| Like a Prayer | ||||
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| Studio album by Madonna | ||||
| Released | March 21, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | October 1988 – January 1989 | |||
| Genre | Rock, dance-pop, pop rock, dance[1] | |||
| Length | 51:13 | |||
| Label | Sire, Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Madonna, Patrick Leonard, Stephen Bray, Prince | |||
| Professional reviews | ||||
| Madonna chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Like a Prayer | ||||
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Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on March 21, 1989 by Sire Records. The RIAA certified it Quadruple Platinum on July 16, 1997,[2] recognizing four million shipments in the U.S. - making it her seventh best-selling album there.
Like A Prayer is highly regarded as not only one of Madonna's greatest albums, but is also regarded amongst critics and fans as one of the greatest albums of all time despite initial criticism of the themes shown within the album and the controversy behind the lead single surrounding its lyrics and accompanying music video. The album also found success with its following singles; "Express Yourself", "Cherish", and "Oh Father", which found varied success across the globe. 'Express Yourself' and 'Like a Prayer' are regarded as two of Madonna's signature songs, and along with 'Oh Father', and 'Cherish' have garnered much acclaim over the decades and also furthered the creativity within music videos ('Express Yourself' was the most expensive video ever made at that point).
Madonna's lyrics in the album reflect her then very public divorce from Sean Penn ("Til Death Us Do Part") as well as revisiting the emotions dealt with in her family life from when she was a child through to when she was a teenager (Promise To Try, Oh Father, Keep It Together). "Love Song" (a duet with Prince) and "Keep It Together" would be revisited in Madonna's tenth studio album Confessions On A Dancefloor in the hit songs Jump and Hung Up.
The album was also ranked number 237 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [3]
Contents |
Like a Prayer incorporates rock, dance, pop, soul, and funk elements. Rolling Stone magazine hailed it "as close to art as pop music gets"[4]. Recorded in 1988 with collaborators Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray, it includes a duet with Prince and features the first of several songs in her repertoire, "Promise to Try",[4] about her mother's death. The album is dedicated to "my mother who taught me to pray." She also addresses her failed marriage to actor Sean Penn in "Till Death Do Us Part."[4]
In a rather unique instance of album marketing, the packaging on the first pressings of the CD, cassette, and LP of Like a Prayer were scented to simulate church incense, reportedly with Madonna's favorite scent, patchouli oil.[5] Also included was an insert about the dangers of AIDS and how to avoid it.[6]
For years, there were rumors that Prince played rhythm guitar on "Like A Prayer" and "Keep It Together." Madonna had often reported that when Prince came to the studio to play, he was doing "some weird shit" on his guitar, little of which Madonna was able to use on the album.[citation needed] It was later confirmed by Madonna that Prince did in fact play on both songs, albeit uncredited.[citation needed] His guitar rambling can be heard in the intro to "Like A Prayer," and backwards on "Act of Contrition."
Before the commercial release of the first single, the title track "Like a Prayer," Pepsi decided to use the song as part of a soft drink commercial featuring Madonna. In addition, the company struck a deal to sponsor her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. The commercial aired twice before the release of the music video on MTV. Pepsi was unaware of the video's content: Madonna witnesses a murder, kisses a black saint (St. Martin de Porres), displays stigmata after cutting her palms on a knife, and dances in a field of burning crosses. Some religious groups were furious and threatened to boycott Pepsi, who in turn decided to cancel the ad campaign and tour sponsorship, though Madonna kept the contracted $5 million. The promotional Pepsi cans featuring a picture of Madonna from the "Like A Prayer" commercial were recalled, and have become one of the most highly sought after Madonna collectables.[7]
Perhaps partially due to the publicity created by the controversy, the single soared to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the USA. The album debuted at number eleven, and within three weeks was number one, where it would stay for over a month. The singles "Express Yourself" and "Cherish" both reached number two. "Oh Father" was her least successful single since 1984, peaking at number twenty. "Keep It Together" reached number eight, and "Dear Jessie" became a hit single in Europe, with an animated video. At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna performed a high-energy version of "Express Yourself" as a preview for her upcoming world tour, and received the MTV Viewers' Choice award for the "Like A Prayer" video. She performed "Like A Prayer," "Express Yourself," "Cherish," "Oh Father" and "Keep It Together" in her 1990 tour.
