"Pray" was the third single released from MC Hammer's third album, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. Produced by MC Hammer himself, the song heavily samples Prince's smash-hit song, "When Doves Cry", the first and one of the few songs legally sanctioned by Prince to incorporate samples of one of his compositions. The track also samples Faith No More's "We Care a Lot".

"Pray" became Hammer's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number two (kept from the top spot by Mariah Carey's "Love Takes Time"), becoming a Top-20 hit in nine countries. The track helped make Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em the number one album of the year. In the U. S., the song was certified gold on November 26, 1990, with sales over 500,000 copies.

This hit single (accompanied with music videos) became one of Hammer's most popular songs and has appeared on several compilation albums, including Greatest Hits, Back 2 Back Hits and The Hits. It also appeared in Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990). The word "pray" is mentioned 147 times during the song, setting the record for the number of times a song title is repeated in an American Top 40 hit.

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