Ray of Light - Misplaced Pages

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. Mystical themes are strongly present in the music and lyrics as a result of Madonna embracing Kabbalah, her study of Hinduism and Buddhism, and her daily practice of Ashtanga yoga.

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. 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.

Ray of Light was met with universal acclaim upon its release and is often considered Madonna's magnum opus. Critics praised the singer's new musical direction, contemplative songwriting, and mature vocals, alongside Orbit's complex, innovative production. The album has also been credited with introducing electronica into mainstream pop culture and affirming the 39-year-old Madonna's relevance during a period of major teen-marketed artists. Retrospectively, the album has continued to receive acclaim and is considered one of the greatest pop albums of all time. Madonna has referred to it as her quintessential album. Ray of Light won four Grammy Awards from a total of six nominations at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards.

The album entered the US Billboard 200 at number two, with the biggest first-week sales by a female artist at the time. It also peaked at number one in 17 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain and on the United Kingdom Albums Chart, 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.

Background

Following the release of her compilation album Something to Remember (1995), Madonna started taking vocal lessons in preparation for her role as Eva Perón in Evita (1996). She would also give birth to her daughter, Lourdes Leon, 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. During the same period, she embraced Kabbalah and started studying Hinduism and yoga, all of which helped her "step outside and see the world from a different perspective". Madonna felt that there was a "whole piece" of her voice left unused, which she decided to utilize for the album. 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".

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. Three of the songs, "The Power of Good-Bye", "To Have and Not to Hold" and "Little Star", appear on the album. Madonna then began writing songs with Patrick Leonard, who had produced many songs for Madonna in the late 1980s. Unlike her previous albums, Leonard's songwriting 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. Guy Oseary, chairman of Maverick Records, then phoned British electronic musician William Orbit, and suggested that he send some songs to Madonna. 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.

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; Keyboard magazine

In June 1997, William Orbit met Madonna at her house in New York, and she played him the music she had already worked on with other producers, which he felt sounded "slick". Sessions with Orbit began soon afterwards at the Hit Factory, where Orbit then gave Madonna 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. 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. As most of the instrumental demos pre-existed, Madonna worked on the lyrics and melodies while at home or while travelling.

"'s our discerning ear, ... He's the guy that comes in and withholds all compliments. We'll play him tracks and then he says nothing and leaves and then we have a nervous breakdown, ... Right when I think the track's done he sort of pushes us another step further and says 'Maybe you should try this' or 'I really don't wanna hear that' and then of course it creeps into my brain and later on in the day I'm thinking 'Maybe I should've done a background vocal on that.'"

—Madonna on business partner Guy Oseary's influence on the album's recording process; MTV

Recording sessions commenced at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood in the summer of 1997, where the album was predominantly recorded. 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. Sessions were 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. Orbit recorded the bulk of the album's instrumentation over a four-month period. Orbit recalls playing the guitar until his fingers bled during the long hours he spent in the studio. 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.

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. In a 1997 interview with Kurt Loder for MTV, Madonna discussed the impact of giving birth to her daughter Lourdes prior to the album, stating "I think probably having her's set me off on a new way of thinking and... just gone down a different road, period". Regarding the album's creative direction, she stated "It's been really fun, I've never had so much fun really working on... never felt so free to experiment."

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; however, she discarded both of those ideas and called it Ray of Light, as her studio albums up to that point were always titled after one of the songs from each album's tracklist. The artwork was taken from a November 28, 1997, photoshoot with Peruvian photographer Mario Testino. 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. Madonna and Testino had previously collaborated for a Versace brand collection two 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".

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".

Ray of Light was a notable departure from Madonna's previous work, and has been described as her most "adventurous" record. An electronica, trip hop, techno-pop, and new-age album; it also contains elements of several different types of music, including house, ambient, drum and bass, rock, new wave, eastern and classical music. 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, the album is said to have Madonna's most full-bodied vocals.

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. The title is inspired by J. G. Ballard's post-apocalyptic science fiction novel The Drowned World (1962). "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". "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, it also incorporates elements of rock, with a prominent electric guitar riff. Its sound effects include whistles and bleeps. "Candy Perfume Girl" has a grunge intro and continues to pair post-modern beeps and beats with old-fashioned electric guitar flare ups. In the next song, "Skin", Madonna sings "Do I know you from somewhere?" in a yearning voice over the beats of an electronic orchestra.

