10 Music Videos Banned By MTV
9. Madonna - Erotica (1992)
No stranger to controversy by this point in her career, Madonna had already shocked and wowed viewers a number of times. At the MTV Music Awards in 1984, her sexually suggestive performances of Like a Virgin caused a stir. The now infamous video for Like A Prayer stirred up even more controversy, with its confused imagery of racism, sexuality and Christianity. Still, it wasn't enough bag Madonna a ban from MTV. That came later.
As the title might indicate, her 1992 single Erotica was filled with references to kink-fuelled sexuality. The video was no less suggestive. Plenty of leather whips, chains and flesh were on display as Madonna cavorted around dressed as dominatrix. Much of the B-role footage was taken from the behind the scenes of Madonna's Sex book, which showed the singer taking part in all manor of sexually charged activities. This was a far cry from the Like a Virgin Madonna of the last decade.
MTV played the video a total of three times before mounting pressure forced them to pull it. This stuff doesn't hold a candle to the kind of thing featured in music videos these days, but the '90s was a fragile time for the sexually repressed.