GLOBAL NO.1 - 30 YEARS AGO... Madonna is known for her blatant style- and taboo breaks. With the release of the lead single 'Like A Prayer' for the album of the same name, she came with really heavy guns: a 180 ° image turn-around from the blonde beast to a meekly brunette ... her music changed into an exalted, hymn-like and danceable sound with religious-controversial and provocative texts. But the big bone of contention was the music video, directed by Mary Lambert. It portrays Madonna as a witness to the murder of a girl by white supremacists. While a black man is arrested for the murder, Madonna hides in a church for safety seeking strength to go forth as a witness. The clip depicts a church and Catholic symbols such as stigmata. It also features a Ku Klux Klan-style cross burning, and a dream about kissing a black saint. The Vatican condemned the video, while family and religious groups protested against its broadcast. They boycotted products by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi, who had used the song in their commercial. The company canceled their sponsorship contract with Madonna, but allowed her to retain the fee. 'Like A Prayer' became, not least because of this rather unintentionally publicity through the condemnation of parent associations and church representatives, the world's biggest hit in 1989.

USA
Billboard Report (excerpt)
'Father Of The Bride' bows at no.1
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
by Keith Caulfield & Gary Trust, Los Angeles

The set earned 138,000 equivalent album units in the week ending May 9, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 119,000 were in album sales. Both sums represent the largest

for any rock album in 2019. Father was released on May 3 via Spring Snow / Columbia Records. It is the group’s first album with Columbia Records after issuing three studio albums and a live set through XL Recordings. Vampire Weekend previously led the Billboard 200 with the act’s last two studio releases, Modern Vampires of the City (in 2013) and Contra (2010). Of Father’s 138,000 unit start, its 119,000 in album sales were driven largely by sales generated from a concert ticket / album sale redemption offer for the act’s upcoming tour, which launches in June. Father secures the largest week for a rock album in 2019 in both units and album sales, and the biggest since Mumford & Sons’ Delta debuted at No. 1 with 230,000 units (214,000 in album sales) on the list dated Dec. 1, 2018. Billie Eilish’s When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? climbs 4-2 (70,000 units; down 8%) and Khalid’s Free Spirit rises 5-3 (49,000 units; down 15%). At No. 4, rapper /

singer PnB Rock notches his first top 10 effort, and third top 40 entry, as TrapStar Turnt PopStar starts with 42,000 equivalent album units (just 2,000 in album sales). The album’s debut was largely powered by streaming activity, tallying 39,000 SEA units (which translates to 45.73 million on-demand audio streams for its songs in its debut week). PnB Rock previously hit the top 40 of the Billboard 200 with Catch These Vibes (No 17 on Dec. 9, 2017) and GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions (No. 28 on Feb. 4, 2017). Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next ascends 6-5 with 41,000 units (up 6%) while P!nk’s Hurts 2B Human falls 1-6 in its second week (36,000 units; down 68%). ScHoolboy Q’s CrasH Talk dips 3-7 in its second week (33,000 units; down 59%), BTS’ Map of the Soul: Persona moves 7-8 (30,000 units; down 8%) and Post Malone’s beerbongs & bentleys rises 12-9 (a little more than 28,000 units; down 1%). Juice WRLD’s Death Race for Love rounds out the new top 10, lifting 11 to 10 with 28,000 units (though down 5%). Lil Nas X extends his reign atop the Billboard Hot 100 to a sixth week with "Old Town Road," featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. As on the Hot 100, "Road" leads the Streaming Songs chart for a sixth week, with 104.1 million U.S. streams (up less than 1%) in the week ending May 9, according to Nielsen Music. "Road" set the weekly streaming record following the April 5 arrival of its remix with Cyrus, and now claims five of the seven biggest streaming weeks ever. "Road" rebounds 2-1 on the Digital Song Sales chart for a fourth week at No. 1, with 78,000 downloads sold (up 1%) in the week ending May 9. On the Radio Songs chart, "Road" rises 6-4, with 77.6 million audience impressions, up 16%, in the week ending May 12, good for top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100 for the fourth time in five weeks. Shawn Mendes' "If I Can't Have You" soars in at a personal-best No. 2 on the Hot 100, as it opens at No. 2 on Digital Song Sales (64,000) and No. 8 on Streaming Songs (24 million) and bounds 43-27 on Radio Songs (35.7 million). Mendes notches his fourth Hot 100 top 10, following "Stitches" (No. 4, 2015), "Treat You Better" (No. 6, 2016) and "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" (No. 6, 2017). He easily achieves his highest debut, besting the No. 24 start (and peak) of his first entry, "Life of the Party," in 2014. Taylor Swift's "Me!," featuring Brendon Urie, dips to No. 3 from its No. 2 Hot 100 high reached a week earlier, when it made a record 98-spot vault after its first full week of tracking. The collab falls from No. 1 to No. 4 on Digital Song Sales (29,000, down 85%) and 2-5 on Streaming Songs (26.8 million, down 47%), while ascending to the Radio Songs top 10 (13-10; 62.2 million, up 15%). Jonas Brothers' former one-week leader "Sucker" holds at No. 4 on the Hot 100. Logic's "Homicide" bounds in at No. 5 on the Hot 100, starting at No. 2 on Streaming Songs (36.3 million) and No. 3 on Digital Song Sales (42,000). Thanks to Mendes and Logic's entrances, the Hot 100 boasts two simultaneous top five debuts for the first time since Oct. 27, 2018, when songs also started at Nos. 2 and 5: Kodak Black's "ZEZE," featuring Travis Scott and Offset, and Bad Bunny's "MIA," featuring Drake, respectively. Post Malone's "Wow." drops 3-6 on the Hot 100 after reaching No. 2 and Post Malone and Swae Lee's one-week No. 1 "Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)" descends 5-7. Halsey's two-week Hot 100 No. 1 "Without Me" retreats 7-8, as it ties for the ninth-most weeks spent in the top 10 in the chart's 60-year history (28 weeks). Rounding out the Hot 100's top 10, Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" keeps at No. 9 after reaching No. 7, winning top Streaming Gainer kudos (38.4 million, up 18 percent), and Ariana Grande's former eight-week No. 1 "7 Rings" slides 6-10..