For one night, “Like a Prayer” belonged to a soft drink. On 2 March 1989 it premiered in a two-minute Pepsi commercial. On 3 March, Madonna’s own video arrived on MTV — and the two could not have been further apart.
The commercial
In January, Pepsi had signed Madonna to a $5 million deal that included sponsoring her next world tour. The ad, called “Make a Wish”, was gentle and nostalgic: Madonna watches a home movie of her eighth birthday and swaps places with her younger self. It ran in prime time around the world — during The Cosby Show in America, and at 8.12pm on ITV here in Britain. It was the first time a major artist had premiered a new single in a commercial.
The video
Mary Lambert’s video told another story entirely: a woman who witnesses a crime, takes refuge in a church, and dreams of a saint who comes to life. There were burning crosses, stigmata and a kiss — imagery about racism, faith and desire that the Pepsi film never hinted at.
Pepsi bought the song. Madonna kept the meaning.
The fallout
Religious groups protested, the Vatican condemned the video, and boycotts of Pepsi were threatened. In early April, Pepsi pulled the commercial for good and dropped its sponsorship of the tour. Madonna kept her fee.
The song, written and produced with Patrick Leonard, went to No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. That September the video won the Viewer’s Choice award at the MTV VMAs — a ceremony Pepsi happened to sponsor. And in 2023, for its 125th anniversary, Pepsi finally aired “Make a Wish” again at the VMAs. Madonna welcomed it back with a pointed reminder of why it had been pulled.
More: Like a Prayer on The Tracks · Patrick Leonard in The Producers
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