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Ray of Light

December 07, 2023

For other uses, see Ray of light (disambiguation).

Ray of Light is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released in early 1998 by Maverick Records. A major stylistic and aesthetic departure from her previous work, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light is an electronica and techno-pop record which incorporates multiple genres, including ambient, trip hop, psychedelic music and Middle Eastern music, while also seeing Madonna singing with greater breadth and a fuller tone. Mystical themes are also strongly present in both the music and lyrics, as a result of Madonna embracing Kabbalah, her study of Hinduism and Buddhism, and her daily practice of Ashtanga yoga.

Ray of Light
Studio album by
Madonna
ReleasedFebruary 22, 1998 (1998-02-22)
RecordedJune–November 1997
Studio
Genre
Length66:52
Label
Producer
Madonna chronology
Evita
(1996) 		Ray of Light
(1998) 		Music
(2000)
Singles from Ray of Light
  1. "Frozen"
    Released: January 23, 1998
  2. "Ray of Light"
    Released: April 27, 1998
  3. "Drowned World/Substitute for Love"
    Released: August 24, 1998
  4. "The Power of Good-Bye"
    Released: September 22, 1998
  5. "Little Star"
    Released: November 23, 1998[1]
  6. "Nothing Really Matters"
    Released: February 9, 1999

After giving birth to her first child, Madonna started working on the album with producers Babyface and Patrick Leonard. Following failed sessions with them, Madonna pursued a new musical direction with English producer William Orbit, which resulted in a much more experimental sound being produced for the album. The recording process was the longest of Madonna's career, and she experienced problems with Orbit's hardware arrangement which would break down and cause delays until it could be repaired.

Considered as her best body of work, the album received universal critical acclaim, with reviews praising the singer's new musical direction, Orbit's complex, innovative and experimental production, and Madonna's songwriting skills. Referred to as her "most adventurous" record, Ray of Light has been noted for its introspective, spiritual, and religious nature with Madonna's vocals also being lauded. Retrospectively, the album has continued receiving critical acclaim from contemporary critics and is often considered to be her magnum opus. On top of this, the album is frequently cited by critics as one of the greatest mainstream pop albums of all time.[2] Madonna has retrospectively referenced it as her most quintessential album yet. Ray of Light won four Grammy Awards from a total of six nominations.

The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, with the biggest first-week sales by a female artist at the time. It also peaked at number one in 17 countries,[3] including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, and charted within the top-five in most musical markets. Worldwide, Ray of Light has sold over 16 million copies and is one of the best-selling albums by women. Five singles were released from the album, including the international top five hits "Frozen" and "Ray of Light". The album's promotion was later supported by the Drowned World Tour in 2001. Music critics have noted the album's influence on popular music, and how it introduced electronica into mainstream pop culture in America. They also noted Madonna's musical re-invention which helped the 39-year-old remain contemporary among the teen-marketed artists of the period.

Background edit

 
Madonna wearing a red string, performing the album's opening track, "Drowned World/Substitute for Love", on the 2006 Confessions Tour

Following the release of her compilation album Something to Remember (1995), Madonna started taking vocal lessons in preparation for her role in Evita (1996). She would also give birth to her daughter, Lourdes, later in 1996. These events inspired a period of introspection. "That was a big catalyst for me. It took me on a search for answers to questions I'd never asked myself before", she said to Q magazine, in 2002.[4] During the same period, she embraced Kabbalah and started studying Hinduism and yoga, all of which helped her "step outside [myself] and see the world from a different perspective".[4] Madonna felt that there was a "whole piece" of her voice left unused, which she decided to utilize for the album.[4] By May 1997, Madonna had started writing songs for the album. She began collaborating with Babyface, who had first worked with her on her previous album Bedtime Stories (1994). The two wrote a couple of songs together before Madonna decided the collaborations were not going in the musical direction she wanted for the album. According to Babyface, the songs "had a 'Take a Bow-ish' kind of vibe, and Madonna didn't want, or need, to repeat herself".[5]

After abandoning the songs she had written with Babyface, Madonna turned to musician Rick Nowels, who had previously co-written songs with Stevie Nicks and Celine Dion. The collaboration produced seven songs in nine days, but those songs also did not display the album's future electronic musical direction.[5] Three of the songs, "The Power of Good-Bye", "To Have and Not to Hold" and "Little Star", appear on the album.[5] Madonna then began writing songs with Leonard, who had produced many songs for Madonna in the late 1980s. Unlike her previous albums, Leonard's song writing collaborations were accompanied by very little studio input. Madonna believed that Leonard's production "would have lent the songs more of a Peter Gabriel vibe", a sound that she did not want for the album.[5] Guy Oseary, chairman of Maverick Records, then phoned British electronic musician William Orbit, and suggested that he send some songs to Madonna.[4] Orbit sent a 13-track digital audio tape to Madonna. "I was a huge fan of William's earlier records, Strange Cargo 1 and 2 and all that. I also loved all the remixes he did for me and I was interested in fusing a kind of futuristic sound but also using lots of Indian and Moroccan influences and things like that, and I wanted it to sound old and new at the same time", Madonna said.[4]

Recording edit

"It took a long time to do the album, months. And it wasn't like we were slacking. We actually did have to work fast, and there were many times when we had to move on. One of Madonna's favorite phrases was: 'Don't gild the lily.' In other words, keep it rough, and don't perfect it too much. It's a natural urge for computer buffs to perfect everything because they can, and we were very wary of that."

—Orbit on working with Madonna; Keyboard magazine[6]

In early June before starting recording, Orbit met Madonna at her house in New York, and she played him the music she had worked on with other producers up to May 1997, which he felt sounded "slick".[4][5] They visited the Hit Factory later that week, where Madonna invited the producer to work on Ray of Light.[6] Orbit then sent her a tape of musical snippets he was working on, which were usually eight or sixteen-bar phrases and stripped-down versions of tracks that would later be heard on the album.[5] Madonna listened to the samples, over and over again, until she was inspired to write lyrics. Once she had an idea about the lyrical direction of the song, she would take her ideas back to Orbit, and they would expand on the original music ideas.[5] As most of the instrumental demos pre-existed, Madonna worked on the lyrics and melodies while at home or while travelling.[4]

The album was recorded over four and a half months at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood, California, beginning in mid-June 1997, the longest Madonna had ever worked on an album. For most of the recording process, only three other people were in the studio with Madonna: William Orbit, an engineer named Pat McCarthy, and his assistant engineer, Matt Silva.[5] They started recording in Los Angeles, but the recording process was initially plagued with machinery problems, as Orbit preferred to work with samples and synth sounds, and not with live musicians. The computers would break down, and recording would have to be delayed until they could be repaired.[5][6] Orbit recorded the bulk of the album's instrumentation over a four-month period. Orbit recalls playing the guitar and having his fingers bleed during the long hours he spent in the studio.[5]

After some errors in her pronunciation of Sanskrit shloka "Yoga Taravali" during the song "Shanti/Ashtangi", the BBC arranged for Madonna to take telephonic lessons to learn the basic correct pronunciation of Sanskrit words from eminent scholar Vagish Shastri. She then made the necessary pronunciation corrections on the album.[7][8] In an interview with MTV, Madonna recalled the recording of the album, saying her business partner Guy Oseary was a helpful friend, and that after she and Orbit played him the tracks, he, to their dismay, said nothing and left the studio. "He really hates those icy strings. Right when I think the track's done, he sort of pushes us another step further. 'Maybe we should try this', or 'I really don't want to hear that'. And then of course, later on, it creeps in my brain, and I'm like, 'maybe I should have done a background vocal on that'. And then she comes in and happily does it, right?" Madonna said.[9] Orbit also recalled during an interview with Q magazine that Madonna recorded "Swim" the day her friend and fashion designer Gianni Versace was killed in Miami, Florida. He also commented that this is probably why the track has an emotional impact.[4]

Title and artwork edit

According to spokesperson Liz Rosenberg, Madonna considered titling the album Mantra, which she thought was a "really cool title", and she also considered calling it Veronica Electronica;[10] however, she discarded both of those ideas and called it Ray of Light, as her albums were always titled after one of the songs from each album's tracklist.[11] The artwork was taken from a November 28, 1997, photoshoot with Peruvian photographer Mario Testino at the Paris Theater in Miami Beach. In terms of styling, Madonna and stylist Lori Goldstein opted for textures evocative of the elements water and air, which are recurrent themes on the album. For the album cover, Madonna wears a turquoise Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 1998 vinyl raincoat. Other pictures from the same shoot serve as the artworks for the "Ray of Light" and "Frozen" singles, where Madonna models items from Prada's Spring/Summer 1998 collection.[12] Madonna and Testino had previously collaborated for a Versace brand collection 2 years earlier. Madonna was impressed with the natural look Testino had captured, so she booked him again for the album's photoshoot. He recalled, "At 2pm she said, 'OK, I'm tired. We're done'. And I said, 'But I don't have the pictures yet'. She said, 'You're working for me and I say we're done'. I said, 'No, we carry on'. The picture she used on the cover came after that".[13]

Composition edit

"I feel that talking about it trivializes it. I've been studying the Cabala [sic], which is the mystical interpretation of the Torah. I've studied Buddhism and Hinduism and I've been practicing yoga and obviously I know a lot about Catholicism. There are indisputable truths that connect all of them, and I find that very comforting and kind. My spiritual journey is to be open to everything. Pay attention to what makes sense, be absorbed. For me, yoga is the closest thing to our real nature."

