Madonna, Ray of Light
MadonnaRAY OF
LIGHT.
Ray of Light paired Madonna with William Orbit and turned electronic production into the foundation for one of the biggest creative reinventions of her career.
Album artwork shown for commentary and historical reference. Image source: Cover Art Archive / MusicBrainz.
SEVEN THINGS
WORTH KNOWING.
Recording stories, credits, physical details and numbers worth keeping with the record.
Ray of Light was released in March 1998 and the standard album contains 13 tracks.
Madonna's official archive describes the album as a watershed project produced with William Orbit.
The album debuted at No. 2 in the United States, held from No. 1 by the Titanic soundtrack.
It reached No. 1 in numerous markets outside the United States.
Ray of Light received six Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year.
Madonna won Grammys connected to the project for Best Pop Album, Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video, while art director Kevin Reagan won Best Recording Package.
"Frozen" reached No. 2 in the United States, while the title track debuted at No. 5, then Madonna's highest-ever Hot 100 debut.
WHY THIS
ALBUM MATTERS.
Ray of Light matters because the electronic production is not just decoration. It changes the scale, rhythm and atmosphere of the songs, giving Madonna a completely different sonic language without erasing her pop instincts.
THE
NUMBERS.
TRACKS
The standard album contains thirteen songs.
GRAMMY NODS
The album campaign received six Grammy nominations.
U.S. DEBUT
Ray of Light entered the U.S. album chart at No. 2.
THE
PHYSICAL OBJECT.
Kevin Reagan's art direction became part of the album's awards story, winning the Grammy for Best Recording Package while the music was collecting trophies of its own.
RESEARCH SOURCES
Facts are checked against artist, label, archival and recording-credit sources before publication.
KEEP
DIGGING.
More recording stories, strange credits, cover art, chart numbers and details hiding inside the records.