10 Most Controversial Music Videos Ever
2. Madonna - Like A Prayer
Madonna has courted controversy throughout her career, and while there’s definitely been some rather desperate missteps, Like A Prayer marked a high point for her headline grabbing antics.
Cross burning and kissing a black Jesus alone would be enough to land her in hot water, but to her credit there was at least some artistry here.
Cross burning has long been a symbol of the KKK who, obviously, don’t like black people. The idea to have a black Jesus featured in the same video as burning crosses was the highlight the hypocrisy at the heart of the KKK, or any Christians with racism in their heart.
However, neither Madonna nor her record label explained these intentions at the time, preferring the bask in the publicity of controversy. It didn’t help that neither the kissing nor the stigmata play into this narrative either.
The video saw Madonna dropped from a contract with Pepsi, and despite the religious imagery of her overall message and the song itself, saw her labelled blasphemous.
Regardless of your thoughts on that or on her, you have to admire that she performed the song in front of the Pope in 2008.