Madonna: "Ray of Light"

The "Ray of Light" album--widely regarded as Madonna's magnum opus--uses "Frozen" as a lead single. This is a sequel to Madonna's own "Open Your Heart," and in fact, it employs the words "open," "your," and "heart."

You're so consumed with how much you get.

You waste your time with hate and regret.

You're broken, when your heart's not open.

The new lover has one foot out the door, and a part of Madonna is really irritated. But:

...Now there's no point in placing the blame.

And you should know I suffer the same.

If I lose you, my heart will be broken.

It's interesting to see that, in some ways, Madonna has compassion for this guy ("There's no point in placing the blame"). There is a hint of Buddhist detachment between the lines; elsewhere, at this point in her career, Madonna is making allusions to "being an Ashtangi." Indeed, Madonna *empathizes* with the lover; she understands shiftiness. ("I suffer the same.")

There isn't any resolution, but there's a great music video; Madonna is a kind of desert-witch, and she can summon the spirits of ravens. Or something like this.

Happy birthday to "Ray of Light"--!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS088Opj9o0

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