Madonna’s 1989 hit “Like A Prayer” has returned to the Billboard charts after thirty years thanks to some unlikely provenance. TikTok has played a role in returning a number of hits to the charts, including Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” while placement of songs like Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time” in hit TV shows propelled their resurgences.
And so it is, that “Like A Prayer” has hit the top of the TikTok Billboard Top 50, landing at No. 1 on the chart thanks to a TikTok trend born from a cover of the song used in Deadpool & Wolverine. The version used in the film adds choral and orchestral elements and appears at a pivotal point in its plot. However, its use on TikTok has a much more ironical and personal leaning, as users share embarrassing text stories via photo slides of the Muppets character Pepé The King Prawn looking rather ruffled as “Like A Prayer (Choir Version)” plays over the story. If you read at the right pace (and the poster is any sort of writer, which… I can tell you as a professional is not guaranteed), it gives the stories a nice bit of build.
It also helps that the song itself was so controversial in its time — although it’s unclear whether TikTok’s target audience can appreciate that aspect of the joke. Still, it’s been quite amusing to see Pepé’s traumatized expression paired with what should be an uplifting rendition of a classic as the most cringe generation cements their legacy. You can check out the choral version of the song below.