Textual Analysis – Like A Prayer by Madonna

As one of the most controversial music videos of all time, Like A Prayer shows themes of violence, religion and racism. It was extremely uncommon to see such a controversial music video It portrays different historical connotations, such as, the burning crucifixes, the stigmata on Madonna's hands, and the setting being mirrored from a church to a prison.

A Ku Klux Klan Ceremony

Madonna dancing provocatively in
front of burning crucifixes

Filtered scene to show past

Men 'raping' the woman in the sequence

Through the use of burning crucifixes, there is a direct relation to the Ku Klux Klan as they were a very aggressive and violent all white group who would set fire to burning crucifixes in front of the houses of black people to signify they are about to or have just killed a black person. They ruthlessly killed black men without trial and were an extremely controversial topic at the time that Madonna released her music video in 1989. The use of burning crucifixes is a direct connotation of the Ku Klux Klan and racism, however it also links to religion. The fact that throughout the sequence Madonna dances in front of the Crucifixes is very controversial, however it is confusing as to whether she is celebrating the KKK or mocking them. Madonna wears a crucifix throughout the whole sequence signifying that religion is a vital symbol in this video as well as where her values and opinions lie. This adds to the controversy to the video, as Christians were at that point in time the more racist religion, therefore exposing the idea that not all christians are racist, or that she may have some underlying feelings about racism. Through Richard Dyer's Star theory we can see the extreme repercussions that this video may have had, as Madonna was a largely influential singer among many different audiences, whom would have been influenced by the Like A Prayer music video. That connotation therefore reminds the audience throughout the whole video the aspect of religion that plays a key party in the civil rights movement at the time. Through the use of editing, we are able to see that the beginning has a filter which means it is set in the past and therefore triggers the historical element in the music video, it also uses slow motion to give it a more dramatic and intense scene, while the non diegetic sound of the organ plays at the beginning of the song which then further emphasizes the drama and importance of the sequence.

The Black man being framed

There is also a lot of controversy towards Madonna's Like A Prayer music video as it showed extreme racism, and certain argued ideologies at the time. Not only, is a black man framed for murder which was a very common and hushed issue at the time, but there are many aspects leading to the conclusion that the black man in the church is Jesus. Firstly, through sound we can see that the use of choir and organs at that time in pop music was uncommon which created controversy as to what music was and if a white woman should be singing such a soulful song. It also created confusion as to the connotations that come with her genre of music and how she is portrayed as an artist. The scene in which we see Jesus as a black man is extremely controversial to all audiences as firstly he is shown as a statue that is crying, therefore subverting the image of statues being emotionless and also the fact that he is of skin colour that, at that time, was suppressed and known as 'slaves'. This can be seen through the use of camera work as there is a low angle close up shot on the tears when he is crying therefore emphasising him crying as well as making him look more godly. Then the editing creates juxtaposition by making the next shot a high angle shot on Madonna on her knees, therefore giving her a weaker and desperate image, as she bows down to a black Jesus. At this point, the mise-en-scene further emphasises Madonna's role in the sequence as the back lighting gives her an angelic, innocent and virgin like quality, which is changed in the rest of the sequence. The use of a statue for Jesus also plays with the idea that Jesus is not real, and he is a simply a statue/image in christian minds, this would have created a lot of controversy among the Christian people, which was the majority of US citizens in the 80's. To further add on to the controversy, Jesus then proceeds to 'kiss' Madonna, which implies that he has taken her virginity. This is done by creating a short sequence that shows Madonna falling to heaven, possibly suggesting orgasm, and being pushed back into reality by a black woman, further emphasising the racist issues addressed in this music video. Further into the sequence, after she has released Jesus she then picks up a knife, prop, that cuts her hands creating stigmata which then changes the sequence and implies that Madonna herself is Jesus. This may be one of the most controversial parts of the sequence as it is suggesting now Jesus is a woman. This creates a sense of mockery of christians through the use of mise-en-scene and camera work.

Low angle shot of statue

Low angle shot of Madonna

Stigmata on Madonna's hands

In conclusion, this music video was extremely controversial as Madonna was a very big role model at the time and many people admired her, including younger audiences. Many parents were shocked themselves at the video and did not want their children to be influenced by it. It has a lot of violence and sexual connotations that would not be suitable for a younger audience therefore creating a large amount of controversy. Every aspect, arguably, of this music video has a connotation that would have created a lot of controversy, hence why it is one of the most controversial music videos of all time, as it related to modern day issues and touched upon them in a very risky and touchy manner.