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Ray of Light

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Ray of Light is the seventh studio album and thirteenth recording by American pop singer Madonna. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on March 2, 1998, across Europe. The album was primarily produced by Madonna and William Orbit, and also by Madonna and previous collaborator Patrick Leonard.

Upon its debut, critical reception was generally positive, with critics complimenting the album's blend of pop and electronic music.[1] Ray of Light became one of Madonna's most commercially-successful releases, and reached number one in the United Kingdom, where it was certified six times platinum. In the United States, the album was released on March 3, 1998, and reached number two on the Billboard albums chart, where it was certified four times platinum. The album went on to sell over 15 million units world-wide.

The album featured a change in Madonna's music as well as personal lyrics about motherhood, fame, and spirituality. In addition, Ray of Light presented a vocally stronger Madonna, as she had received vocal lessons for her lead role in the 1996 film Evita. In 1999, the album received three Grammy Awards including "Best Pop Album" and "Best Dance Recording".

The making of the album

The working title for this album was Drowned World.

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."[2] 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.[3]

Later, Madonna began writing songs with previous collaborator Patrick Leonard. The writing sessions in 1997 marked the first time the two had worked together since "I'll Remember," three years earlier. Unlike on 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.[2]

Instead, Madonna took her collaborations with Nowels and Leonard to British electronica 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.[4] 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. 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, who would expand on his musical ideas.[2] Template:Sample box start variation 2 Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end

Ray of Light 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: Orbit, engineer Pat McCarthy, and his assistant engineer Matt Silva.[2] 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. 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.[2] Madonna's vocals were much easier and quicker to record, as many of her vocal tracks were recorded in one take.[5] When recording came to an end, producer Marius De Vries was brought into the recording process to add some finishing touches to the already recorded songs.[2]

Critical response and awards

Further information: [[:Madonna's achievements and awards]]
File:Madonnaorbitgrammyawards1999.jpg
William Orbit and Madonna accepting the Grammy Award for "Best Pop Album" in 1999.

Upon release, the album received positive responses from international music critics. Slant Magazine described the album as "one of the great pop masterpieces of the '90s…Madonna hasn't been this emotionally candid since Like a Prayer."[1] Roni Sarig, in a review for Amazon.com, stated that Ray of Light "is her richest, most accomplished record yet".[6] 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).American entertainment television channel E! praised the album for its lyrical depth saying, "Ray of Light is about as deep as a yoga stretch — which makes this load deeper than usual. If it took trendy spiritualism to get Madonna to make a good pop record, more (higher) power to her". E! was also impressed with producer William Orbit's "artful beeps and squawks…crunching guitars" and "dashes of Middle Eastern droning". In the review, Ray of Light was given an A-, one of the channel's highest honours for an album.[7]

Rob Sheffield's review for Rolling Stone was mostly positive, but 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."[8] All Music Guide's Stephen Thomas Erlewine 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.[9]

In 1999, Ray of Light won three Grammy Awards for "Best Dance Recording", "Best Pop Album" and "Best Recording Package", and was nominated for Record and Album of The Year. In addition the album's title track won a Grammy for "Best Short Form Music Video".[10] In 2002, VH1 viewers in the United Kingdom voted Ray of Light as the tenth greatest album of all time. That year Rolling Stone readers also voted the album as the twenty-ninth best recording ever. Later the magazine ranked Ray of Light at #363 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[11]

Track listing

# Title Time
1. "Drowned World/Substitute for Love"
Writer(s): Madonna, William Orbit, Rod McKeun, Anita Kerr, David Collins
Producer(s): Madonna and William Orbit
contains a sample of "Why I Follow The Tigers" performed by the San Sebastian Strings		 5:09
2. "Swim"
Writer(s): Madonna, William Orbit
Producer(s): Madonna and William Orbit		 5:00
3. "Ray of Light"
Writer(s): Madonna, William Orbit, Clive Muldoon, Dave Curtis, Christine Leach
Producer(s): Madonna and William Orbit		 5:21
4. "Candy Perfume Girl"
Writer(s): Madonna, William Orbit, Susannah Melvolin
Producer(s): Madonna and William Orbit		 4:34
5. "Skin"
Writer(s): Madonna, Patrick Leonard
Producer(s): Madonna, William Orbit and Marius DeVries		 6:22
6. "Nothing Really Matters"
Writer(s): Madonna, Patrick Leonard
Producer(s): Madonna, William Orbit and Marius DeVries		 4:27
7. "Sky Fits Heaven"
Writer(s): Madonna, Patrick Leonard
Producer(s): Madonna, William Orbit and Patrick Leonard		 4:48
8. "Shanti/Ashtangi"
Writer(s): Madonna, William Orbit
Producer(s): Madonna and William Orbit
Adapted from text by Shankra Charya, taken from the Yoga Taravali
Additional text: Traditional, Translation by Vyass Houston and Eddie Stern		 4:29
9. "Frozen"
Writer(s): Madonna, Patrick Leonard
Producer(s): Madonna, William Orbit and Patrick Leonard		 6:12
10. "The Power of Good-Bye"
Writer(s): Madonna, Rick Nowels
Producer(s): Madonna, William Orbit and Patrick Leonard		 4:10
11. "To Have and Not to Hold"
Writer(s): Madonna, Rick Nowels
Producer(s): Madonna, William Orbit and Patrick Leonard		 5:23
12. "Little Star"
Writer(s): Madonna, Rick Nowels
Producer(s): Madonna and Marius DeVries		 5:18
13. "Mer Girl"
Writer(s): Madonna, William Orbit
Producer(s): Madonna and William Orbit
contains an interpolation and elements from "Space" performed by Gabor Szabo		 5:32
14. "Has To Be"+
Writer(s): Madonna, William Orbit, Patrick Leonard
Producer(s): Madonna and William Orbit		 5:15

