198-442: " Drowned World/Substitute for Love " is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her seventh studio album, Ray of Light (1998). It was written and produced by Madonna and William Orbit , with additional songwriters including Rod McKuen , Anita Kerr and David Collins . McKuen and Kerr received the credits due to the usage of a sample from one of their songs, "Why I Follow the Tigers". "Drowned World/Substitute for Love"
396-415: A Q review of Ray of Light , "but always underscored with keen musical intelligence. It could be a lighter, less one-dimensional Chemical Brothers ." Larry Flick of Billboard described it as Madonna at her best, calling it a "spiritually charged, often poetic song". He especially mentioned the flexible vocals and Madonna's progression as a recording artist. British Music Week named it Single of
594-452: A Q review of Ray of Light , "emerges languorously from a fog of enigmatic samples and the low-key burbling that are Orbit's forte… prayer bells tinkle and snare fills skim the surface tension of the song in a nod to drum 'n' bass ." In 2003, fans voted for their top 20 Madonna singles in Q , and awarded "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" the number 17 spot. In a retrospective review of Ray of Light , Idolator 's Stephen Sears described
792-723: A Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media . Madonna starred in the 2000 comedy-drama film The Next Best Thing , directed by John Schlesinger . The film opened at number two on the US box office with $ 5.9 million grossed in its first week, but this quickly diminished. She also contributed two songs to the film's soundtrack—a cover of Don McLean 's 1971 song " American Pie " and an original song "Time Stood Still"—the former became her ninth UK number-one single. Madonna released her eighth studio album, Music , in September 2000. It featured elements from
990-559: A Jimi Hendrix -like guitar sound complementing the music. An acoustic guitar comes into prominence from 2:49 minute mark, and the sounds of piano can be heard in the distance. Arpeggios consisting of electric guitar are added in the mix, and ultimately the drum sounds become heavy. Orbit adds guitars and increases the volume with the electronic sounds becoming turbulent. Madonna's singing gathers momentum and intensity, belting, "No one night stand, no far off land / No fire that I can spark", when it suddenly subsides, ebbing away. Throughout
1188-600: A cameo role , described by Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian as "incredibly wooden". The song reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song . In 2003, Madonna collaborated with fashion photographer Steven Klein for an exhibition installation named X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS, which ran from March to May in New York's Deitch Projects gallery, and also travelled
1386-433: A sensurround like atmosphere in the track, which sees Madonna deepen her dance roots and go for a more electronic sound. According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, the song is set in common time , with a moderately fast-groove tempo of 126 beats per minute . It is composed in the key of B ♭ major , with Madonna's vocals on the song spanning 2 octaves and 1 semitone from B ♭ 3 to B 5 ,
1584-431: A Dance Floor (2005). She has amassed a catalog of various high-charting songs, including " Holiday ", " Like a Virgin ", " La Isla Bonita ", " Like a Prayer ", " Vogue ", " Take a Bow ", " Frozen ", " Music ", " Hung Up " and " 4 Minutes ". Madonna's popularity was enhanced by roles in films such as Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992) and Evita (1996). While
1782-458: A Prayer ", the lead single and title track from her fourth studio album . The music video featured Catholic symbols such as stigmata and cross burning , and a dream of making love to a saint, leading the Vatican to condemn the video. Religious groups sought to ban the commercial and boycott Pepsi products. Pepsi revoked the commercial and canceled her sponsorship contract. "Like a Prayer" topped
1980-512: A Public Service Announcement (PSA) supporting Rock the Vote 's efforts in voter registration. Madonna's first greatest-hits compilation album , The Immaculate Collection (1990), was released in November including two new songs, " Justify My Love " and " Rescue Me ". The album was certified diamond by RIAA and sold over 30 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling compilation album by
2178-460: A Sunsilk shampoo commercial included shots of Marilyn Monroe and Shakira with songs well known by them and ends with several video shots of Madonna to the sounds of "Ray of Light". Madonna reportedly received US$ 10 million for the song's usage. The commercial premiered on Super Bowl XLII . In 2010, the Glee tribute episode " The Power of Madonna " featured "Ray of Light" playing in the background as
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#17328836339592376-428: A Virgin", during which two male dancers caressed her body before she simulated masturbation. In response, Madonna said, "The tour in no way hurts anybody's sentiments. It's for open minds and gets them to see sexuality in a different way. Their own and others". The live recording of the tour won Madonna her first Grammy Award , in the category of Best Long Form Music Video . In October 1990, Madonna lent her voice to
2574-416: A bit annoyed, but became pleased when he learned that he would receive 15% of the royalties, as he had a songwriter credit. Madonna took 30% of the royalties, another 15% was given to Maldoon's estate and the rest was earned by Madonna's record company. The singer said about the song: "It's totally out of control. The original version is well over 10 minutes long. It was completely indulgent, but I loved it. It
2772-672: A career in dance. Madonna later attended Rochester Adams High School and became a straight-A student as well as a member of its cheerleading squad. After graduating in January 1976, she received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan and studied over the summer at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina . In 1978, Madonna dropped out of college and relocated to New York City. She said of her move to New York, "It
2970-668: A child, both in the same year. She had reached another turning point in her career, reinventing herself and her image with the public." Her relationship with Carlos Leon ended in May 1997 and she declared that they were "better off as best friends". After Lourdes's birth, Madonna became involved in Eastern mysticism and Kabbalah , introduced to her by actress Sandra Bernhard . Her seventh studio album, Ray of Light , (1998) reflected this change in her perception and image. She collaborated with electronica producer William Orbit and wanted to create
3168-597: A confirmation name when getting confirmed in the Catholic Church in 1966. In 1966, Tony married the family's housekeeper Joan Gustafson; they remained married for 58 years until Joan's death in 2024. They had two children, Jennifer (born 1967) and Mario (born 1968). Madonna attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Catholic Elementary Schools, and West Middle School. She was known for her high grade point average (GPA) and achieved notoriety for her unconventional behavior. Madonna would perform cartwheels and handstands in
3366-689: A cover of Marvin Gaye 's " I Want You ". An enthusiastic collector of modern art , Madonna sponsored the first major retrospective of Tina Modotti 's work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1995. The following year, she sponsored an exhibition of Basquiat's paintings at the Serpentine Gallery in London. The following year, she sponsored artist Cindy Sherman 's retrospective at the MoMA in New York. This
3564-566: A cover version on VH1 Divas , dancing through laser lights while donning a priestly black and white tunic. The song was famously used by Microsoft in its 2001 advertising campaign for Windows XP . It begins with a man leaping through a green field and then lifting off into a sunny sky—a landscape lifted from Windows XP's default " bliss screen ". There is also a series of images of people using Windows XP for real-time communications, to collaborate in an airy restaurant, to relay digital images of flying people, watch videos, and listen to music. Then,
3762-534: A deeper, heartier range that works best on ballads like 'Drowned World'". The song was not included on the NBC special, The Confessions Tour: Live from London , which aired on November 22, 2006, but it was present on the full-length DVD release . The track was performed on the London stop of the Rebel Heart Tour , on December 2, 2015, at The O 2 Arena , in memory of Collins who had died in 2013. The following year, it
3960-592: A demo version of the track. According to Madonna, she had been a fan of Orbit's work for a long time and was pleased with the demo. The song includes a sample from the song "Why I Follow the Tigers" by the San Sebastian Strings, a group created by both Kerr and McKuen. The vocal sample was of a man uttering the words "you see", later confirmed by him to be actor Jesse Pearson . Both McKuen and Kerr received co-writing credits on "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" due to
4158-507: A director. With the Ray of Light album, she wanted to have videos with fresh expression, 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 with a final concept for the clip. Åkerlund said in an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet : I had two ideas that did not fit
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#17328836339594356-472: A documentary on the problems faced by Malawians; it was directed by Nathan Rissman, who worked as Madonna's gardener. She also directed her first film, Filth and Wisdom . The plot of the film revolved around three friends and their aspirations. The Times said she had "done herself proud" while The Daily Telegraph described the film as "not an entirely unpromising first effort [but] Madonna would do well to hang on to her day job." On March 10, 2008, Madonna
4554-485: A feeling of "wonderment" with the lyrics, as if some one has just opened their eyes and looked at the world for the first time. With NME , Madonna further clarified that the lyrics convey the feeling of being small in comparison to the vast universe. It also talks about how regular life goes on faster "than the speeding light", but one can get out of that journey and look at themselves from an outsider's perspective. "Ray of Light" received acclaim from music critics . In
4752-738: A giant wedding cake and then rolled around suggestively on the floor. MTV retrospectively considered it one of the "most iconic" pop performances of all time. The second single, " Material Girl ", reached number two on the Hot 100. While filming the single's music video, Madonna started dating actor Sean Penn . They married on her birthday in 1985. Madonna entered mainstream films in February 1985, beginning with her cameo in Vision Quest . The soundtrack contained two new singles, her US number-one single, " Crazy for You ", and another track " Gambler ". She also played
