7. “Pagan Poetry” – Bjork: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

7. “Pagan Poetry” – Bjork

(From the album Vespertine)

2001

Following the release of Homogenic Bjork took an acting role in Lars von Trier’s 2000 film Dancer In The Dark. As the main character in the film Bjork won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the same award at the Golden Globes. She was also nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song for “I’ve Seen It All”, a duet with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, that was from the film and released on Bjork’s soundtrack from the film titled Selmasongs. Bjork followed up her acting success by saying the process of acting was so emotionally and physically draining that she would never act again (a vow she has largely honored in spirit although she has taken some small roles in other films on rare occasions). Bjork quickly followed up Selmasongs with her next studio album Vespertine, an album that earned Bjork three more relatively successful singles, especially in the UK, Europe, and her native Iceland. The second of these singles was the haunting and beautiful “Pagan Poetry”. A partial factor in these singles being less successful in America was that the videos for both “Pagan Poetry” and  “Cocoon” were banned by MTV, which had been one of Bjork’s biggest supporters in the past. Nevertheless, “Pagan Poetry” cracked the UK Top 40 and became a fan favorite. Bjork followed up Vespertine by releasing a greatest hits record. The release of this hits compilation seemed to mark a turning point for Bjork in her career. The albums Bjork released in the years since her 2002 Greatest Hits album have moved even further into the realm of the experimental and Bjork seems to have made a conscious decision to make music for herself (and large cult of fans) and not worry about chasing (or setting) trends to make pop hits. This doesn’t mean that Bjork’s 21st century albums are not worth listening to, if you liked her early records that this is a rabbit hole worth following her down, but the albums increasingly follow the whim of Iceland’s quixotic muse without thought to trends or fashion.

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6. “All Is Full Of Love” – Bjork: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

6. “All Is Full Of Love” – Bjork

(From the album Homogenic)

1997

Bjork’s third album Homogenic was released in 1997 and was created as an homage to her homeland of Iceland, with many of the songs on the album dealing with themes and/or inspiration from there. Bjork had begun recording Homogenic near her home in London but all work on the record was halted after Bjork survived a murder attempt by a stalker. After that harrowing experience Bjork packed up and went to Spain to recover and continue working on the album. It was during this period of time that Bjork wrote “All Is Full Of Love”. The inspiration for the song came near the end of the writing and recording process for Homogenic. Bjork had been through a long winter dealing with the trauma of her attack and the loneliness of being away from home and friends. However, while out for a walk one morning Bjork recalls hearing birdsong and realizing that spring was dawning and that it was a time of renewal and recovery. This inspired her to write “All Is Full Of Love” which ended up being the closing track and fifth single from Homogenic and was meant to be a song of healing and recovery at the end of the album. Homogenic had several successful singles and “All Is Full Of Love” wasn’t released as a single until two years after the album came out. It is highly unusual to release a song to promote a two year old album but Bjork and director Chris Cunningham had come up with an idea for a music video for “All Is Full Of Love” that was very cinematic and experimental and Bjork liked the idea of the late release so that the video would feel more like a short film than a promotional project for the album. The single mix (which I have included here) also is a different mix than the original album version. Producer Howie B added a firmer beat and other sonic changes to this new mix of “All Is Full Of Love” and it is that version that was used with the video. The video was hailed as one of the best of the form and “All Is Full Of Love” was a critical success and fan favorite for Bjork, hitting #24 in the UK and #8 on the US dance charts (both good chart placements for a song that was released originally two years earlier and had already been a B-side to an earlier single).

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5. “It’s Oh So Quiet” – Bjork: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

5. “It’s Oh So Quiet” – Bjork

(From the album Post)

1995

Bjork followed up the success of “Army Of Me” with “Isobel”, another song that melded genres by combining electronic beats with a string arrangement. However, it was the third single from Post, a cover of the 1951 show tune “It’s Oh So Quiet”, that really showed how willing Bjork was to push the boundaries of pop music, while also sealing her reputation as an alt rock maverick willing to try almost anything. Bjork’s cover of “It’s Oh So Quiet” is musically quite faithful to the big band/show tune style of the original version (which had already been redone several times in various languages over the years) but is really sold by Bjork’s dynamic and over-the-top vocal performance. Bjork treats the song like a true musical number from a Broadway show and goes from whisper to shout and back (all done with her exotic, ear-catching accent) while also adding all sorts of personality to the vocal piece, making her performance feel as if it draws on acting as much as it does singing. Of course, a show tune is meant to be seen and the colorful and fun music video directed by Spike Jonez adds to the song’s magic. Indeed, Bjork sells “It’s Oh So Quiet” by taking it so serious, really sinking into the piece like she was playing a role in a musical; while at the same time making it so over-the-top that it feels playfully ironic (or at least read that way in the irony-drenched 1990’s). Who knows though, maybe Bjork did have a bit of the acting bug, as she would have a cameo role in Pret-A-Porter around this time and then played the main role in 2000’s Dancer In The Dark, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Whether done seriously or ironically, “It’s Oh So Quiet” would be one of Bjork’s most successful songs, going Top 20 in ten territories including #4 in the UK, while also being an alternative radio hit in the United States.

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4. “Army Of Me” – Bjork: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

4. “Army Of Me” – Bjork

(From the album Post)

1995

Bjork’s success with Debut opened a lot of doors for her and she was soon working on several one-off projects with artists like Tricky, Madonna, and film score composer David Arnold, all of which were successful and brought more attention to Bjork and her music. Suddenly Bjork was the “it” girl of the moment and it built up expectations for her sophomore album Post. Perhaps to lessen the expectations a little bit Bjork released the lead single from Post, the song “Army Of Me”, on the soundtrack to the movie Tank Girl a few months prior to the release of Post. “Army Of Me” mixed elements of techno, trip hop, and industrial rock into something that could appeal to both fans of the current dance trends as well as to fans of harder alt rock and “Army Of Me” was another success for Bjork. “Army Of Me” also showcased Bjork’s willingness to mix and match different genres of music and to explore styles that often were not part of the rock world and this willingness to experiment and explore would be one of the hallmarks of Post.

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3. “Hit” – Bjork: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

3. “Human Behaviour” – Bjork

(From the album Debut)

1993

Bjork did not wait very long to release her English solo debut, fittingly titled Debut, which came out only sixteen months after the last Sugarcubes record. For the album Bjork collaborated with producer Nellee Hooper and largely abandoned her post-punk and alt-pop past with The Sugarcubes to create something much more eclectic, drawing on pop, electronic dance music, jazz, and hip hop. This new direction can be heard on the lead single “Human Behaviour” which is built up from cavernous percussion and an array of electronic noises to create a rhythmic, pulsing, yet strange bed of music to serve as a backdrop for Bjork’s enchanting, otherworldly voice. “Human Behaviour” was crafted with enough beat to be a hit in the clubs, enough melody to be a pop hit, and different enough to be an alt hit. Indeed, the song cracked the UK Top 40, while going to #2 on both the American dance and alt rock charts. When “Human Behaviour” was released it felt very edgy, showing that Bjork was willing and able to be unique (how could she not be with a voice like hers?) and combine disparate genres in interesting ways. However, a listen to Debut quickly shows that the diversity of styles on “Human Behaviour” is just a starting point. Second single “Venus As A Boy” draws on ambient music and Bollywood Indian influences, while third single “Play Dead” (originally on the film soundtrack for The Young Americans but added to later versions of Debut) is a superb groove-heavy ballad. Fourth single “Big Time Sensuality” mixes things up again and is a straightforward electronic club song. This kind of experimentation with various genres and in blending various kinds of music would become a hallmark of Bjork’s solo career moving forward but “Human Behaviour” remains one of her best moments.

