| information | Title: Like A Prayer
Writers: Madonna and Patrick Leonard
Producers: Madonna and Patrick Leonard
Album: Like A Prayer (1989) and The Inmaculate Collection (1990)
Edition Date: It was the first single of the album Like A Prayer, March 1989
Length of the album version: 5 ' 39''
Credits: ©1988 Webo Girl Publishing, Inc. Adm by Wb Music Corp./ Ascap / Johnny Yuma Music BMI. | | coments | It was the first single from the Like A Prayer album, in March 1989, after a year and a half without any release. The song reached #1 immediatly in every chart due to many reasons: The mega advertising campaign Pepsi made for the song, the recent divorce from Sean Penn, almost a couple of years with no new releases, and the most important thing: the religious scandal. But most of all, Madonna wanted to show the artistic talent she had in this work.
Like A Prayer beging with a sound-breaking electric guitar. After this, Madonna slowly sings the first verses that open the song (with a lot of meaning, and worth to be carefully listen to). A slow dance rythm appears, which stays the same only broken by the church like tunes sang by Madonna and a Gospel choir. It is a really strange way to begin a pop song, but more curious is mixing pop with gospel. It is one of the best Madonna songs, without any doubt.
Like A Prayer is one of her most aclaimed songs. At that time it was completely different to anything she had made before, she didn't only changed her image, but her music! Madonna wrote and produced this wonderful song with Patrick Leonard. The truth is that this couple were going to release more than one hit for many many years...
Madonna wanted to express the Catholic influences she had in her life, and the passion it brings. She didn't want to laugh at church, she just wanted to give it a tribute. If there is something clear about Madonna is that she is a very religious woman.
Like A Prayer is one of the songs remixed for Shep Pettibone to be included in Madonna's first Greatests Hits album: The Immaculate Collection, and it has recently appeared in the soundtrack of the film Never Been Kissed, from the Madonna fan Drew Barrymore. | | videoclip | 
| There is an important fact related to this video: The mega advertising campaign Pepsi signed with Madonna. This contract gave her an ammount of 5 million dollars.
The original idea was to be the begining of a contract which would also promote the soft drink and Madonna's next world tour (Blond Ambition World Tour), an agreement reached after meny weeks between Madonna, Pepsi and Sire Records. This campaign was part of the Pepsi trademark in USA with the famous sentence The taste of America. This formula presented by Pepsi wasn't anything new, and people like Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Tina Turner appeared in previous Pepsi ads. The difference this time was that the marketing campaign and the publis release of the single were in the same pack. The brand new Pepsi ad was the first chance people would had to hear Madonna's (long awaited) new song. Madonna rejected to include the word Pepsi in the song, as Michael Jackson or Withney Houston also did.
A first ad was made, prepairing the mega campaign that would come days later for the release of the single Like A Prayer. An aborigin crossed several miles just to enjoy a Pepsi in a gas station, ready to see Madonna's brand new image and hear her song. As you can guesss, expectations were really really high...
And than Like A Prayer was released in the main TV channels around the world at prime time. The ad was filmed in color and black and white in Arizona. It was directed by Joe Pytka, who has already worked for Pepsi with Michael Jackson, and we can see Madonna watching herself in a movie of her birthday, having her dance lesons in a catholic high school, and finally, singing and dancing in a church her awaited tune, encouraging the audience to Make a wish. The dark haired Madonna (with a blond straw) was the image she chose for the ad. But the image and content of the music video was completely different from the ones in the ad.
The Like A Prayer video will always be remembered for being one of the most polemic in the music history. In almos 6 minutes we can see scenes from inside a church, a multiple crime with a black witness, Madonna kissing a black saint (San Martin de Porres), stigmata in her own bleeding hands, several burning crosses, a celestial walk to heaven,....isn't that enough for old fashioned minds? Madonna wanted to find the thin line between sexual and religious ecstasy, and she found it. And she even crossed it.
