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Ray of Light

 
Album Review: Ray of Light

  • Artist: Madonna
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: March 03, 1998
  • Total Time: 66:45
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Returning to pop after a four-year hiatus, Madonna enlisted respected techno producer William Orbit as her collaborator for Ray of Light, a self-conscious effort to stay abreast of contemporary trends. Unlike other veteran artists who attempted to come to terms with electronica, Madonna was always a dance artist, so it's no real shock to hear her sing over breakbeats, pulsating electronics, and blunted trip-hop beats. Still, it's mildly surprising that it works as well as it does, largely due to Madonna and Orbit's subtle attack. They've reigned in the beats, tamed electronica's eccentricities, and retained her flair for pop melodies, creating the first mainstream pop album that successfully embraces techno. Sonically, it's the most adventurous record she has made, but it's far from inaccessible, since the textures are alluring and the songs have a strong melodic foundation, whether it's the swirling title track, the meditative opener, "Substitute for Love," or the ballad "Frozen." For all of its attributes, there's a certain distance to Ray of Light, born of the carefully constructed productions and Madonna's newly mannered, technically precise singing. It all results in her most mature and restrained album, which is an easy achievement to admire, yet not necessarily an easy one to love. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Drowned World/Substitute for Love (Lyrics) William Orbit, Anita Kerr, Rod McKuen, Madonna, David Collins Madonna (5:09)
Swim (Lyrics) William Orbit, Madonna Madonna (5:00)
Ray of Light (Lyrics) William Orbit, Dave Curtis, Madonna, Clive Muldoon, Christine Leach Madonna (5:21)
Candy Perfume Girl (Lyrics) William Orbit, Madonna, Susannah Melvoin Madonna (4:34)
Skin (Lyrics) Madonna, Patrick Leonard Madonna (6:22)
Nothing Really Matters (Lyrics) Madonna, Patrick Leonard Madonna (4:27)
Sky Fits Heaven (Lyrics) Madonna, Patrick Leonard Madonna (4:48)
Shanti/Ashtangi William Orbit, Madonna Madonna (4:29)
Frozen (Lyrics) Madonna, Patrick Leonard Madonna (6:12)
The Power of Goodbye Madonna, Rick Nowels Madonna (4:10)
To Have and Not to Hold (Lyrics) Madonna, Rick Nowels Madonna (5:23)
Little Star (Lyrics) Madonna, Rick Nowels Madonna (5:18)
Mer Girl (Lyrics) William Orbit, Madonna Madonna (5:32)

Credits

William Orbit (Sound Effects), William Orbit (Producer), Donna De Lory (Vocals (Background)), Craig Armstrong (String Arrangements), Madonna (Vocals), Madonna (Producer), Madonna (Main Performer), Marius de Vries (Keyboards), Marius de Vries (Programming), Marius de Vries (Producer), Nikki Harris (Vocals (Background)), Jon Ingoldsby (Engineer), Ted Jensen (Mastering), Patrick Leonard (Arranger), Patrick Leonard (Producer), Patrick McCarthy (Engineer), Dave Reitzas (Engineer), Steve Sidelnyk (Drum Programming), Eddie Stern (Translation), Mark Endert (Engineer), Suzie Katayama (Conductor), Kevin Reagan (Art Direction), Kevin Reagan (Design), Marc Moreau (Guitar), Matt Silva (Engineer), Pablo Cook (Flute), Kerosene Halo (Design), Mike Bradford (Programming), Vyass Houston (Translation), Mario Testino (Photography), Fergus Gerrand (Percussion), Fergus Gerrand (Drums)
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WordNet: ray of light
Top
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a column of light (as from a beacon)
  Synonyms: beam, beam of light, light beam, ray, shaft, shaft of light, irradiation


