The video received mostly positive response from the journalist and critics . Jamie Portman from '' The Daily Gazette '' felt that the clip could be " vulnerable to charges of being blatantly provocative in its calculated blending of sex and religion " . David Rosenthal from '' The Spokesman-Review '' found the video as " visually stunning " ; however , Edna Gundersen from '' USA Today '' did not understand the media mayhem behind the clip . She pointed out that " Madonna is a good girl in the video . She saves someone . What is the big deal ? ... " Among music critics , Phil Kloer from '' Record-Journal '' felt that whether one condemns the video as racist or not , " It 's condemnable on the face of it because it exploits a symbol of evil the burning crosses of the Ku Klux Klan in order to sell records . " Writing for the '' Los Angeles Times '' , Chris Willman complimented the video for its portrayal of a love song , rather than blasphemy . He was more interested in the stigmata presented in the clip . Taraborrelli described his thoughts : " Madonna danced with such abundance in the video , as if she knew that she was about to cause a commotion , and could n't wait to see how it would unfold . " At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards , " Like a Prayer " was nominated in the Viewer 's Choice and Video of the Year categories , winning the former . Ironically , the award show was sponsored by Pepsi that year , and when Madonna came onstage to receive the award she added , " I would 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 by '' Billboard '' , " Like a Prayer " was voted the second best music video of the 1980s , behind only '' Michael Jackson 's Thriller ''
1989 MTV Video Music Awards
1989 MTV Video Music Awards
Like a Prayer (song)