOOOOO DIFFERENT from anything she'd done before. I remember thinking it looked like a Red Hot Chilli Peppers type of video, and also, to me it looked kind of cheap, and like it was "beneath her". However, with time I grew to really like it and really appreciate Madonna's ability to adapt to new styles and trends no matter how bizarre or non conforming they might seem. I now think this video had the right style for this type of music. Trust me, after the interviews and the Tour, you will understand better some of her choices in terms of lyrics, production and visual styles, and realized that no, she wasn't "confused" during this period, but rather, she had a vision, and she was 100% in control of it.
this edit is different as the single song market was starting to take hold. So if you could sell a single cassette or later cd, you would have the album, radio, video versions and a couple other remixes included. Capitalism to the max!
Sometimes the Radio Edits, Remixes are better than the album version. Amy Grant singles Every Heartbeat, That’s What Love Is For, I Will Remember You on the radio were better than the album versions. Even Janet’s Let’s Wait Awhile music video/radio remix was better than the album version. Madonna had Express Yourself, What It Feels Like For A Girl. LeAnne Rimes Can’t Fight The Moonlight (Graham Stack version). It all varies BUT back in the day, that’s how we bought the CD singles in the store in addition or sometimes over the full album on the shelf.
the whole concept of the album was much darker than anything she had done before. not so much about pure joy anymore. but she was also probably pissed about being the most hated woman in America at that time, not getting any recognition or nominations for her work, just heavy criticism.
This wasn't the next single in the U.S. Rain was, so I'm assuming that may be blocked? Fever wasn't even a single here, Madonna released this video in the U.S. on MTV and I remember watching its release, but the single was only released in Europe. Didn't mean I didn't own it, by then independent cd shops regularly stocked European and Asian releases that included remixes or additional songs that weren't released here. Also, this was another song that she released *so* *many* remixes of that were essentially different cuts of the same remix (like Express Yourself, Keep it Together, and Erotica). Her remix game really jumps up a level for Bedtime Stories, much to the benefit of house music afficianadoes...
Hahhahahaha Tammy yeay 😂 This remix was musically just like all the early 90’s dance hits. I think she just wanted a gay club banger, like Vogue…Deeper and Deeper was a bit the same. They could have been left off of Erotica, would have made the album more cohesive I’d think.
I agree on your perspective on this. There’s not much spark and it’s underwhelming. I feel like Madonna can be passionate and emotive and this song and video comes across as lacking those qualities and cold. If only, I wish Madonna could re-record this and give us that spark.
Well AIDS had changed the mood drastically by the early 90s, and that paired with increased maturity awakening her to the harshness of the world while getting the shit kicked out of her for every breath she took probably explains a good part of the feelings you are getting and the vibe you’re picking up on. It was a dark time for many.
At this time Madonna was getting a lot of negative backlash from the video erotica and the sex book and around this time she was also in the movie called body of evidence, which was sexually provocative. So I think what you’re saying right now is a version of Madonna that calmed down and didn’t really want to be shut down yet again for exposing the truth about human sexuality.
You are right, the single version differs significantly from the album version, for me it's superior. But the video seems to be a bit rushed, right? No big budget spent either.
I never really liked this video. I dont get it for this song. To me, if you are singing about fevor or everybody having the fevor, then show the lust, love, and passion of two (or more) people together. Jmo. In the last couple of years though, I do appreciate the aesthetic of it. Just wish it was to a dif song. I guess it was made specifically for the dance clubs. I do remember back in the day when they used to play videos on monitors and screens in the gay bars. I guess, in that sense, it works. As far as her not seeming as happy then. I feel like she was going through a lot of ups and downs in her personal romantic life, and it came out on this album.
Not feeling this version either. It may be better than the album version, but it's still drowsy and boring. And red hair does not compliment Madonna at all. I can't think of any instance of her pulling off that color. I agree with that Madonna's whole persona during this period felt clinical and quasi-maniacal. She went from the lively, colorful, and vampy Hollywood bombshell glam of the Blond Ambition era to this aloof, dark, warped and slightly robotic vibe with ridiculously thin eyebrows. Her equilibrium was off. It wasn't the Madonna I became a fan of. It was cold. Every Madonna album came with a new look and vibe, but there was always something about the new tone that could either still relate to what came before, or felt like an enhancement. _Erotica_ felt like Madonna from a colder universe.
There was definitely a shift during the erotic era, more adult oriented. I was a young teenager at the time and couldn’t relate to it, I was use to the 80s pop Madonna sound and I lost a bit of interest. I very much appreciate Erotica now and what Madonna was trying to say politically and socially at the time now that I’m older I respect her for it, she was so ballsy, her career took a massive knock because of this.
You will see her being joyful in the tour. I think she never looked happier on stage than in the Girlie Show. You can tell she was really really enjoying herself, big smile on her face throughout the whole tour.
