Your Opinion On Like A Prayer?

[MDNA22 656]

Brilliant album.  The title track is arguably the best and most brilliant song she ever made, love the motown sound on Express Yourself for the album version, Till Death Us Do Part amazing song, Promise To Try and Oh Father just brilliant song writing emotion, Cherish is so fun and catchy and Keep It Together deserved to be  single and have it's own video.  The Shep Pettibone /Blond Ambition remix for Express Yourself was really great .

Am not that keen on Dear Jessie os Spanish Eyes

I think Vogue belongs less on Like a Prayer than it does on I'm Breathless 

Love that is was a concept album . I think though Confessions, Erotica and Ray of Light beat it

[Voguerista 7,602]

This album sent Madonna’s career into another realm of its own. I think it’s at this point people really started thinking of Madonna as a true artist and song writer. ...and furthermore that she was going to be around for a long time to come in a diverse and unafraid way. 

[Craigypants 12,889]

5 hours ago, thegoldencalf said:

It’s not. It was recorded way after LAP was completed and with a different intention than the songs on the album.

There are similarities to the mixes but not to anything on the actual album. Also the lyrical content is totally out of sync with the rest of the songs.

Like A Prayer is a concept album dealing with specific themes and closes full circle with Act Of Contrition. There’s no room for anything else on it. 

Also there’s a conceptual intent of Vogue as a closer for I’m breathless that was brilliantly done. By transitioning with Following part II from the period sound to contemporary. While keeping the theme of the album through the lyrics.

Your right. Vogue was recorded when Warner asked her to come up with a B side for Keep it Together so, Long after Like A Prayer was Completed. They gave her $5000. Her and Shep recorded it in a Dive Basement in New York.  I would say that is the best $5000 they EVER spent. When WB heard it, they shit their pants and said NO, This is a SMASH and Keep it together was relegated to B side EXCEPT, In Australia, where its a Double A Side. Both songs are counted as Number 1's and a Live Version of KIT was broadcast as a Video clip down here, She has the ponytail. Its the same thing as Angel/Into The Groove down here another double A Side.? How do I remember that and I cant remember what i did 3 days ago??‍♂️??

[Aiwa08 9,001]

3 hours ago, RUADJAI said:

 But it always seems out of place to me except for on the Immaculate Collection. 

 

Vogue belonging to the Immaculate Collection? I have never thought about it. It makes sense.

When I've said that Vogue belongs to Like A Prayer, I'm taking into consideration Express Yourself and Keep It Together remixed by Shep Pettibone (not the album versions) and the song being created as KIT B-Side. As I've said (in my opinion) the album would be 100 % perfect replacing the album versions by the single versions.

I'm totally agree with @Ziggy Stardust, Vogue feels so out of place on I'm Breathless. But you are right about Vogue & The Immaculate Collection. TIC uses the Shep's remixes.

[Fernando 355]

..Just Her Best album ..

[thegoldencalf 8,715]

4 hours ago, Ziggy Stardust said:

 Im Breathless will not be included in this reissue campaign, the official statement seemed to only make mention of her studio albums. The weird thing about Vogue is that the track feels so out of place on Im Breathless, the song was so big when it came out but everyone thought of it as a single. I agree with you that it belongs on the Immaculate Collection. 

From the original press release:

”The deal encompasses her ENTIRE Sire/Maverick/Warner catalog”

And below:

”the new pact includes 17 studio albums plus singles, SOUNDTRACK RECORDINGS, live albums, and compilations.”

To me this sounds like it encompasses I’m Breathless as well

[Skyline Pigeon 2,007]

17 minutes ago, thegoldencalf said:

From the original press release:

”The deal encompasses her ENTIRE Sire/Maverick/Warner catalog”

And below:

”the new pact includes 17 studio albums plus singles, SOUNDTRACK RECORDINGS, live albums, and compilations.”

To me this sounds like it encompasses I’m Breathless as well

Im Breathless still does not sound like something that Vogue should be on, thanks for correcting me about the press release though.

