Just like a What?

So the other day I was listening to a Tori Amos cover of Madonna's "Just Like a Prayer." The Madonna version originally came out a long time ago. I was probably 10. At that time I was a big fan of Madonna's but didn't really understand a lot of the sexual controversy surrounding much of her music. For example: I DID know what a virgin was, but I DIDN'T understand what "being touched for the first time" really implied. Maybe I was naive but in my defense I was only 10 years old, I had only been living back in the US for a year (I was out of touch with American culture), AND I was going to the world's smallest catholic school. All I knew was that this particular song was by Madonna (who I liked), it was about prayer (which is good!), and the video had burning crosses in it. If I was aware of any related controversy, I linked it to those burning crosses, 'cause, that's just got to be bad, right?

It wasn't until I heard the Tori Amos version on Saturday that it started to dawn on me just what this song may actually be about. Here is a particularly telling line from the song: "I'm down on my knees, I want to take you there."

She also says "In the midnight hour, I can feel your power." Whatever experience she's singing about--whomever she's feeling power from and kneeling in front of-- she's calling it "religious."

I am now 26, I am no longer in Catholic school, and I am fully integrated into American culture. I'm gonna venture to guess that just MAYBE, this song isn't about praying.