Don't underestimate the amount of controversy it caused. It was major news at the time, but the song itself was so great that nothing could hold it back from becoming one of her most memorable.
Madonna had already been a superstar for five years when she released this song in 1989, so it's not really "early Madonna". For that, you'll have to listen to 'Holiday', 'Borderline', 'Burning Up' and 'Lucky Star', which are all from her first album. There's nobody else like Madonna. She truly is the Queen of Pop and has almost 40 years of hits for you to explore and discover. Enjoy the journey.
Madonna had just signed a $5 million sponsorship deal with Pepsi and had filmed a very sweet wholesome commercial featuring this very song. THEN she released the actual video and all hell broke loose. Pepsi was threatened with boycotts, pulled the commercial after one airing and canceled Madonna's contract. But she kept the $5 million.
The full-length commercial only aired once because it was a Grammy or Super Bowl commercial (I forget which), but shortened 30-second versions aired for a couple of weeks before they got pulled entirely.
Im so glad to have grown up in the 80's and 90's experiencing the careers of some great performers. Madonna is one of them. Shes a Queen. Love this song too. Looking forward to more Madonna reactions.
This was one of her more controversial videos. The black Jesus was representative of unfairly imprisoned black men which came out later in the video. Madonna was blasted for what was considered blasphemy at the time against religious symbolism. The burning cross I think we all unfortunately know what that meant. I grew up with Madonna. She has a lot of very good, catchy songs. I love Cherish and I think Take A Bow showcases her voice a little more. Out of her older songs I like Get Into The Groove.
The burning cross originated in Scotland. It was used to call the Warriors in to the Clan Laird in times of battle. It's a shame that white men turn into a symbol of hate.
You wrote pretty much what I was going to share. The media is always trying to stir the pot and create something blown out of scope. Not a big Madonna fan but she does have a few good ones, including Like A Prayer.
As a Catholic, I didn’t see Jesus being depicted. I saw a Saint. I didn’t see nail holes in his feet when she kissed them (usually a sign of a resurrected Christ). 🤷🏽♀️ I can still see why this would still make folks upset.
On March 3, 1989, Madonna released the hit song, “Like a Prayer.” And it was a monumental moment unlike no other before it at the time. After three back-to-back multi-platinum albums, a record-breaking world tour, it seemed like the singer was on top of the world as she readied the release of her fourth album, Like a Prayer, in March of 1989. That January, ahead of its release, Madonna brokered an endorsement deal with Pepsi for $5 million. The deal included the launch of the album’s title song in a television commercial -- an unheard-of arrangement at the time -- and the cola brand sponsoring the singer’s next world tour. The following month, Pepsi debuted its highly anticipated commercial during the 31st GRAMMY Awards, with an estimated 250 million reportedly watching the ad worldwide. A month later, it was time for the unveiling of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” music video, which was scheduled to make its worldwide debut during Entertainment Tonight before being shown in full on MTV. But as Lu Murray, the show's producer at the time, remembers, the anticipation of the music video was met with immediate shock and awe. “It was a huge deal and we were anxiously waiting for the video,” she says, recalling that it kept getting “later and later” before the video finally arrived on set, after ET already started taping that night’s episode. “I remember snatching the video and running into an edit bay and handing it to the editor and saying we got to cut this very quickly. We popped in the video and started watching it, and then we looked at each other and I went, ‘Uh oh. I don’t know if we're going to be able to air this.’” Presumably, the first people outside of Madonna’s team and director Mary Lambert to watch the video, what they saw was far from what they were expecting. Opening with Madonna witnessing a murder of a young woman, the video then sees an innocent African-American man incarcerated by the police before Madonna eventually flees to a church. There, she sees a wax saint that resembles the arrested man, which eventually comes to life and kisses her. Throughout the video, Madonna is seen singing in front of burning crosses, in a church with a children’s choir and in moments of erotic embrace with an African-American religious figure. Because the video arrived so late, it was decided that it would run during the end credits, but ET could only use certain portions of the video not so visibly controversial. “We stayed away from the burning crosses and some of the other aspects that were going to create controversy,” Murray explains, adding: “We played it safe that day.” While its initial debut was cut short, the full video made its way to MTV and was met with immediate backlash. “We knew it was going to be a big story,” Murray says. Religious groups called for a boycott, with Pope John Paul II even speaking out against it. “The video is a blasphemy and insult because it shows immorals inside a church,” Italian Roman Catholic historian Roberto de Mattei said at the time. Within days of protests and complaints, Pepsi was forced to drop the ad and ultimately cancel its deal with Madonna. “It may go down as one the most expensive advertising blunders ever,” host John Tesh reported on ET soon after. The fight with religious groups didn’t stop with the music video, however. The Vatican even tried to boycott her “Blond Ambition” tour when it came through Italy. “I am aware that the Vatican and certain communities are accusing my show of being sinful and blasphemous, that they are trying to keep people from seeing it,” Madonna said at the time. “I think I'm offending certain groups, but I think that people who really understand what I’m doing aren't offended by it.” Despite the controversy, which could have devastated an artist of lesser assurance, “Like a Prayer” went on to be nominated for MTV Video Music Awards’ Video of the Year and has since been viewed over 72 million times on UA-cam. Meanwhile, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100. Today, it’s considered one of the singer’s best and is listed in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” ==Courtesy of Entertainment Tonight
Yep - I lived through it. I am same age as Madonna and the Sh*t hit the fan when the video was released. It was the end of the world as perceived back in 1989. LOL Little did they know that 30+ years later we would be living in sewer of corrupt morality.
First of all, this song is a masterpiece from the queen of pop herself and secondly Prince is the one playing that opening guitar riff. I would really encourage you checking out more Madonna, Express Yourself is a must listen.
I was just remembering Prince’s funeral…I’ll never forget the feeling of knowing they made the only choice they could when they had Madonna sing No One Compares To You…✌️✨💜takes an icon to honor one…it was purple perfection ~
Justify My Love, Frozen, You'll See, Open Your Heart, Dress You Up, Crazy For You, Material Girl, Papa Don't Preach, La Isla Bonita.......... So many songs that everyone should know & love. 🙂
And I *strongly* recommend this performance of Express Yourself, recently remastered from the Blond Ambition tour: ua-cam.com/video/nok58ZzVte0/v-deo.html
A little backstory: Madonna could have taught a Masterclass in free publicity and shocking conservative America and owning her sexuality… Pepsi had signed Madonna as a spokesperson. A multimillion $ contract. A really big deal at the time. The song she chose to tie into the campaign was Like A Prayer. Pepsi had just rolled out the campaign and within days Madonna released her video and the uproar over the imagery in the video and her kissing a black Jesus figure was just to much for the cancel culture of the day. Pepsi caved and pulled the ads. Madonna got to keep her payday. And the song went to #1. When I was a teen, Madonna pushed everyone’s buttons and I was so there for it.
Actually, the controversy back then wasn't about her kissing the Black Saint. The controversy mostly stemmed from foreign Christians (outside the USA) who were offended by her burning crosses in the video --- they thought she was symbolizing burning down Christianity. The foreigners were mostly unaware that 'burning crosses' signified the KKK and racism etc, and that she was using those symbols in the music video to highlight the point of the video. The controversy was mostly based on foreigners misunderstanding the use of burning crosses, wrongly thinking that she was disrespecting Christianity by burning the crosses.
