"It's Oh So Quiet" is a song originally performed by Betty Hutton in 1948 and later covered by Björk in 1995. The song describes the feeling of falling in love and the sudden, overwhelming changes it brings to one's life.
“It's Oh So Quiet” features on Björk's second studio album, Post, and was released as the album's third single. It is a cover of Betty Hutton's 1951 song of the same title (which was in turn a cover of the German song “Und jetzt ist es still”) and is Björk's most popular song.
The song was covered by Icelandic musician Björk in 1995. It was released as the third single from her second album Post (1995) and remains her biggest hit, reaching number 4 in the UK and spending 15 weeks on the UK Singles Chart.
"It's Oh So Quiet" is in the Alternative/Indie, Dance/Electronic, and Pop genres. It has been nominated for seven major awards, including a Grammy for Best Music Video, an MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography, and an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video. It won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography.
It's Oh So Quiet
Björk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Wow 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
'Til 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
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
Shh shh
But soon again
Shh shh
Starts another big riot
You blow a fuse
Zing boom
The devil cuts loose
Zing boom
What's the use
Wow 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
Björk's song "It's Oh So Quiet" is not like any other love song you have heard before. It starts off in a tranquil manner with the singer expressing how peaceful and still everything feels. However, things change when the person falls in love - the mood shifts, and the world as they know it begins to crumble. The sudden change is symbolised through the "zing boom" and "wow bam" sounds in the chorus. Despite the chaos and the explosive emotions, the singer can't help but enjoy every single moment - she wants to laugh, cry, and even cross her heart and hope to die. But like all good things, this crazy rollercoaster ride of a romance must come to an end. The 'quietness' returns, but only for a brief moment before another "big riot" starts once more.
The song seems to suggest that love can be overwhelming and all-consuming, and that one may become irrationally ecstatic or devastated by it. There is an intense energy that moves the singer throughout the entire song, with her voice rising in volume and intensity with each verse. The use of “Shhh…” at the beginning of each verse and the sudden change in tone in the chorus contribute to the dynamic nature of the song, making it unpredictable and exciting.
In all, the song is a wonderful musical piece about the wild and crazy experience called love.
Line by Line Meaning
It's oh so quiet
Everything is calm and quiet
Shh shh
Whispering and hushing
You're all alone
You're by yourself
And so peaceful until
Everything is peaceful and quiet until something happens
You fall in love
You start to fall in love with someone
Zing boom
Excitement and surprise
The sky up above
The sky overhead
Is caving in
Feels like the world is falling apart
Wow bam
Loud, explosive sound
You've never been so nuts about a guy
You've never been so crazy about someone
You want to laugh you want to cry
You're experiencing mixed emotions
You cross your heart and hope to die
You swear that it's true
'Til it's over and then
Until the excitement dies down
It's nice and quiet
It's calm and peaceful
But soon again
But soon enough
Starts another big riot
Starts another round of excitement
You blow a fuse
You get incredibly angry
The devil cuts loose
All hell breaks loose
So what's the use
What's the point
Of falling in love
Of getting yourself into this emotional rollercoaster
You ring the bell
You make a sudden noise
Bim bam
Ringing sound
You shout and you yell
You start shouting loudly
Hi ho ho
A cheerful greeting
You broke the spell
You ruined the peacefulness
Gee, this is swell you almost have a fit
This is amazing and you're almost losing control
This guy is "gorge" and I got hit
This guy is gorgeous and you're smitten
There's no mistake this is it
There's no doubt, this is love
The sky caves in
Feels like the world is falling apart again
You blow blow blow blow your fuse
You get incredibly angry again
When you've fallen in love
This is what happens when you fall in love
Shh shh
Back to whispering and calming down
Lyrics © AUSTRO-MECHANA GMBH, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Bert Reisfeld, Erich Meder, Hans Lang
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@blomarckh
Shhhh
It's, oh, so quiet
It's, oh, so still
You're all alone
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
Shhh, Shhh
It's nice and quiet
Shhh, Shhh
But soon again
Shhh, Shhh
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
Shhh, Shhh
But soon again
Shhh, Shhh
Starts another big riot
You blow a fuse
Zing boom
The devil cuts loose
Zing boom
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
When you've fallen in love
Ssshhhhhh...
@eduardamonteiro3164
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
Wow 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
'Til 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
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
Shh shh
But soon again
Shh shh
Starts another big riot
You blow a fuse
Zing boom
The devil cuts loose
Zing boom
What's the use
Wow 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
@vijaynair2403
She can go from singing like an angel to screaming like a banshee in a span of nanoseconds!
And I love it!
@lovepeaceandsoulfullrighto9053
Vijay Nair I had to see for myself. I knew the song and her voice and this video. But now I know for sure. Candy Crush
@alleynealisleem9777
😖😵😵😵😵😱🥶🤣🤣🤣😵
@mattgsm
half abba half yoko ono
@treehann
I love the way she screams. Few artists, male or female, really let loose that primal human compulsion like Björk does.
@ninethreefivesix
Her crazy singing from her early career like this actually ended up hurting her voice and she had to get surgery.
@Wilsonthernsby
2011 GAGAG BE LIKE
@2232Stephen
Michael Jackson did this well, he got it(influenced) from James Brown
@dlc4fiftyeuro
check out Pink Floyd-Carefull with that axe, Eugene
@andrewisotope8146
Like a klaxon isn't she?