The sixth track, "Nothing Really Matters", is an up-tempo dance track which contains influences of techno. "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". 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. "Shanti/Ashtangi" is a Hindu prayer and up-tempo techno song sung by Madonna in Sanskrit, over a driving dance rhythm. 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".

"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. 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. 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." "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. "Mer Girl", the album's final track, is a surreal meditation on mortality and the death of Madonna's mother Madonna Fortin Ciccone, 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." "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."

Release and promotion

Singles

"Frozen" (1998)

A slow tempo dance track featuring Madonna's voice over layers of string arrangements and synthesizers.

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"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 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart, where it became Madonna's first single to debut at number one. 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. The song received critical acclaim, and was labelled a masterpiece whose sound was described as "cinematic". 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. 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. 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. This ruling ended the eight-year ban of the song that was in place in Belgium since 2005.

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. It entered the Hot 100 at number five, becoming Madonna's highest debut on the chart ever. 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. Critically, it also received positive reviews, being praised for its club-perfect, yet "sonically progressive" sound, as well as her powerful vocals.

"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. 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.

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. In the United States, the song peaked at number eleven on the Hot 100. Its music video was directed by Matthew Rolston.

"Little Star" was released as a double A-side single with "The Power of Good-Bye" in the United Kingdom on November 23, 1998. "The Power of Good-Bye" also charted at number 91 as a standalone single.

"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. 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. 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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Chicago Tribune
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment Weekly	A−
The Guardian
NME	8/10
Pitchfork	8.1/10
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine
USA Today

Ray of Light received universal acclaim from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called it Madonna's "most adventurous record" and "most mature and restrained album". 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." 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". 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. "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."

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." 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". 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." 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." 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. 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".

Commercial performance

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. 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. The album managed to sell 3 million copies in five days. With over 16 million copies, 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. 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. 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. During the second week, the album sold 225,000 copies and was still kept off the top spot by the soundtrack. 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. Madonna became the first female artist to have seven multi-platinum studio albums by RIAA. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Ray of Light had sold 3,900,000 copies in the United States as of February 2023. This figure does not include units sold through clubs like the BMG Music, where the album sold over 459,000 copies. In Canada, the album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart with first-week sales of 59,900 copies. It was later certified seven-times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of 700,000 copies.

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). In Mexico, initial shipments of the album were 30,000 units. 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. Ray of Light became the best-selling album from Warner Music in the Asia-Pacific region during 1998, and sold over one million copies in Asia as of June 1999.

Ray of Light achieved its biggest commercial reception in European countries, where it topped the European Top 100 Albums chart 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. 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. It was certified six times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipment of 1.8 million copies. As of 2018, the album sold 1,730,000 units in the UK according to Official Charts Company. In France, Ray of Light entered the albums chart at number two, staying there for seven weeks before descending the chart. It was certified three times platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) for shipments of 900,000 copies. In Germany, the album reached number one on the Media Control Charts and remained there for seven weeks. 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. In the rest of Europe, Ray of Light topped the official charts of Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain and Switzerland.

Accolades

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Madonna

At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, Ray of Light received four awards out of six nominations. 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. 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. "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, as well as Top Dance Song for "Ray of Light" at the 1999 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards.

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, a Fryderyk award for Best Foreign Album from Związek Producentów Audio Video (ZPAV) in Poland, a Golden Giraffe Award for International Pop Album of the Year from Mahasz in Hungary, two Porin awards for Best International Album and Best International Video ("Frozen") in Croatia, and two Rockbjörnen awards for Best International Album and Best International Artist in Sweden.

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. She also received Best Female and Best Album trophies at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards. At the 14th annual International Dance Music Awards, Madonna won Best Dance Solo Artist and Best Dance Video for "Ray of Light".

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." 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." 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." The Observer's writer Daryl Deino called Ray of Light "a risk-taking album that helped define mainstream electronic dance music."

Elliott H. Powell in an American Studies study for New York University observed that Ray of Light made South Asian culture accessible to the American public in the 1990s. 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."

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. 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." 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." Mary von Aue from Stereogum stated that "Ray of Light reestablished Madonna as a groundbreaking artist."