Probably still my favorite tour & most healthy strong body imo
Oh yes, that tour was phenomenal - and I adored her boyish look back then!
You are so right. I remember watching and feeling her happiness on stage.
She was cheezin with a reason
Can't wait to see‼️
This version is so much better than the album version. I think she realised after and used it for the video and live performance. She recently re relased the audio for this version.
i never liked the album version... but this version is in my top 10 madonna songs
By 1992, Madonna was an icon-untouchable, literally and figuratively-and Erotica was the first time the artist's music took on a decidedly cold, combative, even threatening tone, and most people didn't want to hear it. Erotica's irrefutable unsexiness probably says more about the sex=death mentality of the early '90s than any other musical document of its time. This is not Madonna at her creative zenith. This is Madonna at her most important, at her most relevant. No one else in the mainstream at that time dared to talk about sex, love, and death with such frankness and fearlessness.
Well said! 👍
Grudge and alternative music had taken over America by the time Erotica came out!
100% agree this is the superior version. The pounding dance beat and stabbing gospel backing vocals hit way harder. The idea of her covering Fever came about very spontaneously when she just started singing the song in the studio over the backing for a song called Goodbye to Innocence. It was just an impulsive moment in studio that resulted in a cover that I think is a clever addition to the Erotica album. It’s not my favourite stand alone track at all, but it’s clever to include a cover of a famous song about desire, from a female perspective, that also tells the story of desire across history. An excellent way to contextualise the Erotica manifesto as part of a broader cultural direction, of artists reminding us that our erotic, desirous self is part and parcel with our romantic selves. That one is the other, and shouldn’t be denigrated or repressed for fake moral reasons. Desire is a fundamental power and pleasure of our species, and this song reminds people that, hey, Madonna didn’t invent sex, so don’t blame her for it like you do!! She’s just celebrating something natural.
And on that point of celebration, I do agree there’s been a shift by the time we get to Erotica. I still believe she’s celebrating (again “my love is alive, and I’m never gonna hide it again”) but by the early 90s, life had gained a harder edge in general. The escapist 80s were behind us, and AIDS had firmly established itself as a new reality with no cure in sight. Sex had become the enemy, unless it was cordoned off within the safety of monogamy and marriage, and anyone invested in their autonomous sexual power, be it gay and bi men, trans people or women who wanted to explore life and weren’t “ready” to settle down, were now well established as the bad element in society, threatening the safety of the suburbs. Add to this Madonna’s personal losses of chosen family to AIDS, the rumours she was HIV positive herself, and the CRUSHING conservatism of the time, it’s no wonder she’s a little world weary, and has her walls up.
That feeling was very relatable at the time, so while we could see she had become tougher and more reserved, we also felt that ourselves. It was also a feeling in the broader community due to a worldwide recession and the Gulf War, the 1991 police beating of Rodney King, that sparked the LA riots, the beginnings of the emergence of the Grunge music and aesthetic that would wipe out the chintz of the 80s and replace it with a more fatalistic decade. Life felt much heavier, and much more real, in a way it hadn’t since the early 70s. I’m sure there were fans who were sheltered from the tragedies that surrounded us, who might’ve wished for the return of the irrepressibly up energy of 80s Madonna, but for anyone who was actually in touch with the true spirit of that time, this new more “serious artist” Madonna had exactly the gravitas we needed.
On her own aesthetic, the thinner (or sometimes completely absent) eyebrows were also a clever move. Her strong brows had been such a defining part of her image, along with her darkened beauty mark above her lip, and in the Erotica era she eliminated these 2 major elements of her iconography so that she could get full escape velocity from people’s preconceptions of her as a pop star who defined the 80s. As I’ve said before, pop stars (specifically that genre) REALLY struggle to carry their careers from one decade to the next, because their music and image is driven by (or in the case of the real icons, DRIVES) the tides of the moment. Madonna I’m sure was taking cues from her idol David Bowie in how thoroughly she erased her previous image/s and built up many new ones across the 90s and beyond. And ever since Ziggy Stardust in the early 70s, having no eyebrows, or bleached eyebrows, has been a mark of a kind of intellectual elitism in popular culture. An untouchable chic that isn’t about other people, or attracting a mate, it’s about standing alone as a special and isolated, once might say “alien” (thanks Ziggy) figure of power. Also M’s bestie Herb Ritts had called her “baby Dietrich” for several years by then, and through her thin brows, masculine suits, berets and chic looks of this era, she was leaning into that imperiously bisexual stance.
Btw Goodbye to Innocence was cut from the album and appeared later on a feminist fund raiser album called Just Say Roe, released in support of abortion rights/the right to choose, as established in the historic case of Roe v Wade (recently overturned in a conservative religious attack on the rights of women and people with wombs over how they manage their own bodies). Ugh… don’t get me started on the cruelty of religious “morality”.
So Fever isn’t the greatest Madonna release, but it fits very cleverly into her overall manifesto of sexual and gender autonomy.
