Bjork ~ Hyperballad [1996]

disturbedByVoices

Aug 27

With a ballad being defined as "a popular song, especially of a romantic or sentimental nature" and hyper as "emotionally stimulated or overexcited," it could be said a hyper-ballad is a stirring romantic tune, or perhaps a musically portrayed agitated state. Does this mean this song's protagonist has eaten too much sugar (debunked) or, as a female, is hysterical, a loaded sexual misdiagnosis that used to (unbelievably) often require a doctor-applied vibrator in the early 20th century? Neither, instead, it shines as an illustrated innovative solution to a commonplace romantic dilemma.

"When I write a song, I see a tunnel, and then the chorus is an open space, or the bassline is doing this shape. I see songs as more of a geometric, spacial experience."

Bjork, pronounced "BEE-YERK" not "BEE-YORK" (admittedly I have been mutilating her name for years), was born Björk Guðmundsdóttir in Reykjavík, Iceland. As a young Icelandic girl, her peers would pelt her with rocks because she was distinct, dressed differently, and had Asian-like eyes. At the age of six, she began studying classical piano and flute. By eleven, her rendition of Tina Charles' 1976 hit "I Love to Love" at a school recital was so impressive it was sent to the only Icelandic radio station, leading to her first recording contract. She started her first all-girl punk band Spit and Snot at the tender age of twelve, jazz fusion band Exodus at 15, band Tappi Tíkarrass ("Cork the Bitch's Ass" in Icelandic) at 17, and Rokka Rokka Drum around the same time, becoming lead singer and an "overnight success" in The Sugarcubes at the ripe old age of 20, finally going solo in 1992.

Interestingly, in researching this feature, one reviewer actually likened "Hyperballad" to an anti-capitalist, anti-consumerist rant. And while Bjork's said significant other might readily agree, wondering why so many of their possessions were being destroyed à la "Marxist Suicide Point", they might better consider it a blessing in disguise. The honest dynamic interplay (tussling, scuffling, squabbling) between those in a relationship often creates the friction necessary to light the fires of passion, or even maintain simple basic interest. Bjork's uniquely creative alternative approach to dialing up their intimate energy is rather ingenious, if slightly pricey by nature, earning her the ye olde Adam Smith romantic capitalist seal of approval.

"I'm a fountain of blood. In the shape of a girl."

Shared Bjork, "It was inspired by a situation I saw a lot of my friends get into. I really like reading magazines about science, you see, and when people fall in love, they make this kind of drug in their bodies so they become addicted to each other physically. Nature makes things so that the drug lasts for three years, so if they're together they're just on a natural high. Then they wake up and it's a 'Whoops, what am I doing here?' kind of thing."

"Another completely different angle on the same thing is when you fall in love with a person, you think that might be the last time, that maybe you will never ever fall in love again, so it becomes a very precious thing to you. So you start showing the person you're in love with your best side only and you keep all your bad parts in the bag behind your back. So basically, 'Hyperballad' is about having this kind of bag going on and three years have passed and you're not high anymore. You have to make an effort consciously and nature's not helping you anymore. So you wake up early in the morning and you sneak outside and you do something horrible and destructive, break whatever you can find, watch a horrible film, read a bit of William Burroughs, something really gross, and come home and be like, 'Hi honey, how are you?'."

"Pedaling through the dark currents, I find an accurate copy.
A blueprint of the pleasure in me."