Madonna's banned Pepsi commercial finally airs after 34 years

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By Kim Novak

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Madonna's no stranger to making waves, so much so that one of her infamous adverts has only just been shown, 34 years after she filmed it.

The pop superstar, now 65, filmed the infamous Pepsi advert all the way back in 1989, featuring her song 'Like A Prayer' in the clip.

Pepsi signed a $5 million deal with the star for the commercial, however, it was pulled shortly after its release following outrage from Christians over Madonna's music video for the song.

Christian organizations including the Vatican condemned the music video - which was released a day after the ad debuted - for showing Catholic symbols such as stigmata, alongside burning crosses and Madonna kissing a black saint.

See the banned commercial below: 

The controversy surrounding Madonna and the song led Pepsi to pull the commercial shortly afterward, and it was never to see the light of day again... until now.

To mark Pepsi's 125th anniversary, the ad was shown again at the MTV VMAs on Tuesday night, much to fans' delight.

Madonna also took to Instagram to share the clip, adding: "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."

She concluded her post by adding: "Thank you @pepsi for finally realizing the genius of our collaboration. Artists are here to disturb the peace."

The ad, titled 'Make a wish', had first aired at the 31st annual Grammy Awards in February 1989, showing her enjoying a can of Pepsi while reminiscing on her childhood memories.

The $5 million deal would mean the commercial launched the song globally before its official release, and Pepsi was also set to sponsor Madonna's next world tour as part of the agreement.

Despite being viewed by millions on its release, the advert was soon pulled after the 'Like A Prayer' music video dropped, following uproar over the use of religious imagery.

The backlash was so intense that even Pope John Paul II condemned the singer at the time for using symbols that are important to the church alongside sexual visuals.

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Madonna has always refused to bow to criticism. Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS

Despite the furor, Madonna stood firm alongside her vision for the song, and has remained unapologetic over her art ever since.

She is currently set to take on her 40th anniversary Celebration tour, which was postponed after she was hospitalized earlier in the year.

Rehearsals are said to have resumed two weeks ago, with sources claiming that she was taking it "at a slower pace" this time around.

Featured image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images