That's pretty accurate! Great comment 👏👏💯
Wow! What a fantastic comment.
Edit One is amazing. I love that she did such an immediate non storytelling video. Love Stephane Sednoui
As always your comments always leave me speechless and thinking from a different perspective
@@EmpressReacts I just realised I think it was actually Francesco Scavullo (another brilliant photographer) who first called Madonna “Baby Dietrich”
My Madonna mind-archive is pretty vast, so sometimes a factoid gets jumbled!
She was definitely beginning her transition to her more underground dance club phase, I would say she was returning to her roots, by the early 2000s she was fully in it, that’s about when they stopped playing most of her music on the radio
I DEFINITELY prefer the album version (with that cool xylophone) but this mix works perfectly with the video & in The Girlie Show! 2:59 Donna & Niki sound glorious 😂🔥💯
Direct by Stephane Sednaoui ... at time he was on the wave cause Red hot chili peppers video Give it away, pretty similar for the plated paint body ... 🧏🏻♂️
But that is what it is with Madonna, she is such a chameleon, you just reacted to the Bad Girl and she delivered this right after. We are a thousand miles away from it and that is why I love her. You are never bored, hence why I never stopped following her for the last 40 years. Empress you have to see the Celebration tour this year!! please!!
She was really copping it at this point from everyone after the book and Body of Evidence, maybe you are picking up how she was feeling. She had admitted it was a tough period. Rain video is stunning though and helped win the public back.
Girlie Show Madonna returned to form though and looked very happy, the most happy she's ever looked on tour tbh.
Yeah, this was definitely a weird time for her and her fans. She was getting the sh*t kicked out of her by the media and "Bad Girl" flopped. "Fever" was released as a single in Europe but it was only serviced to clubs in the U.S. Radio didn't touch it and MTV only played the video a few times. It was like the upside-down. She did do quite a bit of promo though - SNL and Arsenio performances, where she did two very different versions of "Fever" (both amazing). The interviews for this era were mostly done prior to the album/book dropping, so you get a lot of insight into her creative state of mind, which is basically "f*ck the patriarchy." But you don't really get much into into how she felt about the reaction until Arsenio and especially the Girlie Show interviews (one with Molly and another with MTV).
Oh, I do agree this is a better mix but the album version fits perfectly on the album IMO. It's a little colder, which was kind of the point. Can't wait for "Rain" and the interviews/performances!!! 😍
Like her, love her, hate her,
Madonna will always grab your attention ‼️
💯
Madonna remade “Fever” because it was a song that Sandra Bernhard used to sing on her tours and M loved it.
precisely
Interesting ‼️
This was a massive club hit and I think the video conveys exactly that. Another cool "fashion video" rocking some Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood.
No need for a complex storyline when we're still reeling from that last episode of Law & Order:SVU aka Bad Girl!
She was for sure feeling disillusioned at this time. You'll hear her speak about it in later years as being a very difficult period. She insists all the hate made her stronger, and I believe that. However we all know that's a realization that only really comes with time.
I do think you'll see the joy you're looking for when you watch the tour.
Oh right, while she was filming the videos, the whole Madonna backlash was happening, i forgot. Obviously shes gonna look different in the eyes even when she gets told everyday, she*s a whore, devil, should quit etc.
Yes. I think Madonna was in a moodier, darker place with the Erotica album. She was her most sexually provocative state of mind. Also, she was older and moving into a new chapter. However, Rain - was uplifting and possibly the Lighter side of all this.
Erotica is a dark album at a dark time…height of the AIDS pandemic, Madonna’s “career low” based on the backlash she got over the album and sex book. She was racked over the coals by the press who had moved on to Janet, Mariah and Celine as the new “good girls” of pop while Madonna was kind of in her villain era
Great way to put it. This was Madonna's 'villian' era. I think she went in with the goal of being antagonistic and defiant, and that's reflected in the early interviews from late '92 when the album and book was released. She came off as cold and petulant in her answers. But she didn't count on the media poking back at her as hard as it did. Into 1993, I notice her tone in interviews became more mellow and tactful.
I have to ask, when do you consider the height of HIV/AIDS? What years?
@@rowanmayfair9249 You didn't ask me, but I don't think 1993 was the height of the AIDS epidemic. This was post-Freddie Mercury and Magic Johnson. By then, new drugs and treatments had been introduced, and people started living longer with HIV. IMO the "height" was 1984-87. That was the most dangerous period, no one knew anything conclusive, and if you got it, you didn't have years; you had months.
@David Tyler Griffin I agree. 100%. Lived it. That's why I was like, noooo! I'm an HIV/AIDS educator.
The live version of Fever (the Girlie Show) is super
☂️☂️☂️ it's coming.....
I dont think Erotica was about joy, it was much darker, much more mysterious.
