One of the questions facing musicians performing at MTV's Hope For Haiti Now benefit last Friday was what to play. Some chose to perform covers, with Jennifer Hudson deftly handling "Let It Be" by The Beatles and Justin Timberlake giving a close reading of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Others chose to dip into their own catalogs to find an appropriate piece.
For her performance, Madonna chose her stirring gospel-pop anthem, "Like A Prayer." New York Times pop critic Jon Caramanica might have summed the moment up best: "For 20 years, that song has been the symbol of one of the most tumultuous and controversial periods in Madonna's life. But for five minutes tonight, it was pure, put in service of something bigger than the singer."
Rendered in an appropriately minimal fashion, with just an acoustic guitar and the backing of a fantastic choir, Madonna gave a heartfelt, cathartic performance of one of her greatest singles. Relive it in the video below. And for old time's sake, check out the original "Like A Prayer" video as well.
Make sure you watch all of the performances from the Hope For Haiti Now benefit here. Also, pre-order the Hope for Haiti Now full-performance album for just $7.99 on iTunes. And please, donate.