Like a Prayer

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Madonna's fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, featured her much-discussed belly button on the front cover.

Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album by pop superstar Madonna, released by Sire Records in 1989.

1 About
2 Trivia
3 Shop
4 Reviews
5 External Links

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About

Like a Prayer, released on March 21, 1989, is generally regarded as being Madonna's first true accomplished artistic expression, combining not only pop and dance but rock, soul, and funk elements into the album. Critics praised Like a Prayer for the singer's candid, personal confessions, with Rolling Stone hailing it as being "as close to art as pop music gets". In 2003, the magazine ranked the album 237 on its list of 500 greatest albums of all time.

Often cited as one of her two best albums (the other being 1998's Ray of Light), Like a Prayer was the first of Madonna's albums to frankly deal with her personal life. "Promise to Try" marked the first of four times that Madonna sang about her mother's death in 1963, while "Till Death Do Us Part" found the singer reflecting on her failed four-year marriage to actor Sean Penn, whom she had filed for divorce from in January of that year. Other songs dealt with Madonna's conflicted feelings regarding her father, her love and appreciation for her family, and her bitter feelings toward the Roman Catholic Church, in which she had been raised.

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Tracks

Track	Title	Duration
1	"Like a Prayer"	5:40
2	"Express Yourself"	4:39
3	"Love Song"	4:52
4	"Till Death Do Us Part"	5:18
5	"Promise to Try"	3:38
6	"Cherish"	5:03
7	"Dear Jessie"	4:21
8	"Oh Father"	4:58
9	"Keep It Together"	5:03
10	"Spanish Eyes"	5:17
11	"Act of Contrition"	2:19

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Awards & Certifications

Country	Certification
Australia	4x Platinum
Austria	Platinum
Brazil	2x Platinum
Canada	5x Platinum
France	2x Platinum
Germany	3x Gold
Hong Kong	Platinum
Ireland	4x Platinum
Italy	5x Platinum
Mexico	2x Platinum
Netherlands	Platinum
Singapore	5x Platinum
Spain	4x Platinum
Switzerland	2x Platinum
UK	4x Platinum
USA	4x Platinum

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Chart Toppers

Year	Song	US	UK	EUR	CAN	JAP	AUS
1989	"Like a Prayer"	#1	#1	#1	#1	#1	#1
1989	"Express Yourself"	#2	#5	#1	#4	#2	#5
1989	"Cherish"	#2	#3	#5	#11	#2	#4
1989	"Oh Father"¹	#20	-	-	-	#12	#59
1989	"Dear Jessie"²	-	#5	#9	-	-	#51
1990	"Keep It Together"³	#8	-	-	#22	#5	-

¹ "Oh Father" was not released commercially in Europe until 1995, when it was released as a single from Madonna's compilation album Something to Remember.
² "Dear Jessie" was only commercially released in Europe.
³ "Keep It Together" was not commercially released in Europe. In Australia, it was released as a double A-side to "Vogue".

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Credits

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Personnel

Madonna - vocals, background vocals, synthesizer
Nadirah Ali - background vocals
Rose Banks - background vocals
Reverend Dave Boruff - brass
Stephen Bray - synthesizer
Luis Conte - percussion
Larry Corbett - cello
Andraé Crouch - chorus
Sandra Crouch - tambourine
Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
Donna Delory - background vocals
Lynne Fiddmont - background vocals
Chuck Findley - brass
Bruce Gairsch - guitar
Nikki Harris - background vocals
Dann Huff - guitar
Dick Hyde - brass
Randy "The Emperor" Jackson - bass
Chester Kamen - guitar
Geary Lanier - clavinet
Patrick Leonard - synthesizer, piano, Hammond organ, clavinet
Marcos Loya - guitar, background vocals
Steve Madaio - brass
Marilyn Martin - background vocals
Joseph Mayer - French horn
Jonathan Moffett - drums
Jeff Porcaro - drums, marimba
Guy Pratt - bass
John Roninson - drums
Richard Todd - French horn
David Williams - guitar
Jai Winding - synthesizer

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Production

Producers: Madonna, Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard, Prince
Arrangers: Chuck Findley, Bill Meyers

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Trivia

Initial pressings of the LPs, casettes, and CDs were scented with Madonna's favorite scent, patchouli oil. Also included was an AIDS factsheet, marking the first time a pop artist had ever included AIDS information with a product.