***MADONNA EROTICA / 'FEVER' TRIVIA TIME!!!*** ...you give me... (4:11) ...
- ....(1:34) ...well, glad you asked, Empress...she came up with the instrumental track (w/ Shep Pettibone), and there was talk about doing a cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walking"...then, when she was at near completion, Billy Ray Cyrus covered it on his MASSIVE "Some Gave All" CD in 1992, and Madge had to do an about FACE!
- ....THIS version, was the 'Edit One' remix, done by Daniel Abraham, who was popular in the UK, with his remixes for Daryl Hall ("Stop Loving Me") & CeCe Peniston ("Crazy Love")...
- ...this was around the time Madge was reaching for ANY new ideas, and even though this Video was fine, it's reeked of, 'shock & awe', and showed a decline in popularity for Madge... (6:21) ....
- ....but, NOT in the CLUBS! ...a #1 Dance hit, May of 1993, the (US) remixes were done by MURK (aka the Funky Green Dogs), and they were NAAAASTY, and underground...the deepest Madge got, bringing her closer to Junior Vasquez territory... the "Hot Sweat" mix, was the most popular...
- ...but, you just wait for "The Girlie Show" Empress, you'll change your mind on EVERYTHING.... ; ) ....
Yes, I believe it was those murk remixes I really liked :-)
Can't wait to see it
Stephane Sednaoui directed the video. She wanted to work with him because she loved how he made for the video ''Give It Away'' by Red Hot Chili Pepper and fit with her gritter and raw sound she wanted during this period in her booklet and her images during this period.
This director was know to make very distinstual videos, like in this video, ''Give It Away'' and also particulary ''Mysterious Ways'' by U2, who he distorted images he shot in order to fit with the song himself (since it's a distorsed funky, rock and electronic song).
Thanks for the info
I felt the video was done more as a club video than an actual video release like Bad Girl and considering its a remix of the song supports that it was released more as a club/dance song than an actual single. I think you will really enjoy the girl show live version better.
I totally agree with you, to me this is her most "depressive" era and it shows in the interviews too. There's a feeling of hopelessness throughout this period that would only get worse with all the backlash. It's a subject for the album review, but this whole project is very psychoanalytical - and she was admittedly doing psychotherapy at the time. With all the media declaring she was 'finally over', the decline in the album sales .. to me as a fan it felt like a sad ending some times. Also as you noticed she looked older and that contributed to that feeling - it was unthinkable at the time for a pop star to look older and still have success. It's a pretty complex era, indeed.
But I love Fever, though. It made sense at the time, worked for the underground scene and I think it perfectly fits the album 🔥
She looked very happy during the Girlie Show tho
@@EthansTarot Absolutely! I mean the promo season, the videos and the tone of the album itself that felt weirdly depressing, but the tour definitely brings the joy back!
Omg I've been feeling all of this so far
I think this was released in the USA as a club oriented song. She seemed in this era to alternate between a ballad and dance song as a single.
Cool video..but Madonna has said in later years that this was her angry era
Yes, she was in a darker mood. She was in the middle of a backlash. People hated what she did with the sex book, they were calling her satan and a whore. She later (a few years ago) talked about this period in an emotional speech. She wasn't happy, you'll see that in interviews. But when she is going on tour with "The girlie show" you'll she the happiest and most confident Madonna. And this song is a highlight, believe it or not!
The silver paint on her is the coolest thing of this music video in my opinion
Never saw this vid or heard this version. Definitely better than the album version. I like it!! Thanks Empress!
✌🏻😉✌🏻
🔥🔥
Depist it's was only a club released in US (while it's was single in Europe and in the rest of the world)), the video was playing in MTV and received great airplay. I think this video was influencal, for example, the Rihanna video ''Umbrella'' have a shot who Rihanna was naked who it's was really influenced by this video.
I think the look of the video fit with the pictures of the booklet of the album, because the booklet pictures (like the cover) was very icey and dark and so cold.
Since ''Fever'' was the very last song recording on the album and also in the last day in the studios (15 august 1992) before the album parting for the pressing, she didn't have the time to adding the Nikki and Donna background of this song before the released of the album. So when she released this siong in Europe, she make the necessary changes for this song. Because for the album version, it's was originally for a different song who she wrote (Goodbye to innocence).
I agree, THE BACKGROUND NEEDED TO BE ON THE ALBUM version.
💯💯💯
Madonna coverd Fever because she had originally recorded a song called Goodbye to Innocence and while listening to the backing track of that song started to sing Fever. She preferrd it and so that's how the song originated. Goodbye to Innocence was donated to a charity record and a remix called Up Down Suite featured as the B-side to the Rain single.
Interesting
I knew you'd love the Niki and Donna backup vocals on this remix! And this is the version she uses on The Girlie Show Tour too, even if it's not her most momentous video.
She knew this was 🔥🔥
There was a popular gay club in Phoenix, AZ called 'Preston's', and they had a outdoor patio bar with fireplace and video screens. One night they played this video, and I was mezmerized. Seeing Madonna on these numerous video screens made it even more magical. 90’s club music at it's best.