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. In September 2020, an updated edition of the Rolling Stone list was published, showing the album rising 145 spots, at number 222. 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". In 2003, Ray of Light was allocated at number 17 on Q magazine readers' list of "100 Greatest Albums Ever". The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Mojo magazine also listed Ray of Light at number 29 on "100 Modern Classics: The Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime". In 2013, the album was also included at number 241 on NME magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". 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."

Ray of Light has also been influential on other artists' work. Canadian singer Nelly Furtado stated that she used it as a template for her album Loose (2006). Moreover, English singer Adele named the record as "one of the chief inspirations" for her third studio album, 25 (2015). 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.

Track listing

*Ray of Light* – Standard edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Drowned World/Substitute for Love"	Madonna William Orbit Rod McKuen Anita Kerr David Collins	Madonna Orbit	5:08
2.	"Swim"	Madonna Orbit	Madonna Orbit	5:00
3.	"Ray of Light"	Madonna Orbit Clive Muldoon Dave Curtiss Christine Leach	Madonna Orbit	5:20
4.	"Candy Perfume Girl"	Madonna Orbit Susannah Melvoin	Madonna Orbit	4:36
5.	"Skin"	Madonna Patrick Leonard	Madonna Orbit Marius de Vries	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 Rick Nowels	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.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Has to Be"	Madonna Orbit Leonard	Madonna Orbit	5:16
Total length:				71:58

Additional notes

"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.

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

Weekly chart performance for *Ray of Light*
Chart (1998–1999)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	2
Brazilian Albums (Nopem/ABPD)	6
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)	1
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	1
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)	2
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	1
Estonian Albums (Eesti Top 10)	1
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)	1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)	1
French Albums (SNEP)	2
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	1
Greek Albums (IFPI Greece)	1
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)	1
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)	4
Irish Albums (IRMA)	2
Israeli Albums (IFPI)	1
Italian Albums (FIMI)	1
Japanese Albums (Oricon)	7
Malaysian Albums (RIM)	4
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	1
Portuguese Albums (AFP)	6
Scottish Albums (OCC)	1
Singaporean Albums (SPVA)	1
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	1
Taiwanese International Albums (IFPI)	4
UK Albums (OCC)	1
US Billboard 200	2

2000–2018 weekly chart performance for *Ray of Light*
Chart (2000–2018)	Peak position
Croatian International Albums (HDU)	1
Polish Albums (ZPAV)	37
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)	76
US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)	50
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)	19

Year-end charts

1998 year-end chart performance for *Ray of Light*
Chart (1998)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	10
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	11
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)	10
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	5
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	4
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)	3
French Albums (SNEP)	10
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	4
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)	9
Japanese Albums (Oricon)	94
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	16
Norway Russetid Period (VG-lista)	2
Norway Winter Period (VG-lista)	17
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)	26
Swedish Albums & Compilations (Sverigetopplistan)	2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	4
UK Albums (OCC)	7
US Billboard 200	18

1999 year-end chart performance for *Ray of Light*
Chart (1999)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	61
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	55
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	72
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	42
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	19
French Albums (SNEP)	58
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	14
Norway Winter Period (VG-lista)	16
UK Albums (OCC)	29
US Billboard 200	98

2000 year-end chart performance for *Ray of Light*
Chart (2000)	Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	89
UK Albums (OCC)	115

2001 year-end chart performance for *Ray of Light*
Chart (2001)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)	191

All-time charts

All-time chart performance for *Ray of Light*
Chart	Position
Irish Women Albums (IRMA)	50
UK Female Albums (OCC)	30

