37 Years Ago, A No. 1 Hit Song Sparked a Backlash That Cost $5 Million

One of the most iconic singers in music history seemed untouchable until her hit song sparked outrage so intense that it triggered a staggering and costly corporate reversal.

In 1989, one of the decade's most controversial songs hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart on November 18, held the top spot for three weeks, and charted for a total of 16 weeks. Madonna's "Like a Prayer" was a monster success until it unleashed a backlash so fierce that it led to a $5 million ad campaign being completely abandoned.

Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' Made Her $5 Million Pepsi Deal Vanish Overnight

In 1989, Pepsi announced a groundbreaking $5 million sponsorship deal with Madonna. The agreement called for the singer to star in an ad campaign and for the soft drink company to sponsor her global tour. It was an unprecedented amount of money for a deal like that at the time, and it is worth noting that $5 million in 1989 dollars is the equivalent of just over $13 million today.

While Pepsi seemed thrilled with the deal when it was signed, things would very quickly go awry because the ad campaign was set to focus on Madonna's song "Like a Prayer."

When the music video for that song was released, it featured religious iconography that spawned an incredibly intense backlash. In fact, even the Vatican issued a formal condemnation of the video at the time.

Madonna's Pepsi commercial only aired on television one time. Once the controversy over the song and music video erupted, Pepsi bowed to mounting pressure. The ad never aired on TV again, and the company severed its relationship with the pop star.

The deal was a disaster for Pepsi, but Madonna came out ahead because she got to keep the $5 million. Still, had the ad aired on repeat, as it was originally planned to do, that would have been great promotion for "Like a Prayer." It is intriguing to ponder if the song would have topped the charts for even longer if that had happened.

The Shocking Twist From 34 Years Later: Pepsi Finally Shares the Lost Commercial

In September 2023, the world got an update on the Pepsi and Madonna ad that nobody could have predicted. After 34 years, Pepsi shared the ad it had pulled from television decades ago on social media. A piece of lost media that seemed like it would remain in a vault forever was suddenly freely available and in high quality. At the time, Madonna thanked Pepsi on Instagram for releasing the ad.

"34 years ago I made a commercial with Pepsi to celebrate the release of my song Like a Prayer. The commercial was immediately canceled when I refused to change any scenes in the video where I was kissing a black saint or burning crosses. So began my illustrious career as an artist refusing to compromise my artistic integrity. Thank you @pepsi for finally realizing the genius of our collaboration. ???? Artists are here to disturb the peace."