Album #82 : Madonna - Like A Prayer

Madonna

Like A Prayer (1989)

It's fair to say the late 80s weren't exactly Party Central for Madonna. She'd appeared in several fairly crap films, her marriage to Sean Penn was (to use a technical term) rooted, and after 1986's True Blue, her musical career had seemingly stalled. 

In September of 1988, she returned to the studio with Patrick Leonard and, to a lesser extent, Stephen Bray and recorded the album that would come to be regarded as her magnum opus by many, Like A Prayer. Drawing on her personal life and the myriad issues surrounding her mother's death, her father's relationship, her own marriage and the changing attitudes towards gender, Madonna crafted a series of highly introspective and personal songs. She even collaborated with Prince, and the master himself plays guitar on several tracks.

Time to see if this really is one of those albums that transcends its genre label.

The Album

Fusing pop with disco, funk and even gospel, the album's twelve tracks are largely a diverse mix of styles and themes. The writing is sharp, the production slick and classy, and Madonna's performance is outstanding. There are, of course, the obligatory pop-hook filled tracks, a few pop ballads and some filler tracks, but even the 'filler' tracks are better than most of the output of her contemporaries.

Some tracks (i.e. the big singles) are so ubiquitous that little needs to be said about them. Like a Prayer is one of the great pop songs of all time, with a superb arrangement and a sterling incorporation of gospel elements. Express Yourself is singing the message of 'girl power' before the Spice Girls were even out of primary school. Its soul/funk/pop blend gives it a highly danceable quality, and the horn section is a welcome highlight. Cherish is bright, feelgood summery pop; its placement on the album, after two emotionally charged, deeply personal songs, is not only clever but very, very necessary. 

When Madonna gets personal here, it is to extraordinary effect. Till Death Do Us Part tells, warts and all, the story of Madonna's marriage to Sean Penn. It's a pacy tempo, straight-up pop tune, albeit with a slightly dark tinge to the arrangement, and lyrics that pull no punches. The amazing Promise To Try is sombre and emotionally wrenching; a piano ballad with beautifully sweeping string arrangements that deals with the death of Madonna's mother (which happened when Madonna was a young child). It's the pick of the deeply personal tracks, though not by much over the almost as brilliant Oh Father. This is the second time I've heard the song (it was covered by Sia on her album We Are Born) and it's remarkable; dealing in unabashed honesty about the relationship between Madonna and her father, the strings are powerful and Madonna's vocal is laced with emotion. 

Elsewhere, the Prince collaboration Love Song is straight out of the Prince playbook. Sleazy, funky R & B with a seductive edge, Prince contributes some typically cool vocals and funky guitar licks. Prince also shows up on the funk tune Keep It Together, which features some damn fine slap bass work. Spanish Eyes is another pop ballad with light flicks of castanet for percussion, and a terrific vocal from Madonna, and Dear Jessie takes some of the psychedelic Beatles tunes (Mr Kite in particular) and creates a lush reimagining of 60s pop, resplendent with a mid-song time signature change to a waltz.

And then....there's the final track Act of Contrition. Basically this is Madonna gone avant-garde, as samples of the gospel choir from Like A Prayer are sequenced backwards, along with some percussion; meanwhile, over the top of that, Prince (again) plays a simply mindblowing shredding guitar solo while Madonna freeforms a prayer vocal that, eventually, descends into madness (the final line of the album is Madonna screaming, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER?!!?!?!"). It's weird as fuck and for that reason I LOVE IT.

The Verdict

Look, I don't like Madonna, it's no secret. 

And yet, this album is insanely good. Such is the breadth of influences and styles on the album, it is never a boring listen. Madonna is every inch the superstar of pop here, and proves herself to be one hell of a songwriter too.

This is a highly recommended album. If I loved it, anyone can.

My rating: *****

Standout Tracks

Promise To Try

Like A Prayer

Love Song