@@fidel2xl I think you almost had to be American - and specifically a Southerner - to really understand on first viewing that all the symbolism in this video was racial and not religious. It's something that was so prevalent in the American South that we all knew immediately what Madonna was saying with this video. And there were some powerful Southern politicians who lost their minds over Madonna kissing a Black religious figure. But you're right, the loudest uproar was (as usual) from people who didn't understand the context and therefore missed the point, and cherry-picked scenes to focus their anger towards.
@@fidel2xl No, the controversy was mostly US based. As a "foreigner" we are fully aware of the KKK and at the time our understanding was that Pepsi cancelled the contract due to the portrayal of a black Jesus.
@@KevInSydney Wrong…the controversy was more-so FOREIGN based. I was born and raised OUTSIDE the USA, and I can tell you that it was a huge controversy in my home country (outside the USA) primarily due to the burning crosses. The people in my country and in other countries, were offended because they thought Madonna’s video depicting burning crosses was a way of symbolizing destroying Christianity….they were mostly unaware that it symbolized the KKK’s racial hatred. I, however, was aware of the burning crosses symbolism. Anyway, this is among the reasons that even the Vatican chimed in on the ‘controversy’. The Vatican were not offended by her kissing a Black Saint. The Vatican were offended by the burning crosses.
With its inter-racial content, religious references and anti racism message, this was very controversial at the time - something Madonna has never shied away from. I think it's nothing short of a masterpiece and something to remind us of how cutting edge Madonna actually was for her time.
Also, Madonna has always used her platform to elevate causes she championed. Racism, gender inequality, gay rights... it goes on and on but those would be her big 3. She has a knack for causing a commotion (chuckle chuckle for any avid Madonna fan out there who got this). She's also used her beauty and sexuality to push the envelope, if she hadn't things would be quite different. Nikki Minaj, Britney Spears, Xtina... all that came after owe Madonna the nod, the tip of the hat. This woman made me the strong, independent, vocal woman I am today. She taught us to not be afraid, to question when we felt like it needed to be.
@@JoveJoved You are thoroughly disgusting. If I'm understanding your exceedingly racist comment you're implying that single mothers are single parents due to the color of the father's skin. The sheer ignorance you are displaying is mind blowing. I was raised by a single mother and my father was white. That's a road that goes both ways, white or black. Skin color does not make or break a Father.
THIS was and will always be the true masterpiece of her career! She was one of the first artists to come out with a real video that's all the full story I was a little bit longer than others. But that was okay because it would sucked you into the story that with that. It wasn't just a video we continued on to add a couple more choruses of the song. This video was something that made you think, and then at the end it turned out it was actually a play. A lot of people were taking aback. Because this was something that nobody ever done before with a video. Most videos only had one story line going on to match this song this has so many layers that were woven into it. Each layer had such deep meanings if you perception to understand where it was coming from. MANY were thinking this video is almost like watching a mini movie and wow it almost was! A lot of people were freaked out by the burning crosses but they didn't understand the symbolism of that. It wasn't just about the connection to the racism on a national level that had gone on against black people. It was about the connection of the representation of the cross in its religious sense and of that prior persecution. It was a dual message because most people are under the impression that the Christian Jesus is a white man. When even in the Bible Scriptures it states that his skin was dark and as always like wool. Coming from the regions where he was that would not make him a white man. So it is false idea to have of this long flowing straight hair along with the light complexion and blue eyes. There's very few videos I can say this out, and I've been around since THE DAY THAT MTV hit the airways. Myself and a feel my friends actually stayed up all night...just so we can watch when MTV put up its first video at 12:01 AM! THIS is one of the few videos that wants you see it, you can close your eyes and listen to the music again and never unsee it. Don't just never be able to hear the music the same way again without having the video version of this playing alongside it in your head. Just trust me on this. I'm so glad you guys got to see this, I really hope that you get to check out more of her. I know you've reviewed another song but believe me, there's so much more to her anthology. She's one of the few artists that was actually able to successfully reinvent herself over and over again for many decades #NewYorkGenXBikerLady .
You could do a whole series on Madonna. She was like a chameleon, changing vocal style, song style, hair style, fashion, et. al with every album. Two things that never faded in any of them was they were danceable and they were controversial in some way (for the time).
Yep, most of her videos accompanying her songs have been 'challenging' in their message and in many cases led to controversy and 'shock', and so great that she did that. Always more than 'just a singer', a real artist.
This was always my favorite Madonna song next to "Material Girl." It was also the best use of a gospel choir for a long time...until Heart did "Stairway to Heaven" at the Kennedy Center Honors. You should definitely check out that performance. It's a MUST for any reactor.
This video caused quite the controversy: Many Catholics were offended and even protested Madonna because of it. Not the first time this happened with her songs. She would push against the edges of what was considered respectful. Way to go Madonna!
In reality, with that criticism, the Catholic Church demonstrated once again what it is. instead of congratulating her for making a video against racism.
@@stumm71 This was heavily controversial to the American protestants while most of us Catholics weren't even aware of this. The Vatican only condemned this afterwards when these Protestants were already whining about Madonna.
I don't recall that being the reason - I think it was because of the religious symbolism mixed with sexuality. Wearing a slip in Church talking about feeling your power in the midnight hour, and down on my knees, etc
For me, this is possibly my favorite song and video from Madonna. She put it ALL out there. She brought out the belief that Jesus was Black, interracial relationships, racism, religious rapture, idolatry, need I go on?! It is near perfection. Love it!!!
Ironic is sad way how many decades ago a video about racial inequities. Btw, not Black Jesus, St. Martin de Porres (a saint who was Black). Many Catholics, like Madonna (was) would and did recognize as him. Media accounts also note it in review of the “controversy”
@@mic1240 Interesting, thanks for the info. Being someone not Catholic, this is the first time I've heard of why there was such uproar from the Church. That makes the video all the more intriguing.
Actually has nothing to do with the idea of jesus being blk as jesus wasn’t blk he was semetic aka middle eastern it has to do with the idea of blk men being wrong incarcerated but in modern times we know its now not due to it being wrongly done but do to actual crime rates in blk communities.
When this came out, she had just gotten a Pepsi endorsement - the second pop star Pepsi had featured in commercials after Michael Jackson. The commercial launched the song, which was an immediate hit UNTIL the music video came out and people were so shocked that she kissed a black man, had a black man representing Jesus, and because of the burning crosses, that Pepsi dropped her as a spokesperson, but still paid her $10M for the ad. When Like A Prayer won video of the year that year, Madonna thanked Pepsi for causing "SO much controversy." Here's the link to the Pepsi commercial - it only aired once. ua-cam.com/video/l34Gxk3dGJM/v-deo.html
YES. People tried to act like the video was some kind of anit-religion statement, willfully ignoring what the burning crosses really meant. This video was really about the way black men are treated by police (and the media, and honestly white people in general). It made them uncomfortable so they tried to project it as something else.
Actually the video made the song became even bigger. Thats what Madonna is really good at, shock value. Like A Prayer to this day continues to be one of her most streamed song. Not saying shock value is a bad thing. But that is what make her exactly larger than life, it was more than just hit songs. She has a purpose and people viewed her as a huge inspiration for that. Plus, I remember after the video premiered she became even bigger than she already was.
I absolutely love your reactions & your comments. The video has such a deep meaning. This was from 1989 & this video was made 34 years ago with a White man committing the crime & an innocent black man was accused, and by the end, it took a brave white woman to tell the truth & save the black man from going to jail forever. Sadly, 34 years later, the racism Madonna is talking about is sadly still going on in 2023 & it’s even worse now than it was 34 years ago if you can even imagine that & how silly of us to think that we as humans would change for the better and that we wouldn’t still be dealing with racism, sexism, homophobia, transgender rights ect 34 years later.
