Official Charts Flashback: Looking back at Madonna's Like A Prayer, Number 1 30 years ago this week
Three decades ago, Madonna was already one of the biggest, most controversial pop stars on the planet, but things went next-level with Like A Prayer, the first single to be taken from her fourth studio album of the same name.
Madonna hadn't been doing much in the way of music for a couple of years, concentrating on the Who’s That Girl world tour, her movie career, and even made her Broadway debut, starring in David Mamet’s play Speed-the-Plow in 1988. Plus, she was starring in a very personal drama: the breakdown of her marriage to actor Sean Penn.
The first taste anyone got of Like A Prayer was a snippet in the primetime TV premiere of a multi-million dollar Pepsi commercial. So far, so straightforward marketing. But when Madonna unveiled Like A Prayer’s video – a cautionary tale about prejudices, presumptions, racism and violence with some then-shocking religious imagery thrown in – the whole ad campaign was pulled. Madonna kept the million, though.
Soon, the video's imagery of Madonna kissing what many termed a "black Jesus" but was actually St Martin de Porres, and breezily dancing in front of a few burning crosses became iconic, almost overshadowing the song itself. Not that Madonna would allow that to happen.
Like A Prayer saw Madonna go introspective for the first time, from the intro – an angry, powerful guitar riff played by none other than Prince – it was clear we were in new territory. If the chart was a battle, Madonna came fully armed, harnessing killer hooks, simple – and thus memorable lyrics – and, the crowning glory: a full gospel choir and some of the most recognisable ad-libs in pop.
MORE: See where Like A Prayer lands in Madonna's Official Top 20 biggest songs
No surprise, then, that it was Madonna’s sixth Number 1 in the UK, staying there for three weeks. In total, it’s sold 628,000 copies – it was the 11th bestselling single of 1989 – and has amassed almost 18 million audio streams in the UK since Official Charts started counting in 2014. Look back at Madonna's complete Official Chart history.
Madonna's album of the same name debuted at Number 1 the following week, and featured future Top 5 hits Express Yourself (which was remixed for its single release), Cherish and Dear Jessie. A 30th anniversary edition of the record has been released this week to mark its anniversary, featuring 12" and extended remixes of songs, plus a slightly tweaked tracklist.
Elsewhere in the UK Singles Chart 30 years ago this week, disco legend Donna Summer was back in the Top 3 for the first in almost ten years with the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced This Time I Know It’s For Real, Paula Abdul was enjoying her very first Top 5 hit with Straight Up, and Soul II Soul scored their first Top 10 hit with Keep On Movin featuring Caron Wheeler.
Further down, Lisa Stansfield was scoring her first hit with Coldcut, on People Hold On, and future Number 1 Eternal Flame – the original version by the Bangles – was a new Top 40 entry.
View the Top 100 Official Singles Chart from this week in 1989
Listen to the UK Top 40 from this week in 1989 on our streaming channels. Subscribe to our weekly Flashback playlist on Spotify and Deezer.
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de Sascha
Is she ever gonna have another #1 hit on the charts?
Her next single features Maluma . . .
NN
Nu No
It's possible. Didn't Cher got 3 numbers ones in the 90's (1991 / 1995 / 1998) after decades without a number one? (her previous number one was in 1965). Madonna had 4 number one hits in the past decade and her last one was a collaboration with Justin Timberlake in 2008. Her last TOP 40 Hit (top 20 on sales chart) was in 2015 but it wasn't a very strong song. She haven't released a song in 4 years. So all these years without new music and being a collaboration it may help her to get to number one if the song is good enough.
de Sascha
Hang on: American Pie - 2000
Music - 2000
Hung Up - 2005
Sorry - 2006
4 Minutes - 2008
I think Madonna was at the top of game last decade.
In this decade, she only released 2 albums at this point.
She used to release new music/singles/soundtracks in between, I really miss that about her.
Yes, I think Madonna will have another #1 at some point, she can pull it off if she really sets her mind to it.
So many times people have written her off, that's the moment when she comes back hard.
Rebel Heart 2015 was a good album in my opinion, but unfortunately most songs leaked in 2014.
She's overdue for a massive global hit, fingers crossed x
Fran Gavilan
Come back from where? She was on a non-stop succession of hits in True Blue even Who's That Girl....
Carta
Her last single release before "Like A Prayer" was in November 1987 ("The Look of Love"), so it had been 15 months since she had released anything (which can be a lifetime in the pop world). Given that she'd had (as you mentioned) a non-stop succession of hits for three years, her complete silence in 1988 was fairly shocking. The year away could easily have backfired on her, but she "came back" with a vengeance.
Fran Gavilan
We have a different meaning of a comeback. Believe of Cher was a comeback. The Look of Love was just the third single of a soundtrack. 15 months wasn't a lifetime back then.
Carta
Fair enough, but my definition matches the author of the article's. I disagree that 15 months wasn't an overly long period of time back then, though - it really was, hence the decision by Justin Myers to label "Like A Prayer" as a "comeback"...
NN
Nu No
Well... Michael Jackson always took 4 to 5 years to release a new album and often more than 24 months to release a new single. Was he always coming back? :O
Carta
You answered your own question there. As you said, he "always took 4-5 years to release a new album" (etc.), so that was his regular pattern. At that stage of her career, Madonna certainly hadn't gone more than a few months between releases, so their situations were completely different.