Today in Madonna History: May 6, 1998

May 6, 2021 By sonicboy19 in 1998, May Tags: Christine Leach, Curtiss Maldoon, Ray Of Light (Album), Ray Of Light (Single), Single Release, William Orbit 3 Comments

On May 6 1998, Ray of Light was released by Maverick Records. The title track from her seventh studio album was issued internationally as the album’s second single.

Ray Of Light is based on a track called Sepheryn by Curtiss Maldoon, and was included on their 1971 self-titled album. In 1996, Christine Leach, Maldoon’s niece, recorded her version of the track with William Orbit. Leach said she had always loved Dave Curtiss and Clive Maldoon’s work and noted that Sepheryn had a dream-like quality. Leach revised the chorus melody while Orbit provided new music for the song. After Madonna heard Leach’s version of the track, she immediately took to it and began reworking its lyrics.

Maldoon said he “couldn’t believe it” after he heard it, and was pleased with what Madonna had done with his original composition. Madonna 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.”

Madonna’s original unedited version was set to be included on a remix album titled Veronica Electronica that was initially discussed as a follow-up to Ray Of Light, but plans for the collection apparently never made it past the drawing board.

Today in Madonna History: April 25, 1998

April 25, 2021 By sonicboy19 in 1998, April Tags: Chris Cunningham, Frozen, Hot Dance Club Play, Remix Videos 1 Comment

For the weeks of April 25, and May 2, 1998, Madonna’s Frozen was the #1 dance single on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Today in Madonna History: April 12, 1998

April 12, 2021 By sonicboy19 in 1998, April Tags: Debi Mazar, Early Years, Maripol, New York, Nile Rodgers, Rising, Rupert Everett, Seymour Stein, TV Special 3 Comments

On April 12 1998, the television special Madonna Rising premiered.

Produced as part of the promotional activities for the Ray Of Light album, the special featured Madonna reminiscing about her formative years in New York with pal Rupert Everett as they visited some of her pre-fame dwellings and hang-outs. Interview segments with Nile Rodgers, Debi Mazar, Seymour Stein, Maripol and others were also included for good measure.

Today in Madonna History: April 11, 1998

April 11, 2021 By sonicboy19 in 1998, April Tags: Frozen, On the Cover of a Magazine, Ray Of Light (Album), TV Guide 2 Comments

On April 11 1998, Madonna appeared on the cover of TV Guide.

In the issue, Madonna explains the relationship she had with Lourdes’ father, Carlos Leon:

“I was in love with him. A lot of people think I walked out on the street and looked at him and said, `You’re going to be my sperm donor. I had a relationship with him. I still have a relationship with him. We are really good friends. . . . the last thing I want my daughter to do is grow up without a father. I grew up without a parent.”

Today in Madonna History: March 7, 1998

March 7, 2021 By Jay in 1998, March Tags: Celine Dion, Eurochart, Frozen 1 Comment

On March 7 1998, Madonna’s Frozen climbed to #2 on the Billboard Eurochart (in its second week), behind Celine Dion’s #1 My Heart Will Go On.

Today in Madonna History: February 23, 1998

February 23, 2021 By sonicboy19 in 1998, February Tags: Frozen, Live Videos, Patrick Leonard, Ray Of Light (Album), Single Release, William Orbit 1 Comment

On February 23 1998, Frozen was released by Maverick records as the lead single from Madonna’s seventh studio album, Ray of Light. The song was written by Madonna & Patrick Leonard and was produced by Madonna, Leonard & William Orbit.

Madonna has mentioned that she considers Frozen as part of a thematic trilogy with The Power Of Good-Bye and To Have And Not To Hold. In an interview with Barry Walters for Spin magazine, Madonna commented on the inspiration behind the song:

“I was so obsessed with the movie The Sheltering Sky and that whole Moroccan/orchestral/super-romantic/man-carrying-the-woman-he-loves-across-the-desert vibe. So I told [Patrick Leonard] that I wanted something with a tribal feel, something really lush and romantic. When he started playing some music, I just turned the DAT on and started free-associating and came up with the melody.”

Initially unsure of which song should be released as the album’s first single, Madonna was eventually convinced by Warner Bros. executives that Frozen would be a perfect way to bridge the Adult Contemporary leanings of her most recent hits (Take A Bow, You’ll See and the singles from Evita) with the more cutting-edge, electronic sounds of Ray Of Light.