Ray
of light is the eight seventh album from queen of
pop, Madonna and was the stars' comeback album after her lengthy absence from music during the mid- nineties. The
album received critical acclaim and is one of the stars most successful and
musically accomplished albums to date. It won four Grammy awards and spawned
many chart-topping singles, which re-established Madonna as the most successful female and versatile artist of our
time.
Ray
of light has been defined as Madonna’s spiritual
album, which saw the star re-invent herself as a techno yogi, ready to share
her most candid and soul searching stories ever. The albums inspiration comes
from Madonna’s own practice of yoga, eastern philosophies and the birth of her
first child, Lourdes.
The term Ray Of Light, from a yogic perspective, refers to the Sanskrit term, Sushumna Nadi, the main energy centre of the body, which runs
along the spine.
With the practice of yoga, this energy channel, and others, can be awakened to release
energy to the body and mind. The title track thus, is an energetic techno-rave
of pure light and joy, which uplifts any grey day. The inspiring lyrics and
energy suggests the artist is spiritually, physically and mentally sound and
also suggests someone who is rejoicing in their newfound knowledge. ‘She’s got herself a little piece of heaven’,
‘she’s got herself a universe’ and ‘I feel home’, are all lyrics from this
track that support this interpretation. The track is carefully placed behind, Drowned world/substitute for love and Swim, both personal insights on
redemption and spiritual growth. Ray of
light extends these themes as a celebration on how one feels after much
soul-searching and reflection.
The middle chunk of the album continues on
the spiritual musical journey, with three tracks bursting with inspired
enlightenment.
Nothing
Really Matters is an honest, beautiful expression
of love and compassion, encapsulating a universal idea of how to treat one and
other. ‘Nothing really matters, love is
all we need. Everything I give you, all comes back to me’ is the lyrical
mantra which enriches with its message of loving another gives one and
abundance of love back and that’s what really maters.
Sky
Fits Heaven is a thumping kick-ass ride along a
road of philosophical signs and following your heart. This track implies
struggles with spiritual wisdom and how one should always follow their heart
more than the oversaturated amount of offerings one could receive on their
spiritual path. The verses are all philosophical offerings and advise on what
one should do or could aim for when following their spiritual path, however the
music is a pounding beat of electronica, which highlights the distortion between
your own mind and an overload of information. The chorus on the other hand is
melodic and sung beautifully, reflective of the lyrics, which suggest that
following ones own road and heart may be the best way forward.
A traditional yoga mantra gets a techno-pop
makeover in the form of, Shanti/Astangi.
This track blends together Indian music, techno and Sanskrit to great effect
and is never shy of being played in yoga classes.
Listening to this album is like going on a
journey- a journey through the pitfalls of fame and life, spiritual awakening
and growth. Being released in the late
90’s, a time when consciousness in the
world, along with yoga, was being more and more valued as a way of life and
superstars like Madonna, were able to bring those values into popular culture
to reach a wider audience, inspiring many people to take up yoga and to adopt
an eastern way of thinking. This is more than a pop album, it’s a concept, a
spiritual guide and musically ahead of its time which still sounds modern and
relevant today. An absolute must for any music fan and modern yogi alike.
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