Ray of Light (song)
"Ray of Light" | ||||
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Single by Madonna | ||||
from the album Ray of Light | ||||
B-side | "Has to Be" | |||
Released | April 27, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1997 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:21 | |||
Warner Bros. | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Ray of Light" on YouTube |
"Ray of Light" is a song by American singer
The song has received critical acclaim by music critics for its club-friendly, electronic sound, lyrics, and "emotional warmth". The song was also nominated for three Grammy Awards:
An accompanying music video for "Ray of Light" was directed by
Background and release
Since 1996, Madonna went through a number of "life-changing experiences" which included giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, gaining interest in
Madonna worked primarily with Orbit after Guy Oseary, Maverick Records's partner, phoned Orbit and suggested that he send some songs to the singer.[5] He sent a 13-track digital audio tape (DAT) to Madonna, and "Ray of Light" was among these tracks. It is based on the track "Sepheryn" (1971), by English folk music duo Curtiss Maldoon (consisting of Dave Curtiss and Clive Maldoon).[6] In 1996, English singer and songwriter Christine Leach, Maldoon's niece, had recorded her version of the track. Leach said she had always loved the duo's work and "Sepheryn" was her favorite. She worked for a time with Orbit and recorded a demo of "Sepheryn" over a melody on which he was working. Leach rewrote the chorus and also removed a few bits from the original composition.[6][7] Orbit included it in the DAT thinking that Leach had written the song.[3] After Madonna heard the demo she liked it, and reworked the lyrics to create "Ray of Light".[6]
The track was released as the second single from the parent album on April 27, 1998, in the United Kingdom.[8] In the United States, the single was released to retail on June 23, 1998, along with 40,000 copies of the song's music video.[9] Curtiss was not aware of the fact that Madonna had recorded "Sepheryn" as "Ray of Light" and heard it for the first time being played on the radio. He "couldn't believe it" and was initially a bit annoyed, but became pleased when he learned that he would receive 15% of the royalties, as he had a songwriter credit. Madonna took 30% of the royalties, another 15% was given to Maldoon's estate and the rest was earned by Madonna's record company.[10] The singer said about the song: "It's totally out of control. The original version is well over 10 minutes long. It was completely indulgent, but I loved it. It was heartbreaking to cut it down to a manageable length." The original version was to be included on a compilation album titled Veronica Electronica, but it was not released.[11] Curtiss confirmed in an interview with The Australian in January 2017, that he recorded a contemporary jazz version of "Sepheryn".[7]
Recording and composition
"Ray of Light" was recorded along with the rest of the album at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood, California during mid-1997. It was mastered by
An
The song starts with an electric guitar
Lyrically, the track is upbeat, keeping in theme with the music. According to Madonna the verses are a mystical look at the universe and how small we are compared to it.[3] She wanted to capture a feeling of "wonderment" with the lyrics, as if some one has just opened their eyes and looked at the world for the first time.[20] With NME, Madonna further clarified that the lyrics convey the feeling of being small in comparison to the vast universe. It also talks about how regular life goes on faster "than the speeding light", but one can get out of that journey and look at themselves from an outsider's perspective.[21]
Critical reception
"Ray of Light" received acclaim from music critics. In a review of the album as a whole, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described it as "swirling".[22] In a review of the maxi CD single, Liana Jonas of the same website called the track a "wickedly good club song" and "sonically progressive yet listener-friendly". She also praised Madonna's vocals, comparing them to those of a "club diva to celestial goddess".[23] "The title track builds from another incongruously pretty guitar arpeggio into thumping rave anthem mode," Stuart Maconie wrote in a Q review of Ray of Light, "but always underscored with keen musical intelligence. It could be a lighter, less one-dimensional Chemical Brothers."[24]
Larry Flick of
Like no other Madonna hit in recent memory, the frenetic "Ray of Light" found the singer in a celebratory tech-frenzy. Whether it was an epiphany of the spiritual or sonic kind, her elation was unmistakable. Orbit's cycles of analog synths and electric guitar licks perfectly supplemented the elasticity of Madonna's newly-trained vocal chords. Not since "Deeper and Deeper" had she reached such dizzying heights.[28]
A reviewer from Sputnikmusic listed the track as a recommended listen from Ray of Light.