Everybody's always talking about Bad Girl on SNL, but I don't see people suggesting Fever live at Arsenio Hall, and for me it's a must. She sings it with a whole orchestra, along with a piano, having a great time and singing more like Peggy Lee. So I hope you check it out. As for this video, it has always been one of my favorites, and I prefer this version. I look forward to the rest of the journey... there are great things to come. The Girlie Show... I can't wait!🎉
I def will
SECRET is one of her best videos.
I haven't heard that yet
Intersting observation about MADONNA being "cold". Although she had a lot of Fun with the tour and EROTICA / SEX BOOK release, It was hell for MADONNA in real life.
---
People criticyzed her a lot...really put her down as seen into her WOMAN OF THE YEAR speech
Interesting ‼️
This was one of my all-time favorites of her songs! It had a lot of different remixes, many of them were very good. Can’t wait until you get to her bedtime stories album, and react to the “secret” remix, that’s smother big fave of mine
SNL performance of this is 🔥
Agree, I like it more. Reaction on my paetron
Told you this version is better!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
But yes once you get to the interviews and the reactions of the album you’ll understand her demeanor during this era a little better. This is the most talked about era in her career but from 1992/93 perspective all of this was considered “too far” for the music world. But once you get to the tour and see her in front of her fans, you’ll see the old her shine through.
Also side note… I have an erotica playlist for the album but I swapped out the album version of Fever for this one. And it flows better lol. 😂
😂😂I bet it does
This version of Fever is named Fever - Edit One on the streaming plataforms
The gold dress was made by Vivienne Westwood
I got a shirt with her in the silver as a Christmas gift from my mom..I'm wearing it for the celebration tour
😂cool
I really can’t wait for you to see how happy she was performing this on The Girlie Show, and the iconic Arsenio Hall show version. You will be feeling that dress. 💙
👀👀Can't wait
Not my favorite, but it grew on me and was a huge club hit, especially at gay clubs that had big screen projectors playing. It definitely packed the dance floors when it was played! The live performance of this during Girlie Show is one of my all time favorite live performances of hers! P.S. - you still haven't reacted to my Michael Buble version of this song from about 6 months ago!!! What up wit dat?? 😜
Also since you also know a bit of her more grown up, serious real grown up music from 1989 onwards especially starting here, you might understand why some of us smile at some silly albumtracks from True Blue because they were so innocent and young and she grew up so much afterwards.
Yeah I get it
I agree with everything you said
Aye a vibe‼️
BAD GIRL irls remarkable...agree❤
🔥🔥
I enjoy your reactions so much, been here since day 1 before the journey, so glad you're still going,. Yeah Fever video edit should've been on the album
Aw, thanks 😊 💓
I actually like this music video even though it’s more simple
Madonna called the album Erotica, but it turned out to be more complex and was about the various aspects of love and even loss, instead of just a single minded exploration of sexual themes (which I wouldn't have complained about!).
She became more guarded during this period, probably because the controversy was too intense even for her. But she always stood her ground during interviews.
While in Italy to promote the album, an Italian tv host asked her during a televised interview (which was kind of an event) what she thought was 'scandalous' or offensive. She replied that she thought homophobia and ingnorance were scandalous to her.
This video was from Stephane Sednaoui, who is a brilliant photographer and video director with his own approach to visual effects. I have always loved this video!
To me, Erotica musically is both brilliant and average. Songs like Thief of Hearts or Words are kind of average to me, others are still some of my favourites songs by M... Erotica, Bad Girl, In This Life, all Andre Betts productions...
Great explanation
Empress, the Erotica album was written in 1992, which makes me think it was written during the 1990s Grunge era which was a dark and mood era and bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden were becoming at the height. Besides the impact of her reputation and career, this moodiness may have affected her delivery of her songs on Erotica.
Interesting ‼️
You're so right. I think a lot of people had enough of the glittery big 80s, I didn't though😊
I agree… this 100% should have been on the album instead… much prefer this version ❤🔥
💯💯
And wait when you arrived with the last video of this era ''Rain'', because the last video of the album ''Rain'' was a transition between this album and her 1994-1997 period, who she soft her image. My favorite video of this ''Erotica'' era and this was the video of this era who i playing the most back when i have the "Celebration'' music videos DVD.
Interesting ‼️
Why wouldn’t the woman who started with Burning Up cover Fever? Right in her wheelhouse, and we know she loves the “golden age”. 😘 Did we need it though? 😂 😂. I do remember loving this video and this version though. A bop!
True and my answer to the latter...I think you know 😂😂
You are correct Empress... after the release of the Erotica album Madonna became a little lost (especially since the early 90s brought in a new era of music). After 8 years, we find her following trends and not setting them (she was also trying to find herself amidst the alternative-grunge wave; hanging out with Anthony Kedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers; in fact this video is in the same style as their Give It Away Now video). She also made two bad films: Body of Evidence and Dangerous Game. The tour does have her looking thrilled and triumphant!
