Madonna: “Like a Prayer”

Talented singer, songwriter, dancer and actress Madonna Louise Ciccone, one of the most important figures in pop music history, has written a lot of songs that became hugely successful.

In one of them, “Like a Prayer”, we can find a very original combination of a powerful pop drum beat and Latin percussion fused with sounds from a gospel choir.

At the beginning of the song we can hear,

“Life is a mystery
Everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home”

On one hand, since the beginning of civilization, human beings have always experienced solitude as one of their central themes, and what represents to us the idea of contemplating the world on our own.

So as we are going on our way, we will find ourselves expressing our inner feelings when we discover that: life is about sharing, life is about loving.

In addition, we all have at some time or another experienced feelings of the mysterious or enigmatic, maybe when we look above at a starry night and start searching for the meaning or purpose of life. Then we will discover our dreams and wish we could just share them with anyone else.

On the other hand, one of the most moving feelings that we as human beings can experience is the one we get when someone that we love just calls our name.

Thus, in that verse Madonna is kind of putting those ideas together; for if we want to call anyone to come along with us, at that same time we’ll also need them to call our name and share our way, just because the same is happening to them.

Likewise, “it feels like home” speaks of that place in the world where we could always go back, just as if anyone else was ever waiting there for us…