—Madonna talking about the inspiration behind "Sky Fits Heaven" and "Shanti/Ashtangi".[5]

Ray of Light was a notable departure from Madonna's previous work, and has been described as her most "adventurous" record.[14] An electronica,[15][16] trip hop,[17] techno-pop,[18] and new-age album;[19] it also contains elements of several different types of music, including house, ambient, drum and bass, rock, new wave, eastern and classical music.[20] Vocally, the album was also a marked change from Madonna's previous work; as the singer underwent vocal training lessons for her 1996 film Evita, her vocals exhibited greater breadth and range, as well as a fuller timbre. In many songs, she also abandoned the vibrato which was present in her previous work. Critically, it is said to have Madonna's most full-bodied vocals.[21]

The opening track and third single, "Drowned World/Substitute For Love", is a downtempo ballad drawing influences from jungle, drum and bass and trip hop music.[22] The title is inspired by J. G. Ballard's post-apocalyptic science fiction novel The Drowned World (1962).[22] "Swim", the second song, has a spiritual tone. She sings: "Swim to the ocean floor/So that we can begin again/Wash away all our sins/Crash to the other shore".[23] "Ray of Light", the third track and second single, is an uptempo electronic dance-pop song with strong techno and trance influences. A "sonically progressive" track,[14] it also incorporates elements of rock, with a prominent electric guitar riff. Its sound effects include whistles and bleeps.[14] "Candy Perfume Girl" has a grunge intro and continues to pair post-modern beeps and beats with old-fashioned electric guitar flare ups.[24] In the next song, "Skin", Madonna sings "Do I know you from somewhere?" in a yearning voice over the beats of an electronic orchestra.[24]

The sixth track, "Nothing Really Matters", is an up-tempo dance track which contains influences of techno.[25] "Sky Fits Heaven" focuses on Madonna's spiritual studies and her daughter Lourdes. Some lyrics include: "Sky fits heaven so fly it, that's what the prophet said to me/Child fits mother so hold your baby tight, that's what my future can see".[24] Elements of the lyric are taken from the poem What Fits? by poet Max Blagg, the poem used for a 1993 advertisement for Gap Inc.[26] "Shanti/Ashtangi" is a Hindu prayer and up-tempo techno song sung by Madonna in Sanskrit, over a driving dance rhythm.[23] The techno dance track features Madonna singing the adapted version of Shankaracharya entirely in Sanskrit with lines such as "Vunde gurunam caranaravinde/Sandarsita svatma sukhavabodhe".[27][28]

"Frozen", the ninth track and album's first single, is a mid-tempo electronic ballad which has a layered sound enhanced by synthesizers and strings.[29] The song additionally contains ambient qualities, a moderate dance rhythm during the chorus and techno-influenced beats towards the end. Madonna's vocals throughout the song lack vibrato, and have drawn comparisons to medieval music. Lyrically, the song is about a cold and emotionless man; nevertheless, subtexts have been noticed.[29] According to Jarman-Ivens, lyrics such as "You're frozen, when your heart's not open" reflected an artistic palette, "encompassing diverse musical, textual and visual styles in its lyrics."[30] "The Power of Good-Bye" is an emotional ballad which lyrically meditates on loss and longing. It was released as the album's fourth single. "To Have and Not to Hold" is about a distant lover and "Little Star" is about her daughter, Lourdes. Both are superficially vibrant but with underlying subtlety and restrained arrangements prevailing.[24] "Mer Girl", the album's final track, is a surreal meditation on mortality and the death of Madonna's mother, in which she sings, "And I smelled her burning flesh/Her rotting bones, her decay/I ran and I ran/I'm still running away."[22] "She stepped out of the vocal booth," Orbit recalled of its recording, "and everybody was rooted to the spot. It was just one of those moments. Really spooky."[31]

Release and promotion edit

See also: Drowned World Tour
 
Madonna performing promotional single "Sky Fits Heaven", during the Drowned World Tour in 2001

Ray of Light was released in Japan on February 22, 1998, with an additional Japan-only bonus track "Has to Be".[32] The album was later released in the United States on March 3, 1998. In New Zealand, a box set of Ray of Light and The Immaculate Collection was released to accompany the album. It reached number 12 on the albums chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for shipment of 7,500 copies.[33] A promotional instore VHS compilation titled Rays of Light was released in the United Kingdom in 1999, compiling all the music videos to all five singles from the album. All five videos were later included on the compilation The Video Collection 93:99 (1999).[34] "Sky Fits Heaven" was released as a promotional single in the United States. It peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[35]

To promote the album, Madonna made a number of televised appearances and live performances of the album's songs. On February 14, 1998, she debuted "Sky Fits Heaven", "Shanti/Ashtangi" and "Ray of Light" at Roxy NYC nightclub.[36] "Frozen" was performed on The National Lottery Show in the UK (February 21),[37] 1998 Sanremo Music Festival in Italy (February 24),[38] Wetten, dass..? in Germany (February 28)[39] and the Rosie O'Donnell Show in the United States (March 13).[40] On April 27, Madonna made an unannounced appearance at the Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City to sing "Frozen". She also joined the other stars of the concert, including Sting, Elton John, and Billy Joel to perform "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "Twist and Shout" with them.[41] On May 29, Madonna appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and sang "Little Star" and "Ray of Light" there.[42] On September 10, she opened 1998 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City with the performance of "Shanti/Ashtangi" and "Ray of Light" featuring Lenny Kravitz on guitar.[43] "The Power of Good-Bye" was sung at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards in Italy (November 12)[44] and Top of the Pops in the UK (November 19).[45] On February 24, 1999, Madonna performed "Nothing Really Matters" at the 41st Grammy Awards ceremony at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.[46]

Madonna performed "Drowned World/Substitute For Love", "Ray of Light", "Candy Perfume Girl", "Sky Fits Heaven", "Frozen" and "Mer Girl" on the Drowned World Tour, her fifth concert tour, which promoted Ray of Light and its successor album. It started in June 2001 and was Madonna's first tour in eight years. The tour was to be started before the new millennium,[47] but she had become pregnant with her son Rocco Ritchie, released Music that year, and married British film maker Guy Ritchie in December 2000.[48][49] The show was divided into five sections, Cyber-Punk, Geisha, Cowgirl, Spanish and Ghetto.[50] The Drowned World Tour received positive reviews.[51] The tour was a commercial success, grossing a total of US$75 million, and it was the top concert tour of a solo artist in 2001.[52] The concert was broadcast live on HBO from The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on August 26, 2001.[53] The Drowned World Tour 2001 DVD was released in all regions on November 13, 2001. Like the original airing of the show, the DVD received very good reviews. The photographs used on the DVD packaging were taken by Madonna's friend Rosie O'Donnell.[54]

Singles edit

 
"Frozen" (1998)
A slow tempo dance track featuring Madonna's voice over layers of string arrangements and synthesizers.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Frozen" was released as the lead single from the album on February 23, 1998. It peaked inside the top five in most musical markets worldwide, while topping the singles chart in Finland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, where it became Madonna's first single to debut at number one.[55][56] It became her sixth single to peak at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a record for Madonna as the artist with most number-two hits in the chart history.[57][58] The song received critical acclaim, and was labelled a masterpiece whose sound was described as "cinematic".[22] However, the Belgian court in 2005 ruled that the opening four-bar theme to the song was plagiarized from the song "Ma vie fout le camp", composed by Salvatore Acquaviva. The ruling forbade the sale of the single and the entire Ray of Light album, as well as other compilations that included the track in Belgium.[59] In February 2014, a Belgian court ruled that Madonna did not plagiarize Acquaviva's work for "Frozen". The court spoke of a "new capital offense" in the file: composer Edouard Scotto Di Suoccio and societies Tabata Atoll Music and Music in Paris had also filed a complaint for plagiarism. According to them, both "Ma vie fout le camp" and "Frozen" originated in the song "Blood Night" which they composed in 1983.[60] After all three tracks in the case were compared, the final ruling was that the songs were "not sufficiently 'original' to claim" that any plagiarism had taken place.[61] This ruling ended the eight-year ban of the song that was in place in Belgium since 2005.[61]

The album's second single, "Ray of Light", was released on April 27, 1998. It peaked at number one in Spain and attained the top five position in Canada, Finland, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.[56][62][63] It entered the Hot 100 at number five, becoming Madonna's highest debut on the chart ever.[57] The song was also a hit on Hot Dance Club Play chart, remaining at number one for four weeks, and became the "Top Hot Dance Club Play Single" of 1998.[64] Critically, it also received positive reviews, being praised for its club-perfect, yet "sonically progressive" sound, as well as her powerful vocals.[14]

"Drowned World/Substitute for Love" was released on August 24, 1998, as the third single outside the United States. It reached number one in Spain and the top ten in Italy and the United Kingdom.[56][65] The music video, directed by Walter Stern, caused controversy due to scenes that featured Madonna being chased by paparazzi on motor-bikes, a scenario similar to Princess Diana's death in 1997.[66]

The fourth single, "The Power of Good-Bye", was released on September 22, 1998. It reached the top-ten peaks in Austria, Canada, Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom.[56][67] In the United States, the song peaked at number eleven on the Hot 100.[57] Its music video was directed by Matthew Rolston.

