From the Archives: Outrage over Madonna video

A scene from Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’ video.Credit:Publicity

First published in the Sydney Morning Herald on April 9, 1989

Pop-singer Madonna's hit video is to be investigated by the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal to decide whether it is blasphemous.

The tribunal has already received one complaint and the Reverend Fred Nile has promised to add his voice in a bid to have the Like a Prayer video banned. He said: "I have seen it. I feel offended by it. It is blasphemous and obviously sexually titillating." Mr Nile said it was time a line was drawn over the treatment of religious subjects. The film The Last Temptation of Christ crossed that line. Muslims had been offended by the book Satanic Verses.

"People should be careful how they treat subjects which are important to the majority of citizens in our State who have some sort of faith."

Uproar in Italy and America over the sexual and religious imagery in the video has caused Pepsi-Cola to cancel a $50 million international marketing campaign featuring its commercial run in tandem with the clip.

Scene from Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” video, 1989Credit:Publicity

Pepsi reportedly paid Madonna $6.3 million under a one-year contract that included commercials and a concert tour. It is unclear whether Pepsi has withdrawn its support for the tour.

The video shows Madonna kissing a religious statue of a black Christ that comes to life.

And she dances among burning crosses with the stigmata on her hand resembling the wounds Jesus suffered during crucifixion.

She is saved from rape by a black man resembling the statue and appears to dream of a sexual encounter with him.

The video coincides with the release of the album and single of the song which last week hit No 1 in Australia and Britain and stands at No 5 in America.

In Australia, the video has outraged church groups and most radio stations in NSW are refusing to play the song. TV rock programs are playing the full clip with a modified version, depending on the time of day.

Fred Nile: “Obviously sexually titillating…” Credit:Elizabeth Dobbie

Clive Robertson, of ATN 7 Newsworld, said: "I do think it is ironic that Madonna is in trouble in the church. She's normally held with reverence isn't she?

"Have you heard from the Ayatollah Khomeini who's going to die because of this? Is the Pope going to issue a death order on the person who wrote the song?"

The Reverend Brian Lucas, spokesman for the Catholic Church, said: "While the video is in poor taste, like all these things further interest and discussion only serves to promote them and I don't intend to promote what in any event was a very second-rate video dip.

"It wasn't much of a song and it wasn't much of a video."

Derryn Hinch: “Banning it would be crazy.” Credit:Steven Siewert

Mike Carlton, 2GB breakfast personality: "I wouldn't want my kids seeing this sort of junk on television.

"The whole thing is taunting, smutty, smearing."

Richard Wilkins, host of MTV rock show on Channel 9, said each time they showed the video it was preceded by a warning that it may offend.

"I have to believe that Madonna is intelligent enough and has enough people around her to know exactly what she is doing. Controversy is not a foreign word to her.

"From a pure artistic point of view we defend our right to play it."

Derryn Hinch, who showed the full video on his program three weeks ago, says: "I suppose it could be as offensive to Christians as Salman Rushdie was to the Muslims.

"Banning it would be crazy. She set out to shock and she did it. I think its a one-day wonder."

“WHAT VIEWERS THINK OF THAT CLIP”Credit:Sydney Morning Herald

Adrian Woods, the new executive producer of Saturday Morning Live on Channel 7, said the video hasn't been shown and it wouldn't be.

"The decision was taken before I came on the program but I totally agree with it. The program is in a Saturday morning time-slot with children viewing.

"Apart from the religious aspects there's a street scene where somebody gets stabbed."

Tim Robertson, secretary for the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said: "If she wants to accompany her boring pop song with a sexually explicit video with religious overtones then she should be free to do so.

"Michelangelo used religion merely as a basis for expressing other sentiments in his art and that has always been regarded as a legitimate pursuit."

“WHAT VIEWERS THINK OF THAT CLIP”Credit:Sydney Morning Herald

The marketing manager for Pepsi Australia, Mr David Ansell, said the video and commercial were only shown together once in Australia as part of a simultaneous international release.

"Obviously we would prefer it if fewer people were offside but we hope Madonna will tour Australia later in the year and that Pepsi will be the sponsor."

Mr Mick Power, from the Complaints Section of the Tribunal, said only one complaint has been received.

The tribunal would investigate that complaint, "but it could take months".

In 1989, The Catholic lobby group Famiglia Domani succeeded in stopping the broadcast on Italian State television of Madonna's Like a Prayer video by threatening to bring a court action for blasphemy.  When she arrived in Rome in July 1990 for a concert tour, the singer told reporters:

"I am aware the Vatican and some Catholic communities are accusing my show of being sinful and blasphemous and that they are trying to stop people seeing it. I appeal to you, just men and women of the Catholic Church: Come and see my show and then judge."

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