[Drownedboy 459]

One more controversy note: I prefer much more Express Yourself with its original funky version much more than the remixed one that came in IC. Obviously Like a prayer is quintessential in the album version, but I must say that the version that makes me one dance is the Inmaculate Collection one!! The good thing is having both version together, so good both of them. Nowadays, we have superdeluxe editions with 28 songs I almost don´t like....

[Skyline Pigeon 2,007]

28 minutes ago, Drownedboy said:

One more controversy note: I prefer much more Express Yourself with its original funky version much more than the remixed one that came in IC. Obviously Like a prayer is quintessential in the album version, but I must say that the version that makes me one dance is the Inmaculate Collection one!! The good thing is having both version together, so good both of them. Nowadays, we have superdeluxe editions with 28 songs I almost don´t like....

If im being honest, the Immaculate Collection is not something I am crazy about, I find the remixed versions are often inferior to the originals The Immaculate version of Express Yourself sounds terrible compared to the original album version because it lacks those amazing drum beats which make it one of my all time favorite Madonna songs. In my opinion, its always a horrible idea to tone down drums in an upbeat song like Express Yourself, take a listen to both versions and see that the original is 50 times better and it still pisses me off that the original was not used for the music video.

 

 

[Aiwa08 9,001]

@Ziggy Stardust If you prefer the album version over the house remix, then take a listen to the 7'' Remix. I think it's better than the album version and it sounds like the album version (but it's a remix by Shep Pettibone). And there is an official video-clip with this version:

Same with "Like A Prayer". It's almost identical to the album version but better (another remix made by Shep Pettibone)

Many people can't differentiate these single versions from the album versions. I would love an official re-issue with these versions instead the original album versions. Even Cherish it's a remix in the single version with new sounds but It still sounds like the album version (the same with Keep It Together, but that version was released only as promo).

[Skyline Pigeon 2,007]

57 minutes ago, Aiwa08 said:

@Ziggy Stardust If you prefer the album version over the house remix, then take a listen to the 7'' Remix. I think it's better than the album version and it sounds like the album version (but it's a remix by Shep Pettibone). And there is an official video-clip with this version:

Same with "Like A Prayer". It's almost identical to the album version but better (another remix made by Shep Pettibone)

Many people can't differentiate these single versions from the album versions. I would love an official re-issue with these versions instead the original album versions. Even Cherish it's a remix in the single version with new sounds but It still sounds like the album version (the same with Keep It Together, but that version was released only as promo).

Holy Fuck!!!!! I think I just shot a load, this sounds incredible. Thank You so much, definitely my new favorite version of the song.

[mouse 248]

2 hours ago, Aiwa08 said:

 Same with "Like A Prayer". It's almost identical to the album version but better (another remix made by Shep Pettibone) 

personally I always preferred the album version, more refined/authentic with its original drums and just the choir on the verses

on the 7th I like less the synth pads added on the verses and the more synthetic drums

but both are awesome

[Skyline Pigeon 2,007]

11 minutes ago, mouse said:

personally I always preferred the album version, more refined/authentic with its original drums and just the choir on the verses

on the 7th I like less the synth pads added on the verses and the more synthetic drums

but both are awesome

Whichever version you prefer, I think we can all agree that the one that was put on Immaculate Collection was dreadful compared to either of these. I hate how tiny the instrumentals sound compared to the original.

[mouse 248]

2 hours ago, Ziggy Stardust said:

Whichever version you prefer, I think we can all agree that the one that was put on Immaculate Collection was dreadful compared to either of these. I hate how tiny the instrumentals sound compared to the original.

Totally agree. The IC version is so flat 

[thegoldencalf 8,715]

11 hours ago, Ziggy Stardust said:

Im Breathless still does not sound like something that Vogue should be on, thanks for correcting me about the press release though.

That’s your personal preference. I think it was a great closer and they integrated it perfectly 

[luluthecat 558]

hhhhmmmm.....It's like the template of what a Madonna album should be. Perfection. 

