Like a Prayer (album) on the book "Music of the 1980s", documented that "Like a Prayer" pushed boundaries by addressing "uncomfortable song topics". Similarly, Annie Zaleski from "The A.V. Club", praised the album for "starting a conversation about religion—which remains one of the most incendiary topics a musician can address. [...] All of this pointed to Madonna establishing herself as a serious artist (emphasis on the "art") who had significant things to say". She also wrote: The album's sustained run at No. 1 buoyed her self-assurance and bravery, and validated that people were willing to follow her even as she transitioned into adulthood. And
Like a Prayer (song) really like to thank Pepsi for causing so much controversy." "Like a Prayer" also topped video countdowns and critic lists. It was number one on MTV's countdown of "100 Videos That Broke The Rules" in 2005, and for the 25th anniversary of MTV, viewers voted it as the "Most Groundbreaking Music Video of All Time". In addition, the clip was ranked at number 20 on "Rolling Stone"s "The 100 Top Music Videos" and at number two on VH1's 100 Greatest Videos. Fuse TV named "Like a Prayer" one of its 10 "Videos That Rocked The World". In a 2011 poll