25...

Madonna's iconic 4th album Like A Prayer turns 25 today!!!

Still one of her best albums, it was her first complete album of new recordings since True Blue in 1986. Fans had been waiting impatiently for a new album and I still remember hearing the title track for the very first time on late night radio - not knowing she was about to (finally) release some new material.



Because of Madonna, and that album, a few weeks later I met a guy at school who had just transferred there. He had of course heard about my Madonna obsession and since he was also a big fan he introduced himself to me. He became my best friend throughout my teens and he was the one that lent me the album (on cassette, no less) because I still hadn´t gotten a copy of it (it later became my very first CD, although I didn't even own a CD player at the time). Another one of my best friends at the time also owned and odored the record, so in 1989, wherever I was, there was Like A Prayer.

I absolutely adored the album - it was very different from her previous work and much more adult. It became apparent that a lot of my schoolmates felt that the album was indeed a bit "too adult" and were happy with listening to the likes of New Kids On The Block. I however couldn't get enough of the album - it proved to be the perfect transition album for Madonna (and good a preparation for fans for her even more un-shiny, un-pop I'm Breathless album a year later).





Every track is a standout - besides the excellent singles, album tracks like "Promise To Try" (about coming to terms with the death of her mother) and "Till Death Do Us Part" (about her failed marriage to Sean Penn) were much more personal than any of her previous songs. Rolling Stone called the album "as close to art as pop music can get" and it was generally very, very well received. It proved once and for all that Madonna was a force to be reckoned with and that she was not about to go anywhere, despite the loud voices of everyone who wanted her gone from day one.



The album was a massive commercial success as well, topping almost every album chart in the world and selling well over 15 million copies. Sadly, nothing has been done by Warner Bros records (or Madonna) to mark the occasion of the album's 25th anniversary. A remastered CD is BADLY needed, but as per usual nothing happens...



Here is a track by track review of the album by Billboard to celebrate the milestone!



A blast from the past:



Do check out a new interview from Billboard with producer Patrick Leonard here. Sadly he seems to confirm that they are currently NOT working together on Madonna's new album...

The final word goes to the queen herself:

"25 yeArs later and I'm still praying! #revolutionoflove #artforfreedom #rebelheart"