According to a list released by Time magazine on November 13, 2006, Like a Prayer is one of the All-TIME 100 Greatest Albums. In 2003, Rolling Stones magazine named it the 237th greatest album of all time. Apart from that the album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. [8] In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at #14 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s". [9]
| Track | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Like a Prayer" | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 5:39 |
| 2. | "Express Yourself" | Madonna, Stephen Bray | Madonna, Stephen Bray | 4:37 |
| 3. | "Love Song" | Madonna, Prince Rogers Nelson | Madonna, Prince | 4:52 |
| 4. | "Till Death Do Us Part" | Madonna, P. Leonard | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 5:16 |
| 5. | "Promise to Try" | Madonna, P. Leonard | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 3:36 |
| 6. | "Cherish" | Madonna, P. Leonard | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 5:03 |
| 7. | "Dear Jessie" | Madonna, P. Leonard | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 4:20 |
| 8. | "Oh Father" | Madonna, P. Leonard | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 4:57 |
| 9. | "Keep It Together" | Madonna, S. Bray | Madonna, Stephen Bray | 5:03 |
| 10. | "Spanish Eyes" | Madonna, P. Leonard | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 5:15 |
| 11. | "Act of Contrition" | Madonna, P. Leonard | Madonna, Patrick Leonard | 2:19 |
Additional notes
| Problems listening to these files? See media help. |
| # | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Like a Prayer" | February 1989 |
| 02 | "Express Yourself" | May 1989 |
| 03 | "Cherish" | August 1989 |
| 04 | "Oh Father" | October 1989 |
| 05 | "Dear Jessie" | December 1989 (Europe/Australia) |
| 06 | "Keep It Together" | January 1990 (Nth. America/Japan/Australia) |
Charts
|
Sales and certifications
|
| Preceded by Anything for You by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine |
UK number one album April 1, 1989 – April 14, 1989 |
Succeeded by When the World Knows Your Name by Deacon Blue |
| Preceded by A New Flame by Simply Red |
Swiss Album Chart number-one album April 2, 1989 - May 7, 1989 |
Succeeded by Southside by Texas |
| Preceded by Mystery Girl by Roy Orbison |
Swedish Album Chart number-one album April 5, 1989 - July 26, 1989 |
Succeeded by 2 by Orup |
| Preceded by The Raw & the Cooked by Fine Young Cannibals |
Austrian Album Chart number-one album April 15, 1989 - June 1, 1989 |
Succeeded by Das Phantom der Oper by Various Artists |
| Preceded by Solregn by Åge Aleksandersen |
Norwegian Album Chart number-one album April 15, 1989 - May 6, 1989 |
Succeeded by Look Sharp! by Roxette |
| Preceded by Lōc-ed After Dark by Tone Loc |
Billboard 200 number-one album April 22, 1989 – June 2, 1989 |
Succeeded by The Raw & the Cooked by Fine Young Cannibals |
   | link - allmusic ((( Like a Prayer > Overview ))) |
| | http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id135.htm - "The Madonna/Pepsi Controversy" |
| | link - Robert Christgau: CG: madonna |
| | link - Madonna: Like A Prayer : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone |
| | NVPI - NVPI, de branchevereniging van de entertainmentindustrie - Goud/Platina |
| | CRIA - Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Certification Results |
| | IFPI Switzerland - The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community |
| | ABPD - ABPD | Associação Brasileira de Produtores de Disco |
| | link - Madonna: Like a Prayer | Music Review | Slant Magazine |
| | "''Like A Prayer'' review" - Madonna: Like A Prayer : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone |
| | link - CD Reviews : Rolling Stone |
| | link - allmusic ((( Like a Prayer > Review ))) |
| | link - The All-TIME 100 Albums |
| | External link - Redirecting to madonnalyrics.org |
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