Dang interesting ‼️😂
Madonna was setting trends until like 2008 lmfao
I’m waiting for the RAIN video and the tour. The album was a cold dark, house, druggy era switch up and very the time. But by the time she went out to tour with the show she brought color and life back with a lil sparkle. Dance. Just ride it out. In real time this switch up was important. We were growing up. The old pop was behind us. Sales were down on this record so her next one is a big $ grab, sales up, regain power move enforced by Warner Bros.
If you follow the line of thinking that Erotica the album was a concept album about love and sex in the time of HIV and AIDS, then this song takes on a whole new meaning. Everybody’s got the fever…
Dang...that's deep
That’s not an original idea, but when i first heard it I had to stop and think.
Woo Hoo, more Madonna 😁
I like this video. I think the background vocals definitely bring up the energy of the song and make for a better single version, although I like the album one as well. With this video and Deeper and Deeper, sure she could've gone the more storyline route like she did with her classic videos of the 80s, but she was almost a decade into the game and maybe just didn't want to rehash what she'd already done. I see the comment saying this was a "club video" and that definitely makes sense and is fitting considering the style of the song. Why did she pick this song to cover? It's one of the classic songs most synonymous with sensuality and seductiveness so I think it fits the erotic theme of the album. I like the juxtaposition in the album between sexual freedom and club aesthetic with darkness and depression, since there is a dark side and fun side to both of those things. Without the dark side expressed, the album would've felt more one-dimensional to me and like she was just promoting hedonism without giving a balanced perspective(as much as I love the 90s club scene, it was extremely excessive and hedonistic; many of the prominent Club Kids ended up destroying themselves). As far as the more technical aspects of the video, I think that the way it's shot and the lighting effects are very fun and cutting edge for the time. I like all the fashion too, since it perfectly encapsulates the 90s club, underground vibe with some high fashion elements added into the mix 🥰
In fact, she cover this song by accident, because a another song was originally planned for the album and she sing the lyrics of ''Fever'' in the beat of the another song, so she deciding to cover instead.
@@WCD199317 Right, I forgot about Goodbye To Innocence
@@WCD199317 You are right, it came up accidentally, but I think she would never put it in the final product if it didn't also fit the concept she had in mind, it was intuitive since it happened under the spirit she was in while recording, IMO :)
Interesting what you say about the song and video. I definitely agree video version is superior. Video is cool, its very Pop Art and very 1993 so i like it. It looks stylish and is entertaining enough with just her performing and her looks for the obviously for her standard low budget video( i think this was only a single in the UK, in many other countries it was either not released or was the b side or double a side with Bad Girl). I think Erotica as a whole is more serious, maybe it was her growing into her mid 30s and just experiencing life as a grown woman who had to deal with losing her friends to AIDS, divorce, people betraying her, sexism, homophobia...maybe it was the early 90s which were just not a jouyous time as the late 80s. i dunno, i was just born but i love the fact its more grown up and in some parts ice cold. This is fun for the club as a sexy mellow house track. I have other favorites on the album of course and i would not put Fever as track 2 on the album tracklist but hey she and record company seemed to really like it.
I'm glad we are back with getting more Madonna reactions now, the journey is so fun and interesting. Rain is next :D
Love the performance of this song. When Erotica video debuted with Sex book she was being dragged everyday that by the time she filmed this video I am sure she must have been tired. In one of the interview she mentions her hair falling off due to the pink color hair but I always thought it was because of stress.
Probably
I mean, this video is just 'okay'... not bad, and the disco-infused track is better than the album version, however, it doesn't really give me 'fever' like the other three videos from this era give me. It's kind of a throwaway. Maybe this is more 'serious/grown' M than her previous albums, but I think she was going through the divorce to Sean Penn plus the height of the AIDS epidemic. Still my favourite M album, though. I will always stan it. Lots of great albums yet to come, though.
Not Justify and Ancient. 🤣🤣🤣
💯💯💯
Thank you once again Empress for this journey 💗 💫
Thank u! Glad you're enjoying it
This video inspired some scenes of Rihanna's Umbrella music video
Hmmm I have to rewatch
this was the single-release version!
Should have been on the album
Totally agree. This remix is way superior to the album version. And those backing vocals (presumably by Niki and Donna) add a lot.
As for why Madonna recorded this song in the first place...apparently while working on a track called "Goodbye to Innocence" for 'Erotica' she suddenly started singing the lyrics to "Fever" over the instrumental for fun. And she liked the way it sounded so much that she then recorded it.
Two years later "Goodbye to Innocence" was released on a compilation album called 'Just Say Roe'.
By the way Peggy Lee's rendition was a cover, too. "Fever" was originally released by a guy called Little Willie John in 1956.
Oh wow‼️‼️
When you get the interviews I would love to see you react to her Erotica interview with Jonathan Ross.
