Few names are more closely associated with the advent of Europop than Icelandic singer Björk. Since she was only 11, Björk has styled herself as an intensely unique and artistic musician. Her psychedelic musical style and poetic lyrics have brought her into mainstream music — but remained unabashedly rooted in Icelandic culture and language.
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Throughout her career, Björk has experimented with various music genres ranging from punk and jazz to electropop and avant-garde.
In the 1980s, she founded the alternative rock band The Sugarcubes. She provided lead vocals and wrote songs. She also played keyboards. However, her delicate voice, with its three-octave range, became her “true” instrument.
Although they succeeded in their native Iceland and abroad, the Sugarcubes broke up in 1992 to focus on other projects. Björk began a solo career characterized by experimentalism and artistry. Generally categorized as art pop, her music draws on many musical influences; she often includes electronic components or combines electronic and acoustic instruments.
An accomplished songwriter, Björk writes in both English and her native Icelandic. Many of her lyrics are poetic or even erotic, drawing inspiration from poets like T.S. Eliot and Sjón. The singer has won many awards for both music and film, including some as an actress.
Björk’s eclectic style has meant that she often works alone. However, she has occasionally written songs for other musicians. These are a few tracks you might not know came from Björk.
1. I’ve Seen It All — Björk & Thom Yorke, 2000
Written by Björk, Sjón, & Lars von Trier
In 2000, Björk undertook a vast project when she both appeared in and composed the score for the film Selmasongs. Though the version in the film was sung as a duet with Peter Stormare, Björk also released a version with Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke.
“[We were] always just about to do something together, and we were just waiting for the right situation,” Björk said of Yorke. “I asked him …he kind of insisted that he would turn up and be there for quite a while, so the communication in the song, the recording, was real and genuine.”
I’ve seen what I chose
And I’ve seen what I need
And that is enough
To want more would be greed
I’ve seen what I was
And I know what I’ll be
I’ve seen it all
There is no more to see
2. Gratitude — Will Oldham, 2005
Written by Björk & Matthew Barney
In 2005, Björk worked with Matthew Barney to compose the score for his experimental film Drawing Restraint 9. She played many roles in the process, including writing, arranging, and providing some instrumentals. The singer even traveled to Japan to learn about the history of the country’s music and the instruments used.
The film’s opening track is “Gratitude,” performed by folk singer Will Oldham. Björk worked with Barney to arrange the piece, using elements of her song “Nameless.” The text is a translation of a letter from a resident of Japan to Gen. Douglas Macarthur in 1946.
A million-year-old fossil
I send to you.
This comes from my family
And the ancient sea.
A prehistoric impression
Of the modern krill,
She feeds the noble whale,
And offers you longevity
Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images for ABA
