Ray of Light is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on March 3, 1998 by Maverick Records and distributed byWarner Bros. Records. After giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, Madonna collaborated with Patrick Leonard and William Orbit in developing the album. Following failed sessions with other producers, Madonna pursued a new musical direction with Orbit. The album incorporates pop, dance-pop, andelectronic music.[1][2] The recording took place over four months, but experienced problems with the Pro Tools arrangement by Orbit as well as the absence of live bands.
Upon release, the album was lauded by contemporary critics as a masterpiece. Reviewers complimented the album for its mature, restrained nature as well as commending Madonna's musical direction, calling it her "most adventurous" record. Ray of Light won four Grammy Awards from a total of six nominations. Commercially, the album was a success, peaking at number one in numerous countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. On the US Billboard 200, the album debuted and peaked at number two. With global sales of 20 million copies, Ray of Light became one of the most commercially successful albums of the
Five singles were released from the album. The first, "Frozen," was an international success, as was the second, "Ray of Light", which won a number of awards for its music video. Madonna has performed songs from the album on all of her world tours since its release. Due to its impact on popular music,Ray of Light has been included on a number of best albums lists, including Rolling Stone magazine's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
The working title for this album was The Drowned World, inspired by the novel by J. G. Ballard. It was primarily produced by Madonna, William Orbit, andPatrick Leonard. The album featured a new musical direction for Madonna, as well as personal lyrics about motherhood, fame, love and spirituality. Madonna's vocal range spanned through higher notes, because of the choral training she underwent during Evita.[3] Madonna began writing songs with Leonard in 1997, the first time the two had worked together since "I'll Remember", three years earlier[citation needed]. 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.[4]
Madonna began working on Ray of Light in May 1997, meeting with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, whom she had previously worked with on her 1994 album Bedtime Stories. 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 Edmonds, 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 Edmonds, Madonna turned to musician Rick Nowels, who had previously co-written songs with Stevie Nicks and Celine Dion. The collaboration produced seven songs in three days, but did not display the album's future electronic musical direction.[5] Instead, Madonna took her collaborations with Nowels and Leonard to British electronic music musician William Orbit. Madonna had been a fan of Orbit's work, and loved the "sort of trancy, ambient quality" he gave to the songs he worked on.[6] She began working with Orbit after he had sent her tapes 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.[citation needed] Madonna would listen to the samples over and over again until she would be 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.[citation needed] "Mer Girl" and "Ray of Light" are the only songs on the album that Madonna did not compose with her collaborators. For "Mer Girl", Madonna wrote only the lyrics, while her creative input to "Ray of Light" was limited to adding/changing a few lyrics.[4]
The album was recorded over four and a half months in Los Angeles, California in 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, engineer Pat McCarthy, and his assistant engineer, Matt Silva.[4]The recording process was initially plagued with machinery problems, as Orbit preferred to work with samples, synth sounds, and Pro Tools, and not with live musicians. The computers would break down, and recording would have to be delayed until they could be repaired.[citation needed] Orbit recorded the bulk of the album's instrumentation over the four-month period. Orbit recalls playing the guitar and having his fingers bleed during the long hours he spent in the studio.[4] After some errors in her pronunciation of Sanskrit shlokas on Ray of Light, the BBC, London, arranged for Madonna to take telephonic lessons to learn the basic correct pronunciation of Sanskrit words from eminent scholar Dr B P T Vagish Shastri. She then made the necessary pronunciation corrections on the album.
Upon release, the album received positive responses from international music critics. 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 hadn't been this emotionally candid since Like a Prayer".[2] Roni Sarig, in an editorial review for Amazon.com, stated that Ray of Light "is her richest, most accomplished record yet."[14] He was most impressed by Madonna's vocal range, depth, and clarity which had become stronger since her voice lessons for the film Evita (1996). Spin magazine declared Madonna's new album to be her "most radical, mask-free work."[11] Rob Sheffield's review for Rolling Stone was mostly positive, but he did point out the weak aspects of the album. Sheffield called the album "brilliant", but was critical of Orbit's production, stating that he "doesn't know enough tricks to fill a whole CD, so he repeats himself something fierce."[15] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic called Ray of Light Madonna's "most adventurous record" and her "most mature and restrained album." In his review he gave the album four out of five stars.[1] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A- stating "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."[8] Writing for Melody Maker in February 1998, Mark Roland drew comparisons with the music of 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."[10] Music critic Robert Hilburn from 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 candour and prespective."[9] Joan Anderman from The Boston Globe said that Ray of Light is a remarkable album. He stated, "It's a deeply spiritual dance record, ecstatically textured, a sumptuous, serious cycle of songs that goes a long way toward liberating Madonna from a career built on scavenged images and cultivated identities.[16]