It doesn't have hit after hit like True Blue, it just works as a whole.

[cake 245]

i became full blown Madonna fan with Express Yourself single/video release. i wasn't too crazy about the title track, though. Like a Prayer was so different from Madonna's dance pop hits and all the controversy was a bit overwhelming. I do love LAP now of course. Like a Prayer is her best album in my opinion.

[Aiwa08 9,001]

10 minutes ago, cake said:

i became full blown Madonna fan with Express Yourself single/video release. i wasn't too crazy about the title track, though. Like a Prayer was so different from Madonna's dance pop hits and all the controversy was a bit overwhelming. I do love LAP now of course. Like a Prayer is her best album in my opinion.

Haha. This is exactly my story. I love LAP (7'' Version) very much now, but It's not really special for me. With Express Yourself (video and remix), my brain shorted out and I became a fan. 

[Skyline Pigeon 2,007]

1 hour ago, thegoldencalf said:

That’s your personal preference. I think it was a great closer and they integrated it perfectly 

You know, its uncalled for every time I say something to say that its my opinion, this is a discussion forum, I am aware that this is my opinion.

[Robertson Penn 2,369]

On 1/5/2022 at 5:05 PM, Ziggy Stardust said:

 Ok, time for round 3 of me ranting about Madonna's body of work. This album is hands down the best thing she ever put out in the 80's and better than all her 90's music except for Erotica and Ray of Light in my opinion. Express Yourself might be my favorite Madonna song, it is the ultimate anthem of what she has done her entire career. The artistic growth from her debut up to LAP is incredible, especially when it comes to her music videos, Oh Father being my favorite one for personal reasons, it was her first album that really got to me in an emotional way. Even the tracks I was not initially crazy about like Love Song have grown on me over the years I was aware and interested in Madonna from the start but Like A Prayer was the album that made me a lifelong fan, even the cover is amazing, so simple and sexy at the same time. This album will always be pop perfection in my mind and a top 4 Madonna album. It is literally all the best things about her rolled into one, it is fun, controversial, danceable, thought provoking. emotional, rocking and the greatest way she could ever have closed out the first phase of her career and transitioned into the 90's, it has really stood the test of time better than any 80's pop record by a female artist in my opinion, always fresh and exciting, I never get tired of it.  What does everyone else think about Like A Prayer?

Well this is the album that made me a-hater-became-a-fan (I think it's because of the bandwagon hate that people made) and I thought this was a satanic album.

 

This was and is an excellent album that made me realize that Madonna is just a human like us, adding the fact that I can relate to the lyrics of the song "Oh Father". Like M, I also have a hard feelings towards my father that ended up understanding and still trying to understand him because of this song.

 

"Maybe someday

When I look back I'll be able to say

You didn't mean to be cruel

Somebody hurt you too..."

 

These lines hit me the hardest. A woman that I hated is the one who will make me cry and will teach me how to love and understand. This album is one of the foundation of my today's maturity. The album that I will treasure all my life and my most favorite.

 

Edit: This was 2018 when I first listen to this album. After I was amazed, I rushed to the thrift/record store to buy that cassette, which later I discovered it was a Canadian press.

[musicinferno 2,103]

For its time, it was perfect. I still prefer the single mixes of LAP and Express Yourself better though. The only songs I dislike are Till Death Do Us Part and Dear Jessie, but the rest is stunning. 

[thegoldencalf 8,715]

18 hours ago, Ziggy Stardust said:

You know, its uncalled for every time I say something to say that its my opinion, this is a discussion forum, I am aware that this is my opinion.

