Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' at 35: All Songs Ranked

“I'm booked! What do you mean it's not on the computer?” “Act of Contrition” boasts a killer payoff, arguably Madonna's best to round out an album, as the Queen of Pop lives up to her diva reputation in front of the Pearly Gates. But while it's always fun to listen to Madge leaning into her dry humor, there's not much singing here. With its slightly complex mix of distorted guitars (courtesy of Prince, at least in part), warped tapes and Catholic prayers, “Act of Contrition” feels more like an improvised jam session plucked from the vaults for a collection of oddities rather than an epilogue.a pop masterpiece. Listen here.

Two years before a planned duet with Michael Jackson fell through, Madonna managed to hit the studio with the only other '80s superstar-level artist, the inimitable Prince. Unfortunately, “Love Song” failed to live up to its A-list status. Things start promisingly with a seductive French come-on and the Purple One's signature guitar licks, but the pair sound more chummy than flirty on a sparse funk number that never really shifts into second gear. Listen here.

Although it continues Madonna's late-'80s penchant for Latin music sounds, “Spanish Eyes” is a different beast than the summer Hot 100-toppers “La Isla Bonita” and “Who's That Girl.” It's hard to imagine anyone dancing the samba to a mournful acoustic ballad that, thanks to lines like “How many lives must they take? How Much Heartache?'' has been interpreted as a lament for the victims of everything from war and gang violence to the AIDS epidemic. The fact that Like a Prayer came equipped with a safe-sex fact sheet about “equal opportunity disease” – another example of Madonna's powerful alliance – certainly adds weight to the latter. Listen here.

“Promise to Try” is one of several Madonna songs in which she addresses the devastation of losing her mother at a young age. However, in a clever but heartbreaking twist, this instrumental ballad finds the grown-up superstar pleading with her five-year-old self to keep her memory alive (“Little girl don't forget her face/Laughing away from your tears/When she was the one felt all the pain”). Of Like a PrayerIt's the rawest example of Madge's songwriting maturity and further proof that when it comes to emotion, she could match any of her peers. Listen here.

Families, huh? You can't live with them, you can't live without them. That's the general ethos of this Sly and the Family Stone-esque funk number in which Madonna acknowledges the bonds, however strained, with her father and seven siblings (“Because blood is thicker than any other circumstance”). “Keep It Together” may not boast Like a Prayerhis deepest feeling. However, it was a welcome foreshadowing of the club sounds that Madge would explore more strongly in the sequel and beyond. The fact that it reached the top 10 on the Hot 100 (thanks to a house-flavored remix) without a video also confirmed that she was still very much in the middle of her first empire phase. Listen here.

A real edge in Madonna's vast catalog, “Dear Jessie” sounds nothing like she's recorded before or since. As implied by the self-deprecating cover art that referred to her early on “Minnie Mouse in sun” reviews, it is definitely her most childish offering. Inspired by a studio visit by Leonard's daughter Jessie, this UK Top 10 hit takes listeners on a musical magic carpet ride filled with wondrous visions of pink elephants, leprechauns and mermaids. And the sense of play extends to the tempo-shifting production, which ranges from quirky lullaby to Sgt. Pepper-esque psychedelia with aplomb. Listen here.

In 2009, Madonna said Rolling rock that “Cherish” is one of the most “retarded” songs he's ever written. Even if he ignores the politically incorrect phrase, this is an example where he's wrong. Sure, Like a PrayerHis third single is frothier and more frivolous than its predecessors. However, his simple love story, inspired by the greatest of all (hence the classic couplet “Romeo and Juliet, never felt so dear”), provides a light relief that is needed amidst all the personal strife. A stunning video directed by Herb Ritts, in which Madge playfully frolicked in the sea, only added to its carefree appeal. Listen here.

On the surface, “Till Death Do Us Part” sounds like a complete party anthem. However, accompanying its driving rhythms and jingles is a rather poignant depiction of a marriage with little to celebrate. Without a doubt, Sean Penn's ex-husband's ears were burning – her filed for divorce just two months ago Like a PrayerHis release – as Madonna sings of degradation, betrayal and bruising, with the sound of breaking glass and references to flying vases evoking an atmosphere of domestic strife. Even though Madge sounds typically self-assured, the final line (“She's had enough, she says the end/But she'll be back, she knows it then”) suggests that the song's title is sadly too prophetic. Listen here.

Hailed by Leonard as Madonna's best co-script, this dramatic ballad finds the ice queen displaying a rare side of vulnerability while dissecting her complicated relationship with her disciplinarian father. You can almost hear her voice break when she touches on the abandonment issues she felt after her mother's death. But far from character assassination, Madge also acknowledges that his tough love may not have been entirely intentional (“Maybe someday/When I look back I'll be able to say/You didn't mean to be tough/Somebody hurt you a lot”). as a spiritual sequel to “Live to Tell,” “Oh Father” remains one of her most emotionally powerful moments. Listen here.

“Come on, girls! You believe in love? Because I have something to say about it. From its first call-to-arm, “Express Yourself” is Madonna in full-on self-reliance mode. Five years after she cheekily declared herself a Material Girl, the star has switched it up to tell fans that a man's emotional intelligence is more important than his bank balance. Accompanied by David Fincher's tribute to Fritz Lang's Camp Metropolis – then according to information the the most expensive video of all time – “Express Yourself” would be the track-de-resistance for any other pop album of the era. But with Madge firing on all cylinders, he had to settle for “second best, baby.” Listen here.

The video for “Like a Prayer” was deemed so blasphemous, practically everyone from Pepsi to the Pope he complained Madonna (Pepsi finally embraced the historic partnership, albeit three decades later). Even without all the controversial imagery, Madge's three-week No. 1 smash was likely to upset middle America, as its lyrics famously drew parallels between religious and sexual ecstasy. However, the title track has much more than shock value to offer, whether it's the slow funk-pop production, the gloriously uplifting harmonies from Andraé Crouch's gospel choir or Madonna's most commanding vocals of her glittering career.

“Life is a mystery,” says the opening line almost a cappella. Like a PrayerIts monumental success, however, certainly isn't. Watch here.