Like a Prayer (album) that the album's release "marks the moment when critics first begin to describe Madonna as an artist, rather than a mere pop singer". Glen Levy from "Time" stated: "Madonna has always been a keen student of pop-culture history, and her creative powers were probably at their peak in the late 1980s on the album "Like a Prayer"." Hadley Freeman from "The Guardian" opined that "Like a Prayer" shaped "how pop stars, pop music, music videos, love, sex and the 80s were and should be". Jon Pareles, from "The New York Times", said that " ["Like a Prayer"] defiantly grabbed Christian
Like a Prayer (song) Prayer" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number three on March 19, 1989. The next week it reached the top of the chart, and stayed there for another four weeks. It was present for a total of 22 weeks on the chart, and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 70,000 copies of the single. "Like a Prayer" was also the top-selling single in Australia in 1989. In New Zealand, the song had a similar run as in Australia, by debuting at number three on the RIANZ Singles Chart, and reaching number one