Like a Prayer (song) Jim Farber from "Entertainment Weekly" commented that the "gospel-infused title track demonstrates that [the singer's] writing and performing had been raised to heavenly new heights". In a review for "The Immaculate Collection" compilation album, David Browne of the same publication wrote about the composition, which he felt "added poignancy to its spiritual lyrics". Also from "Entertainment Weekly", Chuck Arnold wrote that "from the moment Madonna sings atop that solemn organ and the hushed tones of a choir, 'Like a Prayer' goes on to achieve a spiritual transcendence that makes this her supreme single [...] balancing the sacred and the secular
Like a Prayer (album) Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of three million units. After the advent of the Nielsen SoundScan era in 1991, the album sold a further 575,000 copies. "Like a Prayer" has sold over 4 million copies in the United States. In Canada, the album debuted at number two on the RPM Albums Chart on May 1, 1989. It remained on that position during four weeks, before dropping to the third position the week of May 29, 1989. The album was present for a total of 37 weeks on the chart, and was certified five times