Like A Prayer

Started off well and went downhill. Was ok over all.

This will be the sixth album from my aunt's CD collection that she gifted me, and it's the Madonna record I am familiar with. Like a Prayer can be viewed as a moment of much-needed catharsis for Madonna after the dissolution of her marriage to actor Sean Penn and the emotional turmoil from realizing that she outlived her mother. She wanted to use this record to reflect on her marital woes, her spiritual upbringing, and who she truly was. How did it turn out? Well, simply put, this album is remarkably strong. Continuing to work with her hitmaker producers Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray, plus her friend and virtuoso musician Prince, there is banger after banger as Madonna tapped into her personal life. The most obvious of these is the opening title track, with that crescendoing funk instrumentation and gospel choir as the lyrics weave some underlying sexual tension into the religious narrative. "Express Yourself" and "Keep It Together" pay homage to Sly & the Family Stone as Madonna reminisces about her family and her desire to have honest and open communication in a relationship. "Love Song" is an outright duet with Prince, as the two of them get playful in their exchanges. "Till Death Do Us Part" is a fast-tempo affair with popping synths and wah-wah guitars as she recounts the end of her marriage to Sean Penn, with some not-so-subtle criticisms of the Catholic church for how divorce is devalued as a way out of a terrible relationship. "Promise to Try" is a heartfelt piano ballad tribute to her mother, as she sought to carry on with her own life. "Cherish" breaks up the emotional buildup with a nice doo-wop shuffle that's pleasant while also having subtle allusions to Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and other easy-listening love songs of yesteryear. From there, the album takes a shift into baroque pop, as "Dear Jessie" sees the narrator encouraging fostering one's imagination, while "Oh Father" describes the emotional state Madonna was in after her mother's death, which put a strain on her relationship with her father. Then, with the penultimate track, "Spanish Eyes", Madonna continues to indulge in the Latin flair from earlier works in a lament over the loss of someone close, and I do like that there's some ambiguity in who she lost to allow for some universality in the compassion and mourning. Really, the only track that's not an immediate winner for me was the closing track "Act of Contrition", a two-minute spoken word over Prince's wailing guitar soloing and a backmasked sample of the gospel choir from the opening title track. Madonna recited a Catholic prayer for forgiveness, before abruptly ending with an admittedly funny skit about not having a reservation. Is it a weird ending to this album? Oh, absolutely. But it was still entertaining enough of a sendoff. Overall, I very much enjoyed Like a Prayer, as it marked a turning point in Madonna's career. She started to take herself seriously, and that made quite the difference going forward.

Iconic. 40 years later and pop culture music hasn't moved an inch.

I find an album like this quite interesting. It has three all-timer hits, one (IMO) that is timeless in "Cherish." The other two, "Like a Prayer" and "Express Yourself" are very much of their moment--but still great (even if the tongue-in-cheekiness--ahem--of Prayer is pretty cringe). But there is NOTHING else of any real interest here. An almost embarrassment of filler.

I, a gay, always saw older gay people talking about Madonna and was like "well whatever, she's got a few good songs but I'm not gonna explore that." Anyway I was playing fighting games when I put this on and I'm pretty sure I got a buff from listening to it because I started winning a lot more than usual. I think Madonna activates the sleeper cell inside of gay people.

like everyone else, i had no changes avoiding "Like a Prayer". and well, yes it's a good song. compared to the rest of the album it's a shining jewel. i find the rest spanning from mediocre to rubbish. overall, listening to this is an experience would not repeat.

ok

This WAS starting to drag for me, and I was gonna rank it a low 6/10, but honestly the sheer emotion of "Oh Father" reeled me back in and I stayed engaged throughout the rest of the album. This is just a nice, solid chunk of late 80s pop! 7/10.

For as much as I loved Ray of Light, I didn’t really care much for this one. The 80s production really left its stench on it, unfortunately.

