Performed by Björk with The Icelandic Choir
Programming: Olivier Alary Read Full Bio ↴Performed by Björk with The Icelandic Choir
Programming: Olivier Alary

"Olivier Alary (Ensemble) had sent me a CD with a few sketches, and said "if you ever feel like using those, please do." A year later, I wrote this melody and was singing it in a cabin by a lake here in Iceland in January 2004. That was like the first little trips away from my little girl - I would go three hours a day to this cabin by the lake and do whatever I could and then drive back to town. I would sing several versions of this melody, and then I would say "wait a minute, this is this thing that Olivier gave me a year ago" so then I sang it to that and it fitted perfect together, it was really incredible! Then when I came back from the tour and discovered that the whole album was gonna be a vocal album, I thought "wait a minute, what about this song here, I really like this song and it should be on the album". So I started doing choir arrangements for it. I did a really complicated choir arrangement, for like a sixteen piece choir, and recorded it three times doing totally different things, and it was like 50 tracks of voices, but it just wasn't right, so I kept editing it on and spent like days and weeks editing it, and it never was right. Then I emailed Olivier and said "Listen, I've tried everything with this track, but I can't just be dogmatic about this album. At the end of the day, the best music's gotta win. So I think I'm just gonna stick to your old version, because I think that's still the best one." And then he just said "Guess what! I made it out of your own voice!" So he actually took a voice of mine, saying "I'm not sure what to do with it" from Hidden Place and did a song out of that! And then he sent it it to me, and didn't tell me, just in case I didn't .. you know, whatever... it was just a secret!" (Mixing It, 20aug04)

Desired Constellation
Björk Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's tricky when you feel someone
Has done some sin on your behalf
It's slippery when your sense of justice
Murmurs underneath and is asking you

How am I going to make it right
How am I going to make it right

With a palm full of stars
I throw them like dice (repeatedly)
On the table (repeat, repeatedly)
I shake them like dice
And throw them on the table repeatedly (repeatedly)
Until the desired constellation appears

How am I going to make it right
How am I going to make it right
How am I going to make it right
(And did you hear how am I going to make it right)

How am I going to make it right

How am I going to make it right
(How am I going to make it right)

Overall Meaning

"Björk's Desired Constellation is a song about a person who feels wronged by someone else's actions that they feel has been committed on their behalf. The lyrics describe a struggle to reconcile a sense of justice that bubbles to the surface, while also grappling with how they can hope to make things right. In an effort to find a way forward, the singer collects a handful of stars and tosses them like dice on a table, shaking and throwing them repeatedly until the desired configuration takes shape. It's a metaphorical gesture that speaks to the power of intention and the hope that, through persistence and a belief in what's possible, it's possible to bring about change.

The song's lyrics have been interpreted in different ways, but a common thread is the idea that the desired constellation represents a sense of self-determination and control over one's life. For some, the stars may represent dreams or aspirations that seem unreachable or out of grasp, but through perseverance and faith in oneself, it's possible to bring them to fruition. For others, the stars might represent a sense of purpose or direction, a guiding light that helps illuminate the path forward.

Overall, Desired Constellation is a beautiful and deeply reflective song, with a haunting melody and lyrics that speak to the human experience of grappling with adversity, searching for meaning, and striving to make things right."

Line by Line Meaning

It's tricky when you feel someone
It's complicated when you have a feeling that someone has committed a sin on your behalf

Has done some sin on your behalf
Committed a sin that affects you

It's slippery when your sense of justice
It's hard to stay on the right path of justice when you feel uncertain

Murmurs underneath and is asking you
When your conscience is questioning you

How am I going to make it right
How can I correct the wrongs and make the situation right

With a palm full of stars
With hope and possibility

I throw them like dice (repeatedly)
Trying different things in hopes of the best outcome

On the table (repeat, repeatedly)
Presenting the choices and working out the best solution

I shake them like dice
Taking chances and being open to change

And throw them on the table repeatedly (repeatedly)
Persistently trying to find the right solution

Until the desired constellation appears
Until the pieces fall into place and the ideal outcome is achieved