"The Power of Good-Bye" was released as a dual single with "Little Star" in the United Kingdom. "The Power of Good-Bye" also charted at number 91 as a standalone single.[citation needed]

"Nothing Really Matters" was released as the album's sixth and final single on March 2, 1999. It became a top-ten hit in Canada, Finland, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.[56][68] In the United States, it became Madonna's lowest-charting single on the Hot 100, peaking at number 93, but was a number-one hit on its dance chart.[57] Its music video, directed by Johan Renck, was inspired by Arthur Golden's book Memoirs of a Geisha, and featured Madonna dressed as a geisha.[69]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [14]
Chicago Tribune    [70]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [71]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[72]
The Guardian     [73]
NME8/10[74]
Pitchfork8.1/10[75]
Rolling Stone     [76]
Slant Magazine     [22]
USA Today    [77]

Ray of Light received universal acclaim from critics.[78] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called it Madonna's "most adventurous record" and "most mature and restrained album".[14] Paul Verna of Billboard commented: "Easily her most mature and personal work to date, Ray of Light finds Madonna weaving lyrics with the painstaking intimacy of diary entries and wrapping them in hymn-like melodies and instrumentation swathed in lush, melancholy ambience—with forays into classic house, trance, and even guitar pop. Of course, she balances the set's serious tone with chewy pop nuggets that allow her to flex her immeasurably widened vocal range to fine effect." He finished the review by calling the album "a deliciously adventurous, ultimately victorious effort from one of pop music's most compelling performers."[79] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described the album as "one of the great pop masterpieces of the '90s" and stated that: "Its lyrics are uncomplicated but its statement is grand" and "Madonna hasn't been this emotionally candid since Like a Prayer".[22] Rob Sheffield's review for Rolling Stone called the album "brilliant", but was critical of Orbit's production, saying that he doesn't know enough tricks to produce a whole album, and so becomes repetitive.[76] "Until Simply Red enlist John Zorn, or Mariah Carey works with Tortoise," Stuart Maconie wrote in Q, "she remains the only pop aristocrat who's keeping her ears open."[80]

David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "For all her grapplings with self-enlightenment, Madonna seems more relaxed and less contrived than she's been in years, from her new Italian earth-mother makeover to, especially, her music. Ray of Light is truly like a prayer, and you know she'll take you there."[72] Roni Sarig, in City Pages, was most impressed by Madonna's vocal range, depth, and clarity and called Ray of Light "her richest, most accomplished record yet".[81] Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "One reason why her new Ray of Light is the most satisfying album of her career is that it reflects the soul-searching of a woman who is at a point in her life where she can look at herself with surprising candor and perspective."[82] In Melody Maker, Mark Roland drew comparisons with St Etienne and Björk's Homogenic album, highlighting Ray of Light's lack of cynicism as its most positive aspect: "It's not an album turned on the lathe of cynical pop manipulation, rather it's been squished out of a lump of clay on a foot-powered wheel. Lovingly teased into life, Ray of Light is like the ugly mug that doesn't match but is all the more special because of it."[83] Joan Anderman from The Boston Globe said Ray of Light is a remarkable album. He described it as a deeply spiritual dance record, ecstatically textured, a serious cycle of songs that goes a long way toward liberating Madonna from a career built on scavenged images and cultivated identities.[84] Robert Christgau was less impressed in Playboy, deeming it a "great-sounding" but average record because enlightenment themes always yield awkward results for pop entertainers. However, he praised sensual songs such as "Skin" and "Candy Perfume Girl".[85]

Commercial performance edit

 
Madonna performing the album's lead single "Frozen" on the Re-Invention World Tour in 2004.

Upon its release, Ray of Light topped the official charts of 17 countries.[3] It broke the record as Warner Music Group's album with most shipments before its release at 2.5 million units worldwide, excluding the U.S.[86] The album managed to sell 3 million copies in five days.[87] With over 16 million copies,[88][89] Ray of Light is one of the best-selling albums by women.

In the United States, Ray of Light debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the issue dated March 21, 1998.[90] It set the record for biggest first-week sales by a female artist in Nielsen SoundScan era at that time with 371,000 copies sold.[90] However, the album was not able to top the soundtrack album of the motion picture Titanic, becoming Madonna's fifth album to peak at the runner-up position.[91] During the second week, the album sold 225,000 copies and was still kept off the top spot by the soundtrack.[92] On March 16, 2000, the album was certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of four million units of the album.[93] Madonna became the first female artist to have seven multi-platinum studio albums by RIAA.[94] According to Nielsen SoundScan, Ray of Light had sold 3,900,000 copies in the United States as of February 2023.[95] This figure does not include units sold through clubs like the BMG Music, where the album sold over 459,000 copies.[96] In Canada, the album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart with first-week sales of 59,900 copies.[97] It was later certified seven-times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of 700,000 copies.[98]

Ray of Light achieved commercial success in Latin America, being certified 3× platinum in Argentina for 180,000 copies recognized by Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (CAPIF) and platinum in Brazil for shipments of over 250,000 units certified by Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos (ABPD).[99][100] In Mexico, initial shipments of the album were 30,000 units.[101][102] The album also achieved commercial success in Oceania, debuting at number one on the albums chart in Australia and New Zealand. It was certified triple platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and platinum by Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for shipments of 210,000 and 15,000 copies respectively.[103][104] Ray of Light became the best-selling album from Warner Music in the Asia-Pacific region during 1998,[105] and sold over one million copies in Asia as of June 1999.[106]

Ray of Light achieved its biggest commercial reception in European countries, where it topped the European Top 100 Albums chart[107] and was certified seven times platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for sales of seven million copies, becoming the ninth best-selling album in Europe for the 1998–2007 period.[108][109] In the United Kingdom, Ray of Light debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with opening sales of nearly 139,000 copies and remained at the top spot for two weeks.[110][111] It was certified six times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipment of 1.8 million copies.[112] As of 2018, the album sold 1,730,000 units in the UK according to Official Charts Company.[113] In France, Ray of Light entered the albums chart at number two, staying there for seven weeks before descending the chart.[114] It was certified three times platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) for shipments of 900,000 copies.[115] In Germany, the album reached number one on the Media Control Charts and remained there for seven weeks.[116] It remains Madonna's best-selling album in Germany with three times platinum certification from Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) for shipment of 1.5 million copies.[117] In the rest of Europe, Ray of Light topped the official charts of Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain and Switzerland.[62][114]

Accolades edit

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Madonna
 
Madonna performing "Ray of Light" during the 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour. The song won an MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year and a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.

At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, Ray of Light received four awards out of six nominations.[118] The album won Best Pop Album and Best Recording Package, and was nominated for Album of the Year, while the title track won Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video, and was nominated for Record of the Year.[119] The album gave Madonna her first musical Grammy of her career, as previously she had only won in the video category. Madonna also became the biggest winner of the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, winning six awards from nine nominations.[120] "Frozen" won Best Special Effects; "Ray of Light" won Best Choreography, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Female Video and Video of the Year, and was also nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Dance Video and Breakthrough Video. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) honored Madonna two awards of Most Performed Song for "Frozen" and "Ray of Light" at the 1999 ASCAP Pop Music Awards,[121] as well as Top Dance Song for "Ray of Light" at the 1999 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards.[122]

Ray of Light also gave Madonna several trophies from various international award shows—including two Danish Grammy Awards for Best International Album and Best International Female Vocalist from IFPI Denmark,[123] a Fryderyk award for Best Foreign Album from Związek Producentów Audio Video (ZPAV) in Poland,[124] a Golden Giraffe Award for International Pop Album of the Year from Mahasz in Hungary,[125] two Porin awards for Best International Album and Best International Video ("Frozen") in Croatia,[126] and two Rockbjörnen awards for Best International Album and Best International Artist in Sweden.[127]

In Canada, Madonna won Best International Video for "Ray of Light" at the 1999 MuchMusic Video Awards and was nominated for Best Selling Album (Foreign or Domestic) at the 1999 Juno Awards.[128][129] She also received Best Female and Best Album trophies at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards.[130] At the 14th annual International Dance Music Awards, Madonna won Best Dance Solo Artist and Best Dance Video for "Ray of Light".[131]

Legacy edit

Ray of Light has been credited for bringing electronica music into global pop culture. The Los Angeles Times noted that "aside from occasional breakthroughs such as Fatboy Slim, electronica wasn't totally mainstream fare when Madonna released Ray of Light."[132] Until the album brought the genre to the top of music charts, according to author J. Randy Taraborrelli, "techno and electronica had, for years, been the music played at so-called raves, hugely popular, illegal underground parties taking place in abandoned warehouse and deserted areas on the outskirts of town all around the world."[133] AllMusic editor Liana Jonas stated that the album's title track has "brought mainstream attention to electronica music, which ascended from its underground status to wild popularity in the early 21st century."[134] The Observer's writer Daryl Deino called Ray of Light "a risk-taking album that helped define mainstream electronic dance music."[135]

Elliott H. Powell in an American Studies for New York University observed that Ray of Light made South Asian culture accessible to the American public in the 1990s.[136] Rhonda Hammer and Douglas Kellner in their book Media/cultural Studies: Critical Approaches recalled that "the phenomenon of South Asian-inspired femininity as a Western media trend can be traced to February 1998, when pop icon Madonna released her video 'Frozen'." They explained that "although Madonna did not initiate the fashion for Indian beauty accessories [...] she did propel it into the public eye by attracting the attention of the worldwide media."[137]

According to Taraborrelli, the album has been hailed as bold and refreshing in music of the late 1990s, which was dominated by boybands and teenage artists such as the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.[138] Larry Flick from Billboard said that the album "not only provided the chameleon-like artist with her first universally applauded critical success, it has also proved that she remains a vital figure amongst woefully fickle young audiences."[139] Music critic Lucy O'Brien commented: "1998's Ray of Light certainly rehabilitated Madonna's image. Up to that point she had still been written off as an average pop glamour girl who got lucky, but with this record she reached a whole new audience, proving that she was a good songwriter with an intensely productive talent."[140] Mary von Aue from Stereogum stated that "Ray of Light reestablished Madonna as a groundbreaking artist."[141]