4950-525: A global audience of 1.2 million and grossed over $ 193.7 million, becoming the highest-grossing tour to that date for a female artist. Madonna used religious symbols, such as the crucifix and Crown of Thorns , in the performance of "Live to Tell". It caused the Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia to urge all their members to boycott her concert. At
5148-565: A hotel in Los Angeles, where the editing took place. Every piece of filmed footage was included in the final video, due to every scene being sped up and the song's moderate length. The music video premiered on MTV Live on May 12, 1998. The clip starts with the rising of the sun and a man opening the curtains in his house, until it progresses into the Koyaanisqatsi inspired section, featuring time-lapse images of daily life, from people riding
5346-430: A kaleidoscopic rush of color, technique, style and substance. It has so many depth and layers that it's easily as self-aware and earnest as Ray of Light ." The album took the number-one position in more than 20 countries worldwide and sold four million copies in the first ten days. In the US, Music debuted at the top, and became her first number-one album in eleven years since Like a Prayer . It produced three singles:
5544-403: A lot to get off my chest. I made a lot of political statements. But now, I feel that I just want to have fun; I want to dance; I want to feel buoyant. And I want to give other people the same feeling. There's a lot of madness in the world around us, and I want people to be happy. —Madonna talking about Confessions on a Dance Floor . Her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor ,
5742-612: A main synth sound oscillating on the primary musical note , with the EQ moving between the bass and the treble . The "restless" beat is accompanied by a rock -inspired chord riff, with Madonna's pitch being higher than the other tracks from the album. While recording, Orbit kept "Ray of Light" a semitone higher than the singer's limit, resulting in a strain added to the vocals. "She got frustrated when we were recording but you want that bit of edge with singers, that thing of reaching. You can't fake it, and you can hear it when she cracks it on
5940-453: A main synth sound oscillating on the primary musical note and an electric guitar riff. Lyrically, the song has a theme of freedom . The song has received critical acclaim by music critics for its club-friendly, electronic sound, lyrics, and "emotional warmth". The song was also nominated for three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year , Best Dance Recording , and Best Short Form Music Video , winning
6138-563: A meeting with Madonna and Seymour Stein , the president of Sire Records , a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records . Madonna signed a deal for a total of three singles, with an option for an album. Kamins produced her debut single, " Everybody ", which was released in October 1982. In December 1982, Madonna performed the song live for the first time at Danceteria. She made her first television appearance performing "Everybody" on Dancin' On Air in January 1983, although it had actually been filmed
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6336-417: 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. 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
6534-592: A month prior. In February 1983, she promoted the single with nightclub performances in the United Kingdom. Her second single, the double A-side " Burning Up " / " Physical Attraction ", was released in March 1983. Both this single and "Everybody" reached number three on Billboard magazine's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. "Burning Up" / "Physical Attraction" also charted at number 13 in Australia. During this period, Madonna
6732-488: A new chapter in her illustrious career". In another ranking for the singer's 50 Greatest Songs by Rolling Stone , "Ray of Light" attained a rank of number eight, with a writer from the magazine noting Madonna's "most powerfully sung vocals to date". In May 2018, Billboard ranked the top songs of 1998, ranking "Ray of Light" at number nine. Joe Lynch from the publication asserted that the composition "gave radio its most joyous, ebullient and life-affirming dance banger... Yeah,
6930-635: A number of nude photos of Madonna, taken when she moonlighted as an art model in 1978. She had posed for the photographs because she needed money at the time, and was paid as little as $ 25 a session. The publication of the photos caused a media uproar, but Madonna remained "unapologetic and defiant". The photographs were ultimately sold for up to $ 100,000. She referred to these events at the 1985 outdoor Live Aid charity concert, saying that she would not take her jacket off because "[the media] might hold it against me ten years from now." In June 1986, Madonna released her third studio album, True Blue , which
7128-409: A picture of her. Madonna flees again, running all the way home to her daughter's arms, singing that she has "changed her mind" about being a celebrity. The video generated controversy due to the scenes that featured Madonna being chased by paparazzi on motor-bikes, a scenario similar to the incidents that led to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. Madonna's publicist Liz Rosenberg said that
7326-610: A place in Guinness World Records . The song contained a sample of ABBA 's " Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) ", only the second time that ABBA has allowed their work to be used. ABBA songwriter Björn Ulvaeus remarked "It is a wonderful track—100 per cent solid pop music." " Sorry ", the second single, became Madonna's twelfth number-one single in the UK. Madonna embarked on the Confessions Tour in May 2006, which had
7524-529: A production of David Rabe 's Goose and Tom-Tom ; the film and play both co-starred Penn. The next year, Madonna was featured in the film Who's That Girl . She contributed four songs to its soundtrack, including the title track and " Causing a Commotion ". Madonna embarked on the Who's That Girl World Tour in June 1987, which continued until September. It broke several attendance records, including over 130,000 people in
7722-544: A relief to say that Evita is pretty damn fine, well cast and handsomely visualized. Madonna once again confounds our expectations." For the role, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy . The Evita soundtrack , containing songs mostly performed by Madonna, was released as a double album . It included " You Must Love Me " and " Don't Cry for Me Argentina ";
7920-497: A review of the album as a whole, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described it as "swirling". In a review of the maxi CD single, Liana Jonas of the same website called the track a "wickedly good club song" and "sonically progressive yet listener-friendly". She also praised Madonna's vocals, comparing them to those of a "club diva to celestial goddess". "The title track builds from another incongruously pretty guitar arpeggio into thumping rave anthem mode," Stuart Maconie wrote in
8118-483: A rock version of "Ray of Light" as the second song of the show's third act, the Glam-Punk segment. For this performance the singer played the electric guitar and urged the audience to jump-along. She was accompanied by six male backup dancers, dressed in black outfits and white ties doing a synchronized choreography. Rolling Stone called the performance "hard-rocking". "Ray of Light" was next performed by Madonna during
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8316-599: A sexual act and wore a see-through tank top onstage while wearing the mark, she offended both Hindus and Yogis . A spokesperson for Madonna stated that the singer did not understand why WVA was upset as she had not done anything insulting, and did not wish to insult anyone. However, the vice president of WVA claimed that "the Hindu community and Eastern spiritual seekers the world over should be happy for Madonna personally in terms of her genuine interest in enlightened life, and grateful to her for her sincere efforts to attract others to
8514-460: A show near Paris, which was then a record for the highest-attended female concert of all time . Later that year, she released a remix album of past hits, You Can Dance , which reached number 14 on the Billboard 200. After a tumultuous two years' marriage, Madonna filed for divorce from Penn on December 4, 1987, but withdrew the petition a few weeks later. She made her Broadway debut in
8712-464: A singer-songwriter, really. And William Orbit provided her with that." The album garnered critical acclaim, with Slant Magazine calling it "one of the great pop masterpieces of the '90s" Ray of Light was honored with four Grammy Awards —including Best Pop Album and Best Dance Recording —and was nominated for both Album of the Year and Record of the Year . Rolling Stone listed it among " The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ". Commercially,
8910-475: A snippet from the song follows the phrase: "Faster than the speeding light she's flying... You soar. Yes you can". The campaign was reworked after the September 11 attacks ; according to Stephanie Ferguson (director of the company's PC Experience Solutions Marketing Group), the tagline "Prepare to fly" was changed to "Yes you can" to sidestep new concerns about air travel. Credits and personnel adapted from
9108-431: A softer image to try to improve the public perception. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and generated two US top-five hits, " Secret " and " Take a Bow ", the latter topping the Hot 100 for seven weeks, the longest period of any Madonna single. Something to Remember , a collection of ballads, was released in November 1995. The album featured three new songs: " You'll See ", " One More Chance ", and
9306-467: A solo artist in history. "Justify My Love" reached number one in the US becoming her ninth number-one on the Hot 100. Her then-boyfriend model Tony Ward co-starred in the music video, which featured scenes of sadomasochism , bondage , same-sex kissing, and brief nudity. The video was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and was banned from the network. Her first documentary film, Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with Madonna outside North America),
9504-468: A sound that could blend dance music with pop and British rock. American music critic Ann Powers explained that what Madonna searched for with Orbit "was a kind of a lushness that she wanted for this record. Techno and rave were happening in the 90s and had a lot of different forms. There was very experimental, more hard stuff like Aphex Twin . There was party stuff like Fatboy Slim . That's not what Madonna wanted for this. She wanted something more like
9702-472: A subdued style for Madonna [...] this meditation on fame with a Ballardian reference in its title soars quietly and gorgeously". In the United Kingdom, "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" debuted and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart on September 5, 1998. It quickly descended down the charts, being present for a total of nine weeks within the top-100. The song has sold a total of 90,651 copies in
