OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
In 1989, two pop icons were at the peak of their powers—Prince and Madonna. One was on the cusp of moving toward a darker, funkier sound, while the other was about to launch Like a Prayer, a controversial masterpiece that would elevate her to untouchable heights. It seemed like the perfect moment for a collaboration between the Purple One and the Queen of Pop. But when they came together to record “Love Song,” the result was strangely underwhelming.
“Love Song,” the only track the two ever collaborated on, was buried within Like a Prayer, an album that also stirred controversy and made Madonna a household name for its boundary-pushing themes. The pairing of Prince’s sultry energy with Madonna’s provocative charm promised a clash of titanic forces. Yet, when the song hit, it did so with a thud. Despite the cultural cache of both artists, the track felt remarkably limp, lacking the heat that their individual personas typically ignited.
From the start, “Love Song” struggles to ignite. The icy drum machine and quintessentially ’80s synths create a sterile atmosphere that hardly complements the raw charisma both Madonna and Prince were known for. The song’s generic lyrics, particularly the repetitious refrain “this is not a love song,” feel as disconnected as the artists’ remote collaboration. It’s as if the chemistry between them never quite materialized.
Part of the problem lies in the fact that Madonna and Prince never recorded the song together. According to Madonna, the two of them worked on it long-distance, with her in Los Angeles and him in Minneapolis. “I couldn’t stand Minneapolis,” Madonna confessed in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone. “When I went there, it was like 20 degrees below zero, and it was really desolate. I was miserable and I couldn’t write or work under those circumstances.” So, what could have been a fiery collaboration ended up as a distant, disjointed effort.
Initially, there were hopes that the pair might do more than just Love Song. Madonna even alluded to working on a musical together in an interview, but, as she said, “Nothing beyond ‘Love Song’ ever got off the ground.” Unfortunately, their working relationship didn’t seem to have the magic needed for a deeper collaboration, and the song remained a solitary, quiet blip in their storied careers.
Another reason for the track’s forgotten status is the lack of promotion. Despite the star power of its creators, “Love Song” wasn’t released as a single, nor was it accompanied by a music video—something that would have been expected of two artists with such a reputation for visual flair. Instead, it was hidden among the other tracks on Like a Prayer, leaving many fans unaware that these two pop titans ever worked together at all.
Though the song failed to capture the energy both artists were capable of, Madonna still reflects fondly on the experience of collaborating with Prince. “He’s very private, you know, and very shy,” she shared in the same Rolling Stone interview. “He’s great when you get to know him. Charming and funny, in his own way. More than anything, he really comes alive when he’s working.” Perhaps it’s this very private nature, paired with the long-distance collaboration, that hindered what could have been a landmark pop moment.
In the end, “Love Song” is a curiosity—an interesting but ultimately forgettable footnote in the careers of two of the most influential artists of the 20th century. While Madonna and Prince’s individual works remain iconic, their shared song did not spark the magic that fans had hoped for. It’s a reminder that sometimes even the most anticipated pairings can fall flat.