Ray of Light
Ray of Light | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 22, 1998 | |||
Recorded | June–November 1997 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre |
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Length | 66:52 | |||
Label |
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Producer | ||||
Madonna chronology | ||||
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Singles from Ray of Light | ||||
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Ray of Light is the seventh
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 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
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,[2] 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
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.[3] 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".[3] Madonna felt that there was a "whole piece" of her voice left unused, which she decided to utilize for the album.[3] 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".[4]
After abandoning the songs she had written with Babyface, Madonna turned to musician
Recording
"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;
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".[3][4] They visited the Hit Factory later that week, where Madonna invited the producer to work on Ray of Light.[5] 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.[4] 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.[4] As most of the instrumental demos pre-existed, Madonna worked on the lyrics and melodies while at home or while travelling.[3]
The album was recorded over four and a half months at Larrabee North Studio in
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.[6][7] 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.[8] 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.[3]
Title and artwork
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;
Composition
"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".[4]
Ray of Light was a notable departure from Madonna's previous work, and has been described as her most "adventurous" record.
The opening track and third single, "
The sixth track, "Nothing Really Matters", is an up-tempo dance track which contains influences of techno.[24] "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".[23] 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.[25] "Shanti/Ashtangi" is a Hindu prayer and up-tempo techno song sung by Madonna in Sanskrit, over a driving dance rhythm.[22] 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".[26][27]
"Frozen", the ninth track and album's first single, is a mid-tempo electronic ballad which has a layered sound enhanced by
Release and promotion
Ray of Light was released in Japan on February 22, 1998, with an additional Japan-only bonus track "Has to Be".
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
Madonna performed "Drowned World/Substitute For Love", "Ray of Light", "Candy Perfume Girl", "Sky Fits Heaven", "Frozen" and "Mer Girl" on the
Singles
"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.[54][55] 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.[56][57] The song received critical acclaim, and was labelled a masterpiece whose sound was described as "cinematic".[21] 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.[58] 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.[59] 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.[60] This ruling ended the eight-year ban of the song that was in place in Belgium since 2005.[60]
The album's second single, "
"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.[55][64] 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.[65]
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.[55][66] In the United States, the song peaked at number eleven on the Hot 100.[56] 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.[67] "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.[55][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.[56] 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
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [71] |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[72] |
The Guardian | [73] |
NME | 8/10[74] |
Pitchfork | 8.1/10[75] |
Rolling Stone | [76] |
Slant Magazine | [21] |
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".[13] 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".[21] 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
Upon its release, Ray of Light topped the official charts of 17 countries.[2] 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
Ray of Light achieved commercial success in Latin America, being certified 3× platinum in Argentina for 180,000 copies recognized by
Ray of Light achieved its biggest commercial reception in European countries, where it topped the
Accolades
At the
Ray of Light also gave Madonna several trophies from various international award shows—including two
In Canada, Madonna won Best International Video for "Ray of Light" at the 1999
Legacy
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
According to Taraborrelli, the album has been hailed as bold and refreshing in music of the late 1990s, which was dominated by
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
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" |
| 5:08 | |
2. | "Swim" |
|
| 5:00 |
3. | "Ray of Light" |
|
| 5:20 |
4. | "Candy Perfume Girl" |
|
| 4:36 |
5. | "Skin" |
|
| 6:21 |
6. | "Nothing Really Matters" |
|
| 4:26 |
7. | "Sky Fits Heaven" |
|
| 4:47 |
8. | "Shanti/Ashtangi" |
|
| 4:29 |
9. | "Frozen" |
|
| 6:12 |
10. | "The Power of Good-Bye" |
|
| 4:12 |
11. | "To Have and Not to Hold" |
|
| 5:22 |
12. | "Little Star" |
|
| 5:18 |
13. | "Mer Girl" |
|
| 5:31 |
Total length: | 66:42 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Has to Be" |
|
| 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
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
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
Certifications and sales
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* |
South Africa | — | 43,000[237] |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[61] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
Sweden (GLF)[238] | 3× Platinum | 240,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[239] | 3× Platinum | 150,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[112] | 6× Platinum | 1,800,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[93] | 4× Platinum | 4,359,000[95][96] |
Zimbabwe | — | 3,000[237] |
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. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Edition(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Japan[240][241] | February 22, 1998 | CD, LP
|
Standard |
United Kingdom[242][243] | March 2, 1998 | CD, LP, cassette, mini-album | Standard, limited edition |
Germany[242][243] | |||
United States[244][245] | March 3, 1998 | CD | Standard, limited edition |
Canada[246] | |||
Japan[247] | September 8, 1998 | CD | Double edition |
Notes
See also
- List 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 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)
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riding the electronica wave with her new collaborator, U.K. beat master William Orbit.
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[...] disco «Ray of light» che nel nostro Paese è già arrivato a cinquecentomila copie vendute (cinque volte platino)
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Madonna har beholdt William Orbit som samarbeidspartner fra to og et halvt år gamle «Ray Of Light» (115 000 solgte i Norge)
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Warner's biggest selling African releases in the first three quarters of last year were Madonna's Ray Of Light, which sold just 3,000 copies in Zimbabwe [...] big sales can be achieved in South Africa: Madonna's Evita sold 50,000 in the country in 1997 while Ray of Light sold 43,000 last year.
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Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-634-05548-5.
- Fouz-Hernández, Santiago; Jarman-Ivens, Freya (2004). Madonna's Drowned Worlds. 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.
- ISBN 0-7864-1408-1.
- Metz, Allen; Benson, Carol (1999). The Madonna Companion: Two Decades of Commentary. ISBN 0-8256-7194-9.
- Taraborrelli, Randy J. (2002). 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
- Ray of Light at Discogs (list of releases)
- Ray of Light playlist on YouTube