"Absolutely no regrets," Madonna says at the end of her 1995 music video for "Human Nature," in which she wears a skin-tight black catsuit and her hair in cornrows. It was a controversial look, but then again Madonna at that time was synonymous with controversy. Remember, prior to this she released Erotica (1992), an album just as literal as its title, alongside a coffee table book called Sex. Three years prior, Madonna danced in front of burning crosses in her "Like a Prayer" video. Before that, she sang about reproductive rights on "Papa Don't Preach" and, before that, writhed around the MTV Video Music Awards stage in a wedding dress.

Madonna meant what she said in "Human Nature": She doesn't have regrets. She says to this day that her most provocative transformations—or reinventions, as the critics called them—have purpose. She pushes the boundaries of religion, sexuality, and gender to effect real change, specifically for women and queer people. Granted, in 2004 she did admit there was an element of exhibitionism to her early nineties escapades, but they weren't just for shock value.

Don't tell that to the masses, though. By the time Madonna released "Human Nature" in 1995, people had grown numb to her outrageous images. Sure, the music was good, but it was lost in the circus Madonna created herself. That was the case for Erotica too, and Like a Prayer, and seemingly every album she released prior. Madonna's style completely overshadowed her substance; she was everywhere, yet no one knew who the hell she was. Fans and critics alike began wondering how she'd keep the show going after (problematic) cornrows and catsuits. How would the queen of shock out-shock herself?

The answer was actually shocking. In 1998—three years after "Human Nature" and six years after Erotica—Madonna ushered in a new, surprising reinvention: herself. She did this through Ray of Light, her seventh studio album, which was released in the United States 20 years ago today. It's arguably her best work, full stop: a sprawling collection of earthy electronica that's vast in sonic landscape yet intimate in content. For the first time ever, Madonna was introspective, not performative—internal, not external. All the songs from the record sound like diary entries—a sharp contrast to the bombastic, declarative style of her biggest hits, like "Express Yourself" and "Open Your Heart." On Ray of Light, Madonna isn't pushing an agenda or buttons, or trying to change culture at large. She's simply self-reflecting, and because of that, it's her most shocking work to date.