Madonna ~ Like a Prayer ~

This is song pushed the boundaries like never before in the music and entertainment business. Unlike the rest of music discussed in this blog, this post looks at the music video more than the lyrics itself. Released in 1989, it shocked, disgusted and stunned the world. However people were also amazed, excited and transfixed on the piece of music and the video that went with it. These reactions are still common today when people view the video for the first time; it remains as one of the most controversial music videos ever released.

The song, which was inspired by Madonna’s own Catholic upbringing, changed the way the Madonna was viewed; she was transformed from a pop singer to an Artist. The video showed below shows a woman who witnesses a murder and hides out in a church for safety. The video is full of Catholic symbols, saint images, choirs, crosses and ritual objects. The Controversy lies in a number of images that upset many people such as a burning cross, numerous sexual innuendos in both dance and the lyrics, as well as the way she appears to be singing towards God and making love to a saint offended many. Lyrics that refer to religion include lines such as ‘heaven help me’, ‘Just like a prayer I’ll take you there’ and ‘let the choir sing’. However it is the video that manages to be so controversial and notoriously remembered. Madonna described the video as the story of a young woman so in love with God that it is almost as though he is really a male figure in her life.

The Catholic Church, The Vatican and various other religious groups protested against the video and the soft drink Pepsi cancelled their contract with Madonna for advertising, not wishing to be associated with the upset over the video.~ One Love x