Like a Prayer (song)
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"Like a Prayer" is a chart-topping song by American pop singer Madonna, released as the first single in 1989 from her album of the same name. A power pop song that notably featured a gospel choir, the song is perhaps best known for the controversy surrounding its music video.
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[edit] About
"Like a Prayer", produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, was released as a single on February 28, 1989, in most parts of the world. In the United States, it spent three weeks at the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100, and also topped the charts in Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Europe (where it remained for nine weeks).
Her first single of 1989, "Like a Prayer" once again brought the ire of the Roman Catholic Church on Madonna. The song, which compared prayer to sex in lyrics such as "I'm down on my knees / I wanna take you there", drew accusations of blasphemy. The song found the most controversy, however, with soft drink manufacturer Pepsi.
In 1989, Pepsi paid Madonna $5 million to appear, along with the song, in a commercial for their product. The commercial, which featured Madonna watching home videos of her eighth birthday, ran for two minutes and debuted on March 2, 1989[1]. When Madonna's music video for "Like a Prayer" debuted amongst much controversy the next day, Pepsi quickly terminated their contract with the pop star, though Madonna was allowed to keep her fee.
In 1990, Madonna included a dance remix of "Like a Prayer" on her greatest hits album, The Immaculate Collection. Madonna also performed the song live numerous times, including during her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, her 2004 Re-Invention Tour, and at Live 8 in 2005.
[edit] Awards & Certifications
[edit] Awards
- In 1989, the music video for "Like a Prayer" won the MTV Video Music Award - Viewer's Choice. MTV also named the music video number one in its 100 Videos That Broke the Rules, and viewers voted the video as the Most Groundbreaking Video of All Time for MTV's twenty-fifth anniversary on August 1, 2006.
- In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Like a Prayer" #300 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
[edit] Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia | 2x Platinum |
| France | Silver |
| Germany | Gold |
| UK | Gold |
| USA | Platinum |
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1989) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 1 |
| Canada | 1 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 1 |
| France | 2 |
| Germany (Media Control) | 2 |
| Italy (Fimi/Nielsen) | 1 |
| Japan (ChartJapan) | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| USA Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| USA Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| USA Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart | 1 |
| USA Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 1 |
| USA Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 20 |
[edit] Music Video
The highly controversial music video for "Like a Prayer" was directed by Mary Lambert, who had previously directed the music videos for "Borderline", "Like a Virgin", "Material Girl" and "La Isla Bonita". The video attracted criticism for its subplot of Madonna making love to what was thought by some to be a black Jesus (it was actually a black saint), its use of Catholic iconography, including a scene where Madonna develops stigmata, and cross burning imagery, but also garnered praise for its interpretation on discrimination, rape, and faith.
The premise of the video is that Madonna's character witnesses a woman raped and murdered by a group of thugs. A young black man comes to the young woman's rescue, but she is already dead; the police arrive, and the thugs flee, leaving the young man to be arrested without any evidence other than his presence at the crime scene. A brunette Madonna, afraid that the thugs might harm her, goes to a church and prays before a statue of an African saint, which then comes to life. Madonna and the saint make love on the altar, compelling her to go to the police and provide an alibi for the young man.
Other scenes in the video include Madonna dancing with the Andrae Crouch church choir in the church, as well as dancing outside in front of burning crosses. At the end of the song, all of the actors in the video come out on stage for a curtain call, with Madonna and the actor portraying both the saint and the young man taking a bow and the murder victim sitting in the lead thug's lap.
[edit] Reviews
[edit] External Links
- "Like a Prayer" music video
- "Like a Prayer" performance from 1990's Blond Ambition Tour
- "Like a Prayer" performance from 2004's Re-Invention Tour
- "Like a Prayer" performance from Live 8 in 2005
