Was ‘Like a Prayer’ Meant to be a ’40s Swing Jam?

Picture old-timey swing dancers jiving around some burning crosses. That's the image this clip conjures for me.

Behold: Vocalist Robyn Adele Anderson gives a swing revamp of “Like a Prayer,” the controversial Madonna single most known for its incendiary music video featuring a black messiah figure and a lawn full of flaming crosses. This is a much mellower take on the old tune. Ain't nobody's wrists bleeding with mysterious stigmata this time around.

I'm actually surprised we haven't heard something like this from Madonna herself. “Like a Prayer” came out in '89, and the following year she released a '40s style soundtrack to the movie “Dick Tracy.” Couldn't these two adjacent Madonna eras have coalesced earlier? Sigh. I guess it happened later rather than sooner.

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