Wikipedia: Ray of Light
Top
Ray of Light
Studio album by Madonna
Released March 3, 1998 (1998-03-03)
(See release details)
Recorded 1997-1998
Genre Pop, Electronica, Ambient
Length 66:54 (Regular album)
72:10 (Japanese edition)
Label Maverick, Warner Bros.
Producer Madonna, William Orbit, Patrick Leonard, Marius De Vries
Professional reviews
Madonna chronology
Evita
(1996)
Ray of Light
(1998)
Music
(2000)
Singles from Ray of Light
  1. "Frozen"
    Released: February 23, 1998
  2. "Ray of Light"
    Released: May 11, 1998
  3. "Drowned World (Substitute for Love)"
    Released: August 24, 1998
  4. "The Power of Good-Bye"
    Released: November 19, 1998
  5. "Nothing Really Matters"
    Released: March 5, 1999

Ray of Light is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on March 3, 1998 by Maverick Records. After giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, Madonna collaborated with Patrick Leonard and William Orbit in developing the album. After failed sessions with other producers, Madonna pursued a new musical direction with Orbit and incorporated his extensive usage of trance and electronic music in her songs. The recording took place over four months, but experienced problems with the Pro Tools arrangement by Orbit as well as the absence of live bands.

However, upon release, the album was lauded by contemporary critics as a music masterpiece of the decade. Reviewers complimented the album for its mature, restrained nature as well as commending Madonna's musical direction, calling it her "most adventurous" record. Commercially, the album was a success on the world charts, peaking at number one in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and mainland Europe. On the U.S. Billboard 200, the album debuted and peaked at number two. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it Quadruple Platinum on March 16, 2000, recognizing four million shipments in the United States, making it her fifth best-selling recording there. Worldwide, Ray of Light sold 20 million copies.[8]

Five singles were released from the album. The first single "Frozen" was an international success, as was the second one, "Ray of Light", which won a number of awards for its music video. In 1999, the album received three Grammy Awards, including "Best Pop Vocal Album", and "Best Dance Recording." In 2003, the album was ranked #363 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[9] Madonna has performed songs from this album on all of her world tours since it was released.

Contents

Development

The working title for this album was The Drowned World, inspired by the novel by J. G. Ballard. It was primarily produced by Madonna, William Orbit, and Patrick Leonard. The album featured a new musical direction for Madonna, as well as personal lyrics about motherhood, fame, and spirituality. Madonna's vocal range was also stronger, because of the voice training she underwent during Evita.[10] Madonna began writing songs with Leonard in 1997, the first time the two had worked together since "I'll Remember", three years earlier. Unlike her previous albums, Leonard's song writing collaborations were accompanied by very little studio input. Madonna believed that Leonard's production "would have lent the songs more of a Peter Gabriel vibe", a sound that she did not want for the album.[11]

Madonna began working on Ray of Light in May 1997, meeting with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, whom she had previously worked with on her 1994 album Bedtime Stories. The two wrote a couple of songs together before Madonna decided the collaborations were not going in the musical direction she wanted for the album. According to Edmonds, the songs "had a 'Take a Bow-ish' kind of vibe, and Madonna didn't want, or need, to repeat herself."[11] After abandoning the songs she had written with Edmonds, Madonna turned to musician Rick Nowels, who had previously co-written songs with Stevie Nicks and Celine Dion. The collaboration produced seven songs in three days, but did not display the album's future electronic musical direction.[12] Instead, Madonna took her collaborations with Nowels and Leonard to British electronic music musician William Orbit. Madonna had been a fan of Orbit's work, and loved the "sort of trancy, ambient quality" he gave to the songs he worked on.[13] She began working with Orbit after he had sent her tapes of musical snippets he was working on, which were usually eight or sixteen-bar phrases and stripped down versions of tracks that would later be heard on the album. Madonna would listen to the samples over and over again until she would be inspired to write lyrics. Once she had an idea about the lyrical direction of the song, she would take her ideas back to Orbit, and they would expand on the original music ideas. The album's title track "Ray of Light" was the only song on the album that Madonna did not have anything to do with creatively, and the last track, "Mer Girl", was the only other song where Madonna did not compose the music along with her collaborators, writing only the lyrics.[11]