Unapologetically 80s sounding, but in a way that truly didn't strike me as cheesy. I liked it! It's no Ray of Light though. Standouts: Love Song • Till Death Do Us Part • Cherish

I'm not sure if I've just never been a huge fan of 80s Madonna, or if other people just stole her style enough that she's no longer remarkable to me. A greatest hits artist through and through imo, Oh Father is a real high point in her entire discography but the rest of the album feels pretty samey to me.

Pretty incredible handle on what makes pop fun, while being surprisingly heartfelt

Apart from the title track, the rest of it hasn’t really stood the test of time.

like a what

she just has so many better albums

It’s a pop album (with a concept) and Madonna knows how to hit the mark. Not exactly my jam, but it’s undeniably good pop. Not her most creative or best album, but it’s sold with some great hits.

Felt inconsistent. The singles are great, but overall the album didn't hit with me.

Not sure Prince really helped here

Like a Prayer is obviously the stand out hit from this early Madonna album. Less interesting is the more typical 80s sunshine pop you hear across the LP (e.g. Dear Jessie.) Madonna is at her best when she has a cutting edge, which she's not quite embraced yet at this point.

Very uneven but some great tracks, high 3 from me

classic opener but i don't think i've ever heard it in is entirety (it's not very good) oh, oh no like artificial sweetener till death do us part is fun is this bad or worse? so madonna was the britney of the 80s (notably not the other way around)

Average at best

A fun and refreshing pop album. Madonna knows what she's doing.

3.5 rounded up

While it does contain my favorite Madonna song, the album overall is very uneven in quality. Outside of the hits, the songs aren't very good. The title track carries this one.

madonna always got that DAWG in her

Classic Madonna feeling herself post divorce and as always, coming back to her fascination with Catholicism and faith. I’m 100% here for it. Love being rekinddd that prince was randomly on this album, Cherish is a perfect pop song, and the chorus to Spanish Eyes is an ear worm.

I expected to enjoy this a lot but was surprised by how much I actively disliked a lot of the songs. Some of it sounds like it came directly from a Disney soundtrack which doesn't make it immediately bad but it isn't my thing. Maybe I misjudged Madonna or perhaps it is just this album. Also - Like a Prayer is overrated. Favourites: Til Death Do Us Part Oh Father

Peak late 80s pop. The greatest Pepsi commercial of all time. I did not go in for this BITD, but it's really great pop music, the songs are interesting and diverse. It's a pop monster, but it really doesn't feel like formulaic pop confectionery, there's really good songwriting here. Those props given, I still hate that 80s "bass" and "drums" overproduction. I hate that sound and it did not age well at all. Still, can't not list Madonna, even if its not my taste.

#506/1001. Pop week starts with the brightest of them all. The legacy of her and this album and the couple before it changed a generation. And unfortunately nowadays we are sliding back to old roles again. If Express Yourself wasn't the anthem which gave room for every single female artist ever after, and energy for any small and bigger girls to go after their dreams I don't know what was. Some songs in this album are surprisingly easy to forget though, but a lot of I can forgive. What else can a 50+ white man, who hated everything pop in their youth, do. As a dj two artists are always asked at parties: Abba and Madonna. I always claim I don't have any Abba, but there is always time and room and space for Madonna.

like a prayer is sick, but i think the rest of the album is kinda mediocre and forgettable. Perhaps because she is the queen of pop, and everything i hear nowadays is just a diluted version of it so that the original doesn't sound that special.

The hits are known, and bless that controversial video pre internet, but the rest are not hits.

I have such mixed feelings about this. I'm not a fan of Madonna. I think her albums are calculated to entertain and sell, and with this one she leaned into religious provocation to seem edgy and daring. But musically, it's solid, interesting, and surprising, especially some of the non-radio songs. And the songs with Prince are a breath of fresh air to mix it up.