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for *Ray of Light*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)	3× Platinum	180,000
Australia (ARIA)	3× Platinum	210,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)	2× Platinum	100,000
Belgium (BEA)	Platinum	100,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)	Platinum	250,000
Canada (Music Canada)	7× Platinum	700,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)	5× Platinum	250,000
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)	Platinum	50,604
France (SNEP)	3× Platinum	1,000,000
Germany (BVMI)	3× Platinum	1,500,000
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)	Platinum	20,000
Israel	—	55,000
Italy (FIMI)	5× Platinum	600,000
Japan (RIAJ)	2× Platinum	400,000
Netherlands (NVPI)	3× Platinum	300,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	Platinum	15,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)	2× Platinum	115,000
Poland (ZPAV)	2× Platinum	200,000
Russia	—	123,000
Singapore (RIAS)	Platinum	15,000
South Africa	—	43,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	3× Platinum	300,000
Sweden (GLF)	3× Platinum	240,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)	3× Platinum	150,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	6× Platinum	1,800,000
United States (RIAA)	4× Platinum	4,359,000
Zimbabwe	—	3,000
Summaries
Asia	—	1,000,000
Europe (IFPI)	7× Platinum	7,000,000
Worldwide	—	16,000,000
Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for *Ray of Light*
Region	Date	Format(s)	Edition(s)
Japan	February 22, 1998	CD, LP	Standard
United Kingdom	March 2, 1998	CD, LP, cassette, mini-album	Standard, limited edition
Germany	March 2, 1998	CD, LP, cassette, mini-album	Standard, limited edition
United States	March 3, 1998	CD	Standard, limited edition
Canada	March 3, 1998	CD	Standard, limited edition
Japan	September 8, 1998	CD	Double edition

Notes

Sales for Ray of Light in Asia, as of June 1999

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White, Jack (March 6, 2019). "The Top 50 biggest female artist albums of all time in Ireland". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
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"Austrian album certifications – Madonna – Ray of Light" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
Claimed sales for Ray of Light in Belgium:
- "Kleine componist uit Bergen doet Madonna's hit Frozen verbieden". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). November 19, 2005. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- Vantyghem, Peter (November 19, 2005). "Wat nu, Madonna?". De Standaard (in Dutch). Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
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^ "Madonna" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
*Claimed sales in France for Ray of Light
- Ruelle, Yohann (March 23, 2023). "Madonna : le titre rare "Has To Be" exhumé pour les 25 ans de l'album "Ray of Light"" (in French). Charts in France. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
(Over 900,000 units):
- B.-L. (October 10, 2000). "MADONNA: AVEC " MUSIC ", LOUISE RÉATTAQUE..." La Dépêche du Midi (in French). Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- "Madonna". Le Parisien (in French). April 21, 2003. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
"French album certifications – Madonna – Ray of Light" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
"IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1998". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
"אלבומים ומכירות בארץ" [Albums and sales in Israel]. LaIsha (in Hebrew). August 13, 2001. p. 56. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
Claimed sales for Ray of Light in Italy:
- "MUSICA: MADONNA, SUONA DANCE IL NUOVO 'MUSIC'" (in Italian). Adnkronos. September 12, 2000. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- "MADONNA: NEL NUOVO VIDEO INSEGUITA DAI PAPARAZZI COME LADY D" (in Italian). Adnkronos. July 28, 1998. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
Dondoni, Luca (July 28, 1998). "Madonna, video-choc su Diana". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 30. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021. disco «Ray of light» che nel nostro Paese è già arrivato a cinquecentomila copie vendute (cinque volte platino)
"Japanese album certifications – Madonna – Ray of Light" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 27, 2014. Select 1998年5月 on the drop-down menu
"Dutch album certifications – Madonna – Ray of Light" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved October 16, 2012. Enter Ray of Light in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1998 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
"Primadonna". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). September 19, 2000. Retrieved August 17, 2023. Madonna har beholdt William Orbit som samarbeidspartner fra to og et halvt år gamle «Ray Of Light» (115 000 solgte i Norge)
"IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
"Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2002 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. March 29, 2002. Retrieved August 10, 2008.
"Первый проект Warner в России провалился". Kommersant (in Russian). No. 91. May 23, 1998. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
"Competition with Compilations". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 20. May 16, 1998. p. 54. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
^ Gorman, Paul (March 1, 1999). "Africa: A law unto itself". One to One. p. 73. ProQuest 235963905. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via ProQuest. 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.
"Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2000" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Ray of Light')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
"Madonna – Ray Of Light #WPCR-2000". discogs. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
"Madonna – Ray Of Light #WPJR-2003/4". discogs. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
^ "Madonna – Ray Of Light #9362 46847 4". discogs. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
^ "Madonna – Ray Of Light #9362 46847 8". discogs. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
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Bibliography

DeRogartis, Jim (2003). Turn On Your Mind : Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-634-05548-5.
Fouz-Hernández, 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 & 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 & 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