Ray of Light has been featured on numerous critics' lists of greatest albums of all time. Rolling Stone magazine placed the album at number 367 on the list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[142] In September 2020, an updated edition of the Rolling Stone list was published, showing the album rising 145 spots, at number 222.[143] In 2001, a quarter of a million music fans on VH1 voted Ray of Light as the 10th of "100 Best Albums of All Time".[144] In 2003, Ray of Light was allocated at number 17 on Q magazine readers' list of "100 Greatest Albums Ever".[145] The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[146] Mojo magazine also listed Ray of Light at number 29 on "100 Modern Classics: The Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime".[147] In 2013, the album was also included at number 241 on NME magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[148] Canadian singer Nelly Furtado stated that she used Ray of Light as a template for her album Loose (2006).[149] English singer Adele named Ray of Light as "one of the chief inspirations" for her third studio album, 25 (2015).[150] In September 2022, Pitchfork ranked Ray of Light as the 55th best album of the 1990s, "Madonna's trying, with all her might, to evoke the blackest depths and most euphoric joys of the human heart. The album's title track sounds like it was forged inside a meteor; the surreal, pitch-black poem 'Mer Girl' is as still as death itself."[151]

Madonna herself has considered Ray of Light the most fulfilling evolution of her career, with her referencing it as the "quintessential Madonna album" in a 2013 Reddit AMA.[152][153]

Track listing edit

Ray of Light – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Drowned World/Substitute for Love"
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
5:08
2."Swim"
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
5:00
3."Ray of Light"
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
5:20
4."Candy Perfume Girl"
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
4:36
5."Skin"
6:21
6."Nothing Really Matters"
  • Madonna
  • Leonard
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
  • Vries
4:26
7."Sky Fits Heaven"
  • Madonna
  • Leonard
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
  • Leonard
4:47
8."Shanti/Ashtangi"
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
4:29
9."Frozen"
  • Madonna
  • Leonard
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
  • Leonard
6:12
10."The Power of Good-Bye"
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
  • Leonard
4:12
11."To Have and Not to Hold"
  • Madonna
  • Nowels
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
  • Leonard
5:22
12."Little Star"
  • Madonna
  • Nowels
  • Madonna
  • Vries
5:18
13."Mer Girl"
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
5:31
Total length:66:42
Ray of Light – Japanese bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Has to Be"
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
  • Leonard
  • Madonna
  • Orbit
5:16
Total length:71:58

Additional notes[154]

  • "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" contains a sample of "Why I Follow the Tigers", as performed by the San Sebastian Strings.
  • "Shanti/Ashtangi" adapted from text by Shankaracharya, taken from the Yoga Taravali. Additional text: Traditional, Translation by Vyass Houston and Eddie Stern.
  • "Mer Girl" contains an interpolation and elements from "Space" performed by Gábor Szabó.

Personnel edit

Unless otherwise indicated, Information is adapted from the album's liner notes.[154]

  • Madonna – vocals (2–5, 7–13, lead on 1, 6), producer
  • Craig Armstrong – string arrangements (9–10)
  • Mike Bradford – programming
  • Pablo Cook – flute (2)
  • Mark Endert – engineer
  • Fergus Gerrand – drums (1–2), percussion (13)
  • Kerosene Halo – design
  • Niki Haris – background vocals (6)
  • Vyass Houston – translation
  • Jon Ingoldsby – engineer
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Suzie Katayama – conductor
  • Patrick Leonard – additional music arranger (9), producer
  • Donna De Lory – background vocals (6)
  • Patrick McCarthy – engineer
  • Marc Moreau – guitar (5)
  • William Orbit – producer, sound effects
  • Kevin Reagan – art direction, design
  • Dave Reitzas – engineer
  • Steve Sidelnyk – additional drum machine (6, 12)
  • Matt Silva – engineer
  • Eddie Stern – translation
  • Mario Testino – photography
  • Marius de Vries – keyboard (9), music programming (9), producer

Charts edit

Certifications and sales edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[99] 3× Platinum 180,000^
Australia (ARIA)[103] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[219] 2× Platinum 100,000*
Belgium (BEA)[221] Platinum 100,000[220]
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[100] Platinum 250,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[98] 7× Platinum 700,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[222] 5× Platinum 250,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[223] Platinum 50,604[223]
France (SNEP)[225] 3× Platinum 1,000,000[224]
Germany (BVMI)[117] 3× Platinum 1,500,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[226] Platinum 20,000*
Israel — 55,000[227]
Italy (FIMI)[229] 5× Platinum 600,000[228]
Japan (RIAJ)[230] 2× Platinum 400,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[231] 3× Platinum 300,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[104] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[233] 2× Platinum 115,000[232]
Poland (ZPAV)[234] 2× Platinum 200,000*
Russia — 123,000[235]
Singapore (RIAS)[236] Platinum 15,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[62] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Sweden (GLF)[237] 3× Platinum 240,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[238] 3× Platinum 150,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[112] 6× Platinum 1,800,000^
United States (RIAA)[93] 4× Platinum 4,359,000[95][96]
Summaries
Asia — 1,000,000[a]
Europe (IFPI)[108] 7× Platinum 7,000,000*
Worldwide — 16,000,000[89]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history edit

Region Date Format(s) Edition(s)
Japan[239][240] February 22, 1998 CD, LP Standard
United Kingdom[241][242] March 2, 1998 CD, LP, cassette, mini-album Standard, limited edition
Germany[241][242]
United States[243][244] March 3, 1998 CD Standard, limited edition
Canada[245]
Japan[246] September 8, 1998 CD Double edition

Notes edit

  1. ^ Sales for Ray of Light in Asia, as of June 1999[106]

See also edit

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Bibliography edit

External links edit

  • Ray of Light at Discogs (list of releases)
  • Ray of Light playlist on YouTube

