
Peak
5
Weeks
20
Score
2,907
Chart Year
1998
The music video for "Ray of Light" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who had previously shot the controversial clip for the song "Smack My Bitch Up" (1997) by the Prodigy.[60] Madonna had been planning the video from the time she was filming the clip for previous single "Frozen" in the Mojave Desert. "Smack My Bitch Up" was her current favorite and she enlisted Åkerlund.[61] Madonna stated that when she makes an album, she "puts [her] soul on it", but a music video is a lot more working with a director. With the Ray of Light album, she wanted to have videos with fresh ideas, and hence wanted to collaborate with new directors. She liked Åkerlund's "special way of working" and spoke with him over the telephone. Their conversations continued for over six months, and most of the time was spent coming up with a final concept for the clip.[62][63] Åkerlund said in an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: I had two ideas that did not fit the song. She said no even though I had a very clear idea of how she would look in the video. I worked up on another idea and brought together a featured band for her to see. I did it all in front of me. [...] In retrospect, it feels good, the video we have done much better suited to the track than the first ideas. [Madonna] has an incredible track on everything she is doing. Style, music, business — she has a mental track of every single thing and won't give up until she is completely satisfied. And on music videos there is nothing she does with one hand on her back — she's engaged to one hundred percent.[62] The Koyaanisqatsi-inspired music video features fast-moving blurred images of daily life. Italian director Stefano Salvati accused Madonna of plagiarizing a clip he made. According to the singer, the clip portrays "a day in the life of the earth to show that we are rushing forward to the end of the 1900s century at full speed. I think Jonas made an excellent interpretation of the song, although he forced me to dance like crazy for two days. He's a tough director".[62] Reviewers compared it to the 1982 American experimental film Koyaanisqatsi, which showed time-lapse footage of cities.[64] Madonna's scenes were shot on March 25 and 26, 1998 at Raleigh Studios and Florentine Gardens in Los Angeles. Background scenes were shot in various cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London, Las Vegas, and Stockholm.[60][62] Test shots taken in Stockholm were presented to Madonna, for conveying the idea behind the clip, but they were deemed good enough to be used in the final product
This groundbreaking, high-energy techno song is based on the track "Sepheryn," which was written by Curtiss Muldoon and Dave Curtis. The British producer, dance remixer and musician William Orbit re-recorded the song with vocalist Christine Leach before he started working with Madonna. When Madonna recorded the Ray Of Light album with William Orbit at the helm, they decided to alter the song's melody and instrumentation but retain Ray Of Light's lyrics with only a few changes. The original track "Sepheryn" can be heard on Curtiss Muldoon's album, which was released in October 2000: Sepheryn: Ray Of Light. The lyrics reflect Madonna's interest in spirituality and her faith in the teachings of Kabbalah. The singer explained that the 1996 birth of her daughter, Lourdes, prompted her to "search for answers to questions I'd never asked myself before," leading her to the religion. She told Q magazine: "I started studying the Kabbalah, which is a Jewish mystical interpretation of the Old Testament. I also found myself becoming very interested in Hinduism and yoga, and for the first time in a long time, I was able to step outside myself and see the world from a different perspective." In this song, that perspective shows how small humans are in the vast universe. This single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #5, which was at the time the highest new entry for a Madonna song. The video is a day in a life filmed in four minutes. It was filmed in Sweden, New York and Las Vegas using time-lapse photography. The shoot took 14 days. Madonna had the idea for doing the closing nightclub scene. It won the 1998 Grammy for Best Music Video Short Form and