The reaction was fast. The Pepsi advertising campaign was cancelled although the ad was aired just once in UK and twice in USA. Some correct-way-of-thinking groups asked the company to do it. For example, the American Family Association took Pepsi selling machines away from catholic schools. The church protested energically against Madonna, calling her a blasfem, and saying she use religion just to sell records. Anything more? Even the Islamic Organization For Visual Media (That's not the correct translation) said that the video insulted their prophet, Jesuschrist, and punishment for blasfemy was death, as their traditional islamic law said. The video was banned in some countries. Altough Madonna and Pepsi broke the contract, she got her 5 millions, and Pepsi got lot of benefits due to all this scandal.
It was filmed in 3 days in San Pedro, L.A., and directed by Mary Lambert (who had worked with Madonna in videos such as Borderline, Like A Virgin, Material Girl and La Isla Bonita). Mary Lambert changed the original script Madonna had made, in which she and the black saint are shot in the back by some Klu Klux Klan members. There are also some curious facts about this video: The chuch is decorated with expensive things, but at that time, protestans churches were not wealthy at all; the gospel choir Andrae Crouch singing in the song, and back-up singer Niki Harris, rejected to appear in the video because af the controversy it may have; and it is one of the few times we can see Madonna with her (beautiful) natural hair colour.
There is another version of this video, with the same images but the 12" Dance Remix song. |
| | collector items | | | 7" Vinyl edition for USA, including 7" version and Act Of Contriction as a B-Side. In spain, it was edited as a promo with the same cover. It was also released as a promo in CD for USA with the following versions: 7" Version With Fade, 7" Remix/Edit, 7" Dance Edit, 12" Dance Mix and 12" Club Version. And finally, this cover was also used for the 3" cd single reedition in UK with: 7" version with fade, 12" Extended Remix and 12" Club Version. | | | Japanese edition in 7" vinyl, including 7" version and Act Of Contriction as a B-Side. | | | Japanese edition in 3" CD, including 7" version and Act Of Contriction as a B-Side. |  | EP called The Remixed Prayers para Japón. Includes: Like A Prayer (12" Dance Mix), Like A Prayer (12" Extended Remix), Like A Prayer (Churchapella), Like A Prayer (12" Club Version), Like A Prayer (7" Remix/Edit), Express Yourself (Non-Stop Express Mix), Express Yourself (Stop & Go Dubs, 10:40) and Express Yourself (Local Mix). | | | Maxi 12'' edition fot USA. Includes the versions: 12" Dance Mix, 12" Extended Remix, Churchapella, 12" Club Version, 7" Remix/Edit and Act Of Contrition. The same maxi 12'' was edited in Europe, but instead of a round sticker and with black background with Madonna on it, the european one is square and white. This is the design chosen for the Cd single reedition in 1995. | | | Promo edition with a different cover to the commercial ones with 3 new versions: 12" Dance Mix, Instr. Dub, Bass Dub, 12" Club Version, Dub Beats and 7" remix/edit. | | |
12" vinyl edition for UK. This cover was also used for the second CD single reedited in 1995 by Warner, with: 12" Dance Mix, Churchapella and 7" Remix/Edit .
| | | 12" picture disc released in UK. Includes: 12'' Extended Remix, 12'' Club Version and Act Of Contration. | | | Promo 12" vinyl for Brazil. The tracklisting in the record says: 12" Club Version, 7" Remix/Edit and Act Of Contrition. But instead of Act Of Contrition, we can hear the Like A Prayer album version. | | | Promo 12" vinyl released in Hong Kong. | | | Maxi 12'' for México. The title is tranlated into spanish as "Como Una Oración". Including: 12'' Dance Remix, 12'' Extended Remix and Churchapella. | | | This is the only one 3" CD official release for USA. It includes 7'' version of Like A Prayer and Act Of Contriction. |
This list of collectibles is not complete, it's just an orientative guide of the most important things. | | lyric | | Like A Prayer | Life is a mystery
Everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home When you call my name it's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there I hear your voice, it's like an angel sighing
I have no choice, I hear your voice
Feels like flying
I close my eyes, Oh God I think I'm falling
Out of the sky, I close my eyes
Heaven help me When you call my name it's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there | Like a child you whisper softly to me
You're in control just like a child
Now I'm dancing
It's like a dream, no end and no beginning
You're here with me, it's like a dream
Let the choir sing When you call my name it's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there
Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery
Just like a dream, you are not what you seem
Just like a prayer
No choice your voice can take me there
Just like a prayer, I'll take you there
It's like a dream to me |
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| | just divorced | |  When Madonna released Like A Prayer, it was just a couple of months after the divorce with Sean Penn (the official divorce damand was on January 5th). The marriage with Sean was broken and her new album had lost and lost of comments about this fact. Like A Prayer itself was one of them: If you look carefully at the single cover, you can see the drawing of a virgin (made by her brother Christopher Ciccone), and there are also some letters, Madonna initials M L V C (Madonna Louisse Veronica Ciccone) and at the bottom you can see a fallen letter. That P (from Penn) is another symbol of her divorce.
| | cover |  This is the cover of the Cd single reedited in 1995 that can be found in any record shops today. The drawing is made by her brother Christopher Ciccone. | | in the chart | | There's not too much to say about the success of this great song. Without any doubt, it can be said Like A Prayer is the song that the world charts received the best. It was number 1 all over the world, and remaining in that position for several weeks, as in Spain for an amount of 9 weeks. It is one of the fan favourites songs (and the favourite song of Inaki, the webmaster now writing), and the critics have said this is one of the classics of the 80's pop music. If we add the excellent video and all the controversy caused around the world...here we have Madonna's number one song. | | official versions | 1. Album Version / Lp Version (5:40)
2. Video Version (5:33)
3. 7" Version (5:19)
4. 7" Version With Fade / 7" Version / Fade / Fade Version (5:06)
5. Japan 7" Version (5:10)
6. 1990 Q-sound Remix (5:51)
7. Alternate Q-sound Mix (5:39)
8. 12" Extended Remix (7:21)
9. 7" Remix/Edit (5:41)
10. 12" Club Version (6:35)
11. 7" Dance Edit (5:19)
12. 12" Dance Mix (7:50)
13. Bass Dub (5:48)
14. Dub Beats (4:40)
15. Instra Dub (6:11)
16. Shep's #1 Mix (7:25)
17. Shep's #2 Mix (6:13)
18. Churchapella (6:14)
19. Junior's Vasquez Remix #1 / Junior's Club Mix (5:05)
20. Junior's Vasquez Remix #2 / Junior's Sound Factory Mix (9:24) | | the fatal remixes | | The remixes from Like A Prayer were the beginning of a new era in the remixed versions of Madonna singles. Before Like A Prayer, Madonna and most artist, released remixed with the same production, instruments and sounds from the original song, just to make it longer, what is known as a common Extended Version. Shep Pettibone changed the sound and the production of the singles from Like a Prayer. He replaced the instruments and the music making it a dance song. Stephen Bray, producer and co-write of many of the songs from Like A Prayer, along with Pat Leonard, got angry with Madonna for letting Shep Pettibone change and produce their songs again. He told her he would never work with her anymore, and he hasn't! Pat Leonard also got angry, but not so much. When Madonna recorded I'm Breathless, she called both to make the new album (Madonna, Stephen and Pat). Stephen rejected the proposel, so she finally recorded just with Pat. | | live | | We could see Madonna performing Like A Prayer live in her Blond Ambition Tour in 1990. It has a great set and one of the best coreographies in her music career. 
In april 22, 2003 Madonna surprised to everybody singing an
acoustic version of Like A Prayer in a special of MTV called On Stage & On The Record. Madonna was accompanied by a choir gospel. It was in the studies that MTV have in Time Square in New York. 
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