9900-494: A substitute, it's about the best there is." O'Brien commended the usage of electronic sounds and bleeps in the track as well as the "bell like clarity" in Madonna's vocals, a result of the training she had received from her Evita days. Kenneth Bielen, author of The Lyrics of Civility declared the record as a "slice of Madonna's autobiography", praising the lyrics for forecasting what the singer's life could become. Allen Metz wrote in
10098-406: A subway, ordering food, bowling, and children in a classroom to sped-up city-scapes and freeways at night. Interspersed in the scenes is Madonna dancing and singing the track, her image partially merged with the backdrop of the fast-sped cityscape. During the intermediate verse the high-speed motion stops with the camera focusing on Madonna only against a sunset backdrop but quickly speeds up again. As
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#173288363395910296-522: A thing I cannot do for I know what I agreed with Madonna and her husband." The adoption was finalized in May 2008. Madonna released and performed the song " Hey You " at the London Live Earth concert in July 2007. She announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records, and declared a new $ 120 million, ten-year 360 deal with Live Nation . In 2008, Madonna produced and wrote I Am Because We Are ,
10494-585: A total of 20 weeks on the Hot 100, and placed at number 75 on the year-end chart. The song also reached the top of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart of Billboard , remaining at the top position for a total of four weeks. "Ray of Light" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in September 1998, for shipment of 500,000 copies of the single across United States. In Canada, it debuted at number 85 on
10692-554: A total of five weeks on the chart. In Sweden, it reached number 14 and spent 10 weeks on the chart. On the Swiss Singles Chart , "Ray of Light" debuted at its peak of number 32 on the issue dated May 24, 1998. The song also reached number one in Spain on its debuting week. It stayed on the top spot for three weeks before descending the chart. The music video for "Ray of Light" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund , who had previously shot
10890-399: Is "positively ferocious" sounding on "Ray of Light". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that the song was a "celebratory tech-frenzy", and noted Madonna's elated singing. In a review of Madonna's second hits compilation, GHV2 (2001), Cinequemani wrote: Like no other Madonna hit in recent memory, the frenetic "Ray of Light" found the singer in a celebratory tech-frenzy. Whether it
11088-498: Is a summary of her experience of fame, exemplified by lines such as, "I got exactly what I asked for [...] Running, rushing back for more [...] And now I find, I've changed my mind". Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna noted the track ended with the line "This is my religion", indicating the spiritual thoughts and themes present in Ray of Light . According to Lucy O'Brien , author of Madonna: Like an Icon ,
11286-520: Is an ambient pop song which lyrically describes Madonna's spiritual transformation to seek authentic love over superficial alliances. "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" was released as the album's third single on August 24, 1998, worldwide, except in the United States. It became Madonna's seventh number-one single in Spain, while charting within the top ten in Iceland and the United Kingdom. The B-side of
11484-413: Is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as the " Queen of Pop ", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting and visual presentation. Madonna's works, which incorporate social, political, sexual , and religious themes, have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. A cultural icon spanning both the 20th and 21st centuries,
11682-412: Is an album that is among her most adventurous and lyrically intelligent", while also condemning it as "a lazy, half-arsed effort to sound and take her seriously." The original music video of its title track caused controversy due to its violence and anti-war imagery, and was withdrawn after the 2003 invasion of Iraq started. Madonna voluntarily censored herself for the first time in her career due to
11880-461: Is my religion") were used at the end of the performance of "Ray of Light". The performance at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan on August 26, 2001, was released in the live video release, Drowned World Tour 2001 . Michael Hubbard from MusicOMH gave the performance a positive review, saying it was sung beautifully. Joshua Clover from Spin described Madonna's arrival during
12078-568: Is one of Madonna's most personal statements, and her vocals are downright chilling". The manga like distorted faces of the celebrities in the clip was listed by Dazed magazine as one of "five favourite manga-eyed moments from pop videos". On November 23, 1998, Madonna appeared on the Spanish RTVE show El Séptimo de Caballeria and performed "Drowned World/Substitute for Love", along with her other song " The Power of Good-Bye ". Three years later, Madonna named her 2001 Drowned World Tour after
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#173288363395912276-628: Is the role I was born to play. I put everything of me into this because it was much more than a role in a movie. It was exhilarating and intimidating at the same time. And I am prouder of Evita than anything else I have done. —Madonna talking about her role in Evita In February 1996, Madonna began filming the musical Evita in Argentina. For a long time, Madonna had desired to play Argentine political leader Eva Perón and wrote to director Alan Parker to explain why she would be perfect for
12474-526: The Billboard 200 . It yielded two top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 , " Borderline " and " Lucky Star ". In late 1983, Madonna's new manager, Freddy DeMann , secured a meeting for her with film producer Jon Peters , who asked her to play the part of a club singer in the romantic drama Vision Quest . In January 1984, Madonna gained more exposure by performing on American Bandstand and Top of
12672-414: The Billboard Hot 100 , for the issue dated July 11, 1998 with 72,000 units. It was her highest-debuting single, surpassing previous best debuts with " You'll See " (1995) and " Frozen " (1998), both of which opened at number eight. The track became the singer's then 37th top-40 hit, moving her past Connie Francis on the list of women with most top-40 chartings on Hot 100. "Ray of Light" was present for
12870-633: The RPM Singles Chart and reached number three in its eighth week. It was present on the chart for a total of 30 weeks. In Australia, "Ray of Light" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at its peak of number six on May 24, 1998, staying there for one week. It was present for a total of 17 weeks on the chart, and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 35,000 copies of
13068-501: The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time , featuring an article about her written by Britney Spears. In January 2005, Madonna performed a cover version of the John Lennon song " Imagine " at Tsunami Aid . She also performed at the Live 8 benefit concert in London in July 2005. When I wrote American Life , I was very agitated by what was going on in the world around me, ... I was angry. I had
13266-496: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater , and eventually performing with Pearl Lang Dance Theater. She also studied dance under the tutelage of the noted American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham . Madonna started to work as a backup dancer for other established artists. One night, while returning from a rehearsal, a pair of men held her at knifepoint and forced her to perform fellatio . She later found
13464-549: The Best International Video trophy. Other awards was won at the 1998 Music Video Production Association ceremony, winning the category of Best Pop Video of the Year. The video came atop a ranking of "The Top 10 Videos That Broke The Rules", issued by MTV on the channel's 25th anniversary in August 2006. In 2016, Rolling Stone listed it at position two on their ranking of "Madonna's 20 Greatest Videos" with Bilge Ebiri from
13662-471: The Billboard 200. Caryn Ganz from Rolling Stone complimented it as an "impressive taste of her upcoming tour", while BBC correspondent Mark Savage panned it as "an attempt to harness the urban market". Ray of Light (song) " Ray of Light " is a song by American singer Madonna . It is the title track from her seventh studio album, Ray of Light (1998), and was released as the album's second single on April 27, 1998, by Maverick Records. The song
13860-485: The Billboard Hot 100. The 1998 edition of Guinness Book of World Records documented that "no female artist has sold more records than Madonna around the world". Madonna founded Ray of Light Foundation which focused on women, education, global development and humanitarian. She recorded the single " Beautiful Stranger " for the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me , which earned her
14058-680: The Breakfast Club , for which Madonna sang and played drums and guitar. While with the band, Madonna briefly worked as a hat-check girl at the Russian Tea Room, and she made her acting debut in the low-budget indie film A Certain Sacrifice , which was not released until 1985. In 1980, Madonna left the Breakfast Club with drummer Stephen Bray , who was her boyfriend in Michigan, and they formed
14256-629: The Drowned World Tour (2001) and the Confessions Tour (2006). She also performed the track at the London stop of her Rebel Heart Tour (2015–16), in memory of Collins, as well as the Madonna: Tears of a Clown show in Melbourne. Since 1996, Madonna went through a number of "life-changing experiences". She gave birth to her daughter Lourdes, became interested in Eastern mysticism and Kabbalah , and
14454-760: The Eurochart Hot 100 Singles chart, for the issue dated May 16, 1998. In Belgium, "Ray of Light" was moderately successful in both territories, peaking at number 25 in Flanders and 33 in Wallonia. In the Netherlands, the song debuted at number 45 on the Dutch Top 40, and reached a peak of 22 on May 16, 1998, remaining there for three weeks. The song reached a peak of number two in Finland, where it remained for two weeks, before spending
14652-492: The Ray of Light Foundation in 1998 and Raising Malawi in 2006, and advocates for gender equality and LGBT rights . With sales of over 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is the best-selling female recording artist of all time . She is the most successful solo artist in the history of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and has achieved 44 number-one singles in between major global music markets . She became
14850-623: The Re-Invention World Tour in the US, Canada and Europe. It became the highest-grossing tour of 2004, earning around $ 120 million and became the subject of her documentary I'm Going to Tell You a Secret . In November 2004, she was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame as one of its five founding members, along with the Beatles , Elvis Presley , Bob Marley and U2 . Rolling Stone ranked her at number 36 on its special issue of
