On this Day: April 14, 1989 the "Like A Prayer" song peaks at #1 on the Billboard singles chart.

On March 3, 1989 - right before the release of the album with the same title - Like A Prayer was released as lead-off single. Combining pop, rock, dance and even gospel music, this great song hit the music scene - and in a way the society - as a bomb and would soon become an all-time Madonna classic and a favorite among fans. Along with Vogue, it would become one of two Madonna songs that topped all the charts in the US and the UK. It was #1 in the US Hot 100, Airplay, Sales, Club Play and Maxi-singles chart. No wonder it reached Platinum status. It was also #1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and numerous other countries.

Video

The fantastic music and lyrics made the song great; the Mary Lambert video made it notorious. There are many possible interpretations, but basically the video shows Madonna, witnissing a murder on a white girl. When a black man is wrongfully accused of the crime, she comes up for his defence. She prays for him in church and is seen dancing in front of burning crosses, as a reaction against racial discrimination. Inside the church she kisses a black saint (or is it the black innocent guy?). There's a happy end, and they pretend it to be just a theatre play.
A few days before the premiere of the video, Pepsi first aired their brand-new commercial which starred Madonna and used the tune of Like A Prayer. However when the video was first shown, it caused outrage within the Catholic church, who were offended by Madonna using signs of stigmata (her bleeding hands), by her kissing a black saint and by "having an orgasm on the altar". The church urged people to stop buying Pepsi as a protest, after which Pepsi stopped the broadcast of their commercial after only two airings.

At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, Like A Prayer won the Viewers Choice Award, and was nominated for Best Video of the Year.

Accolades and awards

Accolades

• This video was ranked #28 on Rolling Stone magazine's "The 100 Top Music Videos".
• This video was ranked #2 on MTV's "100 Greatest Videos Ever Made".
• This video was ranked #5 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.
• The song is ranked the 486th best song of all time and the 5th best of 1990 on Acclaimedmusic.net ^[53] -->
• 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll

Awards

Year	Ceremony	Award	Result
1990	MTV Video Music Award	Video of the Year	Nominated
1990	MTV Video Music Award	Best Female Video	Nominated
1990	MTV Video Music Award	Best Dance Video	Nominated
1990	MTV Video Music Award	Best Direction in a Video	Won
1990	MTV Video Music Award	Best Choreography in a Video	Nominated
1990	MTV Video Music Award	Best Art Direction in a Video	Nominated
1990	MTV Video Music Award	Best Editing in a Video	Won
1990	MTV Video Music Award	Best Cinematography in a Video	Won
1990	MTV Video Music Award	Viewer's Choice	Nominated
1990	Rolling Stone Reader's Poll Awards	Best single	Won
1990	Rolling Stone Reader's Poll Awards	Best Video	Won
1991	American Music Awards	Favorite Dance Single	Won
1991	Juno Award	Best International Single	Won

Track listing

US 7" single, Cassette single / Japanese 3" CD single (5439-19863-7/4 / WPDP-6227) "Vogue" (Single Version) – 4:19 "Vogue" (Bette Davis Dub) – 7:26 UK / European 7" single, Cassette single (W9851, W9851C) "Vogue" (Single Version) – 4:19 "Keep It Together" (Single Remix) – 4:31 US CD maxi-single (7599-21513-2) "Vogue" (Single Version) – 4:19 "Vogue" (12" version) – 8:25 "Vogue" (Bette Davis Dub) – 7:26 "Vogue" (Strike-A-Pose Dub) – 7:36 US 12" maxi-single (7599-21513-0) "Vogue" (12" version) – 8:25 "Vogue" (Bette Davis Dub) – 7:26 "Vogue" (Strike-A-Pose Dub) – 7:36

