Singing Sister back in habit with 1984 hit

Oct 30, 2014

The clip has already attracted more than 190,000 views in 24 hours but is still a long way from the more than 60 million views tallied for her audition performance of Alicia Keys’s ‘No One’ in March, a performance which gained her entry to the show and eventually a record contract with Universal.

The SMH reports that Sr Cristina said her choice of Like a Virgin was intended as “a testimony of God’s capacity to turn all things into something new” and of the call she received for a new life, in remarks published by her recording company. But the 26-year-old Ursuline nun has also, arguably, cleansed what was once a controversial song, for a new audience.

Guessing what Madonna was singing about in her worldwide breakthrough hit has been a popular sport since Like a Virgin was released in 1984, with many debating whether it was intended as a spiritual song or one heavy with innuendo and sexual politics.

When it was released, conservative groups called for Like a Virgin to be banned because they believed the song — and original video clip — promoted sex out of wedlock and undermined family values. The symbolism and location, also Venice, in Madonna’s video, was also interpreted by academics as challenging Catholic intolerance around sexuality. -- Cathnews