15048-459: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame called her one of the most "well-documented figures of the modern age" in 2008. Various scholarly reviews, literature , and art works have been created about her along with an academic mini subdiscipline devoted to her called Madonna studies . Madonna moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in dance. After performing as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in
15246-427: The electronica -inspired Ray of Light era, and like its predecessor, received acclaim from critics. Collaborating with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï , Madonna commented: "I love to work with the weirdos that no one knows about—the people who have raw talent and who are making music unlike anyone else out there. Music is the future of sound." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic felt that " Music blows by in
15444-515: The greatest woman in music by VH1 , and as the greatest music video artist ever by MTV and Billboard . She was also listed among Rolling Stone ' s greatest artists and greatest songwriters of all time. Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan on August 16, 1958, to Catholic parents Madonna Louise (née Fortin) and Silvio Anthony "Tony" Ciccone. Her father's parents were Italian emigrants from Pacentro while her mother
15642-507: The sonogram of a fetus in utero , and a hamster running on a wheel. Santiago Fouz-Hernández, one of the authors of Madonna's Drowned Worlds , described Madonna as esoteric in the clip, as well as "skin-deep Beverly Hills spiritualism". The video can be found on the Madonna compilations, The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) and Celebration: The Video Collection (2009). In 1999, "Ray of Light" won two Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video . It
15840-500: The "Ray of Light" video was shot and requested it to be pulled from distribution. Both clips featured the respective singers performing at regular speed against a backdrop of high-speed images. However, he did not sue the singer or her companies. With "Ray of Light", Madonna debuted her "Earth Mother" look, complete with long strawberry blond hair and bronzed body. Author Georges Claude Guilbert wrote in his book, Madonna as Postmodern Myth , that her "straggly, expensively unwashed look"
16038-407: The 1999 album Running with Scissors includes a polka version of the chorus of "Ray of Light". On the 2004 compilation Platinum Blonde NRG, Vol. 2: Nrgised Madonna Classics , a Hi-NRG cover is performed by Future Force. English singer Natasha Bedingfield recorded a cover version of "Ray of Light" for BBC Radio 1's 40th anniversary; played during The Chris Moyles Show on September 19, 2007,
16236-400: The 2007 Live Earth concert in London's Wembley Stadium again accompanied by a guitarist. Madonna's performance at the event was watched by 4.5 million people. For the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour, "Ray of Light" was included as the third song of the show's final segment. This time, Madonna played the electric guitar again and wore a futuristic outfit with a breastplate and a short wig. She
16434-474: The 2023–24 Celebration Tour, Madonna performed the Sasha Ultra Violet remix of the song while floating above the crowd in a glass box. Joe Lynch of Billboard praised Madonna as the track is "a tough one to sing, but she didn’t short shrift the audience with an abbreviated version", and noted that "her live vocals sounded fairly close to the original". "Weird Al" Yankovic 's medley "Polka Power!" from
16632-542: The Botticelli-Earth Mother phase" with subsequent singles being promoted with a new Asian inspired look. In the book Ex-foliations: Reading Machines and the Upgrade Path , author Terry Harpold commented about the time-lapse sequences, especially the image of a clock and its hands rotating past the hours. He felt that the clip portrays the daily life as a futile attempt for survival, enhanced by another shot showing
16830-631: The DAT demo, which Orbit described as " serendipity ". However they kept the initial roughness, resisting adding too many tweaks. The producer added random echoing and pulsating effects, and the drum fills were created from splicing small fragments of music. Madonna and Orbit had conducted a drummer session in Los Angeles, but it did not work out. Instead, Orbit commissioned Fergus Gerrand to play drum samples in London. Orbit fed these into his workstation and cut them manually, instead of using auto-editing software like ReCycle . The song begins with ambient music and
17028-600: The Eighties." Like a Prayer peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 15 million copies worldwide. Other successful singles from the album were " Express Yourself " and " Cherish ", which both peaked at number two in the US, as well as the UK top-five " Dear Jessie " and the US top-ten " Keep It Together ". By the end of the 1980s, Madonna was named as the "Artist of the Decade" by MTV, Billboard and Musician magazine. Madonna starred as Breathless Mahoney in
17226-463: The Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks. It attracted the attention of conservative organizations who complained that the song and its accompanying video promoted premarital sex and undermined family values, and moralists sought to have the song and video banned. Madonna received huge media coverage for her performance of "Like a Virgin" at the first 1984 MTV Video Music Awards . Wearing a wedding dress and white gloves, Madonna appeared on stage atop
17424-413: The Hot 100 number-one " Music ", " Don't Tell Me ", and " What It Feels Like for a Girl ". The music video of "What It Feels Like for a Girl" depicted Madonna committing acts of crime and vandalism, and was banned by MTV and VH1 . Madonna met director Guy Ritchie in mid-1998, and gave birth to their son Rocco John Ritchie in Los Angeles on August 11, 2000. Rocco and Madonna suffered complications from
17622-464: The Pops . Her image, performances and music videos influenced many young girls and women. Madonna's style became one of the female fashion trends of the 1980s . Created by stylist and jewelry designer Maripol , the look consisted of lace tops, skirts over capri pants , fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the crucifix , bracelets and bleached hair. Madonna's popularity continued to rise globally with
17820-576: The UK, the film was a commercial and critical failure. In May 2002 she appeared in London in the West End play Up for Grabs at the Wyndhams Theatre (billed as 'Madonna Ritchie'), to universally bad reviews and was described as "the evening's biggest disappointment" by one. That October, she released " Die Another Day ", the title song of the James Bond film Die Another Day , in which she also had
18018-465: The US outlets after the release of the video for "The Power of Good-bye", but the plan did not materialize. It was finally included on the DVD compilation, The Video Collection 93:99 . In 2013, a poll by Logo TV about "Madonna's 55 Best Music Videos" listed the clip at number 11, describing it to be "just as much about the ugly comforts of celebrity and its reality-distorting side-effects. This underrated clip
18216-589: The Virgin Tour , with the Beastie Boys as her opening act. The tour saw the peak of Madonna wannabe phenomenon, with many female attendees dressing like her. At that time, she released two more songs, " Angel " and " Dress You Up ", making all four singles from the album peak inside the top five on the Hot 100 chart. "Angel" also topped the Australian charts. In July, Penthouse and Playboy magazines published
18414-449: The Week, adding, "Madonna is bang on form and this brilliant, anthemic, stand-out dance track [...] is further confirmation that motherhood and experience have only refuelled her creative ambition and commercial wisdom." Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone in his review for the album as a whole, wrote that, alongside other tracks such as "Swim" and " Drowned World/Substitute For Love ", Madonna
18612-593: The Year , Best Female Video , Best Direction , Best Editing and Best Choreography , becoming her most-winning song at the show. It was the first time that the singer won the Video of the Year award; Madonna said she was grateful for MTV's recognition of the clip. At the International Dance Music Awards , it won the trophy for Best Dance Video, and at the Much Music Video Awards , the clip won
18810-408: The album peaked at number-one in numerous countries and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. The album's lead single, " Frozen ", became Madonna's first single to debut at number one in the UK, while in the US, it became her sixth number-two single, setting another record for Madonna as the artist with the most number-two hits. The second single, " Ray of Light ", debuted at number five on
19008-528: The audience. In March 1994, she appeared as a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman , using profanity that required censorship on television, and handing Letterman a pair of her panties and asking him to smell it. The releases of her sexually explicit book, album, and film, and the aggressive appearance on Letterman all made critics question Madonna as a sexual renegade. Critics and fans reacted negatively, commenting that "she had gone too far" and her career
19206-594: The author of five children's books. The first of these books, titled The English Roses , was published in September 2003. The story was about four English schoolgirls and their envy and jealousy of each other. The book debuted at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list , and became the fastest-selling children's picture book of all time. Madonna donated all of its proceeds to a children's charity. The next year Madonna and Maverick sued Warner Music Group and its former parent company Time Warner, claiming that mismanagement of resources and poor bookkeeping had cost
19404-532: The bags after the activity ends. The reviewer ended by saying that the track came off as "loud, tacky and ridiculous", but still exuded emotion in the music. In a review of Madonna's hits album GHV2 (2001), Charlotte Robinson from PopMatters commended Orbit's production work on the track along with others from Ray of Light . She added that the songs are "a testament to his ability to use gadgets and electronic wizardry not to alienate listeners, but to draw them in". 'Substitute for Love', Stuart Maconie wrote in
19602-776: The band Emmy and the Emmys. They rekindled their romance and moved into the Music Building in Manhattan. The two began writing songs together and they recorded a four-song demo tape in November 1980, but soon after, Madonna decided to promote herself as a solo artiste. In March 1981, Camille Barbone, who ran Gotham Records in the Music Building, signed Madonna to a contract with Gotham and worked as her manager until February 1982. Madonna frequented nightclubs to get disc jockeys to play her demo. DJ Mark Kamins at Danceteria took an interest in her music and they began dating. Kamins arranged
19800-449: The birth due to her experiencing placenta praevia . He was christened at Dornoch Cathedral in Dornoch , Scotland, on December 21, 2000. Madonna married Ritchie the following day at nearby Skibo Castle . After an eight-year absence from touring, Madonna started her Drowned World Tour in June 2001. The tour visited cities in the US and Europe and was the highest-grossing concert tour of
