BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1989
Originally posted August 16, 2013
“Like a Prayer” is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her fourth studio album of the same name. Sire Records released it as the album’s lead single on March 3, 1989. Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the track heralded an artistic and personal approach to songwriting for Madonna, who believed that she needed to cater more to her adult audience. Thematically the song speaks about a passionate young girl in love with God, who becomes the only male figure in her life.
“Like a Prayer” was acclaimed by critics and was a worldwide success. It was Madonna’s seventh number-one single on the United States’ Billboard Hot 100 and topped the singles charts in many other countries, including Australia, Canada, Spain, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Rolling Stone listed “Like a Prayer” among The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The music video, directed by Mary Lambert, portrays Madonna witnessing a young white woman being killed by a group of white men. While a black man is arrested for the murder, Madonna hides in a church for safety, seeking strength to go forth as a witness. The clip depicts a church and Catholic symbols such as stigmata. It also features the Ku Klux Klan’s burning crosses and a dream about kissing a black saint. The Vatican condemned the video, while family and religious groups protested against its broadcast. They boycotted products by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi, who had used the song in their commercial. The company canceled their sponsorship contract with Madonna but allowed her to retain the fee.
It was long thought that the album version contained no Prince input, and only some of the remixes contain Prince’s guitar playing, however in a 2014 interview Patrick Leonard, the song’s producer revealed it’s actually Prince on guitar at the very beginning of the song before the door slams.
The 12-inch containing the versions with a bit more of Prince’s uncredited guitar input was released three weeks prior to the album’s release on Like A Prayer, the album’s first single. The ‘Dub Beats’ version, remixed by Bill Bottrell, also contains a sample of the studio version of Bob George, five years before its official release.
In the United States a promotional 12″ single was released to club and radio disc jockeys to help promote the song. This promotional 12″ contained three exclusive Dub Mixes.
EAST SIDE:
Like A Prayer (12″ Dance Mix) 7:50
Edited By – Junior Vasquez, Shep Pettibone
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Dave Way
Engineer [Remix Engineer] – Michael Hutchinson
Producer [Additional Production], Remix –Shep Pettibone
Programmed By [Programming] – Fred McFarlane
Like A Prayer (Instra Dub) 6:10
Edited By – Junior Vasquez, Shep Pettibone
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Dave Way
Engineer [Remix Engineer] – Michael Hutchinson
Producer [Additional Production], Remix –Shep Pettibone
Programmed By [Programming] – Fred McFarlane
Like A Prayer (Bass Dub) 5:47
Edited By – Junior Vasquez, Shep Pettibone
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Dave Way
Engineer [Remix Engineer] – Michael Hutchinson
Producer [Additional Production], Remix –Shep Pettibone
Programmed By [Programming] – Fred McFarlane
WEST SIDE:
Like A Prayer (12″ Club Version) 6:35
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Robert Salcedo*
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Bill Bottrell
Like A Prayer (Dub Beats) 4:40
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Robert Salcedo*
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Bill Bottrell
Like A Prayer (7″ Remix/Edit) 5:41
Engineer [Additional Engineering] – Robert Salcedo*
Producer [Additional Production], Remix – Bill Bottrell
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Like A Prayer | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #1 |
| 1989 | Like A Prayer | U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary | #3 |
| 1989 | Like A Prayer | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #1 |
| 1989 | Like A Prayer | U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles | #20 |
| 1989 | Like A Prayer | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Year-End | #25 |
| 1989 | Like A Prayer | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Year-End | #10 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – PRO-A-3472
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Mastered At – Sheffield Lab Matrix – △24341
Producer [Produced By], Written-By – Madonna, Patrick Leonard
Produced For – Mastermix Productions
NOTES:
Additional Production and Remix for Mastermix Productions.
From the Sire album LIKE A PRAYER.
Promotional Copy. Not For Sale.
Made in U.S.A.
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Password: burningtheground
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