Madonna burst onto the public scene in 1984 with her hit song “Borderline.” She quickly gained popularity and began to cause controversy with her “inappropriate” behavior. For example,she posed nude for Penthouse Magazine, creating “raunchy” fashion trends for young teenage girls, and making trashy movies that completely flopped. Her songs and music videos are no exception, with her new and innovative style. This blog will focus on her hit “Like A Prayer,” which definitely has its share of controversy.
The first section that caught my eye when watching the music video was the image of the burning crosses while Madonna sings to the camera. When I first saw this section I instantly stood up from my chair and called my friend in the room because I couldn’t believe it. The cross is the symbol of Christianity and is a serious symbol that is normally not to be messed with (like a national flag). Seeing the cross engulfed in fire, symbolizing a destructive force, is very disturbing whether you are christian or not because we are always taught to not degrade one’s beliefs. Not only are the crosses burning behind her, but she isn’t even doing anything to stop it, therefore she’s a cross burner! I’m then conflicted because at this point the only time i’ve seen crosses burning have been related to depictions of the the Ku Klux Klan, which brings me to my next point.
Another controversial topic during the time period of this video is the scene where Madonna is being caressed and kissed by a man of color. While I personally feel that love has no boundaries, most people in America think otherwise. Unfortunately, the depiction of the white woman being the essence of true beauty was very strong during this time period, hence why you would never see a depiction of a white man and a black woman. Personally, I am inclined to believe that Madonna is in love with this man given that she sings “I hear you call my name, and it feels like home.” This makes me believe that when she hears this man’s name it makes her comfortable and feel safe as she lays on the ground in front of him almost as if his presence acts as her security.
The next scene that catches my eye is the scene of her randomly falling from the sky..At this point the lyrics she sings are
I hear your voice, it’s like an angel sighing
I have no choice, I hear your voice
Feels like flying
I close my eyes, oh God I think I’m falling
Out of the sky, I close my eyes
Heaven help me
This leads me to believe that her love for this man is almost a religious emotion. The symbol of her falling from the sky proves how hard she is falling in love. Strangely enough a priest eventually catches her and propels her back up into the sky.
Lastly, I would like to focus on the most important scene in my opinion which is the portrayal of Madonna witnessing a group of white men abusing a woman. Suddenly, the “Jesus” like black male enters the scene, however now he is dressed in normal human like clothing. As the man runs to rescue the woman the white men flee the scene leaving him alone with her. When the police finally get to the site they assume that the black man has committed the crime and arrest him, all while Madonna watches from a distance. I personally believe that Madonna wanted to include this in the video to make the statement that people of color have a terrible reputation of being criminals and even this “Jesus” like figure was misunderstood.
