The Betty Hutton version was covered by Björk in 1995. It remains her biggest hit, reaching number 4 in the UK and spending 15 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. Fuelled by the Spike Jonze-directed music video clip, the single also shot Björk into the spotlight in Australia, where it reached number 6. In the United Kingdom the single has been certified as Gold, having sold upwards of 400,000 copies.
Original and cover versions:
Horst Winter - Und jetzt ist es still (1948)
Ginette Garcin and the Jacques Hélian Orchestra - Tout est tranquille (1949)
Henri Salvador - Tout est tranquille sch... sch...
Björk - It's Oh So Quiet (1995)
Lisa Ekdahl - It's Oh So Quiet (1997)
Happy Girls - It's Oh So Quiet (1999)
Noise For Pretend - It's Oh So Quiet (2002)
Lucy Woodward - It's Oh So Quiet (2005)
It's Oh So Quiet
Betty Hutton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's oh so quiet.
Shh! Shh!
It's oh so still.
Shh! Shh!
You're all alone.
Shh! Shh!
And so peaceful until
You fall in love!
Zing boom!
The sky up above
Zing boom!
Is caving in!
Wham bam!
You've never been so nuts about a guy.
You want to laugh, you want to cry.
You cross your heart and hope to die.
It's over and then
Shh! Shh!
It's nice and quiet.
Shh! Shh!
But soon again
Shh! Shh!
Starts another big riot.
You blow a fuse.
Zing boom!
The devil cuts loose.
Wham bam!
So what's the use
Wham bam!
Of falling in love?
Shh! Shh!
It's oh so quiet.
Shh! Shh!
It's oh so still.
Shh! Shh!
You're all alone.
Shh! Shh!
And so peaceful until
You ring the bell
Bim bam!
You shout and you yell:
Oh oh!
You broke the spell.
Gee this is swell,
You almost have a fit.
This guy is George and I got hit.
There's no mistake
Cause this is it!
Till it's over and then
Shh! Shh!
It's nice and quiet.
Shh! Shh!
But soon again
Shh! Shh!
Starts another big riot.
You blow a fuse.
Zing boom!
The devil cuts loose.
Wham bam!
So what's the use
Wham bam!
Of falling in love?
The sky caves in.
The devil cuts loose.
You blow blow blow blow your fuse,
When you've fallen in love!
Shh! Shh!
The song "It's Oh So Quiet" by Betty Hutton is a playful and catchy interpretation of falling in love. The opening lines introduce the idea of silence and tranquility, and as we listen on, we hear Hutton describe how love can throw one's emotions into complete chaos. The playful "zing boom" and "wham bam" sounds illustrate how quickly emotions can flip from peaceful to frenzied. Hutton emphasizes the notion that love can make you lose control, and you might want to laugh, cry, or even cross your heart and hope to die.
The chorus of the song brings us back to the idea of peace and quiet until the next "big riot" of love. Hutton describes how falling in love can make you feel like you've blown a fuse and the "devil cuts loose." She questions the utility of falling in love, wondering, "So what's the use?" However, despite the chaos of love, Hutton can't help but admit that it's worth it as she declares, "This guy is George and I got hit. There's no mistake. Cause this is it!"
Line by Line Meaning
Shh! Shh!
Be quiet, don't make a sound
It's oh so quiet.
Everything is very calm and peaceful
You're all alone.
No one else is around
And so peaceful until you fall in love!
Life is calm and peaceful until you begin to feel romantic love
Zing boom!
Suddenly, inexplicably
The sky up above is caving in!
The world is changing in big ways
Wham bam!
Fast and sudden
You've never been so nuts about a guy.
You've never been this head-over-heels in love before
You want to laugh, you want to cry.
You're overwhelmed with emotion
You cross your heart and hope to die.
You promise to be true and sincere
It's over and then it's nice and quiet.
After a breakup, life returns to being calm and peaceful
Starts another big riot.
The cycle of love and heartbreak starts all over again
You blow a fuse.
You lose control and become extremely upset
So what's the use of falling in love?
Is it worth it to go through all the pain and heartbreak?
You ring the bell, you shout and you yell.
You express your feelings loudly and dramatically
You broke the spell. Gee, this is swell!
The romantic illusion is shattered and it feels good
You almost have a fit. This guy is George and I got hit. There's no mistake 'cause this is it!
You're almost overwhelmed with emotion because he's the one - you know it deep down
The sky caves in.
The world around you changes completely
You blow blow blow blow your fuse, when you've fallen in love!
You lose control when you're in love and everything feels heightened
Contributed by Daniel F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ispent35minutestryingtocha80
Lyrics:
Shhhh, Shhhh
It's, oh, so quiet
Shhhh Shhhh
It's, oh, so still
Shhhh Shhhh
You're all alone
Shhh Shhh
And so peaceful until...
You fall in love
Zing boom
The sky up above
Zing boom
Is caving in
Wow bam
You've never been so nuts about a guy
You wanna laugh you wanna cry
You cross your heart and hope to die
'Til it's over and then...
Shhhh, Shhhh
It's nice and quiet
Shhhh, Shhhh
But soon again
Shhhh, Shhhh
Starts another big riot
You blow a fuse
Zing boom
The devil cuts loose
Zing boom
So what's the use
Wow bam
Of falling in love?
It's, oh, so quiet
It's, oh, so still
You're all alone
And so peaceful until...
You ring the bell
Bim bam
You shout and you yell
Hi ho ho
You broke the spell
Gee, this is swell you almost have a fit
This guy is "gorge" and I got hit
There's no mistake this is it
'Til it's over and then...
It's nice and quiet
Shhhh Shhhh
But soon again
Shhhh Shhhh
Starts another big riot
You blow a fuse
Zing boom
The devil cuts loose
Zing boom
So What's the use
Wow bam
Of falling in love?
The sky caves in
The devil cuts loose
You blow blow blow blow blow your fuse
Aaaaah!
When you fall in love...
Ssshhhhhh...
@marci0thiag0
it's interesting that i always thought this was one of the bjorkest songs by bjork even though it was a cover, but i never cared to check out the original, and now that i did i realized that her cover is true genius exactly because it is so similar to the original, calling our attention not to how innovative bjork's version was in 1995 but how innovative betty hutton's version was in 1951. i guess all the modern things have always existed indeed!
@stephaniesaxon973
Never knew there was another version before Bjork's, which I love. Now after hearing this, I can totally understand the genius, as Betty Hutton was perfect for this song.
@jenssimoens9106
It is a cover of the German song "Und jetzt ist es still", performed by Horst Winter in 1948,
@seanmegumi
It’s actually German, "Und jetzt ist es still.” Worth translating into every language, haha!
@alanhicks3073
For those of us who have been Betty Hutton fans for many years, this is no secret. She was an amazing artist, and is so under appreciated and forgotten today.
@Lathburn
This was one of the most out of place tracks on Post so I googled if it was a cover or something because it was so unlike anything Björk to write a song that sounds like this,, and yeah turns out it was a cover which explains how out of place it is
@scb5140
I love both versions. Bjork really paid the proper respect!
@dylans.1741
Betty Hutton was way ahead of her time. She had a stage presence and an energetic persona that very few performers of the era had.
@andyd3447
She sounds amazing! Imagine making a song like this in the 50s. wow Jazz music is truly underrated.
@JohnStephenDwyer
Came for the zing, stayed for the boom.