+ available only on the Japanese Edition, can also be found as the B-side to the Ray of Light single.

Singles

# Title Date
1. "Frozen" February 1998
2. "Ray of Light" May 1998
3. "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" August 1998 (Canada, Europe, Australia) / September 1998 (Japan)
4. "The Power of Good-Bye" " Little Star" (UK/Canada) September 1998 (U.S.) / November 1998 (Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia)
5. "Nothing Really Matters" March 1999 (Europe, Australia) / April 1999 (U.S., Japan)

"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.[12] 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 forbid the sale of the single and the entire Ray of Light album, as well as other compilations that included the track in Belgium.[13]

The second single "Ray of Light", based on the track "Sepheryn" written by Clive Maldoon & Dave Curtis, featured a combination of high-energy techno sounds and electric guitar riffs. It debuted at No.2 in the UK, just beaten to the top spot by the record-breaking 'The Boy Is Mine' by Brandy & Monica.[citation needed] It reached the top 10 in the U.S.,[citation needed] and was certified gold in both countries.[14][15] The song was also a dance hit in the U.S., remaining at number one for four weeks and became the top Hot Dance/Club Play single of 1998.[citation needed] 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".

"Drowned World/Substitute for Love" became the third release outside of North America and was a top-ten hit in the UK.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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 U.S.[citation needed] It was released with in the UK with "Little Star", a song about Madonna's daughter, as an AA side.

"Nothing Really Matters", the sixth and final single release, became a top-ten hit in the UK, reaching number seven.[citation needed] In the U.S. 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.[citation needed] 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.

Chart performance

Ray of Light debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 albums chart, where it sold 371,000 copies in its first week.[16] It was kept from the top spot by the soundtrack to the popular film Titanic (1997). On April 22 1998, almost two months after its release, the album was certified double platinum.[17] Since its release it has been certified four times platinum in the U.S., where after fifty-nine weeks, it descended from the top hundred.[14] In Canada the album debuted at number one, and has since been certified seven times platinum. It became Madonna's first album since Erotica in 1992 to reach the top position in Canada.[18]

In Australia, Ray of Light also debuted at number one, and became Madonna's seventh album to reach the top spot.[19] It has since been certified triple platinum. In Germany, the album reached number one and remained there for seven weeks, where it achieved triple platinum status.[20] It has since become Madonna's highest selling album in Germany. Ray of Light failed to reach the top position in France, managing to reach number two and remaining there for seven weeks. In France the album was also certified triple platinum.[21] In the United Kingdom, Ray of Light debuted at number one on the albums chart, remaining in the top spot for two weeks. In January 2003, the album was certified six times platinum.[15]

Charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian albums chart[22] 1
Finnish albums chart[23] 1
Finnish albums chart[23] 1
New Zealand albums chart[23] 12
Norwegian albums chart[23] 1
Swiss albums chart[23] 1
UK albums chart[24] 1
Austrian albums chart[23] 2
French albums chart[23] 2
U.S. Billboard Top 200 albums chart[25] 2

Certifications and sales

Note: Certifications are based on the number of shipped copies and not the number of copies sold.