Maybe it was the Dita persona....
I love this version especially in the clubs and yes you're so right about feeling the shift, I noticed this with her Erotica song, Deeper & Deeper, Bad Girl, it was a different Madonna, less energy & smiles.
80s Madonna had gone, here's the 90s one.
This used to be my playground for me was the last time Madonnas was kind of 80s in "1992".
Now she was more serious and she wanted to make that clear.
She literally had a fight with the press in those days.
Interesting perspective
"The Shift" was Madonna started taking herself very seriously in this era. In addition, she got criticized for the SEX book for being 'unsexy'. That is something that throws her over the cliff each and every time.
Interesting ‼️
Madonna was going through it this era. I'm sure she was worried that maybe she had gone a little to far. I read her brother book. He claims shes the type to hold things in not let you know what she is feeling inside and when you ask why did you do something shes the type to put up a defence mechanism and say Because I wanted to and never outwardly admit she may have done something wrong. The media was treating her like trash, the church was laying into her. She have been really feeling the heat and it just showed on her artistic side. Erotica at that time was her lowest selling album as well. Didn't produce the success she had been use to.
Interesting ‼️
You and 12 yr old me are so on this same page with this era...lol....as usual, your perceptions are so keen! The album version of this song is....ummm....lacking let's just say....lol....this (and some of the other remixes for this song) are the only way I can listen to it outside of the context of listening to the Erotica album in full. This most definitely should've been the album version. What I remember about this video is to me, it just came out of nowhere. I had MTV on while I was doing my homework after school (as I always did) and boom there it was. This song wasn't a single (in the US) so it just seemed so random to me at the time. It's not awful for a "quickie" video but especially coming off of Bad Girl it was underwhelming. It was great having a "surprise" video though!! 🤩Totally get what you mean regarding her whole "energy" and "vibe" this era, it's like that little mischievous yet innocent sparkle she had, was completely gone. IMO though, that girl does show up in some of the interviews for this era as well as the tour. Not to give too much of a spoiler but throughout the journey I think you'll see that girl may disappear but she always seems to show up again in some way.....lol.
I think others have touched on this in some other comments but it is important to consider the full context of the times in regard to the shift in her persona. The "Dynasty" era had morphed into the Kurt Cobain "grunge" era and most everything from the "Dynasty" era, seemed outdated and unnecessarily excessive by '93. As difficult as Erotica may be to take in sometimes and despite the massive backlash she faced at the time (which btw was absolutely vicious and in full swing by the time this video was filmed/released so that too may account for that "colder" look she has) I do believe in retrospect this album/era helped cement her legacy. The darker edge to her music, images and persona as a whole was reflective of the times. I've often wondered if she had released a traditional Madonna style pop album at this time more in the lane of LAP and TB, if things would have ended up the same for her. I feel like she would've had a couple more hits, possibly bigger than anything she had from Erotica. However, it may have also put this sort of "80's relic" aura around her too. If anything, the shift in sound and persona proved she was nobodies 80's relic. She dove head first into the 90's (really as early as 1990 really with JML and RM) and this would also be the beginnings of a period where she didn't really like to acknowledge her 80's work so much, even being somewhat dismissive of it at times. It's so wild to think in the grand scheme of things, this is at this point, still kinda more towards the beginning of her career......she's going to take you so many different places, especially in these next 10 yrs coming up.....even at this point, that girl from "Madonna '83" feels so far away! Hope you got your seatbelt on Empress, it's gon' be a wild ride!! 🎢🙌😂
Omg! We're vibin
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Madonna is a PERFORMANCE ARTIST. That's how she has described herself from the beginning of her career. In a sense, she is like MOVIE DIRECTOR. She always approaches her projects from a STORY TELLING perspective, where the visual aspect is very important, so if the "story" she wants to tell happens to be a dark one, that's the vibe you're gonna get through out the entire project. So it's not that she has "lost her joy", it's just that she is playing her character accordingly.
Interesting ‼️
@@EmpressReacts
What I said here will become more apparent as you go into the Girlie Show and her two next albums and tours.
This whole era was such a DRASTIC SHITF, that even hard core fans needed some time to "adjust" their minds to this "new Madonna". This video in particular was SOOOOOOO DIFFERENT from anything she'd done before. I remember thinking it looked like a Red Hot Chilli Peppers type of video, and also, to me it looked kind of cheap, and like it was "beneath her". However, with time I grew to really like it and really appreciate Madonna's ability to adapt to new styles and trends no matter how bizarre or non conforming they might seem. I now think this video had the right style for this type of music. Trust me, after the interviews and the Tour, you will understand better some of her choices in terms of lyrics, production and visual styles, and realized that no, she wasn't "confused" during this period, but rather, she had a vision, and she was 100% in control of it.
This video was made for the clubs..imho
@@citydweller99
Most certainly!
