Born and raised in Reykjavík, Björk began her music career at the age of 11 and gained international recognition as the lead singer of the alternative rock band the Sugarcubes, by the age of 21. After the Sugarcubes disbanded in 1992, Björk began a solo career. She came to prominence with albums such as Debut (1993), Post (1995), and Homogenic (1997), collaborating with a range of artists and exploring a variety of multimedia projects. Her other albums include Vespertine (2001), Medúlla (2004), Volta (2007), Biophilia (2011), Vulnicura (2015), Utopia (2017) and Fossora (2022).
Several of Björk's albums have reached the top 20 on the US Billboard 200 chart. As of 2015, she had sold more than 20 million records worldwide. Thirty-one of her singles have reached the top 40 on pop charts around the world, with 22 top-40 hits in the UK, including the top-10 singles "It's Oh So Quiet", "Army of Me", and "Hyperballad" and the top-20 singles "Play Dead", "Big Time Sensuality", and "Violently Happy". Her accolades and awards include the Order of the Falcon, five BRIT Awards, and 16 Grammy nominations. In 2015, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Rolling Stone named her the 60th greatest singer and the 81st greatest songwriter.
Björk starred in the 2000 Lars von Trier film Dancer in the Dark, for which she won the Best Actress Award at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "I've Seen It All". Biophilia was marketed as an interactive app album with its own education program. Björk has also been an advocate for environmental causes in Iceland. A retrospective exhibition dedicated to Björk was held at the New York Museum of Modern Art in 2015.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Björk
Studio albums
Debut (1993)
Post (1995)
Homogenic (1997)
Vespertine (2001)
Medúlla (2004)
Volta (2007)
Biophilia (2011)
Vulnicura (2015)
Utopia (2017)
Fossora (2022)
An Echo A Stain
Björk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My arm
And smiled
One of these days
Soon
Very soon
Love you 'til then
Feel my breath
On your neck
And your heart
Will race
Don't say no to me
You can't say no to me
I won't see you
Denied
I'm sorry you saw that
I'm sorry he did it
An echo
A stain
A stain
I can't say no to you
(I can't say no to you)
Say nothing
Free falling
Complete
The lyrics in Björk's song "An Echo a Stain" are cryptic and layered with meaning. Björk sings about a close encounter with someone where they touch her arm and smile. She then pleads with them, "Don't say no to me / You can't say no to me / I won't see you denied." The vulnerable and intimate moment is further described with the lines, "Feel my breath / On your neck / And your heart / Will race." The second verse is tinged with regret and sorrow as she apologizes for something that happened, saying "I'm sorry you saw that / I'm sorry he did it / An echo / A stain / A stain." The song ends with "I can't say no to you / Say nothing / Free falling / Complete," evoking a sense of giving in completely to a feeling or experience.
The meaning behind the lyrics can be interpreted in many ways, but it seems to be about intimacy, either physical or emotional, and the vulnerability and regret that can come with it. The pleading refrain of "Don't say no to me" and "You can't say no to me" could be seen as pushing boundaries or potentially unhealthy behavior, but it is also possible that the song is about a consensual, intense connection between two people. The words "An echo / A stain / A stain" suggest that something happened that cannot be undone, leaving a permanent mark on their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
She touched
Her physical touch created a vivid impression
My arm
With a gentle touch on my arm
And smiled
Accompanied by a bright and warm smile
One of these days
An indisputable event will happen eventually
Soon
In a brief amount of time
Very soon
Within an extremely short period
Love you 'til then
I'll love you until that day comes
Feel my breath
As my breathing was so close
On your neck
And our necks were nearly intertwined
And your heart
It caused your emotions and feelings
Will race
To escalate or quicken
Don't say no to me
Please don't refuse my request
You can't say no to me
You are unable to deny me
I won't see you
I'd be upset to see you
Denied
Rejecting my request
I'm sorry you saw that
I apologize for your witness of that event
I'm sorry he did it
I regret that he committed that act
An echo
A reflection or reverberation
A stain
A mark or blemish that remains
A stain
A mark or blemish that remains
I can't say no to you
I cannot deny you
(I can't say no to you)
I am powerless to deny you
Say nothing
Do not say a word
Free falling
Experiencing a deep sensation of falling or loss of control
Complete
Being fully whole or unified
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Guy Sigsworth, Bjork Gudmundsdottir
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind