'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enou...
'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enough to wish to continue to read my ramblings, you can find me on Dooyoo under the user name plipplop. See you around! :P
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Very often, one can buy an album of music that is instantly pleasurable and to which you become addicted within days. Other albums can be slow burners that require some effort to fully appreciate. I would normally expect a Madonna album to be the former, but for me, Ray of Light was very different. I originally purchased the album during its first week of release, and was so indifferent towards it that I sold the album to a work colleague. Months later, and after the release of several singles, I found myself drawn once again to the album, and I now consider Ray of Light to be one of the finest creations that Madonna has ever made.
Ray of Light is widely regarded as the album that regenerated Madonna’s career. After the unfairly overlooked Bedtime Stories LP, Madonna’s career had started to stall. Ray of Light is a blend of the old, overlaid with plenty of innovation and style. The album was largely co-written with the (hitherto relatively unknown) producer William Orbit, who had brief success in the 1990s with Bass-o-matic’s Fascinating Rhythm. When I read that he had co-written most of the material on Ray of Light, I wasn’t really sure what to expect – and the finished product was very much a pleasant surprise. Ray of Light also saw the welcome return of Patrick Leonard, who had bee responsible for most of the huge anthems that Madonna released in the 1980s and was sadly missed on Bedtime Stories.
Ray of Light is a spiritual album – there is something very reflective and almost maternal about the music and lyrics of the songs. As such, it is a very personal album and truly captures the Madonna of the time – she had just had her first child, Lourdes. Many of the songs on this album are retrospective – they look back, sometimes with regret and sometimes with fondness. The musical style is also very
experimental – William Orbit’s production is not frightened to use sound effects, haunting lyrical styles and bizarre, trance-like mixtures of different instruments. In many ways, Ray of Light is probably the most credible dance music album that Madonna has ever produced, not in a disco “Into the Groove” way, but in an Ibiza chilled out trance way. This is a classic piece of mood music and you certainly wouldn’t want to listen to this album at any old opportunity. I tend to listen to Ray of Light when I feel like some time on my own, or when I need some time to chill out.
The album spawned five successful singles, all of which were excellent choices and promoted the album in an extremely positive way. The era of Ray of Light introduced a very new look for Madonna and this is reflected in the cover design and inlay of the album, where Madonna seems to be revelling in her beauty, rather than trying to seduce the viewer. The photography is still very sexual – in many shots, she is wearing a see-through black dress, where her breasts can clearly be seen – but for once, this easily goes unnoticed. Instead, your attention is drawn to her gleaming smile, and beautiful flowing hair. For many people, Ray of Light introduced a completely new Madonna – for others, it was simply proof of her ability to continue to evolve and re-invent herself.
A brief overview of the track listing:
DROWNED WORLD/SUBSTITUTE FOR LOVE
A brief appearance in the singles chart meant that the opening track to Ray of Light was sorely overlooked, and yet it is one of the most personal, honest pieces of music that Madonna has ever sung. Vocally, her voice has never sounded richer and more angelic, all arranged over an ethereal, misty arrangement that intoxicates and immerses you into a state of calm of relaxation. Beautiful.
SWIM
One of several album tracks that has subsequently been used in various film soundtracks, despite never being released as a single. This is an outcry against everything that is wrong with the world, and has a harder more aggressive tone, although the angelic vocal arrangement remains in place. A notable quality of the song is its water-like arrangement – it sounds as though a mermaid was singing it.
RAY OF LIGHT
A record that excited many people, which is in fact one of my least favourite on the album. A gentle, haunting introduction is pounded into the ground by a thumping bass line and guitar backing, as Madonna sings in a rather shrill way. The video was voted as one of the best of all time, by MTV viewers, but the song really seems at odds with the rest of the LP to me.
CANDY PERFUME GIRL
Dark, dirty and seedy – three words that would describe this song. It was used in the sound track to Marky Mark’s nude scene in The Corruptor and really fits the bill. One of the quirkier songs of the album, Candy Perfume Girl makes real use of Orbit’s musical imagination. I would describe this as an anti-ballad – it’s like a love song to filth.
SKIN
Patrick Leonard’s first contribution to the LP, although this is nothing like his older stuff. I love the strange vocal arrangement of the introduction, which sounds almost ghostly. This is the first track that could credibly be described as trance music – definitely chill out material.
NOTHING REALLY MATTERS
This is another deeply personal song, which seems to show Madonna at her most vulnerable. “When I was very young, nothing really mattered to me but making myself happy”. A strange, almost stuttered beat is used to deploy Madonna’s thoughtful vocals of her past and present. The song was released as a single, but drew most attention from the enormous club remixes deployed by Club 69 – and a very strange video….
SKY FITS HEAVEN
My favourite track of the album, Sky Fits Heaven was a massive club record when it was remixed and released as the B-side to Drowned World. This song became a full-on trance anthem, using an uplifting vocal and beat and the usual range of Orbit’s musical mischief.
SHANTI/ASHTANGI
Never one to be accused of following the pack, Madonna includes this rather strange track, which includes text taken from the Yoga Taravali so worshipped by Madonna at the time. It’s not a great song – and is more an exercise in self-indulgence than anything else.
FROZEN
The first single taken from the album, which catapulted Madonna to number one. It really is a beautiful song, combining a backing not unlike a break beat track with trance-like chimes and sound effects. The video featured a new-look Madonna complete with Henna tattoos and an ability to shape-shift. A timeless song – Frozen sounds as good now as it did back in 1998.
THE POWER OF GOODBYE
Released as a Christmas single in 1998, but this is probably far too mature a record to surf the Christmas sales charts. I love this song and would have to put this in my Top 10 love songs of all time. Terribly, terribly sad, but almost uplifting too. There really is nothing greater than the power of goodbye.
TO HAVE AND NOT TO HOLD
Some welcome relief from the emotion of the last two songs, this would have been better placed at the start of the album, nonetheless, as it feels rather out of place here. A fairly standard Orbit song, but probably the closest thing to a pop song that this album has to offer.
LITTLE STAR
This is without a doubt a record written for Christmas. A jolly, upbeat little lullaby, sort of like Dear Jessie, but much more credible. Not a favourite of mine, but very appealing in its own way.
MER GIRL
Mer Girl tends to be overlooked, as it seems tucked away at the end of the album. Once again, I think it would have benefited from earlier placing, which is a great shame because this is quite an unusual record that sounds as though it is constructed around a telephone ringing. The lyrics are once again very spiritual – this could easily have been a Kate Bush record.
One of the benefits of buying this later on in its lifetime was that I was able to buy a special limited edition, which features a glorious satin effect blue gatefold sleeve – the icing on the cake. Ray of Light is a tremendous album, which has grown to become one of my favourite mood companions. You could probably pick this up for a fiver now – and what value that would be too.
Highly recommended
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I disagree. I think you *can* listen to this at any old opportunity. For me, it was love at first listen, though I must admit it took a while for Shanti/Ashtangi to grow on me. It's a superb album and writing this comment I have to wonder why I haven't reviewed it myself as yet. Hmmm.... TT. p.s. one typo for you - "who had bee responsible"
RottenPumpkins 21.09.2002 18:26
Great op, you summed everything up perfectly! Did you know Madonna idolises PJ Harvey...see, even the she has good taste ;).
Never underestimate Madonna's power of persuasion: by nearly all critical accounts, Ray of ... more
Light, Madonna's first album of new material since 1994's Bedtime Stories, and her first since motherhood, is her richest, most accomplished record yet. While Ra...
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Sep 16th, 2002
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