I had never gone out of my way to listen to Madonna until starting this project, but now that I have listened to a portion of her oeuvre I am surprised by how interesting and experimental she's willing to get. There's some real depth to her music beyond a lot of pop music, and the religious themes in this album are really interesting. Of course there is the title track, but otherwise I think I've heard about half of this album before. And I generally liked those songs, but I think there is a reason I hadn't heard the rest of this album before. About half of this album is just a bit forgettable (or, in the case of "Act of Contrition," just rather weird). The exception to this was "Spanish Eyes," a song which was new to me and which I actually liked quite a bit- but not enough to overturn the biggest song on the album. This one's a high three, I think if there was one more song that I really enjoyed it could be a four. Favorite track: "Like a Prayer"

Too bad I'm not gay. Otherwise this would be a great album

The good songs...you already know. The other songs are...fine.

It's Madonna's best album, I think it's not perfect, is that the smell of Patchouli?

the title track is a fucking all time banger. going in, i figured this would be an instant 5 stars if the rest was even close to that level, and my hopes were pretty high. it's so nice to not have my hopes dashed by this list for once. this album is great. all i knew going in was "like a prayer" itself but theres so much more to love here, from the surprisingly minimal sex music of "love song", to the somber latin-flavoured ballad "spanish eyes", to my favourite track, "till death do us part", with its delicately duelling vocals riding on a pulsing dance-pop beat. im not sure how to feel that, about the track that's explicitly about domestic violence being my favourite on the album. but like, the track fucks. what can i say. even the album's outro is great. you just gotta listen to this one. its not the strongest 5, but it's sure as hell a 5 all the same. music is awesome.

Excellent album!!

я не буду вдаваться в глубокий лирический ЛОР Мадонны и т.д., и просто скажу что это хорошая поп-музыка, несмотря на то, что вышла она на рубеже декад, как мне кажется, она звучит одновременно как и то, что задаёт свежее звучание которое будет в 90-х, но и одновременно с тем, не лишена приятного "восмидесятовского" флёра. Прикольно.

Not really like a prayer at all. But some people have trouble with metaphors.

Madonna is hit or miss for me. L”Like a Prayer” had some nice touches with the choir, church sound. “Express Yourself” is great pop. “Act of Contrition” has a great opening. If’s my favorite on the album. Possibly it’s because it doesn’t sound like a pop song hit and I love Prince. I can hear why her music appeals to many, It’s just not the sound that draws me in. She did have the best videos though.

super 80s loved

lol. Why?

over produced. some real shit songs.

Growing up with Madonna, she was ubiquitous and I never gave her "music" much thought. It was all over the place, all the time, and the woman could definitely produce pop hits and videos to go with them. So, I definitely knew the singles off this one, word for word after all these years, and I couldn't tell you a single other track, so I kind of got to re-experience Madonna at the peak of her game here and came away thinking "she's ok." Her voice isn't all that amazing, the tracks on this are overproduced, and it still kinda works. No denying the cultural impact that Like A Prayer (the song and video) had, and when this one's good it's pretty damn good.

When Madonna was very popular I was not a fan. I was too "cool" for her and pop music in general. Eventually I chilled out and loved her greatest hits CD, The Immaculate Collection. This was my third album by her in the project, and I've found that I still mostly like the singles. In the case of Like a Prayer, this is especially true. The singles are by far the songs I enjoyed, and the rest was either decent or boring. My takeaway is that fun Madonna is my favorite Madonna, and serious Madonna isn't.

Madonna has a knack for pop bangers. She doesn’t miss a beat here. Not my kind of music & she’s not a great vocalist.But this comeback album really shows her grit and range. A 4.

Huh. This was alright. A total pop bomb, which is sort of the bane of my existence, but it didn’t bug me quite as much as usual. In a way it’s sort of ahead of its time, but just sort of. Most of these songs are pretty forgettable, but there are a few that sound neat, and the addition of Prince is basically welcome. Not one I’ll put on again very often, if ever. Fave tracks: - Like A Prayer - Express Yourself - Love Song - Oh Father - Keep It Together

3 absolute bangers and 8 so so 80s pop songs.