Country Certification[26] Estimated sales
Canada (CRIA)[18] 7x Platinum 700,000
Europe (IFPI)[27] 7x Platinum 7 million
UK (BPI)[15] 6x Platinum 1.8 million
U.S. (RIAA)[14] 4x Platinum 4.3 million
Australia (ARIA)[19] 3x Platinum 210,000
Brazil[28] Platinum 850,000
France (SNEP)[21] 3x Platinum 950,000
Germany (IFPI)[20] 3x Platinum 900,000
Switzerland (IFPI)[29] 3x Platinum 150,000
Poland (ZPAV)[30] 2x Platinum 80,000
  • Note: In 2003 Germany changed their platinum status from 300,000 to 200,000 so Ray of Light had sold 1,500,000 copies and not 1,000,000

Release details

All editions released by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records.
Release format Country Cat. No. Release date
Regular album United Kingdom/Germany 9362 26847-2 March 2, 1998
Limited edition album United Kingdom/Germany 9 46884-2 March 1998
Double-vinyl album United Kingdom/Germany 9362 46847-1 March 2, 1998
Cassette album United Kingdom/Germany 9362 46847-4 March 2, 1998
Mini-disc album United Kingdom/Germany 9362 46847-8 March 2, 1998
Regular album North America 9 46847-2 March 3, 1998
Limited edition album North America 9 46884-2 March 1998
Japanese album Japan WPCR-2000 February 22, 1998
Japanese double album1 Japan WPCR-10556/7 February 22, 1998
Japanese vinyl album Japan WPJR-2003/4 February 1998

1 contains the regular album with a bonus disc titled "Words & Music", containing interviews.

Credits and personnel

See also

  • Unreleased Madonna songs — songs written and/or recorded by Madonna during the Ray of Light sessions that remain unreleased.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Slant Magazine. The album was praised as a comeback after nearly a decade of lukewarm albums and controversy. Review of Ray of Light. Retrieved April 23 2006.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Walter, Barry. Spin. "Most Daring In Years", April 1998.
  3. ^ Madonna-Online.ch. Discography — Ray of Light. Retrieved May 23, 2006.
  4. ^ Anderson, Gina. Madonna Village Reproducing Juice Magazine "Mystic Eyes", 1998. Retrieved May 23 2006.
  5. ^ Bailie, Stuart. BBC.co.uk Across the Line's Classic Albums. Retrieved May 23, 2006.
  6. ^ Roni Sarig reviews the album on Amazon.com. Retrieved August 1, 2007
  7. ^ E!. Review of Ray of Light". Retrieved April 23 2006.
  8. ^ Sheffield, Rob. MadonnaVillage.com. Quoting from Rolling Stone review of Ray of Light. Retrieved April 23, 2006.
  9. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. All Music Guide. Review of Ray of Light. Retrieved April 23 2006.
  10. ^ Grammy Awards. Grammy Award Winners. Retrieved April 23 2006.
  11. ^ Rolling Stone. The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Retrieved April 23 2006.
  12. ^ Singles Charts position in USA, UK, Japan, Canada and Australia. Retrieved August 1, 2007
  13. ^ USA Today. Songwriter wins case against Madonna. November 18 2005. Retrieved May 22 2006.
  14. ^ a b c US Certification organism (RIAA) searchable database Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  15. ^ a b c Official UK certification organism Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  16. ^ MLVC.org — Madonna Information Report. Billboard Wrap-Up. May 23 1998. Retrieved May 22 2006.
  17. ^ AbsoluteMadonna.com. Gravelle, Maurice. Madonna Career Diary. 2004. Retrieved May 22 2006.
  18. ^ a b Canadian Certifications Searchable Database Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  19. ^ a b Australian Certification Organism (year 1999) Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  20. ^ a b Garman certification organism Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  21. ^ a b French certifications for 2001 Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  22. ^ Chart Data at Mariah-Charts.com Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Official Swiss Charts Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  24. ^ UK Official charts Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  25. ^ US Billboard Top 200 Chart listing Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  26. ^ MoCAW: Madonna on Charts around the World. Chart Performance of Madonna Records — A Compiled History. Retrieved May 24 2006.
  27. ^ European certification organism (Platinum awards 2002) Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  28. ^ Brazilian certification organism Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  29. ^ SwissCharts.com. Certifications — Awards 2000. Retrieved May 29 2006.
  30. ^ www.zpav.pl. Platinium Certification Awards. Retrieved June 16 2006.

References

  • "All Music Guide". Album credits, charts and awards. Retrieved May 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "The BPI Database". United Kingdom certifications. Retrieved May 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "Chart Data: Madonna". Worldwide charts and certifications. Retrieved May 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "Keith Caulfield's Madonna Page". U.S. charts, certifications and sales. Retrieved May 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "MoCaW: Madonna on Charts around the World". Worldwide charts and certifications. Retrieved May 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "Q Magazine". Confessions of the World's Most Famous Woman.
  • "RIAA Database". U.S. certifications. Retrieved May 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "SwissCharts.com". Swiss charts and certifications. Retrieved May 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

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