'Church choir' criticised after viral 'Like A Prayer' Christmas cover set the record straight

A ‘church choir’ has spoken out after their cover of Madonna’s hit song 'Like A Prayer' went viral on TikTok because they apparently didn’t notice the song’s ‘sexual undertones’.

The 1989 gospel-rock track by the Queen of Pop has been called one of the greatest songs of all times by critics and music publications. Never one to shy away from combining religious and sexual imagery in her art, the lyrics Madonna wrote for the song have been interpreted by some to be a double entendre for fellatio.

“When you call my name it's like a little prayer / I'm down on my knees / I wanna take you there,” the pop icon sings during the chorus. “In the midnight hour I can feel your power / Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there”.

However, according to Madonna herself, per The New York Times, the song is about “a passionate young girl so in love with God that it is almost as though He were the male figure in her life. From around eight to 12 years old, I had the same feelings. I really wanted to be a nun.”

Madonna's Like A Prayer has gone viral againWarner Bros.

‘Like A Prayer’ has also renewed attention from a whole new generation this year after being featured in Deadpool & Wolverine.

This is likely one of the reasons why clips of the choir have racked up millions of views on TikTok, as viewers react to what appears to be a regular church congregation on Christmas Day performing the chart-topping track.

“Madonna really fooled the next generation of Gen Z Christians,” one TikToker captioned their video reaction which has over 10,000,000 views and almost a million likes.

“Bless your heart. Y’all are either really sheltered or really dumb,” he said, criticising the singers.

Thousands of comments were left under the video, with many viewers laughing and mocking the ‘church’ for being blissfully unaware. A number of TikTokers are filming their shocked reactions to the choir cover.

“My husband is still arguing that this is a Christian song,” one person commented.

“You’re telling me a church choir was singing this?!? Who’s gonna tell them??” someone else quipped.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Alas, the viral clip is not what it seems. The original video was uploaded on Christmas Day in 2022 by GoSingChoir on YouTube. Now that people have been able to find the original video, the gospel group released a statement as a pinned comment underneath the video to tell the true story.

“It seems that the GoSingChoir version of Madonna’s 'Like a Prayer' unintentionally went viral – BIG TIME,” the statement reads.

“A snippet from this video was uploaded to TikTok, claiming that we are a ‘Church Choir’ blissfully unaware of the song’s sexual undertones. The result? Absolute madness: Thousands of videos worldwide, tens of millions of views, and uncountable comments mocking this supposed ‘church choir’.”

This choir does not belong to a church, they’re actually a ‘secular’ choir that performs pop songs. “Singing, celebrating, and connecting people is what we’re all about," they said.

“Of course we were aware of the double meanings in Madonna’s iconic song, which stirred controversy already 35 years ago.”

The video was not even filmed in a church, instead the group sang in Gasteig, a cultural centre in Munich.

The statement concludes: “Let’s embrace this unexpected and absurd wave of attention with humour and use it as an opportunity to unite even more people through the joy of singing – hopefully a small step toward bridging societal divides.”

So, just like Madonna says - let the choir sing!

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