UK CD single, 12" single, 12" Picture Disc / European CD single, 12" single (W9851CD, W9851T, W9851TP / 7599-21525-2/0 ) "Vogue" (12" Version) – 8:25 "Keep It Together" (12" Remix) – 7:50 UK Limited Edition 12" with X-Rated poster (W9851TX, 7599-21544-0) "Vogue" (12" version) – 8:25 "Vogue" (Strike-A-Pose Dub) – 7:36 Japanese CD EP (WPCP-3698) "Vogue" (12" version) – 8:25 "Vogue" (Bette Davis Dub) – 7:26 "Vogue" (Strike-A-Pose Dub) – 7:36 "Hanky Panky" (Bare Bottom 12" Mix) – 6:36 "Hanky Panky" (Bare Bones Single Mix) - 3:52 "More" (Album Version) - 4:58

Charts and certifications

Charts Chart (1990) Peak position Australian Singles Chart[54] 1 Austrian Singles Chart[55] 7 Belgian VRT Top 30[56] 1 Canadian RPM Singles Chart[57] 1 Dutch Top 40[55] 2 European Hot 100 Singles[58] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[59] 1 French Singles Chart[55] 9 German Singles Chart[60] 4 Irish Singles Chart[61] 2 Italian Singles Chart[62] 1 Japanese International Singles Chart[63] 1 New Zealand Singles Chart[55] 1 Norwegian Singles Chart[55] 1 Spanish Singles Chart[64] 1 Swedish Singles Chart[55] 1 Swiss Singles Chart[55] 2 UK Singles Chart[65] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[66] 1 US Hot Dance Music/Club Play[67] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[67] 16

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position Australian Singles Chart[68] 3 Canadian Singles Chart[69] 4 German Singles Chart[70] 22 Italian Singles Chart[71] 5 Swiss Singles Chart[72] 12 UK Singles Chart[73] 8 US Billboard Hot 100[74] 5 Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999) Position US Billboard Hot 100[75] 93 Sales and certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Australia (ARIA)[76] 2× Platinum 140,000^ Brazil (ABPD)[77] Gold 100,000* Canada (Music Canada)[78] Platinum 100,000^ France (SNEP)[79] Silver 220,000[80] New Zealand (RMNZ)[81] Gold 7,500* United Kingdom (BPI)[82] Gold 505,000[83]^ United States (RIAA)[84] 2× Platinum 2,311,000[14] *sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by "The Power" by Snap!	UK Singles Chart number-one single April 8, 1990 – April 29, 1990	Succeeded by "Killer" by Adamski featuring Seal
Preceded by "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor	Norwegian VG-lista Singles Chart number-one single April 16, 1990 – April 30, 1990	Succeeded by "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles
Preceded by "The Power" by Snap!	Eurochart Hot 100 Singles number-one single April 21, 1990 – June 9, 1990	Succeeded by "Sacrifice" by Elton John
Preceded by "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor	Swedish Singles Chart number-one single April 25, 1990 – May 16, 1990	Succeeded by "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles
Preceded by "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul	Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single May 5, 1990 – June 9, 1990	Succeeded by "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" by Heart
Preceded by "Infinity" by Guru Josh	Belgian Flemish VRT Top 30 number-one single May 5, 1990	Succeeded by "What's a Woman?" by Vaya Con Dios
Preceded by "Vattene amore" by Amedeo Minghi and Mietta	Italian Singles Chart number-one single May 12, 1990 – May 19, 1990	Succeeded by "Vattene amore" by Amedeo Minghi and Mietta
Preceded by "Alright" by Janet Jackson	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single May 19, 1990 – May 26, 1990	Succeeded by "The Power" by Snap!
Preceded by "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor	U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 19, 1990 – June 2, 1990	Succeeded by "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips
Preceded by "Walk on the Side" by Jamie J. Morgan	New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single May 25, 1990 – June 9, 1990	Succeeded by "Eagle Rock" by Daddy Cool
Preceded by "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" by Heart	Canadian RPM Singles Chart number one single June 16, 1990 – June 30, 1990	Succeeded by "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette

Notes