19998-497: The book, The Madonna Companion , that the lyrics did not give an impression of "sophisticated wordplay", but was commendable for telling the truth about Madonna's life and career. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic labelled the song as a "swirling" and "meditative opener". David Browne from Entertainment Weekly described the track, along with " Frozen " from the album, as "breathtaking", complimenting its beats. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine found Madonna's belting to be
20196-464: The brief, dream-like bridge". David Browne, while reviewing Ray of Light for Entertainment Weekly , deemed the song a "sirenlike techno-glitter-ball". Idolator 's Stephen Sears explained that Madonna's vocals throughout the album were a "game-changer", including on the song, as she strengthened her voice while working on her film Evita . He ends his review by stating "Indeed, no choir is needed to lift 'Ray Of Light' into disco heaven. Madonna supplies
20394-418: The charts in many countries, becoming her seventh number-one on the Hot 100. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the album Like a Prayer with Patrick Leonard , Stephen Bray , and Prince . Music critic J. D. Considine from Rolling Stone praised it "as close to art as pop music gets ... proof not only that Madonna should be taken seriously as an artist but that hers is one of the most compelling voices of
20592-410: The clip continues into nightfall, high-speed images of Madonna dancing in a discothèque is shown, with the camera focusing on the revelers. She suddenly starts screaming. After that she is seen falling asleep on the dance floor, and a revolving shot of planet Earth. On June 23, 1998, the clip was released on VHS as a limited edition of 40,000 copies by Warner Music Vision . It had sold 7,381 copies of
20790-425: The clip had nothing to do with Diana's death and was instead about "Madonna's relationship to fame [...] There are paparazzi in the video. But it's not like Madonna hasn't had experience with them. It's a day in the life of Madonna." Daily Mirror columnist Matthew Wright said "The similarities [to Diana's death] are undeniable", finding it disgusting. The clip was initially reported by Billboard to be released in
20988-499: The company millions of dollars. In return, Warner filed a countersuit alleging that Maverick had lost tens of millions of dollars on its own. The dispute was resolved when the Maverick shares, owned by Madonna and Ronnie Dashev, were purchased by Warner. Madonna and Dashev's company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warner Music, but Madonna was still signed to Warner under a separate recording contract. In mid-2004, Madonna embarked on
21186-458: The controversial clip for the song " Smack My Bitch Up " (1997) by The Prodigy . 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. Madonna stated that when she makes an album, she "puts [her] soul on it", but a music video is a lot more working with
21384-452: The cool kids had been raving for years, but it took a trendsetting 39-year-old mom to crack open the top 40 for what was then called electronica's eventual pop takeover." One month later, The Guardian listed it as Madonna's fourth best single. Similarly, Entertainment Weekly listed it as her fifth greatest single. The music video received a total of eight MTV Video Music Awards nominations in 1998, eventually winning five; for Video of
21582-518: The country as of August 2008, according to the Official Charts Company . In mainland Europe, "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" entered the official Spanish Singles Chart at number 10 on the issue date August 29, 1998. The next week, it jumped to number one, where it stayed for one week. It was the third single from Ray of Light to reach the top of the chart—Madonna's seventh single overall—following "Frozen" and "Ray of Light". In Austria,
21780-471: The film Dangerous Game , which was released straight to video in North America. The New York Times described the film as "angry and painful, and the pain feels real." In September 1993, Madonna embarked on The Girlie Show , in which she dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers. In Puerto Rico she rubbed the island's flag between her legs on stage, resulting in outrage among
21978-441: The film Dick Tracy (1990), with Warren Beatty playing the title role. The film went to number one on the US box office for two weeks and Madonna received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress . To accompany the film, she released the soundtrack album, I'm Breathless , which included songs inspired by the film's 1930s setting. It also featured the US number-one song " Vogue " and " Sooner or Later ". While shooting
22176-416: The film, Madonna began a relationship with Beatty, which dissolved shortly after the premiere. In April 1990, Madonna began her Blond Ambition World Tour , which ended in August. Rolling Stone called it an "elaborately choreographed, sexually provocative extravaganza" and proclaimed it "the best tour of 1990". The tour generated strong negative reaction from religious groups for her performance of "Like
22374-447: The first ever woman to accumulate US$ 1 billion in concert revenue , with six of her solo headlining tours having grossed over US$ 100 million each. Forbes has named her the world's highest-paid female musician a record 11 times across four separate decades (1980s–2010s). Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, her first year of eligibility. She was ranked as
22572-458: The first museum retrospective for her former boyfriend artist Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. In October 1992, Madonna simultaneously released her fifth studio album, Erotica , and her coffee table book , Sex . Consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images, photographed by Steven Meisel , the book received strong negative reaction from
22770-590: The following month after its release, becoming the best-selling video singles of the Nielsen SoundScan era. The video charted on Billboard ' s Music Video Sales chart for a total of 13 weeks. A few days after its release, Italian director Stefano Salvati accused Madonna's Warner Bros. Records imprint Maverick Records for plagiarizing the concept of a music video he directed for Biagio Antonacci 's 1994 single "Non è Mai Stato Subito". According to Salvati, copies of his videos were submitted to Maverick before
22968-505: The guitar, which paved way to "Ray of Light". A religious group called the World Vaishnava Association (WVA) claimed that Madonna offended Hindus with the performance by wearing Hinduism symbols on her head. A spokesperson for the association stated that the mark (called an Om ) is a symbol of chastity, harmony and purity, and is designed to show "dedication to God". The representative also said that because Madonna simulated
23166-682: The hallways between classes, dangle by her knees from the monkey bars during recess, and pull up her skirt during class—all so that the boys could see her underwear. She later admitted to seeing herself in her youth as a "lonely girl who was searching for something. I wasn't rebellious in a certain way. I cared about being good at something. I didn't shave my underarms or legs, and I didn't wear make-up like normal girls do. But I studied and I got good grades... I wanted to be somebody." Madonna's father put her in classical piano lessons, but she later convinced him to allow her to take ballet lessons. Christopher Flynn, her ballet teacher, persuaded her to pursue
23364-412: The highs herself in some perfect moments: the extended, spiraling way she wails 'yea-ea-ears' at 3:27 or how her vocal spins out of control at 4:14, matched by Orbit's frenzied guitar work". Ranking Madonna's singles in honour of her 60th birthday, The Guardian ' s Jude Rogers called it one of her "most joyous electronic pop singles". In the United States, "Ray of Light" premiered at number five on
23562-413: The idea behind the clip, but they were deemed good enough to be used in the final product. During filming Åkerlund was accompanied by three of his Swedish employees, photographer Henrik Halvarsson, production designer Mattias Lindgren, and editor Max Vitali. Madonna's daughter Lourdes was also present on set. Åkerlund remembered that one day after the filming he got a call from Mick Jagger for directing
23760-743: The incident to be "a taste of my weakness, it showed me that I still could not save myself in spite of all the strong-girl show. I could never forget it." In 1979, Madonna became romantically involved with musician Dan Gilroy . Shortly after meeting him, she successfully auditioned to perform in Paris with French disco artist Patrick Hernandez as his backup singer and dancer. During her three months with Hernandez's troupe, she also traveled to Tunisia before returning to New York in August 1979. Madonna moved into an abandoned synagogue where Gilroy lived and rehearsed in Corona, Queens . Together they formed her first band,
23958-470: The inclusion of the sample, and also because thematically the track follows a plotline that transpired in "Why I Follow the Tigers". Madonna was a great admirer of Collins's interior designing and had commissioned for designing a friend's night club located in Miami. He later ended up as one of the writers on the song. The most important track on the album according to the singer, "Drowned World/Substitute for Love"
24156-541: The last being the Celebration Tour (2023–24). It has been covered by a number of artists, and has been featured in several elements of popular culture, such as on the FOX show Glee , as well as different advertising campaigns. Since 1996, Madonna went through a number of "life-changing experiences" which included giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, gaining interest in Eastern mysticism and Kabbalah , as well as earning
24354-426: The last part referring to Madonna's antics during her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992) era. Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone found it to be the "perfect opener" for Ray of Light and its various contradiction filled tracks. Noting the different musical elements, including drum loops, strings, computer bleeping as well as jungle snares, Sheffield compared them to a person's shopping experience and unpacking of
24552-577: The last two. "Ray of Light" debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 , becoming Madonna's highest debut on the chart to date. It also reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Internationally, the song reached the top five in Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom, and peaked at number one in Croatia, Greece, Scotland, and Spain. An accompanying music video for "Ray of Light"
24750-606: The latter reached number one in countries across Europe. Madonna was presented with the Artist Achievement Award by Tony Bennett at the 1996 Billboard Music Awards . On October 14, 1996, she gave birth to Lourdes "Lola" Maria Ciccone Leon , her daughter with fitness trainer Carlos Leon. Biographer Mary Cross writes that although Madonna often worried that her pregnancy would harm Evita , she reached some important personal goals: "Now 38 years old, Madonna had at last triumphed on screen and achieved her dream of having
