Like a Prayer (song) the artwork for the 12" version, painted by her brother, Christopher Ciccone. It shows the letters MLVC, standing for Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, with a prominent letter P for Penn, detached from the group. Following the release of "Like a Prayer" on March 3, 1989, it received widespread acclaim from critics, journalists and academics. Taraborrelli commented that the track "deserved every bit of the curiosity it generated. While being devilishly danceable, the song also shows Madonna's uncanny ability to inspire strong, conflicting emotions during the course of a single song, leaving the listener scratching his head for answers—and craving for
Like a Prayer (album) language and imagery". According to the list of "All-TIME 100 Albums" by "Time" magazine's critics, "Like a Prayer" is one of the 100 greatest and most influential musical compilations since 1954. In 2003, "Rolling Stone" magazine named it the 239th greatest album of all time. Apart from that the album was also featured in the "Women Who Rock" list made in 2012, at number 18. "Like a Prayer" is also featured in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". In 2006, "Q" magazine placed the album at number 14 in its list of "40 Best Albums of