the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year. The Ray Of Light album won the 1998 Grammy for Best Pop Album and 1998 MTV Europe Music award for Best Album. In 1990 William Orbit, using the name Bass-O-Matic, had a #9 hit in the UK with "Fascinating Rhythm" and his 2000 classical crossover album, Pieces In A Modern Style, was awarded Best Selling Classical Album at the inaugural Classical BRIT Awards in that year. The re-mixed single "Barber's Adagio For Strings" peaked at #4 in the UK. In 2003, UK DJ Mark Vidler created a mashup of this song with The Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" and "Anarchy In The U.K." This creation was called "Ray Of Gob," and it got substantial radio play once Vidler got clearance to use the songs. Microsoft used this in a 2001 advertising campaign to promote its Windows XP operating system. >> This song originally clocked in at well over ten minutes. "It was completely indulgent, but I loved it. It was heartbreaking to cut it down to a manageable length (5:21)," Madonna told Billboard. In true Madonna fashion, the singer caused a stir during her 1998 performance of this song at the MTV Video Music Awards - and this time she wasn't even trying! The World Vaishnava Association, a religious group, lambasted the star for wearing a Hindi mark on her head during the provocative performance, which included a simulation of a sex act while wearing a see-through top. Because the symbol is supposed reflect a "dedication to God" through chastity, harmony and purity, the group claimed the whole production was a mockery and offensive to Hindus and Yogis. Co-writer Curtiss Muldoon was completely unaware the song had been recorded until a friend heard it on the radio. He told Q magazine: "I was a bit annoyed at first because Madonna wanted 30 percent just for changing a couple of lines, but then I realized that 15 percent of millions is a lot better than 100 percent of nothing. I did very well out of it. It's been a life-changing experience. I'd say I'm financially secure for at least the next five to 10 years as a result of 15 percent of one track by Madonna." In 1996, before recording the Ray Of Light album, Madonna portrayed former First Lady of Argentina Eva Peron in the musical film Evita. In response to a journalist calling her voice on the Ray of Light album "almost operatic," the singer credited her Evita vocal coach for opening up her voice in a whole new way. "Before, I just believe I had a really limited range and was going to make the most of it," she explained to Q magazine.
Zephyr in the sky at night, I wonder Do my tears of mourning sink beneath the sun? She's got herself a universe gone quickly For the call of thunder threatens everyone And I feel like I just got home And I feel And I feel like I just got home And I feel Faster than the speeding light she's flying Trying to remember where it all began She's got herself a little piece of heaven Waiting for the time when Earth shall be as one And I feel like I just got home And I feel And I feel like I just got home And I feel Quicker than a ray of light Quicker than a ray of light Quicker than a ray of light Zephyr in the sky at night, I wonder Do my tears of mourning sink beneath the sun? She's got herself a universe gone quickly For the call of thunder threatens everyone And I feel Quicker than a ray of light, then gone for Someone else will be there Through the endless years She's got herself a universe She's got herself a universe She's got herself a universe And I feel And I feel And I feel like I just got home And I feel Quicker than a ray of light, she's flying Quicker than a ray of light, I'm flying
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 11, 1998 | 5 | 121 |
| 2 | Jul 18, 1998 | 7 | 119 |
| 3 | Jul 25, 1998 | 8 | 118 |
| 4 | Aug 1, 1998 | 9 | 117 |
| 5 | Aug 8, 1998 | 16 | 110 |
| 6 | Aug 15, 1998 | 21 | 105 |
| 7 | Aug 22, 1998 | 26 | 100 |
| 8 | Aug 29, 1998 | 32 | 94 |
| 9 | Sep 5, 1998 | 34 | 92 |
| 10 | Sep 12, 1998 | 39 | 87 |
| 11 | Sep 19, 1998 | 41 | 85 |
| 12 | Sep 26, 1998 | 40 | 86 |
| 13 | Oct 3, 1998 | 43 | 83 |
| 14 | Oct 10, 1998 | 52 | 74 |
| 15 | Oct 17, 1998 | 49 | 77 |
| 16 | Oct 24, 1998 | 56 | 70 |
| 17 | Oct 31, 1998 | 58 | 68 |
| 18 | Nov 7, 1998 | 59 | 67 |
| 19 | Nov 14, 1998 | 63 | 63 |
| 20 | Nov 21, 1998 | 71 | 55 |