24948-426: The lattermost won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress , many of her other films were not as well received. As a businesswoman , she founded the company Maverick in 1992, which included Maverick Records, one of the most successful artist-run labels in history. Madonna's other ventures include fashion brands , written works , health clubs and filmmaking. She contributes to various charities , having founded
25146-435: The longest shoot ever for a music video for Åkerlund. They also mounted the camera on a bus and rode around New York capturing the scenes. Madonna insisted that the video be edited in Los Angeles, since during the "Frozen" video she had a number of back and forths with director Chris Cunningham (who was in London editing), a process she did not want to repeat. This therefore involved Åkerlund and his team briefly relocating to
25344-442: The lyrics touch upon Madonna's desire for fame and how it ultimately ruined her personal relationships, thereby "[setting] the tone for the album". In an interview for Q magazine, Madonna explained: "I realise, and I've been realising this for years, that the approval – the headiness of being swept up and being popular and loved by people in universal ways – is absolutely no substitute for truly being loved. But if you have to have
25542-432: The many identities she had assumed over the years. Motherhood had softened the singer emotionally, which was reflected in the songs. She started talking about ideas and used words which implied deep and personal thoughts, rather than the regular dance-floor anthemic tunes she had composed. Madonna worked primarily with Orbit after Guy Oseary , Maverick Records's partner, phoned Orbit and suggested that he send some songs to
25740-461: The media and the general public, but sold 1.5 million copies at $ 50 each in a matter of days. The widespread backlash overshadowed Erotica , which ended up as her lowest selling album at the time. Despite positive reviews, it became her first studio album since her debut album not to score any chart-topper in the US. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number two. It yielded the Hot 100 top-ten hits " Erotica " and " Deeper and Deeper ". At
25938-447: The most "emotionally candid" she has been since Like a Prayer (1989). Other critics complimented the different nature of the song and its production. Reviewing the album for The Michigan Daily , Lark said, "['Drowned World/Substitute for Love'] [creates] a brilliant, ecstatic pop catharsis that all but eclipses every mistake she's ever made, including the virginal writhing, gold-tooth sporting and naked hitchhiking of her sordid past",
26136-537: The new music video for The Rolling Stones , however he had to decline since "Ray of Light" consumed all his time. They filmed for over 14 days, during which he fit the crew in one car, found an angle for the 35 mm camera and just waited as the shots were taken one by one. He had to carry a diagram in his pocket for the whole time, which had all the plans for every frame they shot. Every ten seconds they captured one frame and continued for half-an-hour to get around five seconds of footage, resulting in "Ray of Light" being
26334-457: The notes of F ♯ 3 to A 4 . The track begins with a basic chord progression of F ♯ 5–G ♯ 5 –E 5 –A 5 –G ♯ 5 , which changes into A 5 –G ♯ 5 –B–C ♯ m 7 during the rest of the verses and A–E 9 –B ♭ in the chorus. Lyrically "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" finds Madonna taking accountability of her life, fame and adulation, while assessing her career and journey. It
26532-477: The number one spot by All Saints 's " Under the Bridge / Lady Marmalade ", which also debuted the same week with about 31,000 more copies than "Ray of Light. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it gold for sales and streams of 400,000 units. According to the Official Charts Company , "Ray of Light" has sold 275,000 copies in the region as of August 2008. The track debuted at its peak of number nine on
26730-484: The part. After securing the title role, she received vocal coaching and learned about the history of Argentina and Perón. During filming Madonna became ill several times, after finding out that she was pregnant, and from the intense emotional effort required with the scenes. Upon Evita ' s release in December 1996, Madonna's performance received praise from film critics. Zach Conner of Time magazine remarked, "It's
26928-535: The performance as "[the singer] taking the style war to stage". During the Confessions Tour in 2006, Madonna sat down on the middle of the stage and performed an acoustic, stripped-down version of the song. She was joined by Yitzhak Sinwani of the London Kabbalah Centre, who had also been present earlier in the show for the performance of the song "Isaac". Writing for Pitchfork Media , Stephen Deusner complimented Madonna's singing, saying that " she's got
27126-480: The political climate of the country, saying that "there was a lynch mob mentality that was going on that wasn't pretty and I have children to protect." The song stalled at number 37 on the Hot 100, while the album became her lowest-selling album at that point with four million copies worldwide. Madonna gave another provocative performance later that year at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards , when she kissed singers Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera while singing
27324-680: The production of Speed-the-Plow at the Royale Theatre from May to August 1988. According to the Associated Press , Madonna filed an assault report against Penn after an alleged incident at their Malibu home during the New Year's weekend. Madonna filed for divorce on January 5, 1989, and the following week she reportedly asked that no criminal charges be pressed. In January 1989, Madonna signed an endorsement deal with soft-drink manufacturer Pepsi . In one Pepsi commercial, she debuted " Like
27522-625: The publication calling it a "bold embrace of electronica that got Madonna her due at the VMAs". In February 1998, Madonna premiered "Ray of Light" during a surprise concert at the Roxy NYC nightclub for promoting the parent album. Three months later she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and performed it along with album track "Little Star". During the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards Madonna started performing "Shanti/Ashtangi", sporting black hair and wearing an Indian sari . Lenny Kravitz then appeared playing
27720-432: The record in the category of International Hit of the Year "Ray of Light" is also often ranked as being one of the best songs of the 1990s . In 2003, Q Magazine ranked it at number 609 in its list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In 2005, the song was placed at number 401 on Blender' s "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". On Slant Magazine ' s list of the best singles of the 1990s, in which "Ray of Light"
27918-459: The record," he recalled. Before the final chorus there is a synth solo again, reminiscent of a 1970s prog-rock record. According to Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna , this was a link to the origin of the song from "Sepheryn". Lyrically, the track is upbeat, keeping in theme with the music. According to Madonna the verses are a mystical look at the universe and how small we are compared to it. She wanted to capture
28116-426: The regular dance-floor anthemic tunes she had composed. "Drowned World/Substitute for Love", the first song on the album, was written and produced by Madonna and Orbit, with additional writers including Rod McKuen , Anita Kerr and David Collins . The singer's manager Guy Oseary had telephoned and asked Orbit for collaborating on the album. Orbit sent a 13-track digital audio tape (DAT) to Madonna, which included
28314-548: The release of her second studio album, Like a Virgin , in November 1984. It became her first number-one album in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, the UK and the US. Like a Virgin became the first album by a female to sell over five million copies in the US. It was later certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold over 21 million copies worldwide. The album's title track served as its first single, and topped
28512-439: The rock bands Breakfast Club and Emmy & The Emmys, she rose to solo stardom with her 1983 eponymous debut studio album . Madonna followed it with a series of successful albums , including all-time bestsellers Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), and The Immaculate Collection (1990), the critically acclaimed Like a Prayer (1989), as well as Grammy Award winners Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on
28710-1242: The same time, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) announced officially that Madonna had sold over 200 million copies of her albums alone worldwide. While on tour, Madonna founded the charitable organization Raising Malawi , and partially funded an orphanage in and traveling to that country. While there, she decided to adopt a boy named David Banda in October 2006. The adoption raised strong public reaction, because Malawian law requires would-be parents to reside in Malawi for one year before adopting, which Madonna did not do. She addressed this on The Oprah Winfrey Show , saying that there were no written adoption laws in Malawi that regulated foreign adoption. Madonna described how Banda had been suffering from pneumonia after surviving malaria and tuberculosis when they first met. Banda's biological father, Yohane, commented: "These so-called human rights activists are harassing me every day, threatening me that I am not aware of what I am doing ... They want me to support their court case,
28908-550: The same". "Ray of Light" has also been featured in the set lists of four Madonna tours – 2001's Drowned World Tour , 2006's Confessions Tour , 2008–2009's Sticky & Sweet Tour , and 2023–2024's The Celebration Tour . On the Drowned World Tour, it was included as the fifth song on the Neo-Punk segment, where the singer performed it wearing punk inspired clothing, and the backdrop screens showed an extended version of
29106-513: The school's cheerleading team performed a complicated stilts routine. In 2010, the song was included in the film Burlesque during a sequence in which Ali (played by Christina Aguilera ) rehearses for her new position as a dancer in a burlesque lounge. In the 2011 Family Guy episode " New Kidney in Town ", main character Peter Griffin is seen in the "Ray of Light" video after drinking Red Bull. In late 2012, American singer Adam Lambert performed
29304-400: The second single from the parent album on April 27, 1998, in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the single was released to retail on June 23, 1998, along with 40,000 copies of the song's music video. Curtiss was not aware of the fact that Madonna had recorded "Sepheryn" as "Ray of Light" and heard it for the first time being played on the radio. He "couldn't believe it" and was initially
