Television: Bjork

 This probably belong here.

Mononymic Artists: Bjork

Bjork: It's Not Up To You

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With a first name like Bjork there's not much need for a last name. But when your last name is a mouthful like Guðmundsdóttir, your fans will thank you for shortening it for them. As it is, she is known the world over by her first name, and has singularly put her homeland of Iceland on the map for many people.

The song I chose is from her 2001 album "Vespertine". It's a little after our 2000 cut-off for this blog, but it was an important year for my love of Bjork, and I really love this song. It was the year that I saw her in the Lars von Trier film "Dancer in the Dark", and showed the movie to a number of friends, and also my parents. Later that year I received an excited call from my mother while she was on vacation to tell me that she has sat next to Bjork on the flight into New Mexico that afternoon. I of course didn't believe her, but all signs point to it being true at this point. Figures my mother who only knew of her because I showed her that movie would sit next to her and make small talk about ginger ale and I'd be sitting at home, because I had decided not to join my family on their trip to New Mexico. Silly me.

Me Last: Björk x 2

Björk: Come To Me

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Björk: Army Of Me

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I've adored Björk ever since I saw the video for Play Dead seventeen years ago. Depressing how time files, ain't it? I instantly fell in love with her (and it's still one of the top ten song I've ever heard) and that powerful initial reaction is most likely the main reason I still prefer Björk's early stuff over her latter works.

Yup, I'm gonna be an irritating "I like the early stuff better" grouch. I'm all for following your heart, ignoring people's expecations and doing whatever the hell you want, but as much as I respect Björk and her unique take on music there's a big part of me that just wants another Debut, or a Post or if we're really lucky: another Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week. Hell, even another Telegram would be sweet.

But that's never going to happen, Björk is one of those rare artists that never looks back, a truly admirable trait. But I wish she would. Just once. Please? For old times' sake?

Soundtrack Songs: I've Seen It All

Bjork: I've Seen It All

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The saddest movie ever? This is the movie I would say in a heartbeat if asked that. I've watched it numerous times and each time I ball my eyes out.

The 2000 Lars Von Trier film caught my attention by the press it was getting, as it won for both best picture and best actress at the Cannes film festival that year, and simply because Bjork was the star. I was curious as to what sort of actress she'd be and what sort of film she'd appear in, not to mention how they'd work her experimental electronic sound into a musical.

Perhaps needless to say, it's amazing. Without going too much into the movie, as I could say quite a lot about it and really it must be seen for yourself, the soundtrack is breathtaking. The lyrics were mostly written by Triers and some other writers, with Bjork contributing, and then Bjork composed the music and sang. The electronic feelings of the music, though somewhat muted from her usual material, work seamlessly with her environment somehow, and the outcome is music that is both distinctly Bjork, and also a lot more personal and touching to match her character in the movie, as well as fitting with the film's themes.

In the film, Bjork is losing her vision. She and her friend (who'd like to be her love interest) Jeff, sing this together conversationally as Bjork fantasizes about being in a musical on top of the train that passes as they talk. On the soundtrack, she is accompanied instead by Thom Yorke of Radiohead and they sing more as a duet than as a conversation. The song was nominated for an Academy Award the following year, the ceremony in which she first appeared in her famous swan dress. She sang an edited version of the song for the Oscars, and did it solo. I felt it lost its magic. But this version is wonderful.