Like a Prayer is the fourth
studio album by American singer
Madonna, released on March 21, 1989 by
Sire Records, three years after her previous studio album
True Blue. Madonna worked with
Stephen Bray,
Patrick Leonard, and fellow icon
Prince on the album while co-writing and co-producing all the songs. As Madonna's most introspective release at the time,
Like a Prayer has been described as a confessional record. She described the album as a collection of songs "about my mother, my father, and bonds with my family." The album was dedicated to her mother, who died when Madonna was young.