29502-417: The sharp high note being belted on the word 'feel' near the end of the song. "Ray of Light" has a basic sequence of B ♭ –E ♭ –B–E–B ♭ as its chord progression . The song starts with an electric guitar riff comparable to the music of English alternative rock band Oasis . The chords harmonize with each other, continuing for 22 seconds. The techno melody then begins, consisting of
29700-428: The singer's changed perspectives about life. Author Carol Benson noted that it was a "deeply spiritual dance record", with the crux of it based on liberation of Madonna from her own career and the many identities she had assumed over the years. Motherhood had softened the singer emotionally, which was reflected in the songs. She started talking about ideas and used words which implied deep and personal thoughts, rather than
29898-422: The singer. He sent a 13-track digital audio tape (DAT) to Madonna, and "Ray of Light" was among these tracks. It is based on the track "Sepheryn" (1971), by English folk music duo Curtiss Maldoon (consisting of Dave Curtiss and Clive Maldoon). In 1996, English singer and songwriter Christine Leach, Maldoon's niece, had recorded her version of the track. Leach said she had always loved the duo's work and "Sepheryn"
30096-497: The single, " Sky Fits Heaven ", reached number 41 on the US Dance Club Songs chart. An accompanying music video was released for the song, featuring Madonna running away from the paparazzi until she arrives at home. The video faced strong reaction in the media due to the paparazzi chase sequences, a scenario similar to Diana, Princess of Wales's death in 1997. The song was performed in two of Madonna's tours, these being
30294-515: The single. At the year-end charts of ARIA, "Ray of Light" was the 57th best-selling Australian single of 1998. In New Zealand, "Ray of Light" also debuted at its peak position of number nine on the RIANZ Singles Chart. It was present for a total of 14 weeks on the chart and fell out on September 13, 1998, at number 31. In the United Kingdom, "Ray of Light" debuted with 76,000 copies and peaked at number two on May 9, 1998, being held off from
30492-418: The skies". The A.V. Club ' s Stephen Thompson commented that the "pumped-up title track is bound to be a deserving smash". J.D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun noted that Madonna's "newfound strength is particularly apparent in pulsing, rhythm driven tracks like ['Ray of Light'], which finds her soaring confidently at the top of her register on the busily percolating chorus, then whispering breathily on
30690-486: The song debuted at number 63, and rose to number 43 for one week. In Sweden, the song debuted at number 41 but fell to number 57 the next week. In Australia, the single debuted at number 74, climbing to its peak of number 16 the following week before descending down the charts. On the New Zealand Singles Chart , the song debuted at number 30, until rising to its peak of number 21, and then descending down. Since
30888-465: The song peaked at number 34, staying in the charts for only one week. In Switzerland, it reached its peak position number 31 on the second week, staying in the charts for five weeks in total. The song had more success on the French Singles Chart , where it debuted at number 88 and gradually moved up the charts, finally peaking at number 42 and staying in the charts for 17 weeks. In the Netherlands,
31086-581: The song was not released in the United States, it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 or any other component charts. However, the B-Side of the single " Sky Fits Heaven " managed to reach number 41 on the US Dance Club Songs chart, aided by its remixes. The accompanying music video for "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" was directed by Walter Stern and filmed on June 26–27, 1998 at London's Claridge's Hotel and Piccadilly Circus . It includes cameo appearances by Anita Pallenberg and Steve Strange . It
31284-525: The song's music video. This time, the electric guitar was played by Monte Pittman . Michael Hubbard from MusicOMH noted that "things quickly hotted up with [...] 'Ray Of Light', a track that was quite simply as sublime as it was infectious". In 2005, Madonna performed "Ray of Light" during the Live 8 benefit concert , and a year later at the 2006 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. During her 2006 Confessions Tour, Madonna included
31482-539: The song, although he forced me to dance like crazy for two days. He's a tough director". Reviewers compared it to the 1982 American experimental film Koyaanisqatsi , which showed time-lapse footage of cities. Madonna's scenes were shot from March 25–26, 1998 at MTV/VH1 studios in Los Angeles. Background scenes were shot in various cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London, Las Vegas, and Stockholm. Test shots taken in Stockholm were presented to Madonna, for conveying
31680-421: The song, and performed it as the opening number. She entered the stage amidst billows of dry ice , dressed in a sleeveless black top, crossover top with one net sleeve, jeans with zips and bondage straps, a studded dog collar and a tartan kilt and performed the song standing on a rising platform on the middle of the stage. Also during this same tour, the last lyrics from the song ("Now, I find I changed my mind/This
31878-458: The song, her vocals are subdued in nature, emoting a thoughtful imagery, with the melody being laid out gently for the listener. Bryan Lark from The Michigan Daily described Madonna's singing and composition of the song as "soulful". According to the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com, the record is set in time signature of common time with a key of B major . It has a slow tempo of 72 beats per minute with Madonna's vocals ranging from
32076-416: 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
32274-417: The stereo sound oscillating . This continues for 40 seconds. The music is interspersed with trip hop and psychedelic elements, both at the foreground and background. As McKuen's sample utters the words "you see", Madonna utters the first lyrics, "I traded fame for love / Without a second thought", and at around the 1:30 minute mark, the drums start with the first chorus . The composition builds slowly, with
32472-427: The time Madonna had been dating rapper Vanilla Ice and she at one point proposed to him; they broke up following the release of Sex , with Ice claiming that he was included in the book without his consent. Madonna continued her provocative imagery in the 1993 erotic thriller , Body of Evidence , a film which contained scenes of sadomasochism and bondage . Critics poorly received the film. She also starred in
32670-414: The time, and remains Madonna's bestselling studio album, with sales of 25 million copies. True Blue was featured in the 1992 edition of Guinness World Records as the bestselling album by a woman of all time. Madonna starred in the critically panned film Shanghai Surprise in 1986, for which she received her first Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress . She made her theatrical debut in
32868-561: The title role in the 1985 comedy Desperately Seeking Susan , a film which introduced the song " Into the Groove ", her first number-one single in the UK. Her popularity caused the film to be perceived as a Madonna vehicle, despite how she was not billed as a lead actress . The New York Times film critic Vincent Canby named it one of the ten best films of 1985. Beginning in April 1985, Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in North America,
33066-450: The title role on the film adaptation of the musical Evita (1996). A year later she started working on Ray of Light , her seventh studio album. Madonna wrote songs with William Orbit , Patrick Leonard , Rick Nowels and Babyface . The album would reflect the singer's changed perspectives about life. Author Carol Benson noted that it was a "deeply spiritual dance record", with the crux of it based on Madonna's career, her journey and
33264-485: The track " Hollywood ". In October 2003, she provided guest vocals on Spears' single " Me Against the Music ". It was followed with the release of Remixed & Revisited . The EP contained remixed versions of songs from American Life and included "Your Honesty", a previously unreleased track from the Bedtime Stories recording sessions. Madonna also signed a contract with Callaway Arts & Entertainment to be
33462-442: The track as "the first chapter of a great novel" setting the tone for rest of the record. Rolling Stone placed the track at number 20, on their ranking of Madonna's 50 Greatest Song in 2016, describing it as "a ballad exploring epiphanies about fame and family". While ranking Madonna's singles in honor of her 60th birthday, The Guardian ' s Jude Rogers placed the song at number 12, calling it "majestic, reflective and sung in
33660-482: The track was included on the Radio 1. Established 1967 compilation album. Bedingfield commented: "I have so much respect for Madonna after learning how hard it is to sing that song. She has an amazing voice—the range you need to sing the song is incredible". In 2008, Iggy Pop and The Stooges performed "Ray of Light" (along with " Burning Up ") during Madonna's induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . That same year,
33858-412: The world in an edited form. The same year, Madonna released her ninth studio album, American Life , which was based on her observations of American society. She explained that the record was "like a trip down memory lane, looking back at everything I've accomplished and all the things I once valued and all the things that were important to me." Larry Flick from The Advocate felt that " American Life
34056-413: The year by a solo artist, earning $ 75 million from 47 sold-out shows. She also released her second greatest-hits collection, GHV2 , which compiled 15 singles during the second decade of her recording career. The album debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 and sold seven million units worldwide. Madonna starred in the film Swept Away , directed by Ritchie. Released direct-to-video in
34254-475: The year in the US. She recorded the film's theme song, " This Used to Be My Playground ", which became her tenth number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, the most by any female artist at the time. In April, Madonna founded her own entertainment company, Maverick , consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and associated music publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing, and merchandising divisions. The deal
34452-496: Was a joint venture with Time Warner and paid Madonna an advance of $ 60 million. It gave her 20% royalties from the music proceedings, the highest rate in the industry at the time, equaled only by Michael Jackson 's royalty rate established a year earlier with Sony . Her company later went on to become one of the most successful artist-run labels in history, producing multi-platinum artists such as Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch . Later that year, Madonna co-sponsored
34650-645: Was accompanied by her dancers who were dressed in futuristic outfits and performed a robotic choreography. While reviewing the tour in 2008, Jim Farber from New York Daily News called the performance of the song one of the "highest-energy" dance numbers of the show. On December 6, 2016, Madonna performed the song during the Carpool Karaoke segment of The Late Late Show with James Corden . The singer performed "Ray of Light" at Leonardo DiCaprio 's annual fundraising gala in Saint-Tropez, France on July 27, 2017. On