Way better than the album version. The album version is way too long
this edit is different as the single song market was starting to take hold. So if you could sell a single cassette or later cd, you would have the album, radio, video versions and a couple other remixes included. Capitalism to the max!
Sometimes the Radio Edits, Remixes are better than the album version. Amy Grant singles Every Heartbeat, That’s What Love Is For, I Will Remember You on the radio were better than the album versions. Even Janet’s Let’s Wait Awhile music video/radio remix was better than the album version. Madonna had Express Yourself, What It Feels Like For A Girl. LeAnne Rimes Can’t Fight The Moonlight (Graham Stack version). It all varies BUT back in the day, that’s how we bought the CD singles in the store in addition or sometimes over the full album on the shelf.
@@rpdbu8250 Amy Grant's Lucky One was better in radio mix form as well
@@citydweller99 Yes! The A/C mix was better. I forgot about that one. The album version was not so good.
the whole concept of the album was much darker than anything she had done before. not so much about pure joy anymore. but she was also probably pissed about being the most hated woman in America at that time, not getting any recognition or nominations for her work, just heavy criticism.
Oh dang, didn't realize she wasn't getting noms
This wasn't the next single in the U.S. Rain was, so I'm assuming that may be blocked? Fever wasn't even a single here, Madonna released this video in the U.S. on MTV and I remember watching its release, but the single was only released in Europe. Didn't mean I didn't own it, by then independent cd shops regularly stocked European and Asian releases that included remixes or additional songs that weren't released here. Also, this was another song that she released *so* *many* remixes of that were essentially different cuts of the same remix (like Express Yourself, Keep it Together, and Erotica). Her remix game really jumps up a level for Bedtime Stories, much to the benefit of house music afficianadoes...
Also released in Australia
Nicki in foreground ..lol jk i mean background with the soul. Ha
😂😂shade
Hahhahahaha Tammy yeay 😂
This remix was musically just like all the early 90’s dance hits. I think she just wanted a gay club banger, like Vogue…Deeper and Deeper was a bit the same. They could have been left off of Erotica, would have made the album more cohesive I’d think.
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I agree on your perspective on this. There’s not much spark and it’s underwhelming. I feel like Madonna can be passionate and emotive and this song and video comes across as lacking those qualities and cold.
If only, I wish Madonna could re-record this and give us that spark.
Agree💯💯💯
Well AIDS had changed the mood drastically by the early 90s, and that paired with increased maturity awakening her to the harshness of the world while getting the shit kicked out of her for every breath she took probably explains a good part of the feelings you are getting and the vibe you’re picking up on. It was a dark time for many.
Makes sense
Personally, I prefer The Album Version Better.
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At this time Madonna was getting a lot of negative backlash from the video erotica and the sex book and around this time she was also in the movie called body of evidence, which was sexually provocative. So I think what you’re saying right now is a version of Madonna that calmed down and didn’t really want to be shut down yet again for exposing the truth about human sexuality.
Interesting ‼️
You are right, the single version differs significantly from the album version, for me it's superior. But the video seems to be a bit rushed, right? No big budget spent either.
Yeah...it's lacking 😂
I'm not feeling it either Empress. Besides I've never been a fan of Madonna's music anyway.
We're a vibe
I never really liked this video. I dont get it for this song. To me, if you are singing about fevor or everybody having the fevor, then show the lust, love, and passion of two (or more) people together. Jmo. In the last couple of years though, I do appreciate the aesthetic of it. Just wish it was to a dif song. I guess it was made specifically for the dance clubs. I do remember back in the day when they used to play videos on monitors and screens in the gay bars. I guess, in that sense, it works. As far as her not seeming as happy then. I feel like she was going through a lot of ups and downs in her personal romantic life, and it came out on this album.
Interesting
The best version of this song I really don’t like the album one
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Not feeling this version either. It may be better than the album version, but it's still drowsy and boring. And red hair does not compliment Madonna at all. I can't think of any instance of her pulling off that color. I agree with that Madonna's whole persona during this period felt clinical and quasi-maniacal. She went from the lively, colorful, and vampy Hollywood bombshell glam of the Blond Ambition era to this aloof, dark, warped and slightly robotic vibe with ridiculously thin eyebrows. Her equilibrium was off. It wasn't the Madonna I became a fan of. It was cold. Every Madonna album came with a new look and vibe, but there was always something about the new tone that could either still relate to what came before, or felt like an enhancement. _Erotica_ felt like Madonna from a colder universe.
I never liked this song or the video, the live girlie show performance is fantastic though.
extremely bad done
There was definitely a shift during the erotic era, more adult oriented. I was a young teenager at the time and couldn’t relate to it, I was use to the 80s pop Madonna sound and I lost a bit of interest.
I very much appreciate Erotica now and what Madonna was trying to say politically and socially at the time now that I’m older I respect her for it, she was so ballsy, her career took a massive knock because of this.
That's how I'm picturing this play out with some of her fanbase
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