“Like a Prayer”: The Pepsi Commercial
“Like a Prayer” was notable for more than just its musicality. The circumstances under which the “Like a Prayer” single and album debuted turned out to be one of the biggest controversies in the history of corporate advertising’s often uneasy liaison with pop music. It began in January 1989, when Pepsi-Cola announced that it had signed Madonna to a $5-million deal to use her and “Like a Prayer” in a television commercial. The agreement also called for Pepsi financially to sponsor a Madonna world concert tour. (The soda giant had a similar contract with Michael Jackson, and news of the arrangement alone had garnered both the company and the artist a great deal of valuable publicity.)
“I consider it a challenge to make a commercial that has some sort of artistic value,” she said. “I like the challenge of merging art and commerce. As far as I’m concerned, making a video is also a commercial. The Pepsi spot is a great and different way to expose the record. Record companies just don’t have the money to finance this kind of publicity. As it is, the music will be playing in the background, and the can of Pepsi is positioned very subliminally. The camera pans by it, so it’s not a hard-sell commercial.”
The Pepsi/Madonna deal had something conceivably great for both parties. Madonna would use the commercial to debut her single “Like a Prayer” globally before its actual release — the first time anything like this had ever been done in the music industry — thereby creating international promotion for the single and album to come. Pepsi, on the other hand, got to have its product, already a pop-culture staple, associated with the world’s biggest female pop star.
While it seemed the perfect marriage of art and commerce, there were problems from the beginning when Madonna refused to put the Pepsi name in the commercial’s version of “Like a Prayer.” Initially, she also balked at dancing in the multimillion dollar ad, styled to look as slick as an MTV video.
Still, Pepsi went all out with its campaign. On February 22, 1989, the company ran an expensive television commercial during the globally telecast Grammy Awards which, oddly, was actually just an advertisement for the upcoming Madonna commercial. Then, on March 2, during the most popular TV show in the country at the time, The Cosby Show, Madonna was seen in an elaborate — and wholesome — commercial hawking Pepsi as diligently as she could while still maintaining some measure of equity as a pop star. An estimated 250 million people around the world made it their business to see the two-minute commercial, marking the first time a new single would be debuted in almost its entirety in an ad shown around the world. Pepsi-Cola Company spokesman Todd MacKenzie said that the ad would air simultaneously “all around the globe, all across Europe, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, in South America as well as in North America. Just about every TV set on the planet will have that commercial on.” A thirty-second version of the spot would run on television during the summer months.
At least, that was the plan.
Pepsi had kept its part of the agreement by pumping up “Like a Prayer” (and thus Pepsi) via a campaign with a price tag on it worth millions. However, Madonna was, as one executive later put it, “the wild card.” True to form, she shocked Pepsi executives and conservatives alike with the resulting “Like a Prayer” video. Madonna, always on the lookout to better herself, planned the video to be more provocative than anything she’d done before it. Having previously taken on the social issue of teenage pregnancy with great commercial success, Madonna now thought to tackle racism by having the new video depict a mixed-race couple being gunned down by the Ku Klux Klan. However, upon further thought and in keeping with the song’s religious connotations, she decided on another provocative theme. The video’s director, Mary Lambert, says, “I felt it was a song about ecstasy and very specifically sexual ecstasy and how it relates to religious ecstasy. We listened to it together and we agreed that that’s what it was about. Madonna said she would like to make love on an altar in the video.”
When Lambert kept Madonna’s initial idea of an interracial love affair in the concept, the result was a hodgepodge of controversial images — Madonna kissing a black saint (played by actor Leon, who most recently portrayed David Ruffin in the Temptations miniseries, and Little Richard in that rock and roller’s TV movie biography), receiving the stigmata, dancing in front of burning crosses while scantily clad in what appeared to be just a black slip and, as per her request, making love on an altar to a black man (again Leon, who, in the course of the story line of the video, had been falsely accused of murder). It was a terrific video. A brunette Madonna danced throughout the spectacle with such wild abandon — at one point singing and dancing while wearing her little undergarment in church, being backed by a black gospel choir — it was as if she knew she was about to cause a commotion, and couldn’t wait to see how it would all unfold.
Religious groups around the world wasted little time protesting about what they deemed to be a blasphemous use of Christian imagery. They called for the national boycott of Pepsi and PepsiCo’s subsidiaries, including their fast-food chains Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
With Pepsi executives on the ropes trying to explain the thin line separating advertising and artistic expression, the Pope himself jumped into the fray, calling for the ban of any appearances by Madonna in Italy. Pepsi, nervous that the idea they had counted on to generate millions was about to make the company lose that much, finally caved in to international pressure. The Fortune 500 company canceled the advertising campaign shortly after the two-minute commercial’s debut on March 2, 1989. It also bowed out of financing Madonna’s upcoming tour. So eager was Pepsi to extricate itself from the revenue-threatening venture, it even allowed Madonna to keep the $5 million she had been advanced with the signing of her contract — not that it had much choice for, most certainly, she would have sued had Pepsi demanded the return of its money.
