Devil Pray
It was written and produced by Madonna, Avicii, DJ Dahi, and Michael Diamond (BloodPop), with additional writing by Arash Pournouri, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, and Savan Kotecha.
Madonna and Avicii first met in 2012 when the singer appeared on the Ultra Music Festival to premiere a remix of her single "Girl Gone Wild", produced by the DJ.
[10] "Devil Pray" was written and produced by Madonna, Avicii, DJ Dahi and Michael Diamonds, with additional writing done by Savan Kotecha, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub and Arash Pournouri.
[11] "Devil Pray" has been described as a "moody mid-tempo semi-acoustic pop", techno-folk,[12] "lite-EDM"[13] and "acoustic guitar-with-electro-cowboy"[14] song about overcoming addiction, with a more "country-tinged" and "folksy" style in comparison to other tracks on the album.
[6][17] "Devil Pray" brings Madonna "as a devoted disciple, drawn to a darker kind of prayer", as noted by The Quietus's Amy Pettifer,[18] and its story deals with sin, temptation and deliverance.
[19] The song starts with hand claps and guitar, "whose country edge is [...] characteristic of Swedish producer Avicii's own output", claimed Pettifer.
[18] The chorus contains "an intoned, warning list of narcotic distractions" that "offer brief relief", as she sings, "And we can do drugs, and we can smoke weed, and we can drink whiskey / Yeah, we can get high, and we can get stoned / And we can sniff glue, and we can do E, and we can drop acid.
"[16] Jamieson Cox of Time enthusiastically wrote that the song "could fit in neatly on the radio beside this year's British house-pop crossovers and Avicii's own 'Hey Brother'.
"[23] Kathy Iandoli of Idolator praised Avicii and Blood Diamonds for "becom[ing] a divine pair for ['Devil Pray'] where you can hear both of their styles woven into the beat.
"[24] Andy Gill of The Independent found that "Devil Pray" recalled "the career-apex achievements of 'Like a Prayer',[25] while Gavin Haynes of NME opined that the song is "reminiscent of Lady Gaga's crazed 2013 dance tune 'Aura'.
Club also saw the song as a highlight, describing it as a "gospel-tinged, acoustic-guitar irresistible plea for salvation and divine guidance in the face of temptations such as drugs.
Chris Richards from The Washington Post criticized the fact that the "lyrics on Rebel Heart feel almost violently resistant to wisdom", citing the menu of intoxicants used in the chorus and asking, "Which one will best help us forget that this is happening?
"[20] Andrew Unterberger of Spin also wrote about the "laundry list of intoxicants" referenced in the song, noting that it "makes 'Devil Pray' sound like a mid-80s PSA.
"[34] Jessica Hopper of Pitchfork Media went on to criticize the list for being "a strange, tender, comical thing, [...] but ultimately, it's a boring stadium-throb lite-EDM song about seeking sobriety and/or big-G, God.
"[21] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian was negative about "Devil Pray"'s production, claiming that "[it's] a pretty transparent attempt by Avicii to come up with something along the lines of his hit 'Wake Me Up'.
[51] The performance of "Devil Pray" at the March 19–20, 2016 shows in Sydney's Allphones Arena was recorded and released in Madonna's fifth live album, Rebel Heart Tour.
