Madonna - Like A Prayer (Limited Edition, Reissue)

Description

Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on March 21, 1989, by Sire Records. Madonna worked with Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard, and Prince on the album while co-writing and co-producing all the songs. Her most introspective release at the time, Like a Prayer, has been described as a confessional record. Madonna described the album as a collection of songs "about my mother, my father, and bonds with my family." The album was dedicated to Madonna's mother, who died when she was young.

The album uses live instrumentation and incorporates elements of dance, funk, gospel, and soul into a more general pop style. Madonna drew from her Catholic upbringing, as seen on the album's title track, which was also released as its lead single. The lyrics deal with themes from Madonna's childhood and adolescence, such as the death of her mother in "Promise to Try", the importance of family in "Keep It Together", and her relationship with her father in "Oh Father". Madonna also preaches female empowerment in "Express Yourself".

Like a Prayer received critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone hailing it as "close to art as pop music gets." Commercially, the album was an international success, reaching the top of the charts in multiple territories, and was certified quadruple platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America. Six singles were released from the album: the title track, "Express Yourself", "Cherish", "Oh Father", "Dear Jessie", and "Keep It Together". "Like a Prayer" became Madonna's seventh number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, while "Express Yourself" and "Cherish" peaked at number two, and "Keep It Together" became a top-ten hit. Worldwide, the album has sold over 15 million copies. With the singles' accompanying music videos, Madonna furthered her creativity and became known as a leading figure in the format. The music video for "Like a Prayer" was a lightning rod for religious controversy, using Catholic iconographies such as stigmata and burning crosses, and a dream about making love to a saint, leading the Vatican to condemn the video and causing Pepsi to cancel Madonna's sponsorship contract. The video for "Express Yourself" was the most expensive video at its release. Like a Prayer preceded Madonna's ground-breaking Blond Ambition World Tour. At the end of the 1980s, following the release of the album, Madonna was named "Artist of the Decade" by several publications.

Release Info

Label: Sire 8122-79735-7
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue
Country: UK
Released: 2016
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Dance-pop

Tracklist

A1 Like A Prayer
A2 Express Yourself
A3 Love Song
A4 Till Death Do Us Part
A5 Promise To Try
B1 Cherish
B2 Dear Jessie
B3 Oh Father
B4 Keep It Together
B5 Spanish Eyes
B6 Act Of Contrition