Recording

The album was recorded over four and a half months in Los Angeles, California in 1997, the longest Madonna had ever worked on an album. For most of the recording process, only three other people were in the studio with Madonna: William Orbit, engineer Pat McCarthy, and his assistant engineer, Matt Silva.[11] The recording process was initially plagued with machinery problems, as Orbit preferred to work with samples, synth sounds, and Pro Tools, and not with live musicians. The computers would break down, and recording would have to be delayed until they could be repaired. Orbit recorded the bulk of the album's instrumentation over the four-month period. Orbit recalls playing the guitar and having his fingers bleed during the long hours he spent in the studio.[11] After some errors in her pronunciation of Sanskrit shlokas on Ray of Light, the BBC, London, arranged for her to take telephonic lessons to learn the basic correct pronunciation of Sanskrit words from eminent scholar Dr B P T Vagish Shastri. She then made the necessary pronunciation corrections on the album.

Madonna performed "Drowned World/Substitute for Love", "Ray of Light", "Candy Perfume Girl", "Sky Fits Heaven", "Frozen", and "Mer Girl" on her 2001 Drowned World Tour;[14] "Frozen" on her 2004 Re-Invention World Tour;[15] "Ray of Light" and "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" on her 2006 Confessions Tour[16], "Ray of Light" and "Frozen" on her 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour.[17] (Note: "Frozen" was performed during the 2009 leg of the tour)

Critical response and awards

Upon release, the album received positive responses from international music critics. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described the album as "one of the great pop masterpieces of the '90s" and stated that: "Its lyrics are uncomplicated but its statement is grand" and "Madonna hadn't been this emotionally candid since Like A Prayer".[5] Roni Sarig, in a review for Amazon.com, stated that Ray of Light "is her richest, most accomplished record yet."[18] He was most impressed by Madonna's vocal range, depth, and clarity which had become stronger since her voice lessons for the film Evita (1996). Rob Sheffield's review for Rolling Stone was mostly positive, but he did point out the weak aspects of the album. Sheffield called the album "brilliant", but was critical of Orbit's production, stating that he "doesn't know enough tricks to fill a whole CD, so he repeats himself something fierce."[4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic called Ray of Light Madonna's "most adventurous record" and her "most mature and restrained album." In his review he gave the album four out of five stars.[1] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A- stating "For all her grapplings with self-enlightenment, Madonna seems more relaxed and less contrived than she's been in years, from her new Italian earth-mother makeover to, especially, her music. Ray of Light is truly like a prayer, and you know she'll take you there."[2] Writing for Melody Maker in February 1998, Mark Roland drew comparisons with the music of St Etienne and Björk's Homogenic album, highlighting Ray of Light's lack of cynicism as its most positive aspect; "It's not an album turned on the lathe of cynical pop manipulation, rather it's been squished out of a lump of clay on a foot-powered wheel. Lovingly teased into life, "Ray Of Light" is like the ugly mug that doesn't match but is all the more special because of it."[3] Despite noting an improvement in quality over 1994's Bedtime Stories, Andy Gill of The Independent wasn't overly impressed by Ray of Light. He drew parallels with Brian Eno's music of the 1970s and Beloved's albums of the early 90s, and, although he surmised that it marked a more mature and subdued sound for Madonna, he went on to describe the record as "lightweight disco-pop".[7]

In 1999, Ray of Light won three Grammy Awards for "Best Dance Recording", "Best Pop Album", and "Best Recording Package", and was nominated for Album of the Year. In addition, the album's title track won a Grammy for "Best Short Form Music Video and was nominated for Record of the Year."[19] In 2002, VH1 viewers in the United Kingdom voted Ray of Light as the tenth greatest album of all time. That year Rolling Stone readers also voted the album as the twenty-ninth best recording ever. Later, the magazine ranked Ray of Light at #363 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time."[20]