I remember watching her on American Bandstand 1984 performing Holiday. At the end he asks her what her dreams were and she said, "To rule the world." I pshawed, even though I liked her performance. Then she did pretty much rule the world for quite awhile there.
Oh wow. It was 1983 or 1984 when those came out. EVERYONE was outdoing one another to look like Madonna - with the black and white outfit, the bow in the hair, and the famous Madonna/Cindy Crawford mole over the lip. That style was rampant!
Madonna is a completely different person in each of her songs, but always great! Her versatility is fantastic!as someone already said: Madoona did not follow the trends, she set them!back that time, this video caused many troubles to Madonna, among others, Pepsi canceled a contrat with her. 🥰
One of the greatest pop songs of all times. The music video is brilliant, important, provocative and in my opinion, the best music video of all times. Need to react to: Frozen, Papa Don’t Preach, Human Nature, Hung Upm, Express Yourself and Music. Madonna is the Queen of Pop- time to go down this rabbit hole of greatness.
Everyone, including me, is always so surprised when they discover/remember that she really can sing! One song that really showcases her singing voice is Don't Cry For Me Argentina from the film version of Evita. It's such a beautiful song and OMG, if you know the story of Evita - it makes me cry every stinkin' time.
Earth shattering, trend setting, owned the charts for what seemed like the entire 80's. Always been a metal head but I can appreciate good songs and shes had a few.
I have seen many of your reactions, but this particular music video reaction of yours made me decided to join your family. I see your justice in appreciation and I hope it goes to the new and future generation as well. Thank you so much,count me in for every video you will be makin' along the way. More power.
There were several occasions in Madonna's early career where she effectively pushed the edge of the envelope if not stepped over the normal lines of the "status quo" let's call it!! This video was one of those times!! I love when an artist can stir the pot and get thoughts provoked that are normally not thought!! Madonna accomplishes that in this video!!
She was in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own and wrote the music for it. All about women playing baseball when the guys went off to war. EXCELLANT !! MOVIE
@@sashabertold3731 yes, thank you! I was trying to think of the name of the song! For some reason it just wouldn't come to me. "This Used To Be My Playhouse". Probably my favorite song by her just because I'm a huge baseball fan and love the history around the women getting to play baseball!!. Loved that movie and that song us spectacular!! To me anyway!!
I have to laugh now at how so many young women dressed like Madonna - she was a style icon also. She made a mainstream movie called Desperately Seeking Susan and she was just mesmerizing!
For future Fridays, I'd suggest Helen Reddy, I Am Woman (a real feminist statement from the '70s) and Joan Baez, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Joan used to be in a relationship with Bob Dylan. And when you're ready to get back to The Carpenters, I'd suggest We've Only Just Begun, Goodbye to Love (believe it or not it has an amazing guitar solo), or I Won't Last a Day Without You. You might also consider an incredible cover they did of Leon Russell's A Song for You.
There is no better live performance artist than Madonna. Her concerts set records for a reason. Express Yourself is a must see and still one of the most expensive videos ever made (number 3 I believe). A masterpiece. This Like A Prayer video was 32 years ago and is just as relevant a social commentary today. She was decades, I mean decades, ahead of her time as an artist and has left a massive footprint on society and culture. MORE MADONNA!!
You REALLY need to check out her first album from '83, it was transformational and she was like nothing anyone had ever seen, and was made for MTV. This is from' 89, where she was more mainstream, although still controversial. To me, '83 Madonna, was my favorite.
@@Thin_Mercury True Blue should've gotten several Grammys but got nothing. Live to tell & La isla bonita are timeless standout songs! This only really changed in 1998 with Ray of Light where even so called critics had to realise that she has at least some artistry in her veins, or the usual idiots saying, oh Madonna, she's is just a marketing wizard and sells sex, that's why she became so huge, blah...
@@Thin_Mercury - I honestly kind of lost interest in Madonna after I graduated from HS in '85, although her music was still prolific and was played at parties and clubs so of course I'm familiar with her True Blue album/songs, but by the time college was over in '89 I had moved on to other bands. I was completely done by the time she did Vogue and her movie, her 'artistry' at that point was a turn off for me. The True Blue album had good music, but her early stuff was what was so fresh and unique and I think there's just something about the music you listen to in HS that makes some of the later stuff pale in comparison, and in the early/mid 80's that was when we were all dressing like emo gypsies so it was a cultural thing too.
I do think nostalgia plays a big part in what you love more. I feel like he earlier stuff was hollow and production not so great. But she was growing her artistic voice and her look and charisma charmed the world
@@stephm.3407 I mean I understand that teenage years leave a big impression. But her best music was made in the 90's in my opinion and the pinnacle of that creativity was the Ray of Light album. It is better than anything she did in the 80's with the exception of possibly Like a Prayer. I find her early stuff much more shallow and vocally immature than what came after. Songs like Holiday are catchy but lack the depth of what she did later on in her career and this is coming from a Madonna fan since 1983. She evolved as an artist and that is how she has been able to remain relevant for such a long period of time.
I remember watching American Bandstand back in either 1982 or 1983, and when Dick Clark asked her what was next, she told him, "rule the world." She wasn't far off the mark, lol!
This one of my favorite Madonna songs. "Take a bow" is another good one that showcases her voice. Her videos are always..."interesting" and/or controversial. I think sometimes it distracts from how talented she is as a singer.
Probably one of the most important music videos in MTV history. I don’t think the song and video are completely unconnected, the song is about religious ecstasy and redemption and the video just takes that concept further and places it in a specific context. Fabulous thing about this song is only Madonna can really sing the song with the same meaning because her name ‘Madonna’ means ‘mother of Christ’ so the lyrics ‘when you call my name it’s like a little prayer’ are actually kind of literal not just figurative.
She had 38 top ten hits and 12 numbers ones, by any metric she ranks way up there, When she burst onto the scene it was Madonna mania for years. Her most amazing strength is her ability to reinvent her self and stay new and fresh to people. She has had hits on the charts from around 1983 to late 2000s.
Been a fan since 84 - the Queen of Pop - a chameleon. Always pushing boundaries. My favourite album was True Blue 1986 - she was madly in love with her new husband, Sean Penn, and the album reflected that. It was Perfect pop. Like a Prayer was 89, she was divorced and resulted in a darker album. The words of Til Death Do Us Part will break your heart.
For more 80's Madonna: Holiday, Like A Virgin, Into The Groove, Gambler, Live To Tell, La Isla Bonita, Who's That Girl, Causing A Commotion, Express Yourself For 90's Madonna: Justify My Love, Deeper And Deeper, Secret, Frozen, Nothing Really Matters For 21st century Madonna: Music, Nothing Fails (has a Like A Prayer-like gospel choir), Hung Up, Sorry, 4 Minutes, Celebration, Living For Love, God Control
In the 80's it was MJ and Madonna who reigned supreme. Madonna's early stuff is her best, but I really, really like her song MUSIC made around 2000. It has a disco-synth-techno-pop-electronica sound to it that I think she pulls of wonderfully.
