1998: Madonna backstage in The Globe at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2000 in Stockholm. Madonna’s … [+] Like a Prayer album debuts on Billboard’s Vinyl Albums chart, decade after it was first released—and it gives the star her milestone tenth hit on the tally. (Photo by Sven Hoogerhuis/BSR Agency via Getty Images)
2024 has turned out to be the year of “Like a Prayer,” which nobody could have predicted just a few months ago. The beloved Madonna tune became hugely popular once again, and now the album it’s featured on has followed suit.
The Like a Prayer full-length debuts on a pair of Billboard charts this week, decades after it was first released. The title is a welcome new win for Madonna on both tallies, and it even helps her reach a special milestone on one of them.
Like a Prayer launches at No. 21 on this week’s Vinyl Albums chart. The tally ranks the bestselling projects on just that one format across the country, and for the first time ever, Madonna’s bestseller performed well enough in that one arena to appear on the list.
Madonna has now sent 10 different studio efforts to Billboard’s vinyl list, including her new smash. That might seem like a fairly low number for a woman who has accrued nine No. 1s on the Billboard 200, but it’s important to remember that vinyl was not a popular format for much of the superstar’s career. Wax records fell out of favor for many years, and thus, her catalog didn’t perform especially well in that arena—if they were even made available to purchase on vinyl in the first place.
Throughout her career, Madonna has scored just a single No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart. In 2022, Finally Enough Love, her latest greatest hits compilation, debuted atop the tally. That project is also the musician’s only title to spend more than one frame on the roster.
Madonna has racked up half a dozen top 10s on the vinyl-only list. In addition to Finally Enough Love, she’s reached the competitive region with all of the following releases: Rebel Heart (No. 2), Madame X (No. 4), the Like A Virgin & Other Big Hits! EP (No. 5), MDNA (No. 7), and The Immaculate Collection (No. 9).
Like a Prayer surged in popularity and debuted on the tally after it was re-released not long ago. Madonna made the album available on silver vinyl, and several thousand fans purchased a copy once it dropped. Luminate reports that the title sold a little more than 2,000 copies last frame.
The Like a Prayer album is popular once again thanks to more than its new vinyl edition. The lead single from the set was featured in the movie Deadpool & Wolverine, which turned out to be a summer blockbuster. The song became a bestseller once more and charted all around the world, and a few weeks later, the full-length did the same.