December 07, 2023
light, other, uses, light, disambiguation, seventh, studio, album, american, singer, songwriter, madonna, released, early, 1998, maverick, records, major, stylistic, aesthetic, departure, from, previous, work, bedtime, stories, electronica, techno, record, whi. For other uses see Ray of light disambiguation Ray of Light is the seventh studio album by American singer songwriter Madonna released in early 1998 by Maverick Records A major stylistic and aesthetic departure from her previous work Bedtime Stories Ray of Light is an electronica and techno pop record which incorporates multiple genres including ambient trip hop psychedelic music and Middle Eastern music while also seeing Madonna singing with greater breadth and a fuller tone Mystical themes are also strongly present in both the music and lyrics as a result of Madonna embracing Kabbalah her study of Hinduism and Buddhism and her daily practice of Ashtanga yoga Ray of LightStudio album by MadonnaReleasedFebruary 22 1998 1998 02 22 RecordedJune November 1997StudioLarrabee North North Hollywood California GenreElectronica trip hop techno pop new ageLength66 52LabelMaverick Warner Bros ProducerMadonna William Orbit Patrick Leonard Marius de VriesMadonna chronologyEvita 1996 Ray of Light 1998 Music 2000 Singles from Ray of Light Frozen Released January 23 1998 Ray of Light Released April 27 1998 Drowned World Substitute for Love Released August 24 1998 The Power of Good Bye Released September 22 1998 Little Star Released November 23 1998 1 Nothing Really Matters Released February 9 1999After giving birth to her first child Madonna started working on the album with producers Babyface and Patrick Leonard Following failed sessions with them Madonna pursued a new musical direction with English producer William Orbit which resulted in a much more experimental sound being produced for the album The recording process was the longest of Madonna s career and she experienced problems with Orbit s hardware arrangement which would break down and cause delays until it could be repaired Considered as her best body of work the album received universal critical acclaim with reviews praising the singer s new musical direction Orbit s complex innovative and experimental production and Madonna s songwriting skills Referred to as her most adventurous record Ray of Light has been noted for its introspective spiritual and religious nature with Madonna s vocals also being lauded Retrospectively the album has continued receiving critical acclaim from contemporary critics and is often considered to be her magnum opus On top of this the album is frequently cited by critics as one of the greatest mainstream pop albums of all time 2 Madonna has retrospectively referenced it as her most quintessential album yet Ray of Light won four Grammy Awards from a total of six nominations The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with the biggest first week sales by a female artist at the time It also peaked at number one in 17 countries 3 including Australia Canada Germany Italy Spain and the United Kingdom and charted within the top five in most musical markets Worldwide Ray of Light has sold over 16 million copies and is one of the best selling albums by women Five singles were released from the album including the international top five hits Frozen and Ray of Light The album s promotion was later supported by the Drowned World Tour in 2001 Music critics have noted the album s influence on popular music and how it introduced electronica into mainstream pop culture in America They also noted Madonna s musical re invention which helped the 39 year old remain contemporary among the teen marketed artists of the period Contents 1 Background 2 Recording 3 Title and artwork 4 Composition 5 Release and promotion 6 Singles 7 Critical reception 8 Commercial performance 9 Accolades 10 Legacy 11 Track listing 12 Personnel 13 Charts 13 1 Weekly charts 13 2 Year end charts 13 3 All time charts 14 Certifications and sales 15 Release history 16 Notes 17 See also 18 References 19 Bibliography 20 External linksBackground edit nbsp Madonna wearing a red string performing the album s opening track Drowned World Substitute for Love on the 2006 Confessions TourFollowing the release of her compilation album Something to Remember 1995 Madonna started taking vocal lessons in preparation for her role in Evita 1996 She would also give birth to her daughter Lourdes later in 1996 These events inspired a period of introspection That was a big catalyst for me It took me on a search for answers to questions I d never asked myself before she said to Q magazine in 2002 4 During the same period she embraced Kabbalah and started studying Hinduism and yoga all of which helped her step outside myself and see the world from a different perspective 4 Madonna felt that there was a whole piece of her voice left unused which she decided to utilize for the album 4 By May 1997 Madonna had started writing songs for the album She began collaborating with Babyface who had first worked with her on her previous album Bedtime Stories 1994 The two wrote a couple of songs together before Madonna decided the collaborations were not going in the musical direction she wanted for the album According to Babyface the songs had a Take a Bow ish kind of vibe and Madonna didn t want or need to repeat herself 5 After abandoning the songs she had written with Babyface Madonna turned to musician Rick Nowels who had previously co written songs with Stevie Nicks and Celine Dion The collaboration produced seven songs in nine days but those songs also did not display the album s future electronic musical direction 5 Three of the songs The Power of Good Bye To Have and Not to Hold and Little Star appear on the album 5 Madonna then began writing songs with Leonard who had produced many songs for Madonna in the late 1980s Unlike her previous albums Leonard s song writing collaborations were accompanied by very little studio input Madonna believed that Leonard s production would have lent the songs more of a Peter Gabriel vibe a sound that she did not want for the album 5 Guy Oseary chairman of Maverick Records then phoned British electronic musician William Orbit and suggested that he send some songs to Madonna 4 Orbit sent a 13 track digital audio tape to Madonna I was a huge fan of William s earlier records Strange Cargo 1 and 2 and all that I also loved all the remixes he did for me and I was interested in fusing a kind of futuristic sound but also using lots of Indian and Moroccan influences and things like that and I wanted it to sound old and new at the same time Madonna said 4 Recording edit It took a long time to do the album months And it wasn t like we were slacking We actually did have to work fast and there were many times when we had to move on One of Madonna s favorite phrases was Don t gild the lily In other words keep it rough and don t perfect it too much It s a natural urge for computer buffs to perfect everything because they can and we were very wary of that Orbit on working with Madonna Keyboard magazine 6 In early June before starting recording Orbit met Madonna at her house in New York and she played him the music she had worked on with other producers up to May 1997 which he felt sounded slick 4 5 They visited the Hit Factory later that week where Madonna invited the producer to work on Ray of Light 6 Orbit then sent her a tape of musical snippets he was working on which were usually eight or sixteen bar phrases and stripped down versions of tracks that would later be heard on the album 5 Madonna listened to the samples over and over again until she was inspired to write lyrics Once she had an idea about the lyrical direction of the song she would take her ideas back to Orbit and they would expand on the original music ideas 5 As most of the instrumental demos pre existed Madonna worked on the lyrics and melodies while at home or while travelling 4 The album was recorded over four and a half months at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood California beginning in mid June 1997 the longest Madonna had ever worked on an album For most of the recording process only three other people were in the studio with Madonna William Orbit an engineer named Pat McCarthy and his assistant engineer Matt Silva 5 They started recording in Los Angeles but the recording process was initially plagued with machinery problems as Orbit preferred to work with samples and synth sounds and not with live musicians The computers would break down and recording would have to be delayed until they could be repaired 5 6 Orbit recorded the bulk of the album s instrumentation over a four month period Orbit recalls playing the guitar and having his fingers bleed during the long hours he spent in the studio 5 After some errors in her pronunciation of Sanskrit shloka Yoga Taravali during the song Shanti Ashtangi the BBC arranged for Madonna to take telephonic lessons to learn the basic correct pronunciation of Sanskrit words from eminent scholar Vagish Shastri She then made the necessary pronunciation corrections on the album 7 8 In an interview with MTV Madonna recalled the recording of the album saying her business partner Guy Oseary was a helpful friend and that after she and Orbit played him the tracks he to their dismay said nothing and left the studio He really hates those icy strings Right when I think the track s done he sort of pushes us another step further Maybe we should try this or I really don t want to hear that And then of course later on it creeps in my brain and I m like maybe I should have done a background vocal on that And then she comes in and happily does it right Madonna said 9 Orbit also recalled during an interview with Q magazine that Madonna recorded Swim the day her friend and fashion designer Gianni Versace was killed in Miami Florida He also commented that this is probably why the track has an emotional impact 4 Title and artwork editAccording to spokesperson Liz Rosenberg Madonna considered titling the album Mantra which she thought was a really cool title and she also considered calling it Veronica Electronica 10 however she discarded both of those ideas and called it Ray of Light as her albums were always titled after one of the songs from each album s tracklist 11 The artwork was taken from a November 28 1997 photoshoot with Peruvian photographer Mario Testino at the Paris Theater in Miami Beach In terms of styling Madonna and stylist Lori Goldstein opted for textures evocative of the elements water and air which are recurrent themes on the album For the album cover Madonna wears a turquoise Dolce amp Gabbana Spring Summer 1998 vinyl raincoat Other pictures from the same shoot serve as the artworks for the Ray of Light and Frozen singles where Madonna models items from Prada s Spring Summer 1998 collection 12 Madonna and Testino had previously collaborated for a Versace brand collection 2 years earlier Madonna was impressed with the natural look Testino had captured so she booked him again for the album s photoshoot He recalled At 2pm she said OK I m tired We re done And I said But I don t have the pictures yet She said You re working for me and I say we re done I said No we carry on The picture she used on the cover came after that 13 Composition edit I feel that talking about it trivializes it I ve been studying the Cabala sic which is the mystical interpretation of the Torah I ve studied Buddhism and Hinduism and I ve been practicing yoga and obviously I know a lot about Catholicism There are indisputable truths that connect all of them and I find that very comforting and kind My spiritual journey is to be open to everything Pay attention to what makes sense be absorbed For me yoga is the closest thing to our real nature Madonna talking about the inspiration behind Sky Fits Heaven and Shanti Ashtangi 5 Ray of Light was a notable departure from Madonna s previous work and has been described as her most adventurous record 14 An electronica 15 16 trip hop 17 techno pop 18 and new age album 19 it also contains elements of several different types of music including house ambient drum and bass rock new wave eastern and classical music 20 Vocally the album was also a marked change from Madonna