MM: A bold move to take "Frozen" as the first single?

M: (Quizzically) Do you think?? Yeah, I thought it would have been bolder to take some of the other tracks. I thought "Frozen" was like a good way to bridge the way people are used to hearing me sound to, like, the newer stuff. [About the video]. It's very, um, it's kind of like I go to the desert and have a mystical experience. It's quite beautiful but I'm all alone, and the day turns into night, and it's me, and some birds, and a dog, and it's very haunting.

MM: We'll talk about the title track, "Ray of Light".

M: A-ha.

MM: That track is going to be monstrous!

M: (Smiles and nods) I love it! That's my favourite song on the record.

MM: Yeah?

M: Yeah.

MM: There can be so many mixes for a start, you know?

M: Well we've already got three, in addition to the album mix. William's already done three, and I'm going to ask other people to do different ones, too.

MM: Why do you say it's bold? I think it's Madonna 90s, you know, dance, and talking about Madonna dance…wow, this is really different.

M: (Nods) Yeah, but I'm also singing in, like, a register of my voice that I don't usually sing in, it's almost operatic sounding, so…and another thing is that there's a lot of guitar on it, and I haven't had a lot of guitar on my music in a long time.

Another snippet from the "Frozen" video is shown.

MM: I was thinking about, on the plane coming over, you know, how long I'd known you, the good times, the bad times, the laughs and everything else. But you have weathered this very well, in so many ways.

M: A-ha.

MM: Has it been hard?

M: (Pause) Being famous? Well it's taken me 15 years to, sort of, deal with it gracefully, I think. I mean in the beginning, it was a rush, you don't know what you're in for, you're really excited, you say and do things and you don't really care, you know what I mean? And then you go through the "Oh my God!", you know? Suddenly you have no privacy, you have no anonymity and you become really bitter about it and, you know, you just want to tell everyone to, you know, F off.(pause - and then looks quizzically at Molly) Can you swear on TV in Australia? (Genuine question and curiosity, judging by her expression).

MM: Yeah (Madonna nods and says "Oh", then Molly waves his hand in the air and says - ) just say "Fuck off!" (it's bleeped, of course!).

M: (Laughs, shows genuine surprise) Oh ok!! Fuck off! (waves hand in the air the same way Molly did - very Italian-like! Once again, it's bleeped, and the audience in the studio laughs) and then (laughs a bit at what she's just done, then composes herself)...and now...I feel like I've come out on the other side of it and I've sort of accepted it, you know what I mean? I don't really fight it and it's sort of there and just a part of the whole deal.

MM: If someone was to write a book on you

M: (Screws up face) I think they have, already.

MM: Well they have, many, but I mean the real book, I mean…

M: (Interrupting) I'LL write the real book, thank you very much!

MM: Will you write the real book?

M: Yeah, when I'm 80. And I WILL live that long!

MM: Hmmm, I know that! (Said in a friendly sarcastic manner)