I remember when this first came out, I felt what I feel every single time I watch it, eternal. Please consider reacting to her Superbowl :) You guys are great
I hope you continue reacting to Madonna. She's one of those artists that you appreciate more, the more you hear. Madonna was a hit machine. Each new hit sounded very different than the one before, she pushed the envelope, didn't care what people thought, brought things on the margins to the mainstream, and managed to continually re-invent herself. It's impressive how she managed to stay at the forefront for 20+ years. That's very hard to do.
I remember being a kid in the early 90s and watching this video after coming home from school. I lived in Mexico back then, and we got all kinds of weird channels on our cable programming. One of those would play music videos between shows instead of commercials. Anyway, I have a memory of thinking Madonna was very pretty in this video and wanting to see the video every day XD. Of course, I was too young to actually acknowledge the subtext of the imagery in the video. Now that I've been a musician for over 20 years, I've always liked the bass lines in the second half of the song :D
Not a great fan of Madonna but I LOVE this song!! The story, the shift in tempos, all of it. My favorite Madonna song. The visuals are amazing, what a masterpiece!!
You guys have been my favorite reaction channel that I've seen. A lot of the music and videos you react to are already my favorites so it's like I'm watching them again, but with friends.
Absolutely love this song. I've always considered it to be the female equivalent of Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror. I'm not sure if it's simply down to the choir parts in both tracks, but both legendary tunes from the King and Queen of pop.
I am not a big fan of Madonna. However, I have to give credit for a good song, and she has made two songs I absolutely LOVE! This one (Like A Prayer) and "Live To Tell."
OMG FINALLY!!!! There is at least one other human being who agrees. Also same 2 songs you pointed out are the only 2 that don't make me wish to be struck deaf.
@@Timur_aka_Tamerlane I am glad you liked her. She had many fans. I know I am probably the only human being on the Earth who hates her stuff so much. If it is any comfort at all "Live To Tell" is one of my favorite songs and I even loved the video, probably because I loved At Close Range so much. Otherwise anytime I saw or heard her... not important I am glad you loved her and hopefully she is resting in peace.
This was one of the most controversial videos from 1989. I remember this like yesterday. She played it well. People were mad and thought the video was about religion and a black Jesus...but it did what she intended it to do, bring out the inner racism of people. She was deemed blasphemous by the church and was excommunicated (a total of three times) because of the burning crosses in the video. The burning crosses represent the white supremacists who murder the pregnant Latin woman. This is a subject Madonna has never shied away from. All her videos have a deeper meaning and open the door to conversations.
When this video came out, my mom wouldn’t let me watch it. She said it was sacrilegious with the burning crosses. I remember all the controversy at the time and how Madonna upset so many people. As an adult, I love the song and the video. Definitely one of Madonna’s best. I agree, the choir adds so much to it!
La Isla Bonita, Ghosttown, Get Into the Groove, and Open Your Heart are some of my favorites from Madonna. I encourage you to keep listening to her music. It's a rabbit hole that's hard to emerge from.
You are absolutely correct. The video has nothing to do with the song. The song is a comparison between religious ecstasy and physical love. The video is about racism and doing the right thing. Madonna CAN sing. It's just that she's usually dancing while singing and not many people at all can do that well. This was from her 4th album. Do something really early next like "Borderline".
Madonna abolished boundaries and paved the way for many female pop stars today. She changed pop culture.
Don't underestimate the amount of controversy it caused. It was major news at the time, but the song itself was so great that nothing could hold it back from becoming one of her most memorable.
Madonna had already been a superstar for five years when she released this song in 1989, so it's not really "early Madonna". For that, you'll have to listen to 'Holiday', 'Borderline', 'Burning Up' and 'Lucky Star', which are all from her first album. There's nobody else like Madonna. She truly is the Queen of Pop and has almost 40 years of hits for you to explore and discover. Enjoy the journey.
Amen brother...Early Madonna is the best!
1986, I was 12 when it premiered.
@@emeraldtiger7135 True Blue was the album that came out in '86. Like a Prayer was '89.
@pwhytey Perfectly said. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
"Into the Groove", my favorite early Madonna song.
She shattered glass ceilings with this song and video during such a turbulent time in society. An absolute classic 👏
Madonna’s ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ is another amazing song from the 80’s … So many really.
Yeah and the video tells the story of the song so they won't be confused.
thats the only one I ever cranked up... the bass line slams. lol
It’s from the same album as this one.
And I think Madonna is a natural brunette who always dyed her hair blond.
@@buzzardbeatniks Exactly! Classic video.
@@joeaxe lol yeah that bass line slaps alright. Everything about the song, the production, the engineering, lyrics, vocals, it’s just top class.
Fun fact, the guitar riff in the beginning is played by Prince.
Try "Live to Tell" next. It's a great showcase of her voice and songwriting.
Madonna had just signed a $5 million sponsorship deal with Pepsi and had filmed a very sweet wholesome commercial featuring this very song. THEN she released the actual video and all hell broke loose. Pepsi was threatened with boycotts, pulled the commercial after one airing and canceled Madonna's contract. But she kept the $5 million.
The full-length commercial only aired once because it was a Grammy or Super Bowl commercial (I forget which), but shortened 30-second versions aired for a couple of weeks before they got pulled entirely.
Im so glad to have grown up in the 80's and 90's experiencing the careers of some great performers. Madonna is one of them. Shes a Queen. Love this song too. Looking forward to more Madonna reactions.
This was one of her more controversial videos. The black Jesus was representative of unfairly imprisoned black men which came out later in the video. Madonna was blasted for what was considered blasphemy at the time against religious symbolism. The burning cross I think we all unfortunately know what that meant. I grew up with Madonna. She has a lot of very good, catchy songs. I love Cherish and I think Take A Bow showcases her voice a little more. Out of her older songs I like Get Into The Groove.
I was working for PepsiCo at the time this came out. Pepsi signed her to commercials & everyone flipped their lids over this video.
The burning cross originated in Scotland. It was used to call the Warriors in to the Clan Laird in times of battle. It's a shame that white men turn into a symbol of hate.
@@RitaBowen1 They so frequently turn many things into symbols of hate. Mostly out of fear and ignorance.
You wrote pretty much what I was going to share. The media is always trying to stir the pot and create something blown out of scope. Not a big Madonna fan but she does have a few good ones, including Like A Prayer.
As a Catholic, I didn’t see Jesus being depicted. I saw a Saint. I didn’t see nail holes in his feet when she kissed them (usually a sign of a resurrected Christ). 🤷🏽♀️ I can still see why this would still make folks upset.
On March 3, 1989, Madonna released the hit song, “Like a Prayer.” And it was a monumental moment unlike no other before it at the time.
After three back-to-back multi-platinum albums, a record-breaking world tour, it seemed like the singer was on top of the world as she readied the release of her fourth album, Like a Prayer, in March of 1989.
That January, ahead of its release, Madonna brokered an endorsement deal with Pepsi for $5 million. The deal included the launch of the album’s title song in a television commercial -- an unheard-of arrangement at the time -- and the cola brand sponsoring the singer’s next world tour. The following month, Pepsi debuted its highly anticipated commercial during the 31st GRAMMY Awards, with an estimated 250 million reportedly watching the ad worldwide.
A month later, it was time for the unveiling of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” music video, which was scheduled to make its worldwide debut during Entertainment Tonight before being shown in full on MTV. But as Lu Murray, the show's producer at the time, remembers, the anticipation of the music video was met with immediate shock and awe.