34848-436: Was also included on the compilation albums GHV2 (2001), Celebration (2009) and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). Written by Madonna, William Orbit , Clive Maldoon, Dave Curtiss, Christine Leach, and produced by Madonna and Orbit, "Ray of Light" is based on Curtiss Maldoon 's "Sepheryn" and is an electronic dance song with techno , trance , Eurodance , and disco influences. "Ray of Light" consists of
35046-431: Was an epiphany of the spiritual or sonic kind, her elation was unmistakable. Orbit's cycles of analog synths and electric guitar licks perfectly supplemented the elasticity of Madonna's newly-trained vocal chords. Not since " Deeper and Deeper " had she reached such dizzying heights. A reviewer from Sputnikmusic listed the track as a recommended listen from Ray of Light . O'Brien found the track to be an "ecstatic hymn to
35244-405: Was comparable to that of singer Alanis Morissette and to Venetian paintings. According to Madonna, she went for an Italian Renaissance look, invoking work of painter Raphael and Botticelli. Guilbert found the singer's description as catering to postmodernism , in tune with the zeitgeist, and noted that it was just one of her "many reinventions". The book recalled how Madonna "quickly grew tired of
35442-547: Was directed by Jonas Åkerlund and shows scenes from different cities around the world, with Madonna singing the song in front of them. The video was critically acclaimed, receiving the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video, as well as winning five awards at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards . Later, Stefano Salvati accused her of plagiarizing the concept of a music video he directed for Biagio Antonacci in 1994. The song has been performed in four of Madonna's concert tours ,
35640-439: Was dissatisfied with the completed tracks and disagreed with Lucas' production techniques, so she decided to seek additional help. She asked John "Jellybean" Benitez , the resident DJ at Fun House, to help finish the album's production and a romance ensued. Benitez remixed most of the tracks and produced " Holiday ", which was her first international top-ten song. The album was released in July 1983, and peaked at number eight on
35838-454: Was enlisted for the title role on the film adaptation of the musical Evita (1996). A year later, following the promotion of the Evita soundtrack , she started working on Ray of Light , her seventh studio album. Madonna wrote songs with William Orbit , Patrick Leonard , Rick Nowels and Babyface but the songs from the latter did not make it to the final track list. The album would reflect
36036-508: Was heartbreaking to cut it down to a manageable length." The original version was to be included on a compilation album titled Veronica Electronica , but it was not released. Curtiss confirmed in an interview with The Australian in January 2017, that he recorded a contemporary jazz version of "Sepheryn". "Ray of Light" was recorded along with the rest of the album at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood, California during mid-1997. It
36234-403: Was her favorite. She worked for a time with Orbit and recorded a demo of "Sepheryn" over a melody on which he was working. Leach rewrote the chorus and also removed a few bits from the original composition. Orbit included it in the DAT thinking that Leach had written the song. After Madonna heard the demo she liked it, and reworked the lyrics to create "Ray of Light". The track was released as
36432-498: Was in a relationship with artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and living at his loft in SoHo . Basquiat introduced her to art curator Diego Cortez , who had managed some punk bands and co-founded the Mudd Club . Madonna invited Cortez to be her manager, but he declined. Following the success of the singles, Warner hired Reggie Lucas to produce her debut album, Madonna . However, Madonna
36630-427: Was included on the setlist of her Madonna: Tears of a Clown show in Melbourne, Australia. Madonna entered the stage riding around on a tricycle and wearing a clown costume consisting of a yellow dress, stockings, a pink wig and a clown nose. Credits are adapted from the Ray of Light album liner notes. Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( / tʃ ɪ ˈ k oʊ n i / ; born August 16, 1958)
36828-706: Was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. She did not sing at the ceremony but asked fellow Hall of Fame inductees and Michigan natives the Stooges to perform her songs "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light". Madonna released her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy , in April 2008. Containing R&B and urban pop influences, the songs on Hard Candy were autobiographical in nature and saw Madonna collaborating with Justin Timberlake , Timbaland , Pharrell Williams and Nate "Danja" Hills . The album debuted at number one in 37 countries and on
37026-435: Was inspired by and dedicated to her husband Penn. Rolling Stone was impressed with the effort, writing that the album "sound[s] as if it comes from the heart". Five singles were released—" Live to Tell ", " Papa Don't Preach ", " True Blue ", " Open Your Heart ", and " La Isla Bonita "—all of which reached number one in the US or the UK. The album topped the charts in 28 countries worldwide, an unprecedented achievement at
37224-890: Was mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Studios in New York. The DAT contained the main portion of the song recordings, as well as preliminary demo sessions in Madonna's house in New York, as well as Hit Factory Studios where Madonna first sang the song. Like most of the album, the synth sounds recorded for "Ray of Light" were played on a Roland Juno-106 . Madonna and Orbit had conducted a drummer session in Los Angeles, but it did not work out. So he contacted Fergus Gerrand who played drum samples for him in London. Orbit fed them in his workstation and cut them manually, instead of using auto-editing software like ReCycle . An electronic dance music song, "Ray of Light" has stylistic influences from acid electronica . According to biographer Lucy O'Brien who wrote in Madonna: Like an Icon , Orbit created
37422-535: Was nominated for Record of the Year , but lost to Celine Dion 's " My Heart Will Go On ". Furthermore, The Village Voice ranked it as the fourth best in 1998 in its Pazz & Jop critics' poll. At the 1999 ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Awards, the track was the Top Dance Song winner. It also won the category of Most Performed Song at the ASCAP Pop Awards the same year. The 1999 Ivor Novello Awards nominated
37620-666: Was of French-Canadian descent. Tony Ciccone worked as an optics engineer for Chrysler Defense and its successor, General Dynamics Land Systems , on military projects. Since Madonna had the same name as her mother, family members called her "Little Nonnie". Her mother died of breast cancer on December 1, 1963. She was raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills ), alongside her two older brothers—Anthony (1956–2023) and Martin (born 1957) —and three younger siblings—Paula (born 1959), Christopher (1960–2024), and Melanie (born 1962). Madonna adopted Veronica as
37818-504: Was one of the most expected tracks to be remixed. "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" was recorded, with the rest of the album, at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood, California . It was mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Studios in New York. An ambient pop track, it takes the title from author J. G. Ballard 's post-apocalyptic science fiction novel, The Drowned World (1962). The final version progressed significantly from
38016-601: Was over. Around this time, Madonna briefly dated rapper Tupac Shakur and basketball player Dennis Rodman . Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli described her ballad " I'll Remember " (1994) as an attempt to tone down her provocative image. The song was recorded for Alek Keshishian 's 1994 film With Honors . She made a subdued appearance with Letterman at an awards show and appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno after realizing that she needed to change her musical direction to sustain her popularity. With her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories (1994), Madonna employed
38214-460: Was placed 16th, a reviewer wrote that the song's "beat is restless", and that "Ray of Light" is "a standout single" due to its "emotional warmth". Pichfork ranked the track as the 55th best song of the 1990s, describing it as "a Kabbalah-coded ode to divine femininity with a racing pulse, "Ray of Light" is body music for the embodied consciousness." Billboard placed it at number five on their ranking of Madonna's best songs, saying that it "marked
38412-535: Was released as the third single from Ray of Light on August 24, 1998, worldwide, except in the United States. In the latter market, the album's second single " Ray of Light " had been released with a one-month delay, so Madonna's record label decided to release "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" outside of North America, thereby closing the one-month gap between the next single " The Power of Good-Bye " (1998). The song received remix treatment from musicians like Brian "BT" Transeau and Sasha , and according to Billboard
38610-409: Was released in May 1991. Chronicling her Blond Ambition World Tour, it became the highest-grossing documentary of all time (surpassed eleven years later by Michael Moore 's Bowling for Columbine ). In 1992, Madonna starred in A League of Their Own as Mae Mordabito, a baseball player on an all-women's team. It reached number one on the box-office and became the tenth-highest-grossing film of
38808-499: Was released in November 2005. Musically the album was structured like a club set composed by a DJ. It was acclaimed by critics, with Keith Caulfield from Billboard commenting that the album was a "welcome return to form for the Queen of Pop." The album won a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album . Confessions on a Dance Floor and its lead single, " Hung Up ", went on to reach number one in 40 and 41 countries respectively, earning
39006-419: Was released in September 1998, and features Madonna leaving her home and being chased by paparazzi . Dressed in black, she is constantly running, even from the other celebrities in a hotel bar. Except for Madonna's, everyone else's face is distorted. In another sequence of the clip, Madonna passes a hotel maid smiling at her. The singer returns the smile when the flash of a camera goes off; the maid has just taken
39204-647: Was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $ 35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done." Madonna soon found an apartment in the Alphabet City neighborhood of the East Village and had little money while working as a hatcheck girl for the Russian Tea Room , an elevator operator at Terrace on the Park , and with modern dance troupes, taking classes at
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