Devil Pray

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"Devil Pray"
Song by Madonna
from the album Rebel Heart
ReleasedDecember 20, 2014 (2014-12-20)
Recorded2014
Genre
Length4:05
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Rebel Heart track listing
24 tracks
  1. "Living for Love"
  2. "Devil Pray"
  3. "Ghosttown"
  4. "Unapologetic Bitch"
  5. "Illuminati"
  6. "Bitch I'm Madonna"
  7. "Hold Tight"
  8. "Joan of Arc"
  9. "Iconic"
  10. "HeartBreakCity"
  11. "Body Shop"
  12. "Holy Water"
  13. "Inside Out"
  14. "Wash All Over Me"
Deluxe edition
  1. "Best Night"
  2. "Veni Vidi Vici"
  3. "S.E.X."
  4. "Messiah"
  5. "Rebel Heart"
Media Markt deluxe edition
  1. "Auto-Tune Baby"
Super deluxe edition (Disc 2)
  1. "Beautiful Scars"
  2. "Borrowed Time"
  3. "Addicted"
  4. "Graffiti Heart"

"Devil Pray" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter

drug addiction, sin, temptation
, and the desire for salvation.

"Devil Pray" is a

country-pop and has similarities with Madonna's own single "Don't Tell Me", Avicii's previous work and The Animals' version of the traditional folk song "The House of the Rising Sun". The song received high praise from critics for its musical elements, while also being highlighted for its self-conscious lyrics. However, there was some criticism towards the list of drugs used in the chorus. Following its release as a pre-ordered song from Rebel Heart, the song charted in many European territories, reaching the top-25 in Finland, Greece, Hungary and Lebanon. Madonna performed the song for the first time on the Italian TV show Che tempo che fa, wearing a black robe and various rosaries, and on her 2015–16 Rebel Heart Tour
.

Background and release

Avicii co-wrote and co-produced the song.

Madonna and Avicii first met in 2012 when the singer appeared on the Ultra Music Festival to premiere a remix of her single "Girl Gone Wild", produced by the DJ.[1] Later, while developing her then-upcoming album, Madonna's manager Guy Oseary suggested the singer to work with Avicii's songwriting team; the singer accepted since she was a fan of Avicii's work.[2] On March 7, 2014, the singer posted a picture of herself on her Instagram account with the caption, "Doing some house work before heading to the studio with Avicii."[1][3] A week later, she posted photos with Avicii and his team of songwriters, claiming that they did "so many great songs".[4] In an interview with David Blaine for Interview, Madonna said of the song:

It's about how people take drugs to connect to God or to a higher level of consciousness. I keep saying, 'Plugging into the matrix'. If you get high, you can do that, which is why a lot of people drop acid or do drugs, because they want to get closer to God. But there's going to be a short circuit, and that's the illusion of drugs, because they give you the illusion of getting closer to God, but ultimately they kill you. They destroy you. I mean, I tried everything once, but as soon as I was high, I spent my time drinking tons of water to get it out of my system. As soon as I was high, I was obsessed with flushing it out of me. I was like, 'OK, I'm done now'.[5]

In the same interview, she said the song was not written to anyone in particular and that she was merely sharing her experiences.[5] Rolling Stone published an article in which Madonna advocated "intense personal exploration" over drug use.[6] While being asked if "Devil Pray" could run the risk of being misunderstood as a song encouraging drugs, Madonna replied: "I'm certainly not judging people who take drugs or saying 'don't do drugs', however, I'm saying you can do all of these things to connect to a higher level, but ultimately you're going to be lost. People who are getting high are instinctively also trying to connect to a higher level of consciousness, but are doing it in a way that will not sustain them."[7]

The demo version of "Devil Pray" leaked onto the Internet in December 2014, alongside 12 other demos from the upcoming album.[8] Following this Madonna released the album, titled Rebel Heart, for pre-order on December 20, 2014. When ordered, the first six tracks were automatically downloaded, including "Devil Pray".[9] Madonna stated that the songs were meant to be "an early Christmas gift" and added that she would prefer her fans hear the completed versions of some of the songs instead of the incomplete tracks that were circulating.[10]

Recording and composition

The lyrics of "Devil Pray" talk about consuming psychoactive drugs like MDMA (ecstasy).

