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[Nina West]

2nd Place. Ray of Light = 9 votes



Welcome Buzzjack to the results of Madonna's 'GHV2' survivor poll, and after months of each song battling it out for survival, we finally came down to our final 2, with 'Ray of Light' finishing in a very respectable runner up position with 9 votes to win, and despite looking very likely to win early on, it got trampled over the last couple of weeks by 'Frozen' (which I will be talking about below). However for now I'll be giving this magnificent gem a shout out.

Released in May 1998 as the 2nd single from her 7th studio album of the same name, and produced by Madonna and Orbit, "Ray of Light" is based on Curtiss Maldoon's "Sepheryn" and is an electronic dance song with techno, trance, Eurodance, and disco influences. "Ray of Light" consists of a main synth sound oscillating on the primary musical note, and an electric guitar riff. Lyrically, the song has a theme of freedom. The song has received critical acclaim by music critics, for its club-friendly, electronic sound, lyrics, and "emotional warmth". The song was also nominated for three Grammy Awards; for Record of the Year, Best Dance Recording, and Best Short Form Music Video, winning the last two. "Ray of Light" debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Madonna's highest debut on the chart to date. It also reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Internationally, the song reached the top five in Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom, and peaked at number one in Greece, Scotland, and Spain.

This definitely stands as one of Madonna's greatest numbers and like no other Madonna hit in recent memory, this frantic tune found the singer in a celebratory tech-frenzy. Whether it was an epiphany of the spiritual or sonic kind with its sonically progressive yet listener friendly sound further cemented her dominance, after the lead single brought her back to the forefront, this definitely made it stick and an almighty force to be reckoned with. William Orbit is also another main contributor to thank for this masterpiece with his stellar production and brilliant cycles of synth sounds, along with some electric guitar licks which perfectly supplemented the elasticity of Madonna’s newly-trained vocal chords. A perfect follow up release in my opinion and just an all round amazing body of work (including the excellent album itself), this is something she should be well and truly proud of.

Winner: Frozen = 13 votes



So we are finally here at the finishing point with the almighty 'Frozen' as the winner of Madonna's 'GHV2' survivor poll with a whopping 13 votes to WIN, running away with the crown and has been consistanly popular throughout, by not gaining any votes for 9 out of 13 rounds and came first in the ranking round early on, which pretty much set this in stone as the eventual winner, and making this a well earned and deserved feat. After watching many firm faves fall by the wayside week by week, this has always held on strong and its not hard to see why this is so loved.

Released in February 1998 as the lead single from her 7th studio album 'Ray of Light' and was written by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, and it was produced in collaboration with William Orbit. A mid-tempo electronica ballad, "Frozen" talks about a cold and emotionless human being. In 2005, a judge in Belgium ruled that "Frozen" was plagiarized from a song by Salvatore Acquaviva, and it was banned from the region. This ruling was overturned in 2014, lifting the Belgium ban on the song. "Frozen" received acclaim from music critics, some of whom deemed it an album standout. It was described as being a masterpiece, and its melodic beat and sound were defined as "cinematic". The single was also a worldwide commercial success. It became Madonna's sixth single to peak at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, making her the artist with the most number-two hits in the history of that chart. "Frozen" also became her first single to debut at the top of the UK Singles Chart, while reaching number one in Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Scotland, and Spain, and the top five elsewhere.

I think I has this one pretty much pegged to win from the start and thankfully I was right. This was Madonna’s return to pop music after a detour that took her from Argentina to motherhood to spiritual reawakening. Teaming up with William Orbit has to be her smartest career move to date, as this really brought her back to the forefront and not only brought back many of her older fans, but brought in a whole new generation of fans that got people talking about her again in a more positive light, where it felt like for a while that not many people were paying interest and it seemed that she was in a rut of sorts, however this and the album that followed set things right and really put Madonna back on top where she belongs. The track's expressive drum fills and pulsating electronic effects. Its lyrics were uncomplicated but its statement was grand, and really created something well and truly breathtaking and just wonderful and on the whole Madonna and her team crafted what only be described as one of the greatest pop masterpieces of the 90's.

Results in Full:
01. Frozen = 13/59.09% (to Win)
02. Ray of Light = 9/40.91%
03. The Power of Good-Bye = 7/43.75%
04. Don't Tell Me = 6/42.86%
05. Deeper and Deeper = 8/30.77%
05. Music = 8/30.77%
07. Drowned World/Substitute For Love = 7/53.85%
08. Secret = 6/40.00%
09. Beautiful Stranger = 5/33.33%
10. Take a Bow = 35 points
11. Erotica = 5/38.46%
12. Bedtime Story = 6/40.00%
13. Human Nature = 7/31.82%
14. What It Feels Like for a Girl = 6/24.00%
15. Don't Cry for me Argentina = 13/86.67%

This post has been edited by SamJudd: May 14 2019, 09:44 PM