About Vespertine
Vespertine is Björk's fourth full-length solo album. Released August 27 2001, it is an introspective album full of personal lyrics and microscopic beats. Björk herself has described the album as sounding like "a winter record," "going really, really, really internal and trying to make music with huffs and whispering and music boxes."
Various sounds were used to create the beats on some of the songs, including cards being shuffled on "Cocoon" and "Hidden Place", snow being walked upon on "Frosti", and ice being cracked and smashed on "Aurora". The lyrics to "An Echo, A Stain" are taken from Sarah Kane's play Crave, and the lyrics of "Harm of Will" were written by Harmony Korine and are about Will Oldham. "Sun in my Mouth" lyrics are from an e. e. Cummings' poem, which you can read in its entirety here.
Full lyrics and special song info can be found on Björk's website. There is a special Vespertine page on Björk's website that has wallpapers, quotes, interviews, and music videos.
Various sounds were used to create the beats on some of the songs, including cards being shuffled on "Cocoon" and "Hidden Place", snow being walked upon on "Frosti", and ice being cracked and smashed on "Aurora". The lyrics to "An Echo, A Stain" are taken from Sarah Kane's play Crave, and the lyrics of "Harm of Will" were written by Harmony Korine and are about Will Oldham. "Sun in my Mouth" lyrics are from an e. e. Cummings' poem, which you can read in its entirety here.
Full lyrics and special song info can be found on Björk's website. There is a special Vespertine page on Björk's website that has wallpapers, quotes, interviews, and music videos.
Tracklisting
- Hidden Place
- Cocoon
- It's Not Up to You
- Undo
- Pagan Poetry
- Frosti
- Aurora
- An Echo, A Stain
- Sun in My Mouth
- Heirloom
- Harm of Will
- Unison
- Generous Palmstroke (Japanese Bonus Track)
Hidden Place
"Hidden Place" the first single off of Vespertine, was released August 6th 2001.
Pagan Poetry
"Pagan Poetry" the second single, was released November 5th 2001. The music video was highly controvertial and banned by MTV in the United States because it included heavily distorted footage of Björk and Matthew Barney engaging in sexual intercourse. It also shows graphic footage of body piercing, and Björk herself is partially nude in the video. I have included the video below, but you may need to verify your age before you can view it.
Cocoon
The third and final single off of Vespertine, was released in March of 2002. Its music video was also controversial, as it shows an apparently naked Björk with red strands coming out of her nipples. The lyrics to the song also use euphemisms and metaphors to describe some very sexually explicit situations.