Like A Prayer

"The treatment for the video is a lot more controversial. It's probably going to touch a lot of nerves in a lot of people. And the treatment for the commercial is . . . I mean, it's a commercial. It's very, very sweet. It's very sentimental."            

                                             -Madonna, on the difference between the pepsi commercial and her own video.

Lyrics:

"I only care about three things: sex, religion, and death."

                                                                            - Madonna

    In 1989, Pepsi was seeking a celebrity spokesperson for their newst ad campaign. Madonna was the obvious choice. Until this year, the material girl was only slightly racy. For the most part, she sang about romance and finding the next big party. Madonna was the perfect celebrity to advertize to a teen audience. 

    Pepsi and Madonna recorded a wholesome commercial featuring her song "Like a Prayer". It aired in 40 countries in one night, and was well recieved. The Pepsi executives were pleased with their success, until Madonna released her real music video the very next day. This scandal caused so much controversy that Madonna was promptly dropped from the campaign, the commercial pulled from international TV. 

    Madonna's version of the "Like a Prayer" video touched on many taboo subjects that Pepsi had obviously avoided. In the video, Madonna, wearing revealing lingerie, witnesses a crime. The storyline jumps from inside a church to the street where the crime has occurred. Inside, a saint-like figure comes to life and makes love to the young Madonna. While outside, a group of thugs run away from an assaulted woman and Madonna's religious lover is blamed. The video also features an iconic scene where the scantily clad pop star dances in front of a field of burning crosses.

    Critics called Madonna's video as artistic, and praised her for her daring attitude. The devout religious were offended by the themes in Madonna's video, stating her intimate relationship with the saint (which also happened to be interracial) as one of its key issues. The Pope released a statment shunning Madonna for her behaviour. But for Madonna, it was a completely different story.

    Madonna describes the song and the video as an exploration of a young girls love for God. Madonna's character loved God so much that her imagination created him into a lover. It was intended to praise, not to offend or shock.

    The controversy created by Madonna's video, song, and her issues with the Pepsi company brought about excellent publicity for her. Her album went on to go multi platinum, and 25 years later the video has millions of views on YouTube. Was this the goal of Madonna's behaviour? Or was she really just attempting to express herself and reflect on her religious upbringing? Provide your opinion in the poll below.