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) to ecstatic effect, the whole thing takes you there again and again". Sal Cinquemani from "Slant Magazine" was impressed with the production of the song, complimenting its "church-like" reverence and the religious sentiments. In the United States, "Like a Prayer" debuted at number 38 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and reached the top of the chart on the issue dated April 22, 1989. It was number one for three weeks, before being replaced by Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There for You". The track topped the Dance Club Songs chart, while reaching number three on the Adult Contemporary chart and number