The All-TIME 100 Albums: Like a Prayer by Madonna

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The All-TIME 100 Albums

29 of 101

By Josh Tyrangiel Published: November 13, 2006

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ALBUM: Like a Prayer

YEAR RELEASED: 1989 LABEL: Sire/London/Rhino ARTIST: Madonna

TIME 100 ALBUMS PODCASTS

PODCAST: Welcome to the All-TIME 100 Albums - the musical compilations of the last half-century that need no introduction. That said, listen in below as music critics Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light introduce the list and talk about the top albums of the 1950s and '60s.

PODCAST: We know. Twenty-nine of the 100 greatest albums of all time come in the 1970s, and Pink Floyd isn't there. Play this podcast to learn why we picked the titles we did, and if you have something to say, tell us about it using the talkback link below.

PODCAST: Maybe it's a Sign O' The Times that you're listening to critics' audio recordings about great music, but this podcast about how we chose the best albums of the 1980s really is a Thriller. Give it a listen below.

PODCAST: Here's music even the younger set will know by heart. Listen to selected clips from the 1990s through present day as music critic Josh Tyrangiel discusses his picks.

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This is the moment Madonna peaked as a pop star and mass media manipulator. First, the manipulation. In the title's track's video, Madonna kisses a saint, shows off some self-induced stigmata and dances in a field of burning crosses. Caving in to protests from religious groups, Pepsi pulled out of a Madonna sponsorship deal (she held on to a $5 million payday) and the whole episode generated enough publicity to ensure the album's debut at No. 1. Brilliant. As it happens, so was the record. "Like a Prayer" was a genuinely soulful first single and "Express Yourself" merged Madonna's dance sensibility with her strongest feminist message. Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard and Prince (yes, that Prince) rescued the few middling tracks with production that elevated Madonna's voice out of its early bubble gum phase and into something resembling a real instrument.