Chart performance
In the United States, "Ray of Light" premiered at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, for the issue dated July 11, 1998 with 72,000 units.[35] It was her highest-debuting single, surpassing previous best debuts with "You'll See" (1995) and "Frozen" (1998), both of which opened at number eight. The track became the singer's then 37th top-40 hit, moving her past Connie Francis on the list of women with most top-40 chartings on Hot 100.[35][36] "Ray of Light" was present for a total of 20 weeks on the Hot 100, and placed at number 75 on the year-end chart.[37][38] The song also reached the top of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart of Billboard, remaining at the top position for a total of four weeks.[39] "Ray of Light" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in September 1998, for shipment of 500,000 copies of the single across United States.[40] In Canada, it debuted at number 85 on the RPM Singles Chart and reached number three in its eighth week.[41][42] It was present on the chart for a total of 30 weeks.[43]
In Australia, "Ray of Light" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at its peak of number six on May 24, 1998, staying there for one week.[44] It was present for a total of 17 weeks on the chart, and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 35,000 copies of the single.[44][45] At the year-end charts of ARIA, "Ray of Light" was the 57th best-selling Australian single of 1998.[46] In New Zealand, "Ray of Light" also debuted at its peak position of number nine on the RIANZ Singles Chart. It was present for a total of 14 weeks on the chart and fell out on September 13, 1998, at number 31.[47]
In the United Kingdom, "Ray of Light" debuted with 76,000 copies and peaked at number two on May 9, 1998, being held off from the number one spot by
Music video
Background and development
The music video for "Ray of Light" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who had previously shot the controversial clip for the song "Smack My Bitch Up" (1997) by The Prodigy.[60] Madonna had been planning the video from the time she was filming the clip for previous single "Frozen" in the Mojave Desert. "Smack My Bitch Up" was her current favorite and she enlisted Åkerlund.[61] Madonna stated that when she makes an album, she "puts [her] soul on it", but a music video is a lot more working with a director. With the Ray of Light album, she wanted to have videos with fresh expression, and hence wanted to collaborate with new directors. She liked Åkerlund's "special way of working" and spoke with him over the telephone. Their conversations continued for over six months, and most of the time was spent coming with a final concept for the clip.[62][63] Åkerlund said in an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet:
I had two ideas that did not fit the song. She said no even though I had a very clear idea of how she would look in the video. I worked up on another idea and brought together a featured band for her to see. I did it all in front of me. [...] In retrospect, it feels good, the video we have done much better suited to the track than the first ideas. [Madonna] has an incredible track on everything she is doing. Style, music, business — she has a mental track of every single thing and won't give up until she is completely satisfied. And on music videos there is nothing she does with one hand on her back — she's engaged to one hundred percent.[62]
According to the singer, the clip portrays "a day in the life of the earth to show that we are rushing forward to the end of the 1900s century at full speed. I think Jonas made an excellent interpretation of the song, although he forced me to dance like crazy for two days. He's a tough director".[62] Reviewers compared it to the 1982 American experimental film Koyaanisqatsi, which showed time-lapse footage of cities.[64] Madonna's scenes were shot from March 25–26, 1998 at MTV/VH1 studios in Los Angeles. Background scenes were shot in various cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London, Las Vegas, and Stockholm.[60][62] Test shots taken in Stockholm were presented to Madonna, for conveying the idea behind the clip, but they were deemed good enough to be used in the final product.[65]
Filming and production
During filming Åkerlund was accompanied by three of his Swedish employees, photographer Henrik Halvarsson, production designer Mattias Lindgren, and editor Max Vitali. Madonna's daughter Lourdes was also present on set.
Madonna insisted that the video be edited in Los Angeles, since during the "Frozen" video she had a number of back and forths with director Chris Cunningham (who was in London editing), a process she did not want to repeat. This therefore involved Åkerlund and his team briefly relocating to a hotel in Los Angeles, where the editing took place.[62] Every piece of filmed footage was included in the final video, due to every scene being sped up and the song's moderate length.[65]
Release and reception
The music video premiered on
On June 23, 1998, the clip was released on VHS as a limited edition of 40,000 copies by
With "Ray of Light", Madonna debuted her "Earth Mother" look, complete with long strawberry blond hair and bronzed body.
