Madonna is certainly no stranger to controversy; in fact, that's essentially what her entire fame is built upon. It's not her amazing vocal talents that have made her the "queen of pop," Lord knows that.
Her edgy ways actually led to Pepsi pulling an entire campaign ad from 34 years ago when the singer refused to remove scenes from her music video for the song "Like a Prayer," which featured her kissing a black saint and burning crosses.
Now, Madonna is releasing the Pepsi commercial for all to see on her Instagram and is proudly highlighting her refusal to comply with soda giants demands.
From CBS News:
"The commercial was immediately canceled when I refused to change any scenes in the video where I was kissing a black saint or burning crosses," she wrote on Instagram. "So began my illustrious career as an artist refusing to compromise my artistic integrity."
"Thank you [Pepsi] for finally realizing the genius of our collaboration," she wrote. "Artists are here to disturb the peace."
"Like A Prayer" was Madonna's fourth album, featuring hits like "Express Yourself" and "Cherish." The music video for the titular single featured actor Leon Robinson, who is Black, playing a saint-like figure in a church.
In the video, Madonna witnesses a White woman get killed by White men, but the Black man she is in a relationship with is arrested for the murder. Madonna hides in a church, where she meets the saint and kisses him.
Many condemned the video, which also employed several religious symbols, such as a crucifix.
The Vatican even urged a boycott of her tour. "I am aware that the Vatican and certain communities are accusing my show of being sinful and blasphemous, that they are trying to keep people from seeing it," Madonna said at the time, according to Entertainment Tonight. "I think I'm offending certain groups, but I think that people who really understand what I'm doing aren't offended by it."
Pepsi famously nixed its ad featuring the song before it premiered. "It may go down as one the most expensive advertising blunders ever," Entertainment Tonight host John Tesh reported at the time.
It's actually amusing to look back on a "controversial" partnership like this one between Madonna and Pepsi and then compare it to the extreme rise of woke culture in our society now.
If Madonna had released a music video like that nowadays, she would have advertisers lined up, begging for her to be their spokesperson.
How times have changed...
