On this Day: May 15, 1998 Ray Of Light charting Ray Of Light" charting

 Ray Of Light" charting - The "Ray Of Light" song enters the Billboard singles chart

"Ray of Light" is the second single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 1998 album of the same name, and is based on Curtiss Maldoon's "Sepheryn". The song was written by Madonna, William Orbit, Clive Muldoon, Dave Curtiss and Christine Leach, and was produced by Madonna and Orbit

An up-tempo electronic song with techno, trance, European dance and disco influences,"Ray of Light" contains elements of rock music, which have drawn comparison to the work of Oasis,as well as several sound effects such as whistles, bleeps and bells,the usage of electric guitar, and underlying synthesizers.Lyrically, the song has a theme of freedom. The song has received positive critical reception, being acclaimed for its club-friendly, electronic sound as well as its greater level of lyrical maturity, "emotional warmth", and the way in which it shows a more spiritual side to Madonna. Critics also praised the fact that the song was a departure from Madonna's previous work; "Ray of Light" is oriented in Madonna's dance roots, yet, it goes deeper, and incorporates more underground genres. The song also received several nominations and awards; it was nominated for three Grammy Awards, for Record of the Year, Best Dance Recording, and Best Short Form Music Video, winning the last two. "Ray of Light" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number five, becoming Madonna's highest debut on the chart to date. It also reached the top five in Canada, Finland, Italyand the United Kingdom, and peaked at number one in Spain.

                                         Madonna - Ray Of Light - Backdrop (DWT)

The music video for the song was directed by Jonas Åkerlund; shot in different metropolises around the world, it is essentially a high-speed time-lapse, showing the daily life of people. The video for "Ray of Light" was also critically acclaimed, ranked as one of the greatest music videos of all time,receiving the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video, as well as receiving eight nominations and eventually winning five awards at the1998 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year and Best Female Video. Despite this, the music video prompted a lawsuit from Stefano Salvati who claimed that the video copied the concept of his music video for "Non è Mai Stato Subito", the 1994 single of Italian singer Biagio Antonacci.

                                        Madonna performs Ray Of Light during the Live 8 concert - 2005. 

The song has been performed in three of Madonna's concert tours, as well as several notable performances such as at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, Live 8, Live Earth and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The song has left a legacy, often being ranked as being one of the best songs of the 1990s. It has been credited as influencing contemporary pop, as well as helping bring electronic dance into mainstream American popular music. The song has been covered numerous times, and has been featured in several elements of popular culture, such as on the Fox TV show Glee and the animated television series Family Guy, as well as differentadvertising campaigns.

                                      Madonna - Ray Of Light (Live at Drowned World Tour in Michigan)

Single

The title track was released in April (UK) / June (US) 1998 as the second single. The tune got known very quickly. Only few people knew it was actually a rework of the much slower 1971 song 'Sepheryn' by Curtis & Muldoon. In the US the single debuted at #5 - which was her highest US single debut in her career - and was certified Gold. In the UK it topped at #2 (it was kept from the top spot by All Saints' 'Under The Bridge / Lady Marmalade'); in Japan, Australia and Canada it got to respectively #5, #6 and #7.n

Video

Fitting this fast-paced dance song, Swedish director Jonas Akerlund provided a high-speed video, showing ordinary people doing their daily routines: getting up, driving to work, having a quick lunch, working in the office, coming home and having a party in the evening. All these images are intertwined with the beauty aspects of life: playing children, an echography, two friends playing chess, etc. In between Madonna, dressed in casual jeans but looking gorgeous, shakes to a great dance routine. And at the party in the evening she's the star of the dance floor. The video - which was filmed in New York, LA and Sweden - was loved by the critics and received several awards, including 'Best Video', 'Best Female Video', 'Best Direction', 'Best Choreography' and 'Best Editing' at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, and 'Best Short-Form Music Video' at the 1999 Grammy Awards. There are also two remix videos.

Lyrics

Zephyr in the sky at night I wonder
Do my tears of mourning
Sink beneath the sun
She's got herself a universe gone quickly
For the call of thunder
Threatens everyone

And I feel
Like I just got home
And I feel
And I feel
Like I just got home
And I feel

Faster than the speeding light she's flying
Trying to remember where it all began
She's got herself a little piece of heaven
Waiting for the time when earth shall be as one

And I feel
Like I just got home
And I feel
And I feel
Like I just got home
And I feel

Quicker than a ray of light
Quicker than a ray of light
Quicker than a ray of light

Zephyr in the sky at night I wonder
Do my tears of mourning
Sink beneath the sun
She's got herself a universe gone quickly
For the call of thunder
Threatens everyone

And I feel

Quicker than a ray of light
Then gone for
Someone else shall be there
Thru the endless years

She's got herself a universe
She's got herself a universe
She's got herself a universe

And I feel
And I feel
And I feel
Like I just got home
And I feel

Quicker than a ray of light she's flying
Quicker than a ray of light I'm flying