Chart performance

Ray of Light debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart on the issue dated March 21, 1998 and was present on the chart for seventy-eight weeks.[21] Since its release, it has been certified 4x Platinum in the U.S., where after fifty-nine weeks, it descended from the top one hundred. In Canada, the album debuted at number one,[21] and has since been certified 7x Platinum. It became Madonna's first album since Erotica to reach the top position in Canada.[22]

In Australia, Ray of Light also debuted at number one, and became Madonna's seventh album to reach the top spot.[23] It has since been certified 3x Platinum. In Germany, the album reached number one, and remained there for seven weeks, where it achieved 3x Platinum status.[24] It has since become Madonna's highest selling album in Germany. Ray of Light failed to reach the top position in France, managing to reach number two, where it remained for seven weeks, and was certified 3x Platinum. In the United Kingdom, Ray of Light debuted at number one on the albums chart, remaining in the top spot for two weeks. In January 2003, the album was certified 6x Platinum with 1,897,000 copies sold.

Singles

"Frozen", the lead single from the album, became Madonna's eighth number one single on the UK Singles Chart, and reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.[25] Co-written by Patrick Leonard, the song featured Madonna's vocals over layers of string arrangements and synthesizers. In 2005, a Belgian court ruled that the opening four-bar theme to the song was plagiarized from the song "Ma vie fout le camp", composed by Salvatore Acquaviva. The ruling forbid the sale of the single and the entire Ray of Light album, as well as other compilations that included the track in Belgium.[26]

The second single, "Ray of Light", based on the track "Sepheryn", written by Clive Maldoon & Dave Curtiss (Curtiss Maldoon) in the 70s, was 20 years later reworked by Clives' cousin Christine Ann Leach and William Orbit and featured a combination of high-energy techno sounds and electric guitar riffs. It debuted at No. 2 in the UK.[27] It reached the top 5 in the U.S.,[28] and was certified Gold in both countries.[29][30] The song was also a dance hit in the U.S., remaining at number one for four weeks, and became the top Hot Dance Club Play single of 1998.[28] The song was nominated for "Record of the Year" at the 1999 Grammy Awards, but lost to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."[19]

"Drowned World/Substitute for Love" became the third release outside of North America, and was a top-ten hit in the UK.[27] The music video, directed by Walter Stern, caused controversy due to scenes that featured Madonna being chased by paparazzi on motor-bikes, a scenario similar to Princess Diana's death in 1997.[31]

The fourth single, "The Power of Good-Bye", a ballad reflecting on a painful breakup, became a modest chart success, peaking at number six in the UK, and number eleven in the U.S.[28] It was released in the UK with "Little Star", a song about Madonna's daughter, as an AA side.

"Nothing Really Matters", the fifth and final single release, became a top-ten hit in the UK, reaching number seven.[27] In the U.S., however, the song became Madonna's lowest charting single on the Hot 100, although it reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.[28] Its music video, directed by Johan Renck, was inspired by Arthur Golden's book Memoirs of a Geisha, and featured Madonna dressed as a geisha.[32]