“It was a huge deal and we were anxiously waiting for the video,” she says, recalling that it kept getting “later and later” before the video finally arrived on set, after ET already started taping that night’s episode. “I remember snatching the video and running into an edit bay and handing it to the editor and saying we got to cut this very quickly. We popped in the video and started watching it, and then we looked at each other and I went, ‘Uh oh. I don’t know if we're going to be able to air this.’”
Presumably, the first people outside of Madonna’s team and director Mary Lambert to watch the video, what they saw was far from what they were expecting.
Opening with Madonna witnessing a murder of a young woman, the video then sees an innocent African-American man incarcerated by the police before Madonna eventually flees to a church. There, she sees a wax saint that resembles the arrested man, which eventually comes to life and kisses her. Throughout the video, Madonna is seen singing in front of burning crosses, in a church with a children’s choir and in moments of erotic embrace with an African-American religious figure.
Because the video arrived so late, it was decided that it would run during the end credits, but ET could only use certain portions of the video not so visibly controversial. “We stayed away from the burning crosses and some of the other aspects that were going to create controversy,” Murray explains, adding: “We played it safe that day.”
While its initial debut was cut short, the full video made its way to MTV and was met with immediate backlash. “We knew it was going to be a big story,” Murray says.
Religious groups called for a boycott, with Pope John Paul II even speaking out against it. “The video is a blasphemy and insult because it shows immorals inside a church,” Italian Roman Catholic historian Roberto de Mattei said at the time.
Within days of protests and complaints, Pepsi was forced to drop the ad and ultimately cancel its deal with Madonna. “It may go down as one the most expensive advertising blunders ever,” host John Tesh reported on ET soon after.
The fight with religious groups didn’t stop with the music video, however. The Vatican even tried to boycott her “Blond Ambition” tour when it came through Italy. “I am aware that the Vatican and certain communities are accusing my show of being sinful and blasphemous, that they are trying to keep people from seeing it,” Madonna said at the time. “I think I'm offending certain groups, but I think that people who really understand what I’m doing aren't offended by it.”
Despite the controversy, which could have devastated an artist of lesser assurance, “Like a Prayer” went on to be nominated for MTV Video Music Awards’ Video of the Year and has since been viewed over 72 million times on UA-cam. Meanwhile, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100. Today, it’s considered one of the singer’s best and is listed in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” ==Courtesy of Entertainment Tonight
Yep - I lived through it. I am same age as Madonna and the Sh*t hit the fan when the video was released. It was the end of the world as perceived back in 1989. LOL Little did they know that 30+ years later we would be living in sewer of corrupt morality.
First of all, this song is a masterpiece from the queen of pop herself and secondly Prince is the one playing that opening guitar riff. I would really encourage you checking out more Madonna, Express Yourself is a must listen.
Wow that’s Prince? I never knew that
I was just remembering Prince’s funeral…I’ll never forget the feeling of knowing they made the only choice they could when they had Madonna sing No One Compares To You…✌️✨💜takes an icon to honor one…it was purple perfection ~
Justify My Love, Frozen, You'll See, Open Your Heart, Dress You Up, Crazy For You, Material Girl, Papa Don't Preach, La Isla Bonita.......... So many songs that everyone should know & love. 🙂
I never knew that was Prince! Learn something new everyday. Thanks. I love little facts like that
And I *strongly* recommend this performance of Express Yourself, recently remastered from the Blond Ambition tour: ua-cam.com/video/nok58ZzVte0/v-deo.html
I can’t even explain why, but one of my favorite Madonna songs is “La Isla Bonita” and i enjoy most of her catalog.
Damn good choice. My second after Like a Prayer.
A little backstory: Madonna could have taught a Masterclass in free publicity and shocking conservative America and owning her sexuality… Pepsi had signed Madonna as a spokesperson. A multimillion $ contract. A really big deal at the time. The song she chose to tie into the campaign was Like A Prayer. Pepsi had just rolled out the campaign and within days Madonna released her video and the uproar over the imagery in the video and her kissing a black Jesus figure was just to much for the cancel culture of the day. Pepsi caved and pulled the ads. Madonna got to keep her payday. And the song went to #1. When I was a teen, Madonna pushed everyone’s buttons and I was so there for it.
It really was quite the scandal! Shocking even!
Actually, the controversy back then wasn't about her kissing the Black Saint. The controversy mostly stemmed from foreign Christians (outside the USA) who were offended by her burning crosses in the video --- they thought she was symbolizing burning down Christianity. The foreigners were mostly unaware that 'burning crosses' signified the KKK and racism etc, and that she was using those symbols in the music video to highlight the point of the video. The controversy was mostly based on foreigners misunderstanding the use of burning crosses, wrongly thinking that she was disrespecting Christianity by burning the crosses.
@@fidel2xl I think you almost had to be American - and specifically a Southerner - to really understand on first viewing that all the symbolism in this video was racial and not religious. It's something that was so prevalent in the American South that we all knew immediately what Madonna was saying with this video. And there were some powerful Southern politicians who lost their minds over Madonna kissing a Black religious figure. But you're right, the loudest uproar was (as usual) from people who didn't understand the context and therefore missed the point, and cherry-picked scenes to focus their anger towards.
@@fidel2xl No, the controversy was mostly US based. As a "foreigner" we are fully aware of the KKK and at the time our understanding was that Pepsi cancelled the contract due to the portrayal of a black Jesus.
@@KevInSydney Wrong…the controversy was more-so FOREIGN based. I was born and raised OUTSIDE the USA, and I can tell you that it was a huge controversy in my home country (outside the USA) primarily due to the burning crosses. The people in my country and in other countries, were offended because they thought Madonna’s video depicting burning crosses was a way of symbolizing destroying Christianity….they were mostly unaware that it symbolized the KKK’s racial hatred. I, however, was aware of the burning crosses symbolism. Anyway, this is among the reasons that even the Vatican chimed in on the ‘controversy’. The Vatican were not offended by her kissing a Black Saint. The Vatican were offended by the burning crosses.
One of the best bass lines ever committed to tape by the great Guy Pratt. Arrangement, keyboards and cowritten by the amazing Pat Leonard
With its inter-racial content, religious references and anti racism message, this was very controversial at the time - something Madonna has never shied away from. I think it's nothing short of a masterpiece and something to remind us of how cutting edge Madonna actually was for her time.
I love Madonna jams like “Papa Don’t Preach” “Crazy for You” and my most favorite “Into the Groove”. So many! 🔥
Into the groove is my fav too!!!
Just lifts you up!
Also, Madonna has always used her platform to elevate causes she championed. Racism, gender inequality, gay rights... it goes on and on but those would be her big 3. She has a knack for causing a commotion (chuckle chuckle for any avid Madonna fan out there who got this). She's also used her beauty and sexuality to push the envelope, if she hadn't things would be quite different. Nikki Minaj, Britney Spears, Xtina... all that came after owe Madonna the nod, the tip of the hat. This woman made me the strong, independent, vocal woman I am today. She taught us to not be afraid, to question when we felt like it needed to be.
Take A Bow is a favorite.
She also likely created an insane amount of single moms who made the dumb decision to burn the coal.
@@JoveJoved You are thoroughly disgusting. If I'm understanding your exceedingly racist comment you're implying that single mothers are single parents due to the color of the father's skin. The sheer ignorance you are displaying is mind blowing. I was raised by a single mother and my father was white. That's a road that goes both ways, white or black. Skin color does not make or break a Father.
“Causing a Commotion” is one of my favs of hers
@@DianaRodriguez-jf8nz Thank you!!!! Love it!
