The song picks up more steam and energy as the lover becomes more agitated with each passing second without their love.ījörk’s otherworldly voice, the recurring themes of varying human emotions, and the pulsating electronics all lend me to believe that she is actually an alien, or at least wants us to believe it’s so. “Violently Happy” tells the story of a lover who simply goes crazy without their partner by their side. “Come to Me” is one of the most hypnotic songs that Björk has written, its measured beats entrancing you before voices and strings lull you into a deep, dreamlike state. “One Day” is more laid back, though not without the same primal beats to encourage one to dance. She says it all when sings, “ I don’t know my future after this weekend / and I don’t want to!” The song also marks the closest she comes to the growling vocals she became famous for with the Sugarcubes. The song depicts a relationship at its raw beginnings, the initial attraction, and the ability to get over the fear of taking the next step. It’s back to the dancefloor for “Big Time Sensuality,” a house track to end all house tracks. The song instantly became hers, intimate and touching set to only the music of a single harp. I’ve always love Chet Baker’s version of “Like Someone in Love,” but once I heard Björk’s version, it was all over. “There’s More to Life Than This” contains an odd transition that I’ve never heard employed in any other song, that being the sound of the singer leaving the room (and the music) behind and continuing to perform the song, then returning to finish. The one-two punch of “Crying” and “Venus” further support my theory of “The Pixie Who Fell to Earth” as she arrives lonely and confused, and then discovers the magic of love and sex. Recently, Corinne Bailey Rae covered the song quite ably. All this is set to strings and melodic percussive instruments that lend it old world charm and an otherworldly feel. Its forthright lyrics tell of the love of someone very special and a sexual connection that was intensely strong. “Venus as a Boy” is probably one of the most beloved songs in the Björk pantheon. It’s songs like this that led to the prominence of trip-hop in the early part of the ’90s with later successes by Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky. “Crying,” on the other hand, is definitely a dance track, despite the inherent loneliness and sadness of the lyrics. Michel Gondry directed the now famous video, essentially bringing him to prominence in the music video world. Björk is Bowie’s alter ego, viewing the world at a distance and trying to make sense of it. I, myself, tend to think of this entire album as being the diary of the girlfriend of The Man Who Fell to Earth. The singer claimed that the song was told from the point of view of animals and that the animals would eventually win in the end. Pulsing rhythms lay the groundwork for lyrics about the confusing properties of people. That sound began with lead single, “Human Behavior,” a triumphant song in every sense. For this she employed the help of producer Nellee Hooper, formerly of the Wild Bunch, to guide the album’s sound. Rather than continue with the quirky lyrics and phrasings of her former band, Björk instead opted to go in a different direction. At a time when grunge was just beginning to die and we needed to hear a new voice and sound, Björk came to our rescue. ![]() ![]() I suppose this is an unintended argument for mp3s, but I digress. I am just about to own my third copy of Debut as the first one I bought in 1993 was lost in a move, and the second one-the one I own now-is irreparably scratched, thus leading me to buy a third copy. Literal translations aside, however, Debut does mark the first appearance of the incarnation of Björk that we all know and love. Her actual debut was released when she was all of eleven years old, she sang with numerous bands before breaking with the Sugarcubes, and had a featured spot on a jazz standards album by the Trio Gudumndar Ingolfssonar called Gling-Gló, which I hear is not a floor cleaner. No one need explain to a Björk devotee the irony inherent in the title of the singer’s first solo album released after the demise of The Sugarcubes.
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