Track listing

# Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Drowned World/Substitute for Love"   Madonna, William Orbit, Rod McKuen, Anita Kerr, David Collins Madonna, William Orbit 5:09
2. "Swim"   Madonna, W. Orbit Madonna, William Orbit 5:00
3. "Ray of Light"   Madonna, W. Orbit, Clive Maldoon, Dave Curtiss, Christine Ann Leach Madonna, William Orbit 5:20
4. "Candy Perfume Girl"   Madonna, W. Orbit, Susannah Melvoin Madonna, William Orbit 4:39
5. "Skin"   Madonna, Patrick Leonard Madonna, William Orbit, Marius DeVries 6:22
6. "Nothing Really Matters"   Madonna, P. Leonard Madonna, William Orbit, Marius DeVries 4:27
7. "Sky Fits Heaven"   Madonna, P. Leonard Madonna, William Orbit, Patrick Leonard 4:48
8. "Shanti/Ashtangi"   Madonna, W. Orbit Madonna, William Orbit 4:29
9. "Frozen"   Madonna, P. Leonard Madonna, William Orbit, Patrick Leonard 6:15
10. "The Power of Good-Bye"   Madonna, Rick Nowels Madonna, William Orbit, Patrick Leonard 4:10
11. "To Have and Not to Hold"   Madonna, R. Nowels Madonna, William Orbit, Patrick Leonard 5:23
12. "Little Star"   Madonna, R. Nowels Madonna, Marius DeVries 5:19
13. "Mer Girl"   Madonna, W. Orbit Madonna, William Orbit 5:32

Japanese CD bonus track

# Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
14. "Has to Be"   Madonna, W. Orbit, P. Leonard Madonna, William Orbit 5:15


Additional notes

  • "Drowned World/Substitute for Love": contains a sample of "Why I Follow The Tigers" performed by the San Sebastian Strings.
  • "Shanti/Ashtangi": adapted from text by Shankaracharya, taken from the Yoga Taravali. Additional text: Traditional, Translation by Vyass Houston and Eddie Stern.
  • "Mer Girl": contains an interpolation and elements from "Space" performed by Gábor Szabó.
  • "Has to Be": was also available as the B-side to the "Ray of Light" single.

Charts and certifications

Charts[33] Peak
Position
Certification Sales/Shipments
Australian ARIA Albums Chart 1[34] 3× platinum[35] 310,000
Austrian Albums Chart 2[34] 2× platinum[36] 100,000
Belgian Albums Chart 1[34]
Brazilian Albums Chart Platinum[37] 250,000
Canadian Albums Chart[28] 1[21] 7× platinum[38] 700,000
Danish Albums Chart 23[34] 5× platinum[39] 200,000
Dutch Albums Chart 1[34] 3× platinum[40] 270,000
European Top 100 Albums 7× platinum[41] 7,000,000
Finnish Albums Chart 1[34] Platinum 50,604
French Albums Chart 2[34] 3× platinum 1,000,000[42]
German Albums Chart[43] 1[34] 3× platinum[44] 1,500,000[45]
New Zealand Albums Chart 1 Platinum[46] 15,000
29 1 Gold[47] 7,500
Norwegian Albums Chart 1[34] 2× platinum[48] 80,000
Polish Albums Chart 2× platinum[49] 80,000
Russian Albums Chart 7× platinum[50] 140,000
Spanish Albums Chart 73[34] 3× platinum 300,000
Swedish Albums Chart 2[34] 3× platinum 240,000
Swiss Albums Chart 1[34] 3× platinum[51] 150,000
UK Albums Chart 1[52] 6× platinum 1,800,000
U.S. Billboard 200 2[28] 4× platinum 3,837,000[53]
Preceded by
Titanic (OST) by James Horner
UK number one album
March 14 – March 27, 1998
Succeeded by
Let's Talk About Love by Celine Dion
Preceded by
Yield by Pearl Jam
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
March 15 – March 21, 1998
Succeeded by
Mezzanine by Massive Attack

Notes:

Release details

All editions released by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records.
Release format Country Release date
Regular album United Kingdom/Germany March 2, 1998
Limited edition album United Kingdom/Germany March 1998
Double-vinyl album United Kingdom/Germany March 2, 1998
Cassette album[54] United Kingdom/Germany March 2, 1998
Mini-disc album[55] United Kingdom/Germany March 2, 1998
Regular album[56] North America March 3, 1998
Limited edition album[57] North America March 1998
Japanese album[58] Japan February 22, 1998
Japanese double album1[59] Japan September 8, 1999
Japanese vinyl album [60] Japan February 1998

Notes:

  • 1 contains the regular album with a bonus disc titled "Words & Music", containing interviews.