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

v t e Madonna
Albums Songs Singles Unreleased Concerts Videos Films Books Fashion brands Awards Achievements Cultural impact
Studio albums	Madonna Like a Virgin True Blue Like a Prayer Erotica Bedtime Stories Ray of Light Music American Life Confessions on a Dance Floor Hard Candy MDNA Rebel Heart Madame X
Soundtrack albums	Who's That Girl I'm Breathless Evita
Live albums	I'm Going to Tell You a Secret The Confessions Tour Sticky & Sweet Tour MDNA World Tour Rebel Heart Tour Madame X: Music from the Theater Xperience
Remix albums	You Can Dance Remixed & Revisited Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones
Compilation albums	The Immaculate Collection Something to Remember GHV2 Celebration
Limited releases	Like a Virgin & Other Big Hits! The Complete Studio Albums (1983–2008)
Video releases	Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour Ciao Italia: Live from Italy The Immaculate Collection Blond Ambition World Tour Live The Girlie Show: Live Down Under The Video Collection 93:99 Drowned World Tour 2001 The Confessions Tour Celebration Sticky & Sweet Tour MDNA World Tour Rebel Heart Tour
Concerts and tours	The Virgin Tour Who's That Girl World Tour Blond Ambition World Tour The Girlie Show Drowned World Tour Re-Invention World Tour Confessions Tour Sticky & Sweet Tour The MDNA Tour Rebel Heart Tour Tears of a Clown Madame X Tour The Celebration Tour
Films directed	Filth and Wisdom W.E. secretprojectrevolution
Documentaries	Truth or Dare I'm Going to Tell You a Secret I Am Because We Are Madame X
Television	1994 Late Show with David Letterman appearance Super Bowl XLVI halftime show
Books authored	Sex The English Roses Mr. Peabody's Apples Yakov and the Seven Thieves The Adventures of Abdi Lotsa de Casha
Companies and brands	Maverick Ray of Light Foundation Raising Malawi Hard Candy Fitness Truth or Dare by Madonna
Works about Madonna	Cover versions Tribute albums Madonna by Alisha Chinai Through the Wilderness Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna A Panel of Experts "Like a Surgeon" Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful Madonna: Innocence Lost "If Madonna Calls" Madonna: An Intimate Biography Madonna (book) "Do It with Madonna" "She's Madonna" Madonna: Like an Icon Life with My Sister Madonna "The Power of Madonna" Strike a Pose Madonnaland Holidays (musical)
Impact and legacy	Academic studies Bibliography Scholarly articles Business Contemporary arts Echiniscus madonnae Fandom Fashion Feminism Gay icon Impersonator Madonna (nickname) Madonna wannabe Media Philanthropy Radio 1 controversy Religion Sexuality
Related articles	Breakfast Club Christopher Ciccone Lourdes Leon Madonna (name) Sean Penn Pre-Madonna Guy Ritchie
Category

Awards for Ray of Light

v t e Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album
1960s	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1967)
1990s	Longing in Their Hearts – Bonnie Raitt (1994) Turbulent Indigo – Joni Mitchell (1995) Falling into You – Celine Dion (1996) Hourglass – James Taylor (1997) Ray of Light – Madonna (1998) Brand New Day – Sting (1999)
2000s	Two Against Nature – Steely Dan (2000) Lovers Rock – Sade (2001) Come Away with Me – Norah Jones (2002) Justified – Justin Timberlake (2003) Genius Loves Company – Ray Charles and various artists (2004) Breakaway – Kelly Clarkson (2005) Continuum – John Mayer (2006) Back to Black – Amy Winehouse (2007) Rockferry – Duffy (2008) The E.N.D. – Black Eyed Peas (2009)
2010s	The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga (2010) 21 – Adele (2011) Stronger – Kelly Clarkson (2012) Unorthodox Jukebox – Bruno Mars (2013) In the Lonely Hour – Sam Smith (2014) 1989 – Taylor Swift (2015) 25 – Adele (2016) ÷ – Ed Sheeran (2017) Sweetener – Ariana Grande (2018) When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish (2019)
2020s	Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa (2020) Sour – Olivia Rodrigo (2021) Harry's House – Harry Styles (2022) Midnights – Taylor Swift (2023)
From 1968–1993, the category was discontinued.

v t e MTV Europe Music Award for Best Album
Ray of Light (1998) By Request (1999) The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2001) The Eminem Show (2002) Justified (2003) Confessions (2004) American Idiot (2005) Stadium Arcadium (2006) Loose (2007) Blackout (2008)

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