Of course, it’s a given that it’s your opinion. But what I said is that it’s a matter of preference, which is different. Since you worded it like the inclusion of Vogue on IB is an objective mistake or some kind of error that should be corrected 

[stefo 3,768]

On 1/5/2022 at 10:05 AM, Ziggy Stardust said:

 Ok, time for round 3 of me ranting about Madonna's body of work. This album is hands down the best thing she ever put out in the 80's and better than all her 90's music except for Erotica and Ray of Light in my opinion. Express Yourself might be my favorite Madonna song, it is the ultimate anthem of what she has done her entire career. The artistic growth from her debut up to LAP is incredible, especially when it comes to her music videos, Oh Father being my favorite one for personal reasons, it was her first album that really got to me in an emotional way. Even the tracks I was not initially crazy about like Love Song have grown on me over the years I was aware and interested in Madonna from the start but Like A Prayer was the album that made me a lifelong fan, even the cover is amazing, so simple and sexy at the same time. This album will always be pop perfection in my mind and a top 4 Madonna album. It is literally all the best things about her rolled into one, it is fun, controversial, danceable, thought provoking. emotional, rocking and the greatest way she could ever have closed out the first phase of her career and transitioned into the 90's, it has really stood the test of time better than any 80's pop record by a female artist in my opinion, always fresh and exciting, I never get tired of it.  What does everyone else think about Like A Prayer?

Wow, I could have written this myself, really impressed 

It was the album that definitely made me a convinced fan. Oh father is still one of my faves, still remember when, at the age of eleven, translating the lyrics of the tracks, I realized what was it about, having a violent father myself (I had the same strong feeling a few years later, at the age of 14 when I listened to Why's it so hard for the first time ). I still appreciate the complexity and cohesiveness of the sound and lyrics, it's one of those records you can still listen from beginning to end and be amazed by.

The balck funk mood of the dance tracks (I think that the album version of Keep it together, even if very vintage, is still great today) and the beautiful melodies of the pop-slow tunes. It's intimate (the lyrics of Till death do us part and Promise to try are peaks she hardly repeated) and gritty (Express Yourself and her backing vocals are, once again, unparalleled in her catalogue imo), mature (Like a Prayer, Promise to try, Oh father and Pray for Spanish Eyes are masterpieces), committed (from the Like a Prayer video to the Pray for Spanish Eyes lyrics) and joyfull at the same time (Cherish is such a bop, naive and funny as the perfect adolescent kind of song should be, presented with such an elegant b&w video).

Not a huge fan of Dear Jessie, massive fan of Act of Contriction, wich I used to hope she would have used at least as an interlude in one of her shows. The duet with Prince is sexy and lush, even if I think his personality and musical genius stole her the scene almost completely.

In my top three with EROTICA and RAY OF LIGHT  Thanx for the thread.

[Drownedboy 459]

Don ´t you think that as great as this era was, and crucial for her carreer, that album, as the music one, could have had more life than it had? I mean, the whole brunette imaginery was cut I think before the album came, because of the making of Dick tracy, and that changed everything. Keep it together could have been biger with a clip, and Blode ambition, as amazing and crucial as it was, was promoting dick tracy and vogue too, but Like a prayer deserved a tour on it´s own, the like a prayer tour that was firstly considered. The same happened with Music or MDNA or Rebel Heart and even with Hard candy,they could have had more singles but I think she was into the drowned world tour and cut all the promotion. Bedtime stories, True Blue, ROL, COADF or Erotica I think were developed to its full potential, even if some of the lacked a tour, as ROL, but the promo was amazing.

Edited January 9 by Drownedboy

[DrunkBySix 317]

It's a great album! I love how she combined sex and prayer into the title track. It was very clever, maybe even a little bit blasphemous, daring, and easily one of her best songs, both lyrically and musically. I also really enjoy "Express Yourself," "Keep It Together," "Spanish Eyes," and "Act of Contrition" ("What do you mean it's not in the computer!?"). I've never been that fond of "Love Song," "Cherish," or "Promise to Try" - this last one just sounds flat and boring to me. 

This album, in my opinion, sprouted one of her most creative periods, not to mention awesome music videos to match. The "Oh Father" music video is so beautifully done and one of her most underrated pieces of art. 

I've grown quite attached to this whole era of her work and the way she presented herself as a true songwriter and proved to all her naysayers she was more than just a one-hit wonder.