Madonna paid tribute to her late Ray of Light producer William Orbit, saying in an Instagram post that he gave her “a magic carpet to fly on.”
“I had an epiphany when I met you and started working with you,” she writes today. “I realized that music did not have to fit into categories or genres. So we created our own.” See the post below.
Orbit, who won a Grammy for his on Madonna’s multiplatinum album Ray of Light and also worked with such other artists as U2, Britney Spears, No Doubt and Blur, died July 23 at the age of 69. His death was announced by his family this week.
Madonna’s tribute today is accompanied by footage from the “Ray of Light” song video as well as a clip of them accepting the Best Pop Album Grammy in 1999.
“Goodbye William Orbit,” she writes. “I had an epiphany when I met you and started working with you. I realized that music did not have to fit into categories or genres. So we created our own. You pressed a magic button inside of me and I fell into a galaxy of unrealized dreams. Your music gave me a magic carpet to fly on and I visited many places. Sad and Joyful.
“I sang in ways I’d never sung before,” she continues. “I used words without caring if they made sense or not. In many ways you were my Ray of Light – as was my daughter Lola who was born around this time – I was starting a new chapter, I was choosing another road to walk down – and you were right by my side with your crooked teeth and your genius, way of hearing music. The studio was often church like and I would sit in silence, waiting for your ideas to explode out of your keyboard or your guitar and then I would run with them………..
“I miss those days. Only you could inspire me to write a song like Drowned World or Swim. You were so otherworldly. So singular.
“The years passed and I moved on to make music with other people, but I have never forgotten you or the magical time we spent together. Goodbye Billy Bubbles. I was so lucky to have known you and fallen down the rabbit hole with you.”
