Like a Prayer (album)

Upon its release, Like a Prayer received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised its introspective tone, cohesiveness, and Madonna's increased artistic merit. It was also an international success, reaching the top of the charts in 20 countries, and was certified quadruple platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Worldwide, it has sold over 15 million copies. Six singles were released from the album: the title track became Madonna's seventh number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, while "Express Yourself" and "Cherish" both peaked at number two, and "Keep It Together" became a top-ten hit.


The album was promoted on Madonna's third concert tour, 1990's Blond Ambition World Tour, which visited cities in Asia, North America, and Europe. In retrospective reviews, Like a Prayer has been noted as a turning point in Madonna's career; she began to be seen as a serious artist rather than a mere pop star. Critics and authors also pointed out influence from the album on the work of modern female singers. Often referred to as one of the greatest albums of all time, Like a Prayer has been included in several musical reference books and best-of lists, including Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Composition[edit]

Like a Prayer is an album that bends "classic psychedelic rock with then-current synth-pop sounds".^[37] It has been noted a pop record with elements of rock and dance pop, with influence from acts from the 1960s and 70s such as the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and Sly and the Family Stone.^[38][15] As Madonna's most personal and introspective album up to the time, its lyrics talk, in her own words, about "the influence of Catholicism on my life, and the passion it provokes in me [...] They’re about an assimilation of experiences I had in my life and in relationships. They’re about my mother, my father, and bonds with my family, about the pain of dying, of growing up and letting go".^[39][40]


Opener "Like a Prayer" is a song about a young woman "so in love with God that it is almost as though he were the male figure in her life".^[15] It is a pop rock song with elements of gospel music; a choir provides background vocals that heighten the song's spiritual nature, and a rock guitar keeps the music "dark and mysterious".^[3] The second track, "Express Yourself", is one of the album's two tributes to Sly and the Family Stone.^[8] It talks about rejecting material pleasures and only accepting the best for oneself; throughout the song, subtexts are employed.^[24] "Love Song" is a duet with Prince that begins with Madonna asking in French, "I'm ready, are you ready?".^[24] The track has been compared to the work of Eddie Kendricks and the Temptations; Prince provides "Jimmy Nolen funk guitar[s] and falsetto vocals", singing both in his upper and lower registers.^[24] Originally titled "State of Matrimony", fourth track "Till Death Do Us Part" is an "autobiographical account of [Madonna's] ill-fated marriage to Penn".^[28] It is a fast tempo track that expresses the conflict of being in love with someone who doesn't love themselves, and ends with the sound of wah-wah guitars and broken glass.^[24]


"Promise to Try" is a moody ballad that talks about the death of Madonna's mother. The piano arrangement in the song is reminiscent of the work of Elton John, and has a cello solo towards the Bridge. In one part of the song, Madonna specifically asks: Does she hear my voice in the night when I call? Later, an adult seems to admonish a child with the lyrics, Little girl, don't you forget her face/Don't let memory play games with your mind/She's a faded smile frozen in time.^[24][37][42] The sixth track is "Cherish". Built around the themes of love and relationship, with William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet being one of the major inspirations, the song includes a line from "Cherish" (1966) by the Association.^[41] The lyrics illustrate it as a simple love song, where Madonna talks about devotion and having her lover by her side, whom she would never leave.^[43] Following "Cherish" is "Dear Jessie"; according to Rikky Rooksby, the song sounds more like a children's lullaby than a pop song.^[41] The lyrics encourage the little girl Jessie to use her imagination; it summons up a psychedelic landscape, where pink elephants roam with dancing moons and mermaids. It references fairy-tale characters and creates an image of children playing with each other.^[44]


"Oh Father" is a baroque pop ballad that talks about Madonna's troubled relationship with her father Tony during her childhood.^[41][45] She described it as the "second half" of True Blue's "Live to Tell", and is her tribute to Simon & Garfunkel.^[8] She uses a contrast of timbre, her higher smoother voice with a lower one. in the vocal bridge, Madonna talks about the realization that her father never meant to hurt her, and why she runs away.^[41] Described as Madonna's take on Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" (1979), "Keep It Together" is the other tribute to Sly and the Family Stone;^[8][46] a funk-inspired number with doubletracked vocals on the refrain, she sings about the importance of family, and mentions that "blood is thicker than any circumstance".^[8][37] "Spanish Eyes" is a slow, sombre track that features instrumentation from castanets, and revisits the Spanish vibe of 1987's "La Isla Bonita".^[41] It has been described a "cross between Ben E. King's 'Spanish Harlem' and something by Billy Joel".^[47] Its lyrics are ambiguous and have been subject to various interpretations: AIDS, a Hispanic mother's lament over the death of her son due to gang violence, or someone going off to fight in a war.^[37][41][48] Closer "Act of Contrition" is an experimental song with psychedelic tones;^[49] it begins with a "whispered invocation" and features distorted guitar and backward tracking of a gospel choir. It has Madonna reciting the Catholic prayer of the same name, before the vocals deteriorate into a monologue in which she grows obstreperous over being denied a restaurant reservation.^[50][51]