All time classic. One of the best pop songs of all time. Revolution!!
THIS was and will always be the true masterpiece of her career! She was one of the first artists to come out with a real video that's all the full story I was a little bit longer than others. But that was okay because it would sucked you into the story that with that. It wasn't just a video we continued on to add a couple more choruses of the song. This video was something that made you think, and then at the end it turned out it was actually a play. A lot of people were taking aback. Because this was something that nobody ever done before with a video. Most videos only had one story line going on to match this song this has so many layers that were woven into it. Each layer had such deep meanings if you perception to understand where it was coming from. MANY were thinking this video is almost like watching a mini movie and wow it almost was! A lot of people were freaked out by the burning crosses but they didn't understand the symbolism of that. It wasn't just about the connection to the racism on a national level that had gone on against black people. It was about the connection of the representation of the cross in its religious sense and of that prior persecution. It was a dual message because most people are under the impression that the Christian Jesus is a white man. When even in the Bible Scriptures it states that his skin was dark and as always like wool. Coming from the regions where he was that would not make him a white man. So it is false idea to have of this long flowing straight hair along with the light complexion and blue eyes. There's very few videos I can say this out, and I've been around since THE DAY THAT MTV hit the airways. Myself and a feel my friends actually stayed up all night...just so we can watch when MTV put up its first video at 12:01 AM! THIS is one of the few videos that wants you see it, you can close your eyes and listen to the music again and never unsee it. Don't just never be able to hear the music the same way again without having the video version of this playing alongside it in your head. Just trust me on this. I'm so glad you guys got to see this, I really hope that you get to check out more of her. I know you've reviewed another song but believe me, there's so much more to her anthology. She's one of the few artists that was actually able to successfully reinvent herself over and over again for many decades #NewYorkGenXBikerLady .
You could do a whole series on Madonna. She was like a chameleon, changing vocal style, song style, hair style, fashion, et. al with every album. Two things that never faded in any of them was they were danceable and they were controversial in some way (for the time).
Yep, most of her videos accompanying her songs have been 'challenging' in their message and in many cases led to controversy and 'shock', and so great that she did that. Always more than 'just a singer', a real artist.
This was always my favorite Madonna song next to "Material Girl." It was also the best use of a gospel choir for a long time...until Heart did "Stairway to Heaven" at the Kennedy Center Honors. You should definitely check out that performance. It's a MUST for any reactor.
ASAP
Absolutely!!!
I love the choir in Madonna's song 'Cherish' too.
This video caused quite the controversy: Many Catholics were offended and even protested Madonna because of it. Not the first time this happened with her songs. She would push against the edges of what was considered respectful. Way to go Madonna!
In reality, with that criticism, the Catholic Church demonstrated once again what it is. instead of congratulating her for making a video against racism.
@@stumm71 This was heavily controversial to the American protestants while most of us Catholics weren't even aware of this. The Vatican only condemned this afterwards when these Protestants were already whining about Madonna.
The fact that this song caused so much controversy because it called out racism tells us how much progress has been made for equal rights since 1989.
There was equal rights long before 1989.
@@martinsv9183 who has 'equal rights' exactly? You're deluded.
I don't recall that being the reason - I think it was because of the religious symbolism mixed with sexuality. Wearing a slip in Church talking about feeling your power in the midnight hour, and down on my knees, etc
Had nothing to do with racism. It had to do with her being disillusioned with the Catholic Church she was brought up in. She is now Hindu, I belive.
@@robindavisduckworth8992 is that why there is a crying black dude being arrested by police and burning crosses? get a clue.
For me, this is possibly my favorite song and video from Madonna. She put it ALL out there. She brought out the belief that Jesus was Black, interracial relationships, racism, religious rapture, idolatry, need I go on?! It is near perfection. Love it!!!
Ironic is sad way how many decades ago a video about racial inequities. Btw, not Black Jesus, St. Martin de Porres (a saint who was Black). Many Catholics, like Madonna (was) would and did recognize as him. Media accounts also note it in review of the “controversy”
@@mic1240 Interesting, thanks for the info. Being someone not Catholic, this is the first time I've heard of why there was such uproar from the Church. That makes the video all the more intriguing.
Out of all her songs this has to be my favourite by far. Love everything about it
Actually has nothing to do with the idea of jesus being blk as jesus wasn’t blk he was semetic aka middle eastern it has to do with the idea of blk men being wrong incarcerated but in modern times we know its now not due to it being wrongly done but do to actual crime rates in blk communities.
When this came out, she had just gotten a Pepsi endorsement - the second pop star Pepsi had featured in commercials after Michael Jackson. The commercial launched the song, which was an immediate hit UNTIL the music video came out and people were so shocked that she kissed a black man, had a black man representing Jesus, and because of the burning crosses, that Pepsi dropped her as a spokesperson, but still paid her $10M for the ad. When Like A Prayer won video of the year that year, Madonna thanked Pepsi for causing "SO much controversy." Here's the link to the Pepsi commercial - it only aired once. ua-cam.com/video/l34Gxk3dGJM/v-deo.html
YES. People tried to act like the video was some kind of anit-religion statement, willfully ignoring what the burning crosses really meant. This video was really about the way black men are treated by police (and the media, and honestly white people in general). It made them uncomfortable so they tried to project it as something else.
Actually the video made the song became even bigger. Thats what Madonna is really good at, shock value. Like A Prayer to this day continues to be one of her most streamed song. Not saying shock value is a bad thing. But that is what make her exactly larger than life, it was more than just hit songs. She has a purpose and people viewed her as a huge inspiration for that. Plus, I remember after the video premiered she became even bigger than she already was.
There's lots of sexual innuendo too.
I absolutely love your reactions & your comments. The video has such a deep meaning. This was from 1989 & this video was made 34 years ago with a White man committing the crime & an innocent black man was accused, and by the end, it took a brave white woman to tell the truth & save the black man from going to jail forever. Sadly, 34 years later, the racism Madonna is talking about is sadly still going on in 2023 & it’s even worse now than it was 34 years ago if you can even imagine that & how silly of us to think that we as humans would change for the better and that we wouldn’t still be dealing with racism, sexism, homophobia, transgender rights ect 34 years later.
This song really takes me back...
Although you should take him back further, maybe 'Borderline' or 'Lucky Star'
Lucky star seemed to start it all to me, back in the true music video days!
Don’t forget Holiday
I remember watching her on American Bandstand 1984 performing Holiday. At the end he asks her what her dreams were and she said, "To rule the world." I pshawed, even though I liked her performance. Then she did pretty much rule the world for quite awhile there.
Get Into the Groove, Crazy for You, Dress You Up
Oh wow. It was 1983 or 1984 when those came out. EVERYONE was outdoing one another to look like Madonna - with the black and white outfit, the bow in the hair, and the famous Madonna/Cindy Crawford mole over the lip. That style was rampant!
A fun sounding Madonna song is "Dear Jessie". Her first song was "Everybody"
I love dear Jessie! It’s adorable
Pink elephants and lemonade! Good song.
Madonna is a completely different person in each of her songs, but always great! Her versatility is fantastic!as someone already said: Madoona did not follow the trends, she set them!back that time, this video caused many troubles to Madonna, among others, Pepsi canceled a contrat with her.
🥰
But she got paid anyway. She’s a genius.
Well put.
My favorite Madonna song. It moves me so much. I get choked up every time.
I think it's one of the best pop songs ever recorded.