I didn’t realise Prince was on here

5 - AVERAGE

Madonna's famous songs are well-known for a good reason. Madonna's not so well-known songs are not famous for a good reason. I listened to the Cyndi Lauper album on this list yesterday and, as an album, it was way better than this.

Boring to me.

Im sorry but im just not into this type of music

truly a pop bible

Wow this album is all over the place. It .makes sense that she pivoted after this because it feels like the end of her teeny-pop persona. I think the song like a prayer is that next evolution but the rest of the album didn't get that message. Also some of these songs I haven't heard the original in ages only remixes. Cherish is so hokey. Love you Madonna, but man outside of the singles you are phoning this in.

First listen. All I can think of is the people on social media using the title track on some feel good redemption post, unaware that the song is about oral sex. It’s good and I don’t love it. I prefer the video’s mix of Express Yourself.

I’m a child of the 80’s but today I learnt Madonna and Prince was a thing and he is part of the album. Mostly chart favourites from this album but a couple of tracks that probably wouldn’t have had appeal despite the phenomenon she was, weirdly the Prince track included. Poptastic.

Radio 2 music. Not something I voluntarily listen to, but hear anyway when out and about as Radio 2 seems to be the go-to station for waiting rooms, cafes, shops, etc. Normal people seem to like this kind of music and I'm very happy for them. To be fair, I enjoyed Dear Jessie and Act of Contrition - both a little less "Eurovision-y" than the rest of the songs.

Strong start, then completely collapses. Too repetitive, too much filler.

4/10

Eh

So very meh.

Liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

The hits of this album are definitely all-time bangers, but most of the album is just ok. Dig the collab with Prince on Love Song, but it makes the song feel out of place with the rest of the album since it sounds way more like a Prince song than it does a Madonna song.

Not an 80's fan but liked it more than I thought at times; more violin than I expected.

Couple of fine tunes, I can pass on the rest.

Like a Prayer - 4/5 Express Yourself - 3.5/5 Love Song - 2.5/5 Till Death Do Us Part - 3.5/5 Promise to Try - 3/5 Cherish - 3.5/5 Dear Jessie - 3/5 Oh Father - 3/5 Keep It Together - 3.5/5 Spanish Eyes - 3/5 Act of Contrition - 3/5 So here's to me hoping that Madonna could be an album artist. Nope! She's still very much singles-oriented. I was expected a lot more dance influence here, but there's way too much trending toward AC that I very much do not like. There's really only 1 good song on here and a bunch of fluff that could have been 2 minutes shorter individually. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Like a Prayer

I quite like Madonna

Such a fun album

Like most American teenagers in the 80s, I endured the Madonna hit parade. Most of them whizzed by me, but a few broke through including two off of this album, which were very much earworms in the summer of 89. The lead single had the right amount of controversy to tickle my adolescent brain and another single express yourself had that lush David Fincher video, a stand out at the time. I never really heard the rest of this album until today and none of it measures up to those “iconic” tracks. It’s all cheesy and overproduced and unmemorable.

I don't know ... It feels better than a 2. Maybe that's the nostalgia talking, but it's really hard to separate nostalgia from music. In fact, there's no point in trying. For some music, a nostalgia-free review is like trying to review Christmas without nostalgia.

UUUUUUGGGGHHHHHH.... The difference between this album and Ray of Light, which I loved, demonstrates (to me) the importance of having a good producer.

As I was listening to this, Love Song came on and I thought, "this sounds like a Prince rip-off". And yeah, it's a duet with Prince that is co-written. I hate the bass on this album, especially the first couple of tracks. I don't really like her voice. I get the pop hooks, though, and I think there is a plenty of range displayed.

Has my two favorite Madonna songs: the title track and Express Yourself. Still great songs that I enjoy hearing. But although I bought the cassette (!) when it came out, I didn't remember the other songs. Of those, Cherish is catchy and pleasant, while Oh Father is affecting. The rest is mid.