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2. “Hit” – Bjork/The Sugarcubes: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

2. “Hit” – The Sugarcubes

(From the album Stick Around For Joy)

1992

The Sugarcubes followed up the surprise success of Life’s Too Good by releasing their second album Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! In 1989. The album was not the critical or commercial success that Life’s Too Good had been with many reviewers disliking the more prominent vocal role that Einer Orn Benediktsson had on the record. That said, the album isn’t a major departure from their first record and lead single “Regina” is an especially noteworthy song. The Sugarcubes went on a lengthy tour to support the album and then put the band on hiatus to pursue individual interests and ponder whether the group should continue. Part of the issues was that the band had become far more successful than any of them ever imagined it could be, but much of that new fame centered on Bjork, who became the focus of a group that was formed to be a musical collective. Ultimately, The Sugarcubes decided to come back together and made their third album Stick Around For Joy. Stick Around For Joy earned good reviews and gave The Sugarcubes their biggest hit yet with the aptly titled “Hit”. However, the album also was undeniably more Bjork-centered than their earlier work. “Hit” however became the group’s first real mainstream hit going to #17 in the UK and to #1 on the US alternative chart. “Hit” was a quirky alt-pop song about falling in love against one’s plan and finds Bjork using a more controlled vocal that nevertheless has a strong sense of the exotic due to her Icelandic accent. “Hit” even works on the bridge when Einar comes in and does his carnival barker vocal routine, which comes across here sort of like an Icelandic version of The B-52’s Fred Schneider. The song was a deserved hit and Stick Around For Joy is probably the band’s best overall album with songs like “Leash Called Love”, “Happy Nurse”, “Walkabout” and “Gold” (which features former Magazine and Siouxsie & The Banshees guitarist John McGeoch). However, as skilled as the band are (and they are) it was clear to everyone that Bjork was bigger than the group and was a superstar in the making. Thus, The Sugarcubes broke up following the promotional cycle for Stick Around For Joy and Bjork embarked on her solo career.

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1. “Birthday” – Bjork/The Sugarcubes: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

1. “Birthday” – The Sugarcubes

(From the album Life’s Too Good)

1988

The Sugarcubes formed in 1986 in Reykjavik, Iceland around the core of vocalists Bjork Guomundsdottir and Einar Orn Benediktsson, although all of the members of the band had long been part of Iceland’s alternative music scene. Indeed, Bjork, who would become the band’s focal point and then later have a massively successful solo career, also started out as a solo artist when she released a solo album in Iceland at age eleven. However, this collection of Icelandic all-star musicians formed as The Sugarcubes with the stated intention of leaving behind much of their alternative music past and forming a “cute” pop band. The Sugarcubes began playing shows in Iceland and abroad and their brand of alternative pop rooted in post-punk began to earn the band comparisons in the press to The B-52’s or Talking Heads. Soon The Sugarcubes rode this buzz to sign a record deal and they recorded their debut album Life’s Too Good. While the sound of the record was positive and pop-centric, much of this pop appeal was done sarcastically with their tongue firmly in cheek. The first single released by The Sugarcubes was “Birthday”, an English language version of a song that the band had released in Icelandic a year earlier. “Birthday”, released several months ahead of the release of Life’s Too Good, introduced Bjork’s unique and powerful vocals to the world as she sang a vocal part that alternated from pixie-like wonder to a banshee-like wail in the space of a few notes. “Birthday” became a favorite of UK DJ and tastemaker John Peel and the NME and Melody Maker single of the week in August of 1987. All of this attention in the UK built up the buzz surrounding the band and the release of Life’s Too Good in April of 1988 proved to be a surprising commercial success. The Sugarcubes early success in the UK then spilled over to the American college radio scene where “Birthday” was successful enough to actually earn some crossover airplay on mainstream American radio and eventually scored the band a spot performing on Saturday Night Live. Other singles like “Coldsweat” and “Motorcrash” would be released. None of these were as successful as “Birthday” but they sustained enough success to see The Sugarcubes tour America before embarking on an international tour as well. It was an amazing rise to fame and success for a band from Iceland that consisted of indie artists who had formed a pop group on a lark, largely to make fun of pop music.

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