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)
Gratitude
Björk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dear General MacArthur,
With your permission
I offer wishes of good health,
During this heat
That burns anything.
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
Recently, fulfilling
Your heart's desire
You removed the whaling
Moratorium.
Your gesture brings
A much needed food
To our community
And families,
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
A million year old fossil
I send to you.
This comes from my family
And the ancient sea.
A prehistoric impression
Of the modern krill,
She feeds the noble whale,
And offers you longevity
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
Finally, please take good care in the heat.
Sincerely yours,
Shizuka
The song "Gratitude" by Björk is dedicated to General Douglas MacArthur, with the lyrics written from the perspective of someone writing a letter to him on July 13, 1946. The song is a tribute to MacArthur's decision to lift the whaling moratorium, which had been in place for nearly a decade. The lyrics express gratitude for the decision, which brought much-needed food to the writer's community and families.
The letter also includes a gift to MacArthur: a million-year-old fossil of the modern krill, which feeds the noble whale and offers longevity. The gift is a symbol of the writer's appreciation for MacArthur's decision and serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
Björk's lyrics are a poignant reminder of the impact of human decisions on our environment and the natural world. The writer's gratitude is not just for the food brought by the lifting of the moratorium, but also for the preservation of these noble creatures that are essential to our planet's biodiversity.
Overall, "Gratitude" is a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to the power of human decision-making and the need for gratitude and appreciation for the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
July 13, 1946
Date of the letter's composition.
Dear General MacArthur,
Opening greeting to the recipient.
With your permission
I offer wishes of good health,
Asking for permission to offer warm wishes for good health.
During this heat
That burns anything.
Acknowledging the hot weather and its effects.
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
Admitting the difficulty of articulating sincere thanks and appreciation.
Recently, fulfilling
Your heart's desire
You removed the whaling
Moratorium.
Expressing gratitude for the recipient's decision to lift the moratorium on whaling, which benefits the community and its families.
Your gesture brings
A much needed food
To our community
And families,
Acknowledging the positive impact of the recipient's decision on the community and its families.
A million year old fossil
I send to you.
This comes from my family
And the ancient sea.
Offering a precious, ancient fossil as a symbol of respect and gratitude.
A prehistoric impression
Of the modern krill,
She feeds the noble whale,
And offers you longevity
Describing the significance of the fossil as an ancient food source for the whales and its connection to longevity.
Finally, please take good care in the heat.
Offering a caring message and concern for the recipient's well-being.
Sincerely yours,
Shizuka
Closing with a sincere expression of appreciation and gratitude.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BJORK GUDMUNDSDOTTIR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@juxtapositionofsouls
July 13, 1946
Dear General MacArthur,
With your permission
I offer wishes of good health,
During this heat
That burns anything.
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
Recently, fulfilling
Your heart's desire
You removed the whaling
Moratorium.
Your gesture brings
A much needed food
To our community
And families,
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
A million year old fossil
I send to you.
This comes from my family
And the ancient sea.
A prehistoric impression
Of the modern krill,
She feeds the noble whale,
And offers you longevity
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
Finally, please take good care in the heat.
Sincerely yours,
Shizuka
@shawnbay2211
Men singing Bjork’s compositions sound extremely beautiful. There’s always a sensitivity and a harmonious flow.
@mw8157
Björk - Gratitude (2005)
Arca - Gratitud (2015)
@versusvideo
"During this heat that burns everything" He's referring to the nuclear fallout, and the fact that he's being this contained and polite... gosh. Brings me to tears.
@floralrune
this song is so relaxing, it makes me want to crawl into a cave and hibernate until the next geological era
@juxtapositionofsouls
July 13, 1946
Dear General MacArthur,
With your permission
I offer wishes of good health,
During this heat
That burns anything.
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
Recently, fulfilling
Your heart's desire
You removed the whaling
Moratorium.
Your gesture brings
A much needed food
To our community
And families,
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
A million year old fossil
I send to you.
This comes from my family
And the ancient sea.
A prehistoric impression
Of the modern krill,
She feeds the noble whale,
And offers you longevity
The words I slowly put together
Do not flow easily, they only fill my heart
Finally, please take good care in the heat.
Sincerely yours,
Shizuka
@billbollins
extraordinarily beautiful.........
@Merzbowxnoise
This song introduced me to Will Oldham. Thank you Björk and Matthew Barney!
@MrTonyInchpractice
according to la gudmundsdottir, will oldham sang this song-based-on-a-letter in one take.
@marcgill3119
i heard this track when it was released years ago, ive just heard arcas new album and theres a track called Gratitud, without the e! and it instantly sounded similar to this track. im just trying to fill in the gaps, is there a link between these two?
@patrickdumas5396
Maybe ! I have never thought about it. I can't describe but I also feel that something sounds similar in a way.