While she said that it was never her intention that Pepsi be the fall guy in this fiasco, Madonna stayed true to herself. The fact that she didn’t want to hold a Pepsi can in the commercial should have clued in the Pepsi executives to the fact that Madonna the pop star was going to do it her way, no matter what Madonna the businesswoman had agreed to do. She maintained all along that the Pepsi ad and her music video were two distinctly different entities, and that she was right to stand her ground. Of course, all the headlines only served to increase interest in Like a Prayer. The album generated five hit singles on the Billboard charts — “Like a Prayer” became her seventh Number 1 single; “Express Yourself,” Number 2; “Cherish,” Number 2; “Oh Father,” Number 20; and “Keep It Together” rallied to Number 8. The album sold some four million copies in America, and a stunning thirteen million around the world.
In the end, the events surrounding “Like a Prayer” only served to enhance Madonna’s reputation as a shrewd businesswoman, someone who knows how to sell a concept. Of course, the recruitment of pop stars and athletes to sell soft drinks would become commonplace in the future. However, none of those successes would generate the excitement of Pepsi’s failed deal with Madonna.
Ironically, “Like a Prayer” won the Viewers Choice category at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards — a program sponsored by Pepsi. “I guess this means you like me,” she said, spoofing Sally Field’s famous Oscar-winning speech. “You really like me.” Then, smiling, the now blonde Madonna added with a twinge of irony, “I’d like to thank Pepsi for causing so much controversy.”
Goodies
When production began on Warren Beatty’s new film Dick Tracy in February 1989, it seemed inevitable to some Hollywood observers that a romantic relationship had developed between the longtime Hollywood rogue and pop music’s current, publicity-mad temptress. Now that she was working alongside him, Madonna, a longtime movie fan, probably couldn’t resist the idea of a relationship with Beatty, a film icon who cultivated women with astonishing success. Because the final and painful breakup with Sean was still fresh, though, perhaps Madonna felt as s
he might after having been to the dentist. Inside she was probably numb after such a dreadful ordeal, especially considering the Malibu nightmare. However, on the outside she seemed fine — and she was adamant about keeping up appearances. She told friends that she was determined to move forward with her life and remain as distracted as possible, so as not to focus on Sean, her failed marriage and the catastrophic way it had ended. What better distraction, one might muse, than a relationship with a man who had romanced many of the biggest and most glamorous names of his era, including Natalie Wood, Joan Collins, Julie Christie, Carly Simon, Cher and Barbra Streisand?
While still certainly easy to look at, at fifty-two Warren Beatty’s sex-symbol status in Hollywood had long ago faded. Now, around his still-handsome face was the faint suggestion of discoloration, thin white lines that were nearly concealed by either a tan or maybe even pancake makeup. (Some who got close enough for an inspection would wonder if these marks could have been the result of cosmetic surgery.) Perhaps realizing that his “Old Hollywood” image would be bolstered by becoming linked with the young, leading sex object of the day, Warren seemed dumbfounded by his good fortune. “Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘Man, I am with Madonna!’” he told a reporter. “She makes me young.”
From the beginning, Warren provided loads of fun for Madonna. For instance, one day Madonna came home to find her living room full of packages: lingerie, perfume, makeup, and dozens of expensive dresses, both formal and informal — all her size. There were also boxes of bikini underwear in a variety of colors — again, all her size — and a dozen black lace Lejaby brassieres — her favorite. (One might wonder how Warren would have known, or even remembered, the brand name of her favorite bra.) There were also eight pairs of expensive Italian designer shoes. She was astonished when she read a card that had been propped on a large hatbox: “From Warren.” Had he really selected all of these clothes just for her? Had he spent that much time making certain of the sizes? And why would he do all of this?
As she pondered those questions — and who knows how many others — Madonna and two of her female assistants enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with Warren’s exquisite presents. After putting her Like a Prayer CD into the player, she slipped in and out of each new dress while dancing and preening in front of the mirror, admiring her reflection. She and her friends enjoyed “a silly girl’s day,” as one of the assistants called it. They pinned up their hair, let it back down, sampled the new lingerie — tags dangling — and tossed aside the garments Madonna decided were “tacky.” At the end of the fun day, Madonna gave the two girls the clothing and makeup she thought flattering on them, and kept the rest for herself — including all of the shoes.
The next day, Madonna telephoned Warren to ask about the gifts. He explained that buying for himself was a bore since, as he put it, “a man can only wear pants and a jacket. What fun is that?” He said that he enjoyed shopping for women and, if Madonna didn’t mind, he might send over an assortment of “goodies” whenever the mood struck him.
Madonna was ambivalent about such generosity. As she would later say, she was, at first, annoyed. “I’m not some little starlet that you can buy things for and control,” she told him. “I’m a very wealthy person. I can buy my own underwear.” However, she was also impressed. “What girl wouldn’t be?” she had to admit. After what she had been through with Sean, perhaps she decided that she deserved a bit of pampering. She decided to keep the gifts, but on the condition that the next time Warren Beatty had such an impulse, he would take her along so that she could help select “the goodies.”