Credits and personnel

See also

  • Unreleased Madonna songs — songs written and/or recorded by Madonna during the Ray of Light sessions that remain unreleased.

References

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (March 6, 1998). "allmusic ((( Ray of Light > Overview )))". Allmusic]. Macrovision Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:nmkpu3tjan6k. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
  2. ^ a b Browne, David (March 6, 1998). "Ethereal Girl". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,282100,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
  3. ^ a b Roland, Mark. "Review: Madonna - Ray Of Light, Maverick". Melody Maker (IPC Media) (February 28, 1998): 42. 
  4. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (April 2, 1998). "Madonna: Ray of Light review". Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wener. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/madonna/albums/album/111072/review/18725830/ray_of_light. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
  5. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (March 9, 2003). "Madonna - Ray Of Light - Music Review". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=398. Retrieved 2009-07-17. 
  6. ^ Sullivan, Caroline. "Review: Madonna - Ray Of Light (WEA)". Friday Review (Guardian Media Group) (February 27, 1998): 18. 
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  8. ^ [1] Entertainment Madonna: Mad for Fame at 40. Retrieved November 18 2009.
  9. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wener. November 18, 2003. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
  10. ^ Amazon.com: Ray of Light: Madonna: Music
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  12. ^ Madonna-Online.ch. Discography — Ray of Light. Retrieved May 23, 2006.
  13. ^ Anderson, Gina. Madonna Village Reproducing Juice Magazine "Mystic Eyes", 1998. Retrieved May 23, 2006.
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  23. ^ Australian Certification Organism (year 1999) Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  24. ^ Garman certification organism Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  25. ^ Singles Charts position in USA, UK, Japan, Canada and Australia. Retrieved August 1, 2007
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  38. ^ Canadian Recording Industry Association (December 21, 1999). "Canadian certification (search)". cria.ca. http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  39. ^ International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (Week 35, 2006). "Danish certification". ifpi.fi. http://www.hitlisterne.dk/. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  40. ^ NVPI (1998). "Dutch certification (search)". nvpi.nl. http://www.nvpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=60461. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
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  42. ^ "French sales". fanofmusic.free.fr. 2005. http://fanofmusic.free.fr/ParcoursAlbum-M.php. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  43. ^ "German Albums Chart (Search)". charts-surfer.de. 1998. http://www.charts-surfer.de/. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  44. ^ International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (2000). "German certification". musikindustrie.de. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=1&strSuche=Ray+of+Light. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
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  46. ^ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (June 27, 1999). "New Zealand certification (search)". rianz.org.nz. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  47. ^ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (October 3, 1999). "New Zealand certification (search)". rianz.org.nz. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  48. ^ International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (1999). "Norwegian certification (search)". ifpi.no. http://www.ifpi.no/sok/index_trofe.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  49. ^ Polish Producers of Audio and Video (1998). "Polish certification". ifpi.no. http://www.zpav.pl/plyty.asp?page=platynowe&lang=en. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  50. ^ "Russian certification". 2m-online.ru. 1998. http://2m-online.ru/gold_n_platinum/detail.php?COUNTRY=4028. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  51. ^ "Swiss Charts certifications". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Swiss Music Charts. 2000. http://swisscharts.com/awards.asp?year=2000. Retrieved 2009-08-27. 
  52. ^ Every Hit (March 1998). "UK Albums Chart". everyhit.com. http://www.everyhit.com/. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  53. ^ Trust, Gary (2009-08-14). "Ask Billboard: Madonna vs. Whitney: Who's Sold More?". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-madonna-vs-whitney-who-s-sold-1004003516.story#/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-madonna-vs-whitney-who-s-sold-1004003516.story. Retrieved 2009-10-09. 
  54. ^ Madonna - Ray Of Light #9362 46847 4 Discogs. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  55. ^ Madonna - Ray Of Light #9362 46847 8 Discogs. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
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