Song · Madonna
“Like a Prayer” by Madonna
From the album Like a Prayer (1989)
“Like a Prayer” by Madonna appears on 15 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 2001 and 2026. It was first released in 1989 on the album Like a Prayer. Its best result is #23 on the WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #489 indie & aaa song of all time and #70 of the '80s.
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"Like a Prayer" opened Madonna's fourth album of the same name as its lead single on March 3, 1989, and it marked a new seriousness: writing and producing with Patrick Leonard, she went for something more personal, pitched at the grown-ups in her audience. The record throws pop rock, dance-pop, gospel and a streak of funk into one pot, a choir lifting her up and a rock guitar slashing through, with Guy Pratt on bass and Bill Bottrell engineering and mixing. The churchy language cuts both ways, and plenty of listeners heard sex as well as faith in it.
Mary Lambert's video, heavy with Catholic imagery, burning crosses and a kiss for a black saint, drew condemnation from the Vatican, and Pepsi dropped its sponsorship deal with her. Critics, meanwhile, started treating her as an artist rather than just a pop star, and Rolling Stone later counted it among the 500 greatest songs.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1815 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2007 | 612 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2009 | 779 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2012 | 232 | WYEP | WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown | 500 |
| 2014 | 514 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) | 885 |
| 2018 | 249 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs | 892 |
| 2020 | 776 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2021 | 274 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2022 | 949 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 | 603 |
| 2023 | 282 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
| 2023 | 228 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time | 909 |
| 2024 | 168 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years | 1049 |
| 2024 | 282 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
| 2026 | 23 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s | 498 |
| 2026 | 613 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
Also listed as: Like A Prayer.
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