s previous work as the singer underwent vocal training lessons for her 1996 film Evita her vocals exhibited greater breadth and range as well as a fuller timbre In many songs she also abandoned the vibrato which was present in her previous work Critically it is said to have Madonna s most full bodied vocals 21 The opening track and third single Drowned World Substitute For Love is a downtempo ballad drawing influences from jungle drum and bass and trip hop music 22 The title is inspired by J G Ballard s post apocalyptic science fiction novel The Drowned World 1962 22 Swim the second song has a spiritual tone She sings Swim to the ocean floor So that we can begin again Wash away all our sins Crash to the other shore 23 Ray of Light the third track and second single is an uptempo electronic dance pop song with strong techno and trance influences A sonically progressive track 14 it also incorporates elements of rock with a prominent electric guitar riff Its sound effects include whistles and bleeps 14 Candy Perfume Girl has a grunge intro and continues to pair post modern beeps and beats with old fashioned electric guitar flare ups 24 In the next song Skin Madonna sings Do I know you from somewhere in a yearning voice over the beats of an electronic orchestra 24 The sixth track Nothing Really Matters is an up tempo dance track which contains influences of techno 25 Sky Fits Heaven focuses on Madonna s spiritual studies and her daughter Lourdes Some lyrics include Sky fits heaven so fly it that s what the prophet said to me Child fits mother so hold your baby tight that s what my future can see 24 Elements of the lyric are taken from the poem What Fits by poet Max Blagg the poem used for a 1993 advertisement for Gap Inc 26 Shanti Ashtangi is a Hindu prayer and up tempo techno song sung by Madonna in Sanskrit over a driving dance rhythm 23 The techno dance track features Madonna singing the adapted version of Shankaracharya entirely in Sanskrit with lines such as Vunde gurunam caranaravinde Sandarsita svatma sukhavabodhe 27 28 Frozen the ninth track and album s first single is a mid tempo electronic ballad which has a layered sound enhanced by synthesizers and strings 29 The song additionally contains ambient qualities a moderate dance rhythm during the chorus and techno influenced beats towards the end Madonna s vocals throughout the song lack vibrato and have drawn comparisons to medieval music Lyrically the song is about a cold and emotionless man nevertheless subtexts have been noticed 29 According to Jarman Ivens lyrics such as You re frozen when your heart s not open reflected an artistic palette encompassing diverse musical textual and visual styles in its lyrics 30 The Power of Good Bye is an emotional ballad which lyrically meditates on loss and longing It was released as the album s fourth single To Have and Not to Hold is about a distant lover and Little Star is about her daughter Lourdes Both are superficially vibrant but with underlying subtlety and restrained arrangements prevailing 24 Mer Girl the album s final track is a surreal meditation on mortality and the death of Madonna s mother in which she sings And I smelled her burning flesh Her rotting bones her decay I ran and I ran I m still running away 22 She stepped out of the vocal booth Orbit recalled of its recording and everybody was rooted to the spot It was just one of those moments Really spooky 31 Release and promotion editSee also Drowned World Tour nbsp Madonna performing promotional single Sky Fits Heaven during the Drowned World Tour in 2001Ray of Light was released in Japan on February 22 1998 with an additional Japan only bonus track Has to Be 32 The album was later released in the United States on March 3 1998 In New Zealand a box set of Ray of Light and The Immaculate Collection was released to accompany the album It reached number 12 on the albums chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand RIANZ for shipment of 7 500 copies 33 A promotional instore VHS compilation titled Rays of Light was released in the United Kingdom in 1999 compiling all the music videos to all five singles from the album All five videos were later included on the compilation The Video Collection 93 99 1999 34 Sky Fits Heaven was released as a promotional single in the United States It peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart 35 To promote the album Madonna made a number of televised appearances and live performances of the album s songs On February 14 1998 she debuted Sky Fits Heaven Shanti Ashtangi and Ray of Light at Roxy NYC nightclub 36 Frozen was performed on The National Lottery Show in the UK February 21 37 1998 Sanremo Music Festival in Italy February 24 38 Wetten dass in Germany February 28 39 and the Rosie O Donnell Show in the United States March 13 40 On April 27 Madonna made an unannounced appearance at the Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City to sing Frozen She also joined the other stars of the concert including Sting Elton John and Billy Joel to perform With a Little Help From My Friends and Twist and Shout with them 41 On May 29 Madonna appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and sang Little Star and Ray of Light there 42 On September 10 she opened 1998 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City with the performance of Shanti Ashtangi and Ray of Light featuring Lenny Kravitz on guitar 43 The Power of Good Bye was sung at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards in Italy November 12 44 and Top of the Pops in the UK November 19 45 On February 24 1999 Madonna performed Nothing Really Matters at the 41st Grammy Awards ceremony at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles 46 Madonna performed Drowned World Substitute For Love Ray of Light Candy Perfume Girl Sky Fits Heaven Frozen and Mer Girl on the Drowned World Tour her fifth concert tour which promoted Ray of Light and its successor album It started in June 2001 and was Madonna s first tour in eight years The tour was to be started before the new millennium 47 but she had become pregnant with her son Rocco Ritchie released Music that year and married British film maker Guy Ritchie in December 2000 48 49 The show was divided into five sections Cyber Punk Geisha Cowgirl Spanish and Ghetto 50 The Drowned World Tour received positive reviews 51 The tour was a commercial success grossing a total of US 75 million and it was the top concert tour of a solo artist in 2001 52 The concert was broadcast live on HBO from The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills Michigan on August 26 2001 53 The Drowned World Tour 2001 DVD was released in all regions on November 13 2001 Like the original airing of the show the DVD received very good reviews The photographs used on the DVD packaging were taken by Madonna s friend Rosie O Donnell 54 Singles edit nbsp Frozen 1998 source source A slow tempo dance track featuring Madonna s voice over layers of string arrangements and synthesizers Problems playing this file See media help Frozen was released as the lead single from the album on February 23 1998 It peaked inside the top five in most musical markets worldwide while topping the singles chart in Finland Italy Spain and the United Kingdom where it became Madonna s first single to debut at number one 55 56 It became her sixth single to peak at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 setting a record for Madonna as the artist with most number two hits in the chart history 57 58 The song received critical acclaim and was labelled a masterpiece whose sound was described as cinematic 22 However the Belgian court in 2005 ruled that the opening four bar theme to the song was plagiarized from the song Ma vie fout le camp composed by Salvatore Acquaviva The ruling forbade the sale of the single and the entire Ray of Light album as well as other compilations that included the track in Belgium 59 In February 2014 a Belgian court ruled that Madonna did not plagiarize Acquaviva s work for Frozen The court spoke of a new capital offense in the file composer Edouard Scotto Di Suoccio and societies Tabata Atoll Music and Music in Paris had also filed a complaint for plagiarism According to them both Ma vie fout le camp and Frozen originated in the song Blood Night which they composed in 1983 60 After all three tracks in the case were compared the final ruling was that the songs were not sufficiently original to claim that any plagiarism had taken place 61 This ruling ended the eight year ban of the song that was in place in Belgium since 2005 61 The album s second single Ray of Light was released on April 27 1998 It peaked at number one in Spain and attained the top five position in Canada Finland Italy the United Kingdom and the United States 56 62 63 It entered the Hot 100 at number five becoming Madonna s highest debut on the chart ever 57 The song was also a hit on Hot Dance Club Play chart remaining at number one for four weeks and became the Top Hot Dance Club Play Single of 1998 64 Critically it also received positive reviews being praised for its club perfect yet sonically progressive sound as well as her powerful vocals 14 Drowned World Substitute for Love was released on August 24 1998 as the third single outside the United States It reached number one in Spain and the top ten in Italy and the United Kingdom 56 65 The music video directed by Walter Stern caused controversy due to scenes that featured Madonna being chased by paparazzi on motor bikes a scenario similar to Princess Diana s death in 1997 66 The fourth single The Power of Good Bye was released on September 22 1998 It reached the top ten peaks in Austria Canada Netherlands Finland Germany Italy Spain Sweden Switzerland the United Kingdom 56 67 In the United States the song peaked at number eleven on the Hot 100 57 Its music video was directed by Matthew Rolston The Power of Good Bye was released as a dual single with Little Star in the United Kingdom The Power of Good Bye also charted at number 91 as a standalone single citation needed Nothing Really Matters was released as the album s sixth and final single on March 2 1999 It became a top ten hit in Canada Finland Italy New Zealand and the United Kingdom 56 68 In the United States it became Madonna s lowest charting single on the Hot 100 peaking at number 93 but was a number one hit on its dance chart 57 Its music video directed by Johan Renck was inspired by Arthur Golden s book Memoirs of a Geisha and featured Madonna dressed as a geisha 69 Critical reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 14 Chicago Tribune nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 70 Encyclopedia of Popular Music nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 71 Entertainment WeeklyA 72 The Guardian nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 73 NME8 10 74 Pitchfork8 1 10 75 Rolling Stone nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 76 Slant Magazine nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 22 USA Today nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 77 Ray of Light received universal acclaim from critics 78 Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called it Madonna s most adventurous record and most mature and restrained album 14 Paul Verna of Billboard commented Easily her most mature and personal work to date Ray of Light finds Madonna weaving lyrics with the painstaking intimacy of diary entries and wrapping them in hymn like melodies and instrumentation swathed in lush melancholy ambience with forays into classic house trance and even guitar pop Of course she balances the set s serious tone with chewy pop nuggets that allow her to flex her immeasurably widened vocal range to fine effect He finished the review by calling the album a deliciously adventurous ultimately victorious effort from one of pop music s most compelling performers 79 Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described the album as one of the great pop masterpieces of the 90s and stated that Its lyrics are uncomplicated but its statement is grand and Madonna hasn t been this emotionally candid since Like a Prayer 22 Rob Sheffield s review for Rolling Stone called the album brilliant but was critical of Orbit s production