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)
Courtship
Björk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I then downturned another
Who then downturned her
The paralyzing juice of rejection
His veins full of lead
He's left with loving what he lost
More than what he has
But warms up in the light
I then upturned a green-eyed giant
Who upturned and entered me
Will we stop seeing what unites us
But only what differs?
The ghosts of old loves
Hovering around his orifices
His orifices
As you narrate your own heart-tale
You thread souls into one beam
The love you gave and have been given
Weave into your own dream
I trust myself to re-archive
My love historic stream
In the lyrics to Björk's song Courtship, she describes the complex nature of love and rejection. The first stanza talks about how the singer was turned down by someone she was interested in, so she looked to someone else. However, that person was also turned down by another and so on. This illustrates how rejection can have a paralyzing effect, making it difficult to move on and find love elsewhere. The singer's initial love interest is left with a sense of regret, loving what he lost more than what he has.
The second stanza is more metaphorical, with Björk comparing herself to a snakeskin that is cold in the dark but warms up in the light. She then talks about how she became involved with a 'green-eyed giant', who then entered her. This stanza can be interpreted as a description of the physical act of courtship, but could also be interpreted more metaphorically, with the singer becoming more open to love.
The final stanza talks about the ghosts of old loves that continue to haunt us, lingering in the 'orifices' of our bodies. Björk then explores the idea that as we tell our own 'heart-tale', we can connect with other souls, weaving a tapestry of love and relationships. She trusts herself to re-archive her own 'love historic stream', implying that she is in control of her own romantic destiny and can choose how to remember and move on from past relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
He turned me down
He rejected me
I then downturned another
I rejected someone else as a result
Who then downturned her
The person I rejected then rejected someone else
The paralyzing juice of rejection
Rejection is emotionally debilitating
His veins full of lead
He feels weighed down and heavy-hearted
He's left with loving what he lost
He still loves what he can't have
More than what he has
He values what he doesn't have more than what he does
My snakeskin, cold in the dark
She feels vulnerable and exposed
But warms up in the light
She feels comfortable and safe when things are more visible
I then upturned a green-eyed giant
She pursued someone who seemed powerful and intimidating
Who upturned and entered me
That person reciprocated her interest
Will we stop seeing what unites us
Will we become too focused on our differences?
But only what differs?
Will we lose sight of what we have in common?
The ghosts of old loves
Memories of past relationships
Hovering around his orifices
Suggesting that those memories are still present and affecting him
His orifices
Referring to the openings in his body such as his mouth, nose, and ears
As you narrate your own heart-tale
When you describe your own experiences of love
You thread souls into one beam
You connect with others and the love they've experienced
The love you gave and have been given
The love you've shared with others
Weave into your own dream
These experiences become part of your own romantic hopes and desires
I trust myself to re-archive
She's confident in her ability to reflect on past experiences
My love historic stream
Referring to the memories and experiences of her past relationships
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Bjork Guomundsdottir
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@poelimanjo
He turned me down
I then downturned another
Who then downturned her
The paralyzing juice of rejection
His veins full of lead
He's left with loving what he lost
More than what he has
My snakeskin
Cold in the dark
But warms up in the light
I then upturned
A green eyed giant
Who upturned and entered me
Will we stop seeing what unites us
But only what differs?
The ghosts of old loves
Hovering around his orifices, his orifices
As you narrate
Your own heart-tale
You thread souls into one beam
The love you gave
And have been given
Weave into your own dream
I trust my cells to re-archive
My love historic stream
@timotheebrosset6843
My Utopia top :
1. Sue Me
2. Courtship
3. Arisen My Sens
4. Losss
5. Claimstaker
6. Utopia
7. Blissing Me
8. Body Memory
9. The gate
10. Tabula Rasa
11. Saint
12. Paradisia
13. Future Forever
14. Features Creatures
@camogrrl
She released her first album when I was a teenager, I spent 20 years collecting everything she ever did, then on a rare occasion I had the whole collection in my car and they stole my car! they gutted it, took everything, I got the car back and the insurance company paid for a brand-new stereo, but I lost an irreplaceable collection that those thieves would’ve just thrown away or is possibly sitting in their mothers bookshelf at home or sold for five dollars at an op shop or buried in the landfill. It was nearly 6 years ago and I still feel the pain
@mige14linares14
That must have been terrible 😓 i hope you can get some new records maybe
@spilion4515
Omg , I've just recently discovered this divine talent and I can only imagine the pain you felt , sorry! That must be terrible. Hope you managed to restart the collection.
@diegosatori5718
incredible how she hasnt lost her voice
@popuchinha
lmao.. actually i am editing this comentary : 3:25 . i will edit it again ok she lost her voice its obvious but she still sings like a pro
@quaxmashups32
Well, she did have to go to surgery for her vocals. It was during the Biophilia era, probably in 2011. Besides that, she's going very strong!
@mariotoro8332
@Kia you haven’t been around for the last 30+ years, I assume
@vleaky3430
@Kia I've so much respect for you for watching this great performance while being deaf
@viarnay
her lack of techique destroyed her voice but she's still kicking...
@amiranore1707
I love that she still does her little cute dances