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)
Komid
Björk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ahhhh ahhhhhhh,
Ah sem lowfim,
Insquellet akir lowmelancush,
Of setter komid tiffi fid imid se noovae komid
Yeah tiffi fid imid
Ahhhhhh..
A quelte a quay (an seman tai!)
Heftay layowque le oftay
Kelt a kay nebelf afing mid un berstian
(an seman tai!)
Ahhhhh!
(an seist situ rume, an sist situ rume,)
He hu hu hu he he he he he
He he he he he he he he he he
Björk’s song “Komid” from her album “Medúlla” is an incredible representation of the beauty of human emotions expressed through sound. The song's lyrics in Icelandic, albeit enigmatic, are perfect for evoking a sense of mystery and wonder in the listener. At first listen, the song seems to be a slow, sweeping melody, but as the song progresses, it morphs into a rhythmic and intense chanting of the lyrics.
The opening lines of “Komid” are “Ahhhh ahhhhhhh,” which sets the tone for the whole song. The next line translated from Icelandic is “Ah, I whispered, an echoing emptiness, despite my sadness, I hold onto my will to come.” The contrast between emptiness, sadness, and the desire to move forward despite it all is evident in the lyrics.
As the song progresses, the tempo transforms, similar to the ever-changing nature of human emotions, and the chanting rhythmically repeats the words “A quelte a quay” meaning “I whisper, I whisper” and “Heftay layowque le oftay” meaning “I hold onto the will to come.” These two phrases, combined with the opening stanza, create a feeling of hopefulness and resilience.
In conclusion, “Komid” is an enigmatic and stunning track that showcases Björk’s mastery of vocalization and sound engineering. The lyrics are cryptic, but the emotions conveyed through the melody and chanting create a sense of wonder and hopefulness that listeners crave.
Line by Line Meaning
Ahhhh ahhhhhhh,
The song begins with a prolonged sound of exhalation expressing emotions of excitement, ecstasy, or anticipation.
Ah sem lowfim,
The singer shouts out at the start of the song with a word that almost sounds like an expression of astonishment or surprise.
Insquellet akir lowmelancush,
The singer reflects on the melancholic feelings that have been haunting her lately.
Of setter komid tiffi fid imid se noovae komid
The singer states that her new composition is beginning to take shape in her mind and is starting to sound more and more like a finished piece of work.
Yeah tiffi fid imid
The singer reiterates that she is now truly feeling and hearing the essence of her new musical composition.
A quelte a quay (an seman tai!)
The singer repeats a phrase that seems to be in a made-up language, possibly used as a way of expressing certain emotions or creating a unique atmosphere.
(tu, tu, tu, tu....)
The song takes on a rhythmical pattern with a sequence of 'tu' sounds that further adds to the enchanting and hypnotic ambiance.
Heftay layowque le oftay
The singer continues to use invented words that might signify something in her world or imagination.
Kelt a kay nebelf afing mid un berstian (an seman tai!)
The singer sings yet another line in a language that she may have entirely made up to create a surreal, dreamlike state of mind.
Ahhhhh! (an seist situ rume, an sist situ rume,)
The singer lets out an emphatic, guttural sound that may express intense emotions or feelings of empowerment.
He hu hu hu he he he he he
The song ends with a repeated sequence of sounds that evoke a sense of joy, excitement, or release (possibly linked to the improvised language used throughout the song).
Contributed by Gianna N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jordanmcminn998
There is something so incredibly special about Medulla and really wish this song was on it.
@shawnbay2211
Before this I thought, "why would Medulla need a bonus gibberish song?" Then I realised this would round out the entire album before the next cycle began. As I think the best album closers are like a "post-credits sequence." They follow the true closer, but acts as a bonus extra to tie the albums themes together. And it often feels like an epilogue or a cover. So it doesn't feel compulsory. For example, I think Quicksand does this perfectly. It feels like an epilogue that encapsulates pain, femininity, and relationships together after finalising the story with Atom Dance and emotionally concluding with Mouth Mantra.
@shawnbay2211
Also the structural tracklist of Medulla often follows a pattern of fillers/experiments between a pop-adjacent song. Ending with the boppiest song into the intro is kinda jarring.
@MasteriMorty
This song is dark... dark beyond belief. It's like, you get to the end of an adventure, and are past the finish line in the winners circle which is located inside of a movie theater... but you then decide to keep going forward past the finish line, and fall through the movie screen into a pile of black decaying human bodies, or infinite mind creation
@tommygetsstupid3443
Bjork, is that you?
@shawnbay2211
It's actually the blankness the theatre workers feel waiting for me to leave as I watch the 8 minute scroll of credits.
@emsa5034
LIKE THE BACKROOMS!!!! Or like in the wizard of oz, just a strange atmosphere mixed with the threat of not being able to go back to your usual reality. Woah I never thought of it this way!!
@II-wz8vn
The perfect closer after the triumph of a heart, it is calm and beautiful.
@malfunctionnnn
ALSEMANCHHEEEEEEEEEEE
@an.august.sunflower2110
A-AAAAAAA