Accolades and recognition
In 1999, "Ray of Light" won two
"Ray of Light" is also often ranked as being one of the
The music video received a total of eight
Live performances
In February 1998, Madonna premiered "Ray of Light" during a surprise concert at the
"Ray of Light" has also been featured in the set lists of four Madonna tours – 2001's
"Ray of Light" was next performed by Madonna during the 2007 Live Earth concert in London's Wembley Stadium again accompanied by a guitarist.[104] Madonna's performance at the event was watched by 4.5 million people.[105] For the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour, "Ray of Light" was included as the third song of the show's final segment. This time, Madonna played the electric guitar again and wore a futuristic outfit with a breastplate and a short wig. She was accompanied by her dancers who were dressed in futuristic outfits and performed a robotic choreography.[106] While reviewing the tour in 2008, Jim Farber from New York Daily News called the performance of the song one of the "highest-energy" dance numbers of the show.[107] On December 6, 2016, Madonna performed the song during the Carpool Karaoke segment of The Late Late Show with James Corden.[108] The singer performed "Ray of Light" at Leonardo DiCaprio's annual fundraising gala in Saint-Tropez, France on July 27, 2017.[109] On the 2023–24 Celebration Tour, Madonna performed the Sasha Ultra Violet remix of the song while floating above the crowd in a glass box.[110][111] Joe Lynch of Billboard praised Madonna as the track is "a tough one to sing, but she didn’t short shrift the audience with an abbreviated version", and noted that "her live vocals sounded fairly close to the original".[110]
Covers and usage in media
The song was famously used by Microsoft in its 2001 advertising campaign for Windows XP. It begins with a man leaping through a green field and then lifting off into a sunny sky—a landscape lifted from Windows XP's default "bliss screen".[118] There is also a series of images of people using Windows XP for real-time communications, to collaborate in an airy restaurant, to relay digital images of flying people, watch videos, and listen to music. Then, a snippet from the song follows the phrase: "Faster than the speeding light she's flying... You soar. Yes you can".[118] The campaign was reworked after the September 11 attacks; the tag line "Prepare to fly" was changed to "Yes you can" to sidestep new concerns about air travel, said Stephanie Ferguson, director of the company's PC Experience Solutions Marketing Group.[118] In 2008, a Sunsilk shampoo commercial included shots of Marilyn Monroe and Shakira with songs well known by them and ends with several video shots of Madonna to the sounds of "Ray of Light". Madonna reportedly received US$10 million for the song's usage.[119][120] The commercial premiered on Super Bowl XLII.[119] In 2010, Glee tribute episode "The Power of Madonna" featured "Ray of Light" playing in the background as the school's cheerleading team performed a complicated stilts routine.[121] In the 2011 Family Guy episode "New Kidney in Town", main character Peter Griffin is seen in the "Ray of Light" video after drinking Red Bull.[122]
Track listings and formats
|
|
Credits and personnel
Credits and personnel adapted from the Ray of Light album liner notes.[132]
- Madonna – vocals, songwriting, producer
- William Orbit – songwriting, producer
- Clive Maldoon – songwriting
- Dave Curtis – songwriting
- Christine Leach – songwriting
- Pat McCarthy – engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[45] | Gold | 35,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[40] | Gold | 500,000^ |
United States Digital downloads |
— | 293,000[159] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | April 27, 1998 | Original | [8] | ||
Japan | May 2, 1998 | CD | [160] | ||
United States | May 15, 1998 | Contemporary hit radio | [161] | ||
United Kingdom | May 18, 1998 | CD | Remixes | [162] | |
United States | May 22, 1998 | Hot adult contemporary radio
|
Original | [163] | |
Canada | May 26, 1998 | CD |
|
[164] | |
United States | June 23, 1998 | Video single
|
Warner Reprise Video
|
[9] | |
Various | March 3, 2023 | Single Remixes | Warner | [131] |
See also
- Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1998
- List of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles in 1998
- List of European number-one airplay songs of the 1990s
- List of number-one dance singles of 1998 (U.S.)
- List of number-one singles of 1998 (Scotland)
- List of number-one singles of 1998 (Spain)
- List of UK top 10 singles in 1998
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Bibliography
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External links
- "Ray of Light" at Discogs (list of releases)