Madonna is one of the greatest artists of our time, and throughout her career, she has never shied away from creating music that she felt right, despite them being able to stir controversy all around the world. “Like a Prayer” single from 1989 is one of Madonna’s most controversial tracks that even got the attention of the Pope at the time. In this article, we will discuss the song, its lyrics, its dual meaning, and the controversy it created around the world.
“Like a Prayer” was the lead single from Madonna’s fourth studio album, also titled ‘Like a Prayer.’ The song saw a change in direction of music for Madonna with her shifting attention to a more adult audience. Artistically, “Like a Prayer” also saw a mix of genres, including pop rock, gospel, and funk.
The song peaked at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and also in Australia, Denmark, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK, and many other countries. Commercially, the song sold millions of copies around the world, with over 2 million sales coming from the US alone. The album is estimated to have sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
The Rolling Stones magazine ranked “Like a Prayer” at #55 on their ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time‘ list.
Madonna “Like a Prayer” Music Video Controversy
The music video for “Like a Prayer” was very controversial for 1989, when it was released. It captured themes of religion, sexual ecstasy, racism, and social injustice together. The video shows Madonna witnessing an assault on a woman by a group of white men. A black man running to help the woman gets arrested by the police mistakenly. Madonna is too shocked to speak out on the incident and seeks comfort in a nearby church. There, she gets down on her knees and says a prayer. A status in the church turns into a black saint, kisses Madonna on her forehead, and leaves the church. Following this is a galore of singing, dancing, and kissing. Madonna is dressed in lingerie, dancing in the church, and also in front of burning crosses.
Mixing religious themes with sexual connotations was one of the biggest controversies surrounding the “Like a Prayer” song and music video. Upon its release, the Vatican’s Pope at the time, Pope John Paul II, encouraged people to boycott Madonna and forbid her from entering Italy. Christians around the world were not happy with the song and sided with the Pope.
Most television networks banned the song and the music video from any airplay, while MTV continued to broadcast the song.
“Like a Prayer” Pepsi Commercial Controversy
In February of 1989, Pepsi enlisted Madonna and the “Like a Prayer” song for a two-minute advertisement called ‘Make a Wish.’ Madonna was paid $5 million for the endorsement and used 45-seconds of the song. The commercial was received quite well for its wholesome message about a young girl dreaming of becoming who she wants to be. Controversy struck the day after when the official music video by Madonna was released. The religious and sexual themes intertwining created much backlash around the world and called for a boycott of Pepsi and all of its associated brands, such as KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Ultimately, the heat was too much to handle for Pepsi, and they took down the commercial worldwide while Madonna got to keep her paycheque.
Following the backlash, Madonna said that she “really couldn’t believe how out of control the whole Pepsi thing got.”
The commercial re-aired for the first time in over 30 years at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna released a statement following this: “34 years ago, I made a commercial with Pepsi to celebrate the release of my song. The commercial was immediately canceled when I refused to change any scenes in the video where I was kissing a black saint or burning crosses. So began my illustrious career as an artist refusing to compromise my artistic integrity. Artists are here to disturb the peace.”
Watch “Like a Prayer” Music Video by Madonna
What is the meaning of the song “Like a Prayer” by Madonna?
The controversy surrounding the “Like a Prayer” music video almost overshadows the song’s equally controversial lyrics. Written by Madonna and the song’s producer Patrick Leonard, it mixes themes of sexual fantasy with religion. This was not a heavily trodden path back in 1989, and even now.
The intro of the song really sets the tone for the theme.
Life is a mystery
Everyone must stand alone
Life sure is a wonderful mystery. Oftentimes, we come across events in or around our lives that we cannot explain or understand. Experiences that we believe we do not deserve or things that happen to others that we believe we deserve. Sometimes, we try as hard as we can, only to fail. Some others don’t try at all and succeed. You can be the depiction of an angel on earth, and still get dragged through hell on earth. You can try to do good all your life and still get kicked down each day. The only thing you can rely on is your strength and will. The only one you can trust is yourself.
This ‘loneliness’ has its weight on all of us – some handle it better than others. In most cases, when someone cracks under this weight, they turn to one of two things – religion or another person. This is the line that “Like a Prayer” walks through the song.
The chorus of the song has two meanings cleverly hidden behind straightforward lyrics.
When you call my name
It’s like a little prayer
I’m down on my knees
I want to take you there
Madonna hears her name being called either by God or by her new man. The voice brings so much comfort to her heart that it’s almost like magic. She is drawn to it. She is so starved for some external comfort and validation, and both religion and sexual release feel like heaven on earth.
Madonna gets on her knees either to say a prayer to God or satisfy her man. This brings up another controversial undertone of the song of objectifying women.
Madonna also sings about how she feels ‘his’ power in the middle of the night, which clearly talks about sex. However, if leaned into the religious theme, it could also mean that she feels the power of her faith strongest at midnight – likely when she is loneliest.
Verses 1 and 2 are Madonna continuing to double down on this theme of religious relief and sexual release. She uses the ‘voice’ as a powerful tool of her control, both religiously and romantically. The voice triggers her subservient nature either to God or to her partner.
I close my eyes
Oh God, I think I’m falling
Madonna also cleverly interweaves religious ecstasy versus sexual release. With her eyes closed, she feels closer to a higher power, and it makes her feel like she is levitating. With her sexual encounters, too, she feels elevated, and the release feels as if she is free-falling through the clouds. Madonna was quite brave to name-drop God directly in the lyrics here. However, it is also noteworthy that ‘oh God’ has lost all its spiritual backing in the modern-day marital bedroom.
You’re in control
Just like a child
Referencing the innocence of children in a song convoluted in religion and sex also does not help to subdue its controversy.
It’s like a prayer, your voice can take me there
A voice or a command can be a powerful trigger for some people. Many religious people confess to voices talking to them from the heavens above that ultimately reinforce their faith for good. Voice carries energy that has the power to move someone. In a sexual tone, a voice can trigger someone’s emotions that they have been trained on. It can be very hard to ignore or not obey such a voice as your emotions take over logic. Taking someone ‘there’ is also a double whammy! Religiously, it could be talking about heaven or the peace of mind religion brings. Sexually, it could be talking about sexual release.
Was “Like a Prayer” controversial for its time? Was combining religion and sex in a song a sin? Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Read the complete lyrics of the song on Genius.