Madonna is THE QUEEN OF POP! This is one of my favorite songs EVER!!!!!!!
One of the greatest pop songs of all times.
The music video is brilliant, important, provocative and in my opinion, the best music video of all times.
Need to react to:
Frozen, Papa Don’t Preach, Human Nature, Hung Upm, Express Yourself and Music.
Madonna is the Queen of Pop- time to go down this rabbit hole of greatness.
Just one example of why she is the G.O.A.T. 👑
My favorite song of hers! Never gets old! Could come out today and be great still! Video was so controversial when it came out.
Everyone, including me, is always so surprised when they discover/remember that she really can sing! One song that really showcases her singing voice is Don't Cry For Me Argentina from the film version of Evita. It's such a beautiful song and OMG, if you know the story of Evita - it makes me cry every stinkin' time.
Earth shattering, trend setting, owned the charts for what seemed like the entire 80's. Always been a metal head but I can appreciate good songs and shes had a few.
I have seen many of your reactions, but this particular music video reaction of yours made me decided to join your family. I see your justice in appreciation and I hope it goes to the new and future generation as well. Thank you so much,count me in for every video you will be makin' along the way. More power.
There were several occasions in Madonna's early career where she effectively pushed the edge of the envelope if not stepped over the normal lines of the "status quo" let's call it!! This video was one of those times!! I love when an artist can stir the pot and get thoughts provoked that are normally not thought!! Madonna accomplishes that in this video!!
My ALL time favorite Madonna song is "True Blue"...My play list must!
These "types" of Madonna songs are my favorite because they showcase her voice really well. My all time favorite and I highly recommend, Live to Tell.
Love the song and video for her song, "Don't Tell Me". Madonna is an icon for sure!
She was in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own and wrote the music for it. All about women playing baseball when the guys went off to war. EXCELLANT !! MOVIE
You guys should start with This use to be my playground from Madonna. It's the credit song for that great movie.
And yet another side of Madonna Ciccone to discover!
This used to be my playground(1992) gives me the same chills as Live to tell(1986) but it's sadder.
@@helindove2237 Of course, Madonna was originally a brunette before she ever went blonde. She's Italian.
@@sashabertold3731 yes, thank you! I was trying to think of the name of the song! For some reason it just wouldn't come to me. "This Used To Be My Playhouse". Probably my favorite song by her just because I'm a huge baseball fan and love the history around the women getting to play baseball!!. Loved that movie and that song us spectacular!! To me anyway!!
I have to laugh now at how so many young women dressed like Madonna - she was a style icon also. She made a mainstream movie called Desperately Seeking Susan and she was just mesmerizing!
For future Fridays, I'd suggest Helen Reddy, I Am Woman (a real feminist statement from the '70s) and Joan Baez, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Joan used to be in a relationship with Bob Dylan. And when you're ready to get back to The Carpenters, I'd suggest We've Only Just Begun, Goodbye to Love (believe it or not it has an amazing guitar solo), or I Won't Last a Day Without You. You might also consider an incredible cover they did of Leon Russell's A Song for You.
Omg. DOWN TOWN? WAS THAT HELEN
I agree 100%
Rose Mary Clooney's Come on to my house for ff please.
@@karensilvera6694 Excellent choice for that 40s style of singing!
@@guaranteedwinnersclub Petula Clark did it first in the mid 60s. Another great female singer.
There is no better live performance artist than Madonna. Her concerts set records for a reason. Express Yourself is a must see and still one of the most expensive videos ever made (number 3 I believe). A masterpiece. This Like A Prayer video was 32 years ago and is just as relevant a social commentary today. She was decades, I mean decades, ahead of her time as an artist and has left a massive footprint on society and culture. MORE MADONNA!!
You REALLY need to check out her first album from '83, it was transformational and she was like nothing anyone had ever seen, and was made for MTV. This is from' 89, where she was more mainstream, although still controversial. To me, '83 Madonna, was my favorite.
83 Madonna was nothing compared to her artistry further down the road though. True Blue was her first masterpiece in terms of an album.
@@Thin_Mercury
True Blue should've gotten several Grammys but got nothing.
Live to tell & La isla bonita are timeless standout songs!
This only really changed in 1998 with Ray of Light where even so called critics had to realise that she has at least some artistry in her veins, or the usual idiots saying, oh Madonna, she's is just a marketing wizard and sells sex, that's why she became so huge, blah...
@@Thin_Mercury - I honestly kind of lost interest in Madonna after I graduated from HS in '85, although her music was still prolific and was played at parties and clubs so of course I'm familiar with her True Blue album/songs, but by the time college was over in '89 I had moved on to other bands. I was completely done by the time she did Vogue and her movie, her 'artistry' at that point was a turn off for me. The True Blue album had good music, but her early stuff was what was so fresh and unique and I think there's just something about the music you listen to in HS that makes some of the later stuff pale in comparison, and in the early/mid 80's that was when we were all dressing like emo gypsies so it was a cultural thing too.
I do think nostalgia plays a big part in what you love more. I feel like he earlier stuff was hollow and production not so great. But she was growing her artistic voice and her look and charisma charmed the world
@@stephm.3407 I mean I understand that teenage years leave a big impression. But her best music was made in the 90's in my opinion and the pinnacle of that creativity was the Ray of Light album. It is better than anything she did in the 80's with the exception of possibly Like a Prayer. I find her early stuff much more shallow and vocally immature than what came after. Songs like Holiday are catchy but lack the depth of what she did later on in her career and this is coming from a Madonna fan since 1983. She evolved as an artist and that is how she has been able to remain relevant for such a long period of time.
You guys have some of the most beautiful children I have seen. Love you guys and your family.
Actually, guys, this is only a year before Vogue. You’d have to go back further for younger Madonna. Testament to her talent.
I remember watching American Bandstand back in either 1982 or 1983, and when Dick Clark asked her what was next, she told him, "rule the world." She wasn't far off the mark, lol!
This one of my favorite Madonna songs. "Take a bow" is another good one that showcases her voice. Her videos are always..."interesting" and/or controversial. I think sometimes it distracts from how talented she is as a singer.
This used to be my playground is also a terrific song by Madonna.
Probably one of the most important music videos in MTV history. I don’t think the song and video are completely unconnected, the song is about religious ecstasy and redemption and the video just takes that concept further and places it in a specific context. Fabulous thing about this song is only Madonna can really sing the song with the same meaning because her name ‘Madonna’ means ‘mother of Christ’ so the lyrics ‘when you call my name it’s like a little prayer’ are actually kind of literal not just figurative.
I loved her because she was always true to herself and made many statements back in da day!!
She had 38 top ten hits and 12 numbers ones, by any metric she ranks way up there, When she burst onto the scene it was Madonna mania for years. Her most amazing strength is her ability to reinvent her self and stay new and fresh to people. She has had hits on the charts from around 1983 to late 2000s.
Been a fan since 84 - the Queen of Pop - a chameleon. Always pushing boundaries. My favourite album was True Blue 1986 - she was madly in love with her new husband, Sean Penn, and the album reflected that. It was Perfect pop. Like a Prayer was 89, she was divorced and resulted in a darker album. The words of Til Death Do Us Part will break your heart.
Heart singing Stairway to Heaven… I randomly keep requesting & know one day you’ll do it. Going to be an epic reaction! Love y’all ❤️
I saw Madonna in Melbourne Australia 1993 I was 16 years old. It was my first concert and I still love her!!!
