Ray of Light (lost original 10-minute version of Madonna song; 1998)

Ray Of Light single release cover

Status: Lost

On May 6, 1998, pop singer Madonna released the song Ray Of Light as the second single of her seventh studio album of the same title. This track instantly became one of the greatest hits of her career. Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Clive Mandon, Dave Curtiss, Christine Leach and produced by Orbit, the song received critical acclaim by popular music critics, praising its lyrics and club-friendly electronic sound.

Ray Of Light was recorded along with the rest of her album at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood, California. The singer made a comment about the theme, saying that it was "totally out of control", and she also claimed that "the original version is well over 10 minutes long. It was completely indulgent, but I loved it. It was heartbreaking to cut it to a manageable length." This original version of this track was supposed to be included on a compilation disc, titled Veronica Electronica, but neither the album or the uncut song were ever released.

On April 30, 2014, a 7-minute version of the song leaked on YouTube. It was titled as the "full ending version", and although is not the work of the track in its entirety, it is maybe close to the demo that Madonna was forced to cut to 5 minutes on the album official release. As this version surfaced on the web, some fans expect to find the entire demo on Internet. It has probabilities of leaking, due to the fact that most of Madonna's album demos were leaked and are also available at YouTube, SoundCloud and other streaming platforms.

Leaked Copy

The leaked 7-minute version of the song, first uploaded in April 2014.