Critical Reception
"Ray of Light" has received acclaim from critics ever since its release. Liana Jonas of Allmusic called the track a "wickedly good club song", as well as claiming that it was "sonically progressive yet listener-friendly"; she also praised Madonna's vocals, comparing them to those of a "club diva to celestial goddess". In a separate Allmusic review for the album as a whole, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the track as "swirling". Rob Sheffield in his review for the album as a whole, wrote that, alongside other tracks such as "Swim" and "Drowned World/Substitute For Love", Madonna is "positively ferocious". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that the song was a "celebratory tech-frenzy", and noted Madonna's "elation" in the song, giving it an "A" rating. In a Slant Magazine list of the best singles of the 1990s, in which the song was placed 16th, it was written that the song's "beat is restless", and that "Ray of Light" is "a standout single" due to the song's "emotional warmth". Bill Lamb of About.com, described the song and the music of the album as "fresh, new and invigorating". In her book Madonna: Like an Icon, Lucy O'Brien described the song as "speedy acid electronica" and an "ecstatic hymn to the skies" and noted that the song was composed a semitone higher than the singer's vocal comfort zone, but claimed that "the strain really helped".
In 1999, "Ray of Light" won two Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video. It was also nominated for Record of the Year, but lost to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." About.com named the song as the fifth "Top 100 Pop Songs of the 1990s". In 2005, the song placed at No. 401 on Blender Magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". Slant Magazine listed "Ray of Light" as 16th "Best Singles of the '90s" Furthermore, The Village Voice ranked the single as the fourth best in 1998 in their Pazz & Jop critics' poll.
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