1998–2002: Return to prominence

1998's Ray of Light blended personal and introspective lyrics with Eastern sounds, down-tempo, electronic instrumentation, strings by Craig Armstrong and a strong rave flavor. The album reached number two on the U.S. albums chart and since its release has been certified 4x platinum. It earned Madonna the strongest reviews of her career since Like a Prayer. 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.Amazon.com described the album as her richest, most accomplished record yet, while Rolling Stone credited Madonna and her co-producer William Orbit for creating the first mainstream pop album that successfully embraces techno, stating that musically Ray of Light is her most adventurous record yet. Ray of Light produced five singles, including the European number one (and American number two) Frozen .[citation needed] The album won three awards at the 1999 Grammy Awards and has been ranked #363 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Microsoft used the Ray of Light title track in its 2001 advertising campaign Yes you can, to introduce Windows XP. The 5 singles released reached the Top 10 in the UK. They were Ray of Light (#2), Drowned World/Substitute for Love (#10), The Power of Good-Bye (#6), and Nothing Really Matters (#7).


Madonna in Frozen video.In 1998, Madonna was signed to play the role of violin teacher Roberta Guaspari Demetras in the film Music of the Heart, but left the project before filming began, citing creative differences with director Wes Craven. She has already studied for many months to play the violin. The children of Opus 118 - Harlem School of Music, led by Roberta Guaspari, performed with Madonna twice in 1998: Frozen at the Annual Rain Forest Benefit at Carnegie Hall, New York and at the 1998 VH1 Fashion Awards performing The Power of Good-Bye.

Madonna followed the success of Ray of Light with the top-twenty single (#19-U.S.) Beautiful Stranger, a late 60s psyche-pop song she wrote with William Orbit and recorded for the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack (1999). In 2000, Madonna starred in The Next Best Thing, her first film since Evita. Madonna contributed two songs to the film's soundtrack, Time Stood Still and the U.S. Top 40 (#29) / British chart-topper American Pie, a cover version of the 1970s Don McLean single.


Madonna and Ali G in Music video.Music, her eighth studio album, had Madonna getting back to the spirit of dance and house music. Despite this, she retained the moodiness of Ray of Light in Paradise (Not for Me) and introduced folk guitars in the top ten hit “Don't Tell Me” (#4-U.S.) and the ballad “Gone.” Music debuted at number one on both the US and UK album charts. It was her first US number one album since 1989's Like a Prayer. Mainly co-written and produced with French house musician Mirwais Ahmadzai, the album produced three singles, including the title track, which made number one in 26 countries including the U.S.. The third single, “What It Feels Like for a Girl” (#23-U.S.), featured a controversial music video, directed by Madonna's husband, Guy Ritchie. In 2001, Madonna embarked on the Drowned World Tour, her first tour in eight years. It was the subject of a television special in the US, and was released on DVD in November 2001 to coincide with the release of her second greatest hits album, GHV2.

GHV2 did not include new songs, although clubs did receive mega-mixes for promotional play.[citation needed] In 2002, Madonna starred in the film Swept Away. Later that year, she released the theme song to the James Bond film Die Another Day, which she also had a brief role in. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for both a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and a Golden Raspberry for Worst Song.