3/5 - I like the hits here. I don't care much for the rest of the album, but 3 or 4 solid hits gets you a 3 in my book.

So, for Madonna, you know, the undisputed Queen of Pop, we're given her two worst albums and her second-best album. But for Nick Cave and Brian Eno, we get five albums each. Fun fact: these three Madonna albums - two of which suck - outsold the other ten combined. Let's let that sink in. Now, what do you need to listen to before you die? (Like a Virgin and Like a Prayer are the correct answers. You want True Blue, Madonna, or one more? I'm not mad about that.)

Remains bebopalicious

One of Madonna’s 80s classics- Like a Prayer (the song) is an ambitious, eternal song that’ll be played forever. Her duet with Prince, “Love Song” is also great, and Express Yourself is an underrated gem, if Madonna has such a thing. That said, the rest of the album is just okay. There’s some filler, and some duds. The others are mostly just by the numbers 80s tunes lost to time. Uneven and frontloaded, but essential Madonna ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not my cup of tea, but I get why it was so popular!

perfeição imaculada

Prince completists needed to get this album, of course, since it contains the WORST PRINCE SONG IMAGINABLE. Besides all that, I think I used to enjoy some of this. My main takeaway this time is more of a question than a theory. Does drinking milk make you a better singer? It seems like it would, coating your vocal cord with thick lubricating milkiness. Madonna’s singing voice sounds like she’s drinking lots of milk during the recording sessions, and I don’t think it made her a better singer. But going in I thought rate this higher.

The best thing about this album was it reminding me of the Gummo trailer. I went and watched that when it was done. I dedicate this one-star kill shot to Canadian treasure Alanis Morissette. I have been so unfair to Alanis.

There's nothing that makes "Like a Prayer" stand out from its contemporaries. It's filled to the brim with '80s clichés. You could replace "Like a Prayer" with another album, and you wouldn't tell the difference. The good news is that "Like a Prayer" is actually somewhat good. I especially liked the later tracks. 3 stars for "Like a Prayer".

80er lyden er så tyk. Utroligt at hun "modaniserede" lyden. 🙄 Det er frontloaded, og super skrald i slutningen kan ikke give den mere end 2...

Massiv 80er poplyd. Der er nogle bangers. Men også virkelig meget fyld. Vidste jeg at Rollergirls Dear Jessie bygger på en Madonna sang? I don’t know, and I don’t care.

Couple bangers, some weird fever dreams, some fluff in between

Solid. Poo

I was gonna say something like "1001 album generator users when the album isn't some obscure post-indie-alternative rock album from the 90s 😡", but maybe they've got a point. I can understand why this is here and maybe it should get extra marks for that, but this just isn't something I'll ever see myself revisiting.

Started off super strong and I was debating giving this album a 5 after the first three tracks. Only for the middle of the album to lose the momentum. Last few songs were good as well but as an entire album it was too inconsistent

I can understand why it’s as famous as it is but at the same time it’s not something I would ever listen to again

I've never listened to this album. I was expecting more the typical 80s pop album, but there were some surprising songs like Dear Jessie. Overall not bad, just not my style :)

Nah, no thanks. It's exactly what you'd expect from the singles, and i didn't like them either.

Take away Like A Prayer and you have a slightly above average pop album, with a handful of pretty good songs and a few duds, but that song elevates it at least a star.

*45 Enkelte singler der er værd at lytte, men resten er lidt meh

Begynder bundsolidt, slutter eeehhh

*48 Jeg havde sådan glædet mig til at prøve Madonna i fuldformat, da jeg så dagens skive. Vi åbner med en generational banger … og så gik luften lidt af ballonen. Det blev sku lidt for meget en mariah carey julefest. Jeg nåede at høre det to gange, hvilket resulterer i at jeg må gå fra 3 til 2.

Bangers og meh

Crazy god første side, lidt mere so-so på anden side. 3.9