saying that he doesn t know enough tricks to produce a whole album and so becomes repetitive 76 Until Simply Red enlist John Zorn or Mariah Carey works with Tortoise Stuart Maconie wrote in Q she remains the only pop aristocrat who s keeping her ears open 80 David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote For all her grapplings with self enlightenment Madonna seems more relaxed and less contrived than she s been in years from her new Italian earth mother makeover to especially her music Ray of Light is truly like a prayer and you know she ll take you there 72 Roni Sarig in City Pages was most impressed by Madonna s vocal range depth and clarity and called Ray of Light her richest most accomplished record yet 81 Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times wrote One reason why her new Ray of Light is the most satisfying album of her career is that it reflects the soul searching of a woman who is at a point in her life where she can look at herself with surprising candor and perspective 82 In Melody Maker Mark Roland drew comparisons with St Etienne and Bjork s Homogenic album highlighting Ray of Light s lack of cynicism as its most positive aspect It s not an album turned on the lathe of cynical pop manipulation rather it s been squished out of a lump of clay on a foot powered wheel Lovingly teased into life Ray of Light is like the ugly mug that doesn t match but is all the more special because of it 83 Joan Anderman from The Boston Globe said Ray of Light is a remarkable album He described it as a deeply spiritual dance record ecstatically textured a serious cycle of songs that goes a long way toward liberating Madonna from a career built on scavenged images and cultivated identities 84 Robert Christgau was less impressed in Playboy deeming it a great sounding but average record because enlightenment themes always yield awkward results for pop entertainers However he praised sensual songs such as Skin and Candy Perfume Girl 85 Commercial performance edit nbsp Madonna performing the album s lead single Frozen on the Re Invention World Tour in 2004 Upon its release Ray of Light topped the official charts of 17 countries 3 It broke the record as Warner Music Group s album with most shipments before its release at 2 5 million units worldwide excluding the U S 86 The album managed to sell 3 million copies in five days 87 With over 16 million copies 88 89 Ray of Light is one of the best selling albums by women In the United States Ray of Light debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the issue dated March 21 1998 90 It set the record for biggest first week sales by a female artist in Nielsen SoundScan era at that time with 371 000 copies sold 90 However the album was not able to top the soundtrack album of the motion picture Titanic becoming Madonna s fifth album to peak at the runner up position 91 During the second week the album sold 225 000 copies and was still kept off the top spot by the soundtrack 92 On March 16 2000 the album was certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA for shipments of four million units of the album 93 Madonna became the first female artist to have seven multi platinum studio albums by RIAA 94 According to Nielsen SoundScan Ray of Light had sold 3 900 000 copies in the United States as of February 2023 95 This figure does not include units sold through clubs like the BMG Music where the album sold over 459 000 copies 96 In Canada the album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart with first week sales of 59 900 copies 97 It was later certified seven times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association CRIA for shipment of 700 000 copies 98 Ray of Light achieved commercial success in Latin America being certified 3 platinum in Argentina for 180 000 copies recognized by Camara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas CAPIF and platinum in Brazil for shipments of over 250 000 units certified by Associacao Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos ABPD 99 100 In Mexico initial shipments of the album were 30 000 units 101 102 The album also achieved commercial success in Oceania debuting at number one on the albums chart in Australia and New Zealand It was certified triple platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association ARIA and platinum by Recording Industry Association of New Zealand RIANZ for shipments of 210 000 and 15 000 copies respectively 103 104 Ray of Light became the best selling album from Warner Music in the Asia Pacific region during 1998 105 and sold over one million copies in Asia as of June 1999 106 Ray of Light achieved its biggest commercial reception in European countries where it topped the European Top 100 Albums chart 107 and was certified seven times platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry IFPI for sales of seven million copies becoming the ninth best selling album in Europe for the 1998 2007 period 108 109 In the United Kingdom Ray of Light debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with opening sales of nearly 139 000 copies and remained at the top spot for two weeks 110 111 It was certified six times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry BPI for shipment of 1 8 million copies 112 As of 2018 the album sold 1 730 000 units in the UK according to Official Charts Company 113 In France Ray of Light entered the albums chart at number two staying there for seven weeks before descending the chart 114 It was certified three times platinum by the Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique SNEP for shipments of 900 000 copies 115 In Germany the album reached number one on the Media Control Charts and remained there for seven weeks 116 It remains Madonna s best selling album in Germany with three times platinum certification from Bundesverband Musikindustrie BVMI for shipment of 1 5 million copies 117 In the rest of Europe Ray of Light topped the official charts of Belgium Netherlands Finland Greece Hungary Italy Norway Spain and Switzerland 62 114 Accolades editMain article List of awards and nominations received by Madonna nbsp Madonna performing Ray of Light during the 2008 Sticky amp Sweet Tour The song won an MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year and a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards Ray of Light received four awards out of six nominations 118 The album won Best Pop Album and Best Recording Package and was nominated for Album of the Year while the title track won Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video and was nominated for Record of the Year 119 The album gave Madonna her first musical Grammy of her career as previously she had only won in the video category Madonna also became the biggest winner of the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards winning six awards from nine nominations 120 Frozen won Best Special Effects Ray of Light won Best Choreography Best Direction Best Editing Best Female Video and Video of the Year and was also nominated for Best Cinematography Best Dance Video and Breakthrough Video American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers ASCAP honored Madonna two awards of Most Performed Song for Frozen and Ray of Light at the 1999 ASCAP Pop Music Awards 121 as well as Top Dance Song for Ray of Light at the 1999 ASCAP Rhythm amp Soul Music Awards 122 Ray of Light also gave Madonna several trophies from various international award shows including two Danish Grammy Awards for Best International Album and Best International Female Vocalist from IFPI Denmark 123 a Fryderyk award for Best Foreign Album from Zwiazek Producentow Audio Video ZPAV in Poland 124 a Golden Giraffe Award for International Pop Album of the Year from Mahasz in Hungary 125 two Porin awards for Best International Album and Best International Video Frozen in Croatia 126 and two Rockbjornen awards for Best International Album and Best International Artist in Sweden 127 In Canada Madonna won Best International Video for Ray of Light at the 1999 MuchMusic Video Awards and was nominated for Best Selling Album Foreign or Domestic at the 1999 Juno Awards 128 129 She also received Best Female and Best Album trophies at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards 130 At the 14th annual International Dance Music Awards Madonna won Best Dance Solo Artist and Best Dance Video for Ray of Light 131 Legacy editRay of Light has been credited for bringing electronica music into global pop culture The Los Angeles Times noted that aside from occasional breakthroughs such as Fatboy Slim electronica wasn t totally mainstream fare when Madonna released Ray of Light 132 Until the album brought the genre to the top of music charts according to author J Randy Taraborrelli techno and electronica had for years been the music played at so called raves hugely popular illegal underground parties taking place in abandoned warehouse and deserted areas on the outskirts of town all around the world 133 AllMusic editor Liana Jonas stated that the album s title track has brought mainstream attention to electronica music which ascended from its underground status to wild popularity in the early 21st century 134 The Observer s writer Daryl Deino called Ray of Light a risk taking album that helped define mainstream electronic dance music 135 Elliott H Powell in an American Studies for New York University observed that Ray of Light made South Asian culture accessible to the American public in the 1990s 136 Rhonda Hammer and Douglas Kellner in their book Media cultural Studies Critical Approaches recalled that the phenomenon of South Asian inspired femininity as a Western media trend can be traced to February 1998 when pop icon Madonna released her video Frozen They explained that although Madonna did not initiate the fashion for Indian beauty accessories she did propel it into the public eye by attracting the attention of the worldwide media 137 According to Taraborrelli the album has been hailed as bold and refreshing in music of the late 1990s which was dominated by boybands and teenage artists such as the Backstreet Boys NSYNC Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera 138 Larry Flick from Billboard said that the album not only provided the chameleon like artist with her first universally applauded critical success it has also proved that she remains a vital figure amongst woefully fickle young audiences 139 Music critic Lucy O Brien commented 1998 s Ray of Light certainly rehabilitated Madonna s image Up to that point she had still been written off as an average pop glamour girl who got lucky but with this record she reached a whole new audience proving that she was a good songwriter with an intensely productive talent 140 Mary von Aue from Stereogum stated that Ray of Light reestablished Madonna as a groundbreaking artist 141 Ray of Light has been featured on numerous critics lists of greatest albums of all time Rolling Stone magazine placed the album at number 367 on the list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 142 In September 2020 an updated edition of the Rolling Stone list was published showing the album rising 145 spots at number 222 143 In 2001 a quarter of a million music fans on VH1 voted Ray of Light as the 10th of 100 Best Albums of All Time 144 In 2003 Ray of Light was allocated at number 17 on Q magazine readers list of 100 Greatest Albums Ever 145 The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 146 Mojo magazine also listed Ray of Light at number 29 on 100 Modern Classics The Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime 147 In 2013 the album was also included at number 241 on NME magazine s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 148 Canadian singer Nelly Furtado stated that she used Ray of Light as a template for her album Loose 2006 149 English singer Adele named Ray of Light as one of the chief inspirations for her third studio album 25 2015 150 In September 2022 Pitchfork ranked Ray of Light as the 55th best album of the 1990s Madonna s trying with all her might to evoke the blackest depths and most euphoric joys of the human heart The album s title track sounds like it was forged inside a meteor the surreal pitch black poem