ballad, but in the minute mark, it changes to a mid-tempo dance-pop song. The ambient music becomes restrained, although a cursory bleeping sound can be heard from the right to the left. The background has a number of faint strings in it, which signifies the depth of the stereo field. The chorus starts with a fast-pacing dance sound, over which Madonna sings, "Nothing really matters / love is all we need / everything I give you / all comes back to me." Throughout the entire song, it includes two verses, three choruses, one bridge section, and an outro. The bridge is backed by piano sounds with a descending sequence by a couple of bars. Madonna sings the same lyrics in the outro, but is slowed down and echoed longer until the music fades out. The lyrics are about the birth of Madonna's daughter Lourdes, and the realization of motherhood. In an interview with the Wesleyan University Press, the singer stated: "There's a song on the album called 'Nothing Really Matters', and it is very much inspired by my daughter. it's just realizing that at the end of the day, the most important thing is loving people and sharing love. The birth of my daughter has been a huge influence. It's different to look at life through the eyes of a child, and suddenly you have a whole new respect for life and you kind of get your innocence back. It's this realisation which I incorporated in 'Nothing Really Matters', 'Little Star' and 'Mer Girl'." Based on the lyrical content, Bryan Lark from The Michigan Daily reviewed the parent album, and concluded that as the single "Ray of Light" was about confronting the past, "Nothing Really Matters" conversely is about "moving onward." Release details "Nothing Really Matters" was selected as the fifth and final single from Ray of Light, and was released on March 2, 1999, by Maverick Records and Warner Bros. Records. It was released in six major formats, including a 12 inch vinyl, two CD singles, one maxi CD, a cassette tape, and was made available for digital download. A promotional 7 inch vinyl was issued to several clubs in North America, and included the original album version, along with the B-side and parent album track "To Have and Not To Hold". Two 12 inch vinyl formats were released in North America; one included four vinyls that incorporate two