RAY OF LIGHT

It was March 1997 when the little-known dance producer William Orbit received a phone call from Guy Oseary, Madonna's Maverick Records partner, asking him to submit some tapes. Orbit didn't take the request seriously, but Madonna needed to make a change. The two finally met up and the stage was set for easily the most radical re-invention of her 20-year career. Their time in the recording studio wasn't always an easy relationship. Orbit was initially thrown by Madonna's control-freakery, because he was used to working at his own pace. Madonna found his scatterbrained lateral thinking unprofessional. When, on one occasion, Orbit turned up at Madonna's house with the wrong DAT, he had to plead for a week in which to turn thing around. By the end, Madonna was calling him a "Mad Musical Genius."

The rest, as they say so often, is history. The songs Madonna and Orbit recorded became the album 'Ray of Light'. Released in March 1998, the album received some rave reviews as critics fell over themselves all over again and praised it as Madonna's greatest album, a masterpiece in its electronic/dance genre. The public seemed to agree too - Ray Of Light charted at No.2 in the US with a healthy 371,000 copies sold in its first week. Only the unsinkable Titanic Soundtrack stopped it from debuting at No.1. In the UK, the album went straight to No.1 and sold more than 1.6 million copies. This pattern was repeated all over the world, in countries such as Australia, Germany, France, Japan and Spain. Madonna was back and this time, she was here to stay. She became a true legend with this album, and it's not hard to see why. All in all Ray Of Light sold some 16 million copies worldwide and proved that, 15 years after her chart debut, Madonna was still with it. She knew how to work it and the world loved it. Ray Of Light won 4 Grammys for Madonna in February 1999, further more proving the genius of this album.

Tracks such as the swirling "Swim," the rock-charged "Candy Perfume Girl," the electronic mania of "Skin" and the atmospherically etheral "Sky Fits Heaven" made this easily Madonna's best album to date, whilst ballads such as "To Have And Not Hold," "Little Star" and "Mer Girl" proved Madonna more in touch with her true self than she had ever been.

THE SINGLES TAKEN FROM RAY OF LIGHT

1. 'Frozen' - The first single to be taken from the Ray Of Light album, Frozen became Madonna's eighth UK No.1 single, and her first for almost eight years. This was a stunning return to form for Madonna. This represented a new sultry Madonna and she appeared to be singing in a completely different register from the helium squeak from her earlier years. William Orbit's subtle production augmented the gorgeous melody beautifully and the spooky yet fascinating video certainly complemented this.

2. 'Ray Of Light, Pt. 2' - The second single to be taken from the Ray Of Light album, Ray Of Light was a song that totally introduced Madonna to a new audience. The song first hit the airwaves in May 1998 and soon became a Madonna classic, peaking at No.2 in the UK charts and No.5 in the US charts. A public that had nearly given up on Madonna performed a cartoon-style double take that saw William Orbit pack his considerable dancefloor expertise into just over five minutes of pure pop manic bliss. Pulsating bleeps and crazy beats lay beneath Madonna as she explored her vocal range to an almost liberal scream, twisting and weaving amongst the set making for a bang up to date anthem that has stood the test of time. A colossal comeback.

3. 'Drowned World, Pt. 1' - The third single to be taken from the Ray Of Light album, Drowned World/Substitute For Love peaked at No.10 in the UK in August 1998. The track opened the album and was a so damn-near-heartbreaking meditation on the price of fame. Madonna pours her heart out on this track about the lack of genuine love in her life - then along came Guy Ritchie a year later. The song was never released as a single in the US as it was perhaps too near the knuckle. The video reflected shots of Madonna as Princess Diana-like motorcycle paparazzi buzzed after her limo rammed to the point of home.

4. 'Power of Goodbye' - The fourth single to be taken from the Ray Of Light album, The Power Of Goodbye is easily one of Madonna's greatest ballads. Awash with complete string sections, wonderfully deep and mysterious tones and dark powerful, almost operatic, vocals from Madonna the song remains one of the album's highlights. The song peaked at No.6 in the UK in December 1998 and became Madonna's 46th Top 10 UK hit single. The seaside video was ancient and beautiful and Orbit's influence completely takes over the mood of the song.

5. 'Nothing Really Matters' - The fifth and final single to be taken from the Ray Of Light album, Nothing Really Matters saw Madonna return to the dancefloor after the sorrowful and ballad-like tempo of her previous two singles. The song peaked at No.7 in the UK in March 1999 and featured a fantastic video in which Madonna dances around like a nutter, obviously influenced by Japanese culture and their religions. The song was Orbit at his best again, with Madonna's vocals on top form in which she declares her love for her daughter and proclaims that "Love is all we need." Indeed...

THE VIDEO COLLECTION: 1993-1999