Ray of Light was officially released on March 3, 1998. Eighteen days later, Rolling Stone reported that the album has sold over three million copies worldwide.[17] In the United States, Ray of Light debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the issue dated March 21, 1998, selling 371,000 copies in the first week.[18] It was the biggest first-week sales by a female artist in Nielsen SoundScan era, at that time.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20] In Canada, the album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified seven times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of 700,000 copies.[21][22] The album also debuted at number one in Australia, becoming Madonna's seventh album to reach the top spot.[23] The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified it three times platinum denoting shipment of 210,000 copies.[24]
In the United Kingdom, Ray of Light debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, remaining in the top spot for two weeks.[25] It was certified six times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipment of 1.8 million copies.[26] In France, the album entered the official albums chart at number two, staying there for seven weeks before descending down the chart.[23] It was certified three times platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique for shipments of 900,000 copies of the album.[27] In Germany, the album reached number one on the Media Control Charts and remained there for seven weeks.[28] It was certified three times platinum for shipment of 1.5 million copies.[29] The album also reached the top of European Top 100 Albums chart[30] and was certified seven times platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for shipment of seven million units.[31] Ray of Light achieved similar success in the rest of world, topping the official charts of Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and Switzerland.[23][32] It has sold over 20 million copies, becoming one of the most commercially successful albums of the 1990s.[33]
"Frozen", the lead single from the album, became Madonna's eighth number one single on the UK Singles Chart, and reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.[34] Co-written by Patrick Leonard, the song featured Madonna's vocals over layers of string arrangements and synthesizers. In 2005, a Belgian court 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.[35] The second single, "Ray of Light", based on the track "Sepheryn", written by Clive Maldoon & Dave Curtiss (Curtiss Maldoon) in the 70s, was 20 years later reworked by Maldoon's cousin Christine Ann Leach and William Orbit and featured a combination of high-energy techno sounds and electric guitar riffs. It debuted at No. 2 in the UK[36] and was certified Silver.[26] It reached the top 5 in the US,[21] where it received a Gold award.[20] The song was also a dance hit in the US, remaining at number one for four weeks, and became the top Hot Dance Club Play single of 1998.[21] The song was nominated for "Record of the Year" at the 1999 Grammy Awards, but lost to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."[37]
"Drowned World/Substitute for Love" became the third release outside of North America, and was a top-ten hit in the UK.[36] 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.[38] The fourth single, "The Power of Good-Bye", a ballad reflecting on a painful breakup, became a modest chart success, peaking at number six in the UK, and number eleven in the US[21] It was released in the UK with "Little Star", a song about Madonna's daughter, as an AA side. Its music video was directed by Matthew Rolston. "Nothing Really Matters", the fifth and final single release, became a top-ten hit in the UK, reaching number seven.[36] In the US, however, the song became Madonna's lowest-charting single on the Hot 100, although it reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.[21] Its music video, directed by Johan Renck, was inspired by Arthur Golden's book Memoirs of a Geisha, and featured Madonna dressed as ageisha.[39]
To promote Ray of Light, Madonna made a number of televised appearances and live performances of the album's songs. She appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1998 and performed "Ray of Light" and "Little Star." Madonna also opened the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999 with the performance of "Nothing Really Matters". At the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, she performed "Shanti/Ashtangi" and "Ray of Light" with Lenny Kravitz. Madonna then did promotional shows across Europe and also sang "The Power of Good-Bye" at the MTV Europe Music Awards. In New Zealand, a box set of Ray of Light andThe Immaculate Collection was released to accompany the album. It reached number 12 the country's official albums chart and was certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for shipment of 7,500 copies.[40] In the United States, "Sky Fits Heaven" was released as a promotional single. It received moderate success on the clubs, peaking at number 41 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[41] The supporting tour for the album, Drowned World Tour, was supposed to start in 1999, but was delayed until 2001.[citation needed] In 1999, a promotional instore VHS compilation titled Rays of Light was released in the United Kingdom, 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).[42]
Larry Flick from Billboard claimed 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 vigure amongst woefully fickle young audiences."[43] The album gave Madonna many awards and honors. In 1999, Ray of Light received a total of six Grammy Awardnominations and won four of them. The album won "Best Pop Vocal Album" and "Best Recording Package", and was nominated for "Album of the Year."[37] In addition, the album's title track won "Best Dance Recording" and "Best Short Form Music Video," and was nominated for "Record of the Year."[37] At the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna also won six awards from a total of nine nominations. She also won "Best Album" and "Best Female Artist" at the MTV Europe Music Awards 1998. In 2001, a poll of a quarter of a million music fans on VH1 voted Ray of Light as the tenth of "100 Best Albums of All Time."[44] That year Rolling Stone readers also voted the album as the twenty-ninth best recording ever. Later, the magazine listed Ray of Light at number 28 on the list of "100 Best Albums of the Nineties" and number 363 on the list of "500 Greatest Albums of All Time."[45][46] In 2005, the album was ranked at number 33 on the Q magazine's list of "100 Greatest Albums Ever".[47] The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[48] Mojo magazine also listed Ray of Light at number 29 on "100 Modern Classics: The Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime".[49]