Mer Girl is as still as death itself 151 Madonna herself has considered Ray of Light the most fulfilling evolution of her career with her referencing it as the quintessential Madonna album in a 2013 Reddit AMA 152 153 Track listing editRay of Light Standard editionNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length1 Drowned World Substitute for Love Madonna William Orbit Rod McKuen Anita Kerr David CollinsMadonna Orbit5 082 Swim Madonna OrbitMadonna Orbit5 003 Ray of Light Madonna Orbit Clive Muldoon Dave Curtiss Christine LeachMadonna Orbit5 204 Candy Perfume Girl Madonna Orbit Susannah MelvoinMadonna Orbit4 365 Skin Madonna Patrick LeonardMadonna Orbit Marius de Vries6 216 Nothing Really Matters Madonna LeonardMadonna Orbit Vries4 267 Sky Fits Heaven Madonna LeonardMadonna Orbit Leonard4 478 Shanti Ashtangi Madonna OrbitMadonna Orbit4 299 Frozen Madonna LeonardMadonna Orbit Leonard6 1210 The Power of Good Bye Madonna Rick NowelsMadonna Orbit Leonard4 1211 To Have and Not to Hold Madonna NowelsMadonna Orbit Leonard5 2212 Little Star Madonna NowelsMadonna Vries5 1813 Mer Girl Madonna OrbitMadonna Orbit5 31Total length 66 42 Ray of Light Japanese bonus trackNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length14 Has to Be Madonna Orbit LeonardMadonna Orbit5 16Total length 71 58 Additional notes 154 Drowned World Substitute for Love contains a sample of Why I Follow the Tigers as performed by the San Sebastian Strings Shanti Ashtangi adapted from text by Shankaracharya taken from the Yoga Taravali Additional text Traditional Translation by Vyass Houston and Eddie Stern Mer Girl contains an interpolation and elements from Space performed by Gabor Szabo Personnel editUnless otherwise indicated Information is adapted from the album s liner notes 154 Madonna vocals 2 5 7 13 lead on 1 6 producer Craig Armstrong string arrangements 9 10 Mike Bradford programming Pablo Cook flute 2 Mark Endert engineer Fergus Gerrand drums 1 2 percussion 13 Kerosene Halo design Niki Haris background vocals 6 Vyass Houston translation Jon Ingoldsby engineer Ted Jensen mastering Suzie Katayama conductor Patrick Leonard additional music arranger 9 producer Donna De Lory background vocals 6 Patrick McCarthy engineer Marc Moreau guitar 5 William Orbit producer sound effects Kevin Reagan art direction design Dave Reitzas engineer Steve Sidelnyk additional drum machine 6 12 Matt Silva engineer Eddie Stern translation Mario Testino photography Marius de Vries keyboard 9 music programming 9 producerCharts editWeekly charts edit Chart 1998 1999 PeakpositionAustralian Albums ARIA 114 1Austrian Albums O3 Austria 155 2Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 156 1Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 157 2Brazil Albums NOPEM ABPD 158 6Canada Top Albums CDs RPM 159 1Canadian Albums Billboard 160 1Czech Albums CNS IFPI 161 2Danish Albums Hitlisten 162 2Dutch Albums Album Top 100 163 1Estonian Albums Eesti Top 10 164 1European Top 100 Albums Music amp Media 107 1Finnish Albums Suomen virallinen lista 165 1French Albums SNEP 166 2German Albums Offizielle Top 100 116 1Greek Albums IFPI Greece 167 1Hungarian Albums MAHASZ 168 1Icelandic Albums Tonlist 169 4Irish Albums IRMA 107 2Israeli Albums IFPI 92 1Italian Albums FIMI 170 1Japanese Albums Oricon 32 7Malaysian Albums RIM 107 4New Zealand Albums RMNZ 171 1Norwegian Albums VG lista 172 1Portuguese Albums AFP 170 6Scottish Albums OCC 173 1Singaporean Albums SPVA 174 1Spanish Albums AFYVE 62 1Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 175 2Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 176 1Taiwanese International Albums IFPI 177 4UK Albums OCC 110 1US Billboard 200 178 2Chart 2000 2018 PeakpositionCroatian International Albums HDU 179 1Polish Albums ZPAV 180 37Spanish Albums PROMUSICAE 181 76US Top Catalog Albums Billboard 182 50US Top Tastemaker Albums Billboard 183 19 Year end charts edit Chart 1998 PositionAustralian Albums ARIA 184 10Austrian Albums O3 Austria 185 7Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 186 5Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 187 11Canada Top Albums CDs RPM 188 10Danish Albums Hitlisten 189 5Dutch Albums Album Top 100 190 4European Top 100 Albums Music amp Media 191 3French Albums SNEP 192 10German Albums Offizielle Top 100 193 4Italian Albums Musica e dischi 194 9Japanese Albums Oricon 195 94New Zealand Albums RMNZ 196 16Norway Russetid Period VG lista 197 2Norway Winter Period VG lista 198 17Spanish Albums AFYVE 199 26Swedish Albums amp Compilations Sverigetopplistan 200 2Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 201 4UK Albums OCC 202 7US Billboard 200 203 18Chart 1999 PositionAustralian Albums ARIA 204 61Austrian Albums O3 Austria 205 21Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 206 55Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 207 72Danish Albums Hitlisten 208 42Dutch Albums Album Top 100 209 19French Albums SNEP 210 58German Albums Offizielle Top 100 193 14Norway Winter Period VG lista 211 16UK Albums OCC 212 29US Billboard 200 213 98Chart 2000 PositionDutch Albums Album Top 100 214 89UK Albums OCC 215 115Chart 2001 PositionUK Albums OCC 216 191All time charts edit Chart PositionIrish Women Albums IRMA 217 50UK Female Albums OCC 218 30Certifications and sales editRegion Certification Certified units salesArgentina CAPIF 99 3 Platinum 180 000 Australia ARIA 103 3 Platinum 210 000 Austria IFPI Austria 219 2 Platinum 100 000 Belgium BEA 221 Platinum 100 000 220 Brazil Pro Musica Brasil 100 Platinum 250 000 Canada Music Canada 98 7 Platinum 700 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 222 5 Platinum 250 000 Finland Musiikkituottajat 223 Platinum 50 604 223 France SNEP 225 3 Platinum 1 000 000 224 Germany BVMI 117 3 Platinum 1 500 000 Hong Kong IFPI Hong Kong 226 Platinum 20 000 Israel 55 000 227 Italy FIMI 229 5 Platinum 600 000 228 Japan RIAJ 230 2 Platinum 400 000 Netherlands NVPI 231 3 Platinum 300 000 New Zealand RMNZ 104 Platinum 15 000 Norway IFPI Norway 233 2 Platinum 115 000 232 Poland ZPAV 234 2 Platinum 200 000 Russia 123 000 235 Singapore RIAS 236 Platinum 15 000 Spain PROMUSICAE 62 3 Platinum 300 000 Sweden GLF 237 3 Platinum 240 000 Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 238 3 Platinum 150 000 United Kingdom BPI 112 6 Platinum 1 800 000 United States RIAA 93 4 Platinum 4 359 000 95 96 SummariesAsia 1 000 000 a Europe IFPI 108 7 Platinum 7 000 000 Worldwide 16 000 000 89 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Release history editRegion Date Format s Edition s Japan 239 240 February 22 1998 CD LP StandardUnited Kingdom 241 242 March 2 1998 CD LP cassette mini album Standard limited editionGermany 241 242 United States 243 244 March 3 1998 CD Standard limited editionCanada 245 Japan 246 September 8 1998 CD Double editionNotes edit Sales for Ray of Light in Asia as of June 1999 106 See also editList of albums which have spent the most weeks on the UK Albums Chart List of best selling albums by women List of best selling albums in Europe List of best selling albums in Austria List of best selling albums in Germany List of best selling albums in Italy List of number one albums of 1998 Australia List of number one albums of 1998 Canada List of number one hits of 1998 Europe List of number one hits of 1998 Germany List of number one hits of 1999 Germany List of number one albums of 1998 Spain List of number one albums of the 1990s UK References edit Singles Releases for 23 Nov 29 Nov 1998 PDF Music Week November 21 1998 p 23 Retrieved October 17 2023 via World Radio History Taraborrelli 2008 pp 535 538harvnb error no target CITEREFTaraborrelli2008 help a b Rosa Christopher March 3 2018 20 Years Later Ray of Light Is Still Madonna s Most Shocking Reinvention Glamour Archived from the original on March 3 2018 Retrieved February 12 2022 a b c d e f g h Black Johnny August 2002 Making of Ray of Light Q Vol 17 no 8 ISSN 0955 4955 a b c d e f g h i j k Walters Barry April 1998 Madonna The Ray of Light Cover Story Madonna Chooses Dare Spin Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved March 4 2016 a b c Kot Greg The Methods and Machinery Behind Madonna s Ray of Light By Greg Rule Keyboard Magazine Miller Freeman Inc Archived from the original on October 9 1999 Retrieved April 7 2012 Madonna Considers Signing Up For Sanskrit Lessons MTV News December 31 1998 Archived from the original on January 5 2014 Retrieved April 7 2012 Madonna learnt Sanskrit via phone calls The Times of India September 8 2001 Archived from the original on August 11 2011 Retrieved April 7 2012 MTV Bands Archive M Madonna MTV MTV Networks p 2 Archived from the original on December 13 2012 Retrieved December 1 2012 Madonna Canadian interview with Sook Yin Lee 2000 archived from the original on January 23 2015 retrieved December 18 2019 Newsbytes Icon Vol 7 no 2 1997 p 15 Ray of Light Album Photo Shoot by Mario Testino May 12 2020 Archived from the original on September 6 2022 Retrieved June 4 2022 Farndale Nigel Mario Testino it s not all glamour The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on December 6 2010 Retrieved November 16 2014 a b c d e f Erlewine Stephen Thomas Ray of Light Madonna AllMusic Archived from the original on June 2 2012 Retrieved July 23 2009 Ray Of Light Rolling Stone Archived from the original on September 19 2011 Retrieved September 12 2016 riding the electronica wave with her new collaborator U K beat master William Orbit Ray of Light EW com Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on November 18 2016 Retrieved September 12 2016 Madonna has dipped her latest collection of songs in a light batter of electronica Beaumont Thomas Ben June 4 2019 Madonna Madame X review her most bizarre album ever The Guardian Archived from the original on June 4 2019 Retrieved July 21 2019 she did an about turn delivering convincing idiosyncratic trip hop on Ray of Light 1998 Walters Barry May 1999 Mess Is More Spin Vol 15 no 5 pp 145 46 Archived from the original on February 15 2017 Retrieved June 9 2016 After sculpting the user friendly technopop of Madonna s Ray of Light Pitchfork Staff September 28 2022 The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s Pitchfork Retrieved April 26 2023 Fusing icy electronica and new age music Ray of Light found Madonna trying to evoke the blackest depths and most euphoric joys of the human heart Metz amp Benson 1999 p 24 Fouz Hernandez amp Jarman Ivens 2004 pp 59 61 a b c d e f Cinquemani Sal March 9 2003 Madonna Ray Of Light Music Review Slant Magazine Archived from the original on June 2 2013 Retrieved July 17 2009 a b Revolutions Madonna s Ray of Light Vibe Vol 6 no 3 1998 p 196 ISSN 1070 4701 Archived from the original on January 1 2014 Retrieved December 25 2010 a b c d Lark Bryan March 10 1998 Madonna Opens Heart and Soul on Light The Michigan Daily University of 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from the original on August 30 2000 Retrieved October 2 2023 Madonna Ray Of Light Words Music WPCR 10556 7 discogs Archived from the original on November 7 2012 Retrieved July 23 2009 Bibliography editDeRogartis Jim 2003 Turn On Your Mind Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN 978 0 634 05548 5 Fouz Hernandez Santiago Jarman Ivens Freya 2004 Madonna s Drowned Worlds Ashgate Publishing Ltd ISBN 0 7546 3372 1 Gopinath Gayatri 2005 Impossible Desires Queer Diasporas and South Asian Public Cultures Duke University Press ISBN 978 0 8223 3513 9 Guilbert Georges Claude 2002 Madonna As Postmodern Myth How One Star s Self Construction Rewrites Sex Gender Hollywood and the American Dream McFarland amp Company ISBN 0 7864 1408 1 Metz Allen Benson Carol 1999 The Madonna Companion Two Decades of Commentary Music Sales Group ISBN 0 8256 7194 9 Taraborrelli Randy J 2002 Madonna An Intimate Biography Simon amp Schuster ISBN 0 7432 2880 4 Vorrath Armin 2011 Eine aussersinnliche Odyssee zu Madonna An Extraordinary Odyssey to Madonna Books on Demand ISBN 978 3 8423 8112 4 External links editRay of Light at Discogs list of releases Ray of Light playlist on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ray of Light amp oldid 1187318665, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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