Madonna isn't afraid to bear all as she unleashes her divinely ordained navel (or something else..?) on the world.
The mid-eighties witnessed the lapse of Madonna into a chasm of manufactured tedium. The grossly uninspiring Like A Virgin album, followed by the commendable but not exactly mind-melting True Blue were indicators of a seemingly vapid woman, devoid of any creative talents. The mistress of marketing prioritized image over substance, tacky personas over emotional honesty. Her career was beginning to look deciduous.
Like A Prayer was a crucial change in direction for Madonna, and her first and finest attempt at establishing herself artistically. Madge has cast off her old skin of shallow deceit in favour of outright honesty and self-exploration, taking no punches either lyrically or musically. She is explicit about the painful disintegration of her marriage ("Till Death Do Us Part"), her rather complex family values ("Oh Father", "Keep It Together") and even her feelings of grief for her mother, who died of cancer ("Promise to Try"). It's touching and powerful stuff.
The production values (each track is co-produced by Madonna herself) are as intricate and finely crafted as the poignant lyrics. The title track, "Like A Prayer", is layered with base-heavy guitar riffs and Patrick Leonard's typical resonant pop-beats, backed vocally by a divine and benevolent sounding black gospel choir. The song borders somewhere between the spiritual and profane, but the subversive innuendo is just an extra cookie in the jar this time round. It is essentially a woman questioning the value of religion and commonly accepted beliefs, and a violent celebration of intellectual freedom.
Madonna's surprisingly sophisticated quality in songcraft continues throughout the entire album (alas, not her career). "Oh Father", a ballad teeming with emotion, dissects Madonna's ambivalent feelings towards her hit-and-miss father. It also builds on the album's spiritual theme by implying this troubled relationship extends to God. The somber lyrics dangle on depressing. "You can't hurt me now/I got away from you, I never thought I would." Nevertheless, she uses the bad love as an opportunity for self-empowerment, a behaviour she replicates in "Promise to Try", a gentle, heartfelt ballad where a heartbroken girl promises her dying mother that she will try to do her best in life. Madonna ultimately chooses strength over sorrow.
"Love Song" is a clever duet with fellow hypersexual turned religious pop icon, Prince. Its lyrics are wry, the production harmonious. "Till Death Do Us Part" continues the religious/sexual symbolism that has since become iconic (and frequently imitated to this day. I'm looking at you, Britney). Madonna recounts her failed marriage, her feelings of animosity and regret, and her concern for Sean Penn's well-being. A holy melody sets the romantic mood.
"Pray For Spanish Eyes" bravely tackles the fear surrounding the AIDS epidemic of the late eighties, and laments the death of her gay friend who died of said disease. It's a beautiful melody laced with melancholy and outrage, heightened by spanish instrumentation and bellowing trumpets. Madonna sounds as if she's about to burst into tears. It's definitely a rare aberration in her lengthy career.
It may sound a tad personal, but the work is arranged in a way that makes the hardships as universal as humanly possible. And it's certainly not all gloom and doom; "Cherish" is as sunny as it is sonorous, with its hit-making feel-good lyrics and triumphant beats. The strong and sexy "Express Yourself" helps provide some relief from the turmoil, too, creating a fine balance that refrains from emotional discrimination. "Dear Jessie" exudes a Sgt. Pepperish aura of simplicity and consolation. It makes a good foil for the more emotionally ruptured tracks.
Funk-laden "Keep It Together" deals with Madonna's feelings of suffocation amongst her various siblings and the need for independence. It's only when Madonna experiences the cruelty of the world does she realize how precious and reliable her siblings are (note; Madonna and her camp as crystal brother are currently at loggerheads). The album closes with "Act of Contrition", aptly produced by 'The powers that Be'. Her cheeky sense of irony ends the album on a humorous note.
From beginning to end, Like A Prayer is kind to the ears and cruel to the heart, as spiritual as it is timeless. I have listened to this album countless times, from beginning to end, and it never gets old. Like A Prayer is, without a question, Madonna's best and most consistent album. It's one of the elite few pop albums that must be owned by anyone serious about music. A seminal must-have!
Madonna - Like A Prayer (review)
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