"Devil Pray" was written and produced by Madonna, Avicii,

folk song "The House of the Rising Sun", due to its "bluesy-vibe".[6][17]

"Devil Pray" brings Madonna "as a devoted disciple, drawn to a darker kind of prayer", as noted by

whiskey  /  Yeah, we can get high, and we can get stoned  /  And we can sniff glue, and we can do E, and we can drop acid."[20]

During the second verse, Madonna "seems to understand her own spiritual plight when she sings [...], '

Mother Mary, can't you [help] me? / 'Cause I've gone astray / All the angels that were around me / Have all flown away',"[19] before warning, "Lucifer is near".[21] Later, she advises that although providing brief relief, the use of those drugs will not provide any positive effect on the user, warning, "Yeah, we can run and we can hide / But we won't find the answers" and invite them to "get help" for making the "devil pray".[19] Then, a "pitched down" voice joins in a "plea for [her] soul to be saved".[18] As she sings, "Ooh, save my soul, save my soul, save my / Devil's here to fool ya", a "bed of throaty, orgasmic samples rises in the mix", and "a hundred tiny Madonna-voices in coital abyss."[21]

Critical reception

"Devil Pray" received mostly positive response from

Idolator praised Avicii and Blood Diamonds for "becom[ing] a divine pair for ['Devil Pray'] where you can hear both of their styles woven into the beat."[24] Andy Gill of The Independent found that "Devil Pray" recalled "the career-apex achievements of 'Like a Prayer',[25] while Gavin Haynes of NME opined that the song is "reminiscent of Lady Gaga's crazed 2013 dance tune 'Aura'."[26]

Madonna performing "Devil Pray" during the Rebel Heart Tour

Consequence of Sound considered "Devil Pray" one of Madonna's best release in years and its chorus as "one of her strongest in decades". She praised "Madonna's voice [which] is pitch-shifted into a ghostly echo — and unlike those 'Bitch' beats, the production slides in perfectly. It's one hell of a song about getting fucked up on every molecule imaginable, but it's also heavy with the longing for self-purification and direction."[31] The New York Times also shared this view, noting that the song "showcase[s] some of Madonna's best singing in years."[32] Saeed Saeed of The National felt that the song was similar to The Animals' version of "The House of the Rising Sun" and praised it for being a better countrydance song than Madonna's cover of Don McLean's "American Pie".[33]

However, there were some criticism directed at the list of drugs used in the chorus of "Devil Pray". Chris Richards from

Pitchfork Media went on to criticize the list for being "a strange, tender, comical thing, [...] but ultimately, it's a boring stadium-throb lite-EDM song about seeking sobriety and/or big-G, God. It's also a Madonna-doing-Madonna cliche [sic], which is too often the downfall of Rebel Heart."[21] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian was negative about "Devil Pray"'s production, claiming that "[it's] a pretty transparent attempt by Avicii to come up with something along the lines of his hit 'Wake Me Up'."[35]

Chart performance

"Devil Pray" charted in many European territories after its release along with the other album's five tracks, on December 20, 2014. The song reached the top-ten in Greece and Hungary, peaking at numbers 9 and 10, respectively,[36][37] while in Finland, Lebanon and Sweden, "Devil Pray" managed to reach the top-twenty, reaching numbers 16, 18 and 14.[38][39][40] In Spain, the song reached number 50 and was the album's lowest charting song, while in France, "Devil Pray" was the third highest charting song, after "Living for Love" and "Ghosttown", the album's first and second single respectively, and peaked at number 62 with over 800 downloads.[41][42][43]

Live performances

On March 1, 2015, Madonna performed the song for the first time on Italian TV show,

Allphones Arena was recorded and released in Madonna's fifth live album, Rebel Heart Tour.[52]

Credits and personnel

Management

  • Webo Girl Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP) / EMI Blackwood Music Inc. (BMI) / EMI Music Publishing Scandinavia AB (STIM) / Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI)
  • Sony/ATV Scandinavia AB (STIM) / Team 2101 Songs (ASCAP) / Rami Productions AB (ASCAP) / Kobalt Songs Music Publishing
  • Sony/ATV Sonata and Dahi Productions (SESAC) / Michael Tucker Music (ASCAP) c/o Kobalt Songs Music Publishing / These Are Songs of Pulse (ASCAP) / OWSLA Trax (ASCAP)

Personnel

  • Madonna – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Avicii – songwriter, producer, keyboards, programming
  • DJ Dahi – songwriter, producer
  • Jimmy Austin – songwriter
  • Blood Diamonds – songwriter, producer
  • Arash Pournouri – songwriter
  • Carl Falk – songwriter, keyboards, guitars, programming
  • Rami Yacoub – songwriter
  • Savan Kotecha – songwriter
  • Demacio "Demo" Castellon – engineer, mixer
  • Nick Rowe – engineer
  • Angie Teo – additional recording, additional mixing

Personnel adapted from Madonna official website.[11]

Charts

Chart (2014–2015) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[53] 80
Finland Download (
Latauslista)[38]
16
France (
SNEP)[42]
62
Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[36] 9
Hungary (Single Top 40)[37] 10
Italy (
FIMI)[54]
43
Lebanon (The Official Lebanese Top 20)[39] 18
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[41] 50
Sweden (DigiListan)[40] 14
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[55] 59

References

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External links