For more 80's Madonna: Holiday, Like A Virgin, Into The Groove, Gambler, Live To Tell, La Isla Bonita, Who's That Girl, Causing A Commotion, Express Yourself
For 90's Madonna: Justify My Love, Deeper And Deeper, Secret, Frozen, Nothing Really Matters
For 21st century Madonna: Music, Nothing Fails (has a Like A Prayer-like gospel choir), Hung Up, Sorry, 4 Minutes, Celebration, Living For Love, God Control
Add to the 90’s-Take A Bow, Ray of Light, This Used to Be My Playground and Dont Cry for Me Argentina
I love Gambler, only from Vision Quest soundtrack.
Madonna in ftont of burning crosses is one of music video history's greatest images.
In the 80's it was MJ and Madonna who reigned supreme. Madonna's early stuff is her best, but I really, really like her song MUSIC made around 2000. It has a disco-synth-techno-pop-electronica sound to it that I think she pulls of wonderfully.
Gotta Watch Papa Don't Preach. Even earlier Madonna but still amazing.
I wouldn't consider this song as an early Madonna song... Papa Don't Preach def is one tho
I remember when this first came out, I felt what I feel every single time I watch it, eternal. Please consider reacting to her Superbowl :) You guys are great
Madonna has always had the ability to change her style with the times.
Welcome aboard! Madonna has been a great entertainer since the beginning of her career, and she is a very good dancer.
Whoo! Talk about a song that caused a controversy.
She caused a few of them. 'Papa Don't Preach' was another one.
@@chriso6719 "Erotica"
I hope you continue reacting to Madonna. She's one of those artists that you appreciate more, the more you hear. Madonna was a hit machine. Each new hit sounded very different than the one before, she pushed the envelope, didn't care what people thought, brought things on the margins to the mainstream, and managed to continually re-invent herself. It's impressive how she managed to stay at the forefront for 20+ years. That's very hard to do.
This such a great catchy song. She was great at doing that.
My favorite Madonna song, definitely in my top ten songs of all time.
It was a very very controversial video at the time and the Catholic church WAS pissed. Another controversial song that was good was Papa Don't Preach.
Madonna is a perfect artist. Iconic always. Love her!!!! React more of her please
The younger Madonna was the best Madonna
Not really. I mean she was making bangers in the 2000's, albums like Confessions on a Dance Floor with masterpieces like Hung Up.
I do like her Don't Cry For Me, ARGENTINA
There's no bad Madonnas
That ture
I think she peaked starting with Drowned World to the Confessions tour
I remember being a kid in the early 90s and watching this video after coming home from school. I lived in Mexico back then, and we got all kinds of weird channels on our cable programming. One of those would play music videos between shows instead of commercials. Anyway, I have a memory of thinking Madonna was very pretty in this video and wanting to see the video every day XD. Of course, I was too young to actually acknowledge the subtext of the imagery in the video.
Now that I've been a musician for over 20 years, I've always liked the bass lines in the second half of the song :D
A very popular dance floor song when it came out. Great rhythm section. Intense, especially in the last section.
THE QUEEN OF POP. She is my favorite, and I love her so much.
Not a great fan of Madonna but I LOVE this song!! The story, the shift in tempos, all of it. My favorite Madonna song. The visuals are amazing, what a masterpiece!!
She was groundbreaking and is very talented.
Crazy For You by Madonna is an underrated masterpiece. 😊
Thanks guys..I am a huge madonna fan..your REACTION is epic!!
You would absolutely love Melanie's "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) with the Edwin Hawkins Singers. Hippie vibes, plus an amazing gospel choir!
Excellent selection!
Or, how about Oh, Happy Day by the Edwin Hawkins Singers?
@@donnaallan1488 They should do both!
Yes!
Must totally agree! Fantastic song!
Love MaDonna!!! I play her CD'S in my car all the time!!! Love this song!
1989 was a great year for music, and this song was HUGE!!! Great choice for female Friday. ☺
You guys have been my favorite reaction channel that I've seen. A lot of the music and videos you react to are already my favorites so it's like I'm watching them again, but with friends.
The song that shows Madonna's voice the best: ONE MORE CHANCE
Absolutely loved this reaction! Madonna is full of music masterpieces
Absolutely love this song. I've always considered it to be the female equivalent of Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror.
I'm not sure if it's simply down to the choir parts in both tracks, but both legendary tunes from the King and Queen of pop.
My fav part is when we get to the crosses on fire and she just goes nuts on the song.
This is a great song that was very controversial at the time. A song that I believe is one of her best is “ Live To Tell “ beautiful song. 💕
You are my FAVORITE reactionists on UA-cam by far ! So real and enjoyable.
I am not a big fan of Madonna. However, I have to give credit for a good song, and she has made two songs I absolutely LOVE! This one (Like A Prayer) and "Live To Tell."
OMG FINALLY!!!! There is at least one other human being who agrees. Also same 2 songs you pointed out are the only 2 that don't make me wish to be struck deaf.
You would probably love "Oh Father".
Live to Tell is so good 😍 Might be one Amber hasn't heard.
@@itsmedino You need to listen to more Madonna then. Papa Dont Preach and Take a Bow are two classics i can name right off the top of my head.
@@Timur_aka_Tamerlane I am glad you liked her. She had many fans. I know I am probably the only human being on the Earth who hates her stuff so much. If it is any comfort at all "Live To Tell" is one of my favorite songs and I even loved the video, probably because I loved At Close Range so much. Otherwise anytime I saw or heard her... not important I am glad you loved her and hopefully she is resting in peace.
Man, that woman could dance. I love her music.
This was one of the most controversial videos from 1989. I remember this like yesterday. She played it well. People were mad and thought the video was about religion and a black Jesus...but it did what she intended it to do, bring out the inner racism of people. She was deemed blasphemous by the church and was excommunicated (a total of three times) because of the burning crosses in the video. The burning crosses represent the white supremacists who murder the pregnant Latin woman.
This is a subject Madonna has never shied away from. All her videos have a deeper meaning and open the door to conversations.
Live to Tell
La Isla Bonita
Take a Bow
Are my favorite Madonna songs to highlight her voice.
"Crazy For You", "Take A Bow", "Rain", "Live To Tell", "Vogue", "Express Yourself", .... Madonna is an ICON!!!!❤❤❤❤
The best Madonna song EVER. Not only controversial but one of the greatest pop songs of all time
When this video came out, my mom wouldn’t let me watch it. She said it was sacrilegious with the burning crosses. I remember all the controversy at the time and how Madonna upset so many people. As an adult, I love the song and the video. Definitely one of Madonna’s best. I agree, the choir adds so much to it!
La Isla Bonita, Ghosttown, Get Into the Groove, and Open Your Heart are some of my favorites from Madonna. I encourage you to keep listening to her music. It's a rabbit hole that's hard to emerge from.
You are absolutely correct. The video has nothing to do with the song. The song is a comparison between religious ecstasy and physical love. The video is about racism and doing the right thing. Madonna CAN sing. It's just that she's usually dancing while singing and not many people at all can do that well. This was from her 4th album. Do something really early next like "Borderline".
It was from her fourth album, also called Like a Prayer. Before it were 1. Madonna 2. Like a Virgin and 3. True Blue.
Whoops, it was her 5th- Who's that Girl, which was her fourth.
@@BonMooney You're right. I corrected it.
It’s definitely a statement, and the kind that you need balls for, especially in 1980s! Loved your reaction, thanks for sharing!