Listen to Björk’s stunning isolated vocals for ‘Jóga’
Icelandic musician Björk took the 1990s by storm when she released her first solo record, Debut, in 1993. The album was highly influential, helping to introduce electronic dance music into mainstream pop whilst simultaneously pulling inspiration from various genres, including jazz, trip-hop and funk. The album’s success was triumphed by 1995’s Post, which expanded Debut’s sonic palette to include ambient, industrial, and art rock influences. However, in 1997, Björk released Homogenic, leaving listeners questioning how an artist could create such consistently flawless pieces of work.
Björk’s native Iceland inspired the album, blending harsh electronics with softer classical instruments. The musician explained: “In Iceland, everything revolves around nature, 24 hours a day. Earthquakes, snowstorms, rain, ice, volcanic eruptions, geysers. Very elementary and uncontrollable. But at the other hand, Iceland is incredibly modern; everything is hi-tech. The number of people owning a computer is as high as nowhere else in the world. That contradiction is also on Homogenic. The electronic beats are the rhythm, the heartbeat. The violins create the old-fashioned atmosphere, the colouring.”
The album was teased with multiple singles, including ‘Bachelorette’, ‘All Is Full of Love’, ‘Alarm Call’, ‘Hunter’ and ‘Jóga’. The latter is one of the album’s standout tracks, blending electronica with luscious strings, arranged by Björk. The musician shared her inspirations behind the track, stating: “With this song, I really had a sort of National Anthem in mind. Not the National Anthem but certain classic Icelandic songs – very romantic, very proud.”
Furthermore, ‘Jóga’ was inspired by Björk’s best friend, Jóhanna ‘Jóga’ Johannsdóttir. In the song, she sings about the pair’s understanding and encouraging relationship: “All that no one sees/ You see what’s inside of me/ Every nerve that hurts/ You heal deep inside of me, ooh/ You don’t have to speak/ I feel.” This line also harnesses a double meaning, as Johannsdóttir was also Björk’s masseuse whilst she was touring. Furthermore, Björk expresses the beauty she finds in being pushed to a “state of emergency”, a line she sings with brilliant potency.
Despite the brilliance of the song, Björk had difficulty penning the lyrics. She told MuchMusic in 1998: “I tried to write that tune but, I mean, I just wanted mainly to write lyrics. It was just pathetic. I was like ‘her… her…’ it was like ‘love… love…’ I couldn’t even put it into words. So, you know, it’s – yeah, it’s probably the—I think it’s the fiercest love song I have written, I think.”
As always, Björk gives an outstanding vocal performance on the track. Check out the isolated vocals of ‘Jóga’ below.