As well as his passion for beautiful and famous women — and for buying them “goodies” — Warren Beatty’s other great love was of filmmaking. On Dick Tracy, he would act as star, producer and director. Madonna could learn a great deal about moviemaking and screen acting from him. She needed his credibility and experience as much as he needed her youth. To her restless child, he would play the indulgent adult, slightly abashed but definitely enchanted by her whirlwind lifestyle. Some people in her circle went so far as to say that Madonna looked to Warren as a father figure.
After Sean Penn, Warren Beatty must have seemed like a breath of fresh air for Madonna. For one thing, he could be pushed around — as she would soon learn. He would take a lot, get angry, and then disappear . . . to cool off. Unlike Sean, he wouldn’t lash out at her, at least not in any physical way. It had always been Madonna’s nature to bully the man with whom she was romantically involved. Whereas Sean had been emotional and explosive about her daily defiances, Warren would usually just be resigned and philosophical about them. For the most part, he was tolerant of her; he thought she was amusing.
Ironically, it had been Sean Penn who first introduced Madonna to Warren Beatty, and on the night of Penn’s first date with her, “Sean took me to Warren’s house,” Madonna said. “I guess he wanted to show me off — I’m not sure. I didn’t know L.A. at all. I remember meeting a lot of movie stars that night, like Mickey Rourke.”
Warren was intrigued by Madonna from the first time he laid eyes on her. “I understand rebellion,” he observed when speaking of his new consort. “So I understand Madonna. She’s all about rebellion, basically.” (If that’s all she was “about” in his view, maybe he didn’t understand her as well as he thought he did.) To Vanity Fair writer Kevin Sessums, though, Warren was a bit more forthcoming when asked what he thought of Madonna’s artistry: “I think she’s courageous in the areas that she explores artistically. I think that’s what she wants to explore. If you mean what do I think are the resonances of that or the personal motivations for that, I don’t know that I would address myself to that. Off the top of my head, her generous spirit would be the thing I think that informs her work the most. As she goes on, she will gain the artistic respect that she already deserves.”
Diane Giordano recalled the way Madonna described a date with Warren at the Sushi Cove, a trendy restaurant in Los Angeles on Mullholland Drive, less than a mile from Warren’s estate, in January 1989: “He wore a black silk suit, black shoes, a white shirt and a black silk tie. He also wore tinted glasses. She suspected that he was trying to hide crow’s-feet. She said she felt awkward because he was so nattily dressed and she had on a funky jeans outfit. They had a nice dinner and then the waitress came and asked if they wanted dessert. The only choice was chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Madonna wanted both.”
The next day, Warren telephoned Madonna at her home. In talking about the date, he went on about how Madonna had wanted both flavors of ice cream. “You seem to like to try everything,” he told her, teasing her. “So, have you ever made it with a woman?”
At this time, with Madonna’s friendship with Sandra Bernhard flourishing, she was still teasing the public with the possibility that she was a lesbian. With Beatty now apparently questioning the validity of “those stories,” Madonna suddenly became the model of discretion. She refused to answer his inquiries and, instead, attempted to turn the tables. “Have you ever done it with a man?” she countered. Beatty, it is said, ignored the question.
“Do you want a woman?” he pressed on. “Because if you do, it will be my present to you. I’ll get you a woman.”
“And all this, just from ordering two kinds of ice cream?” Madonna asked with a laugh.
The next night, Warren and Madonna — in a black vinyl jumpsuit with high heels (strange fashion choice for beach restaurant dining) — again dined at the Sushi Cove, this time joined by Sandra Bernhard, at Warren’s request. “All I remember about that date was that Madonna and I ordered one plate of sushi for the two of us. And I said something like, ‘Warren, you know that Madonna and I share everything, don’t you?’ And his eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. A wild ride, I thought to myself. A very wild ride.”
Differences
Although Madonna told reporters — such as one for Cosmopolitan — that she didn’t want to “belittle the relationship by talking about it,” she was intrig
ued enough about what was going on with Warren Beatty to want to discuss it with close friends. When the two finally made love, Madonna had confided, it wasn’t the kind of passionate experience she had known with Sean Penn. Nothing could compare to what she had with Sean, she had to admit. However, Warren was much more generous as a lover than Sean had been. Warren politely apologized for the brevity of his performance in bed, and then made sure that she, too, was completely pleasured. He sought out her needs, her preferences, her desires. “He knows a woman’s body better than most women,” Madonna said. “He can pinpoint the day of your cycle.
“He’s into all aspects of sexuality. This is why he’s so perfect for me,” she added. “He has no restrictions. He says to me, ‘If you misbehave, I’ll just have to spank you.’ I love that. Everything to him is living out his sexual fantasies.”
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