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 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 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 the last two at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. "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 the Canada, Finland and on the United Kingdom Singles Chart, and peaked at number one in Croatia, Greece, Scotland, and Spain.

An accompanying music video for "Ray of Light" 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 for "Non é Mai Stato Subito" he directed for Biagio Antonacci in 1994. The song has been performed in four of Madonna's concert tours, 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.

Background and release

Since 1996, Madonna went through a number of "life-changing experiences" which included giving birth to her daughter Lourdes Leon, gaining interest in Eastern mysticism and Kabbalah, as well as earning the title role of Eva Perón in 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. 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 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' partner, phoned Orbit and suggested that he send some songs to 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" 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 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 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 Warner Records. 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 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".

Recording and composition

"Ray of Light" was recorded along with the rest of the album at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood, California during mid-1997. It 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 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 B₃ to B₅, 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

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