Limited 180 gram vinyl LP pressing. Erotica is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on October 20, 1992. The album was released simultaneously with Madonna's first book publication, Sex, a coffee table book containing explicit photographs featuring the singer. Erotica is a concept album about sex and romance; she incorporated an alter ego named Mistress Dita, inspired by actress Dita Parlo. Some songs also take on a more confessional tone, influenced by the loss of Madonna's two close friends to AIDS. Madonna recorded the album in New York City with Shep Pettibone and André Betts while she was working on other projects. Pettibone sent her a tape with three songs when she was in Chicago, and shortly after they started the album's production in his apartment. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200. Internationally, it topped the charts in Australia and France, while peaking inside the top five in many other countries, such as Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.