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Björk – Oceania (3:25)

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About This Track

SONG INFO

Performed by Björk with the London Choir
Beats: Shlomo
Piano: Nico Muhly
Vocal samples: Robert Wyatt
Programmed by: Björk, Mark Bell, Valgeir Sigurdsson

This song was premiered at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

“Basically, the Olympics people asked me to do a kind of ‘Ebony and Ivory’ or ‘We Are the World’ type song. Those are smashing tunes and all that, but I thought, ‘Maybe there’s another angle to this. ’ When I tried to write an Olympic lyric, though, it was full of sports socks and ribbons. I ended up pissing myself laughing.” Björk decided to call on Sjón Sigurdsson, Icelandic poet and previous lyrics-collaborator. Needing something epic, Sjón took a course in Greek mythology, and then wrote these lyrics for ‘Oceania’, a kind of aquatic sojourn and the last song recorded for Medúlla. “The Olympic version will be a little different. But it will fit the occasion, I think, because the song is all about how the ocean doesn’t see boundaries between countries and thinks everyone is the same. Sjón came up with this beautiful last line that touches on how we were all little jellyfish or whatever before we made it on to land. He has The Sea saying, ‘Your sweat is salty / And I am why / Your sweat is salty / And I am why.’” (Björk 13 Aug 2004)
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Albums featuring this track

  • Medúlla
    Björk Play
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  • Medulla
    Björk Play
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  • Medulla
    Bjork Play
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  • Oceania
    Björk Play
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See all 10 albums

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  • futhamucka

    WHAT? WHERE? WHY? HOW DOES THIS EXIST?!

    last month

  • chromatech

    Beautiful and amazing.....

    March 2012

  • claudiobittenco

    Great use of backing vocals. 2

    February 2012

  • alecruzross

    Love it!

    February 2012

  • fenice_boner

    choir harmonies at 1-46 make me drown. SO wonderful

    January 2012

  • E-mirror

    Best of Medúlla ♥

    January 2012

  • clockworkwombat

    whooooooooooomp

    January 2012

  • blisserhann

    Such a perfect song....

    November 2011

  • obscurecendo

    WHAT A SONG!

    November 2011

  • Hasimere

    haha, what a lovely lady

    November 2011

  • EmeraldSohma

    Oh man, this is so fucking good. [2]

    October 2011

  • snowbleed

    dat beatboxing

    October 2011

  • alecruzross

    Orgasmic!

    September 2011

  • XDRory

    While listening to this, the words "HOLY SHIT" come to mind...

    August 2011

  • Sameh93

    Oh man, this is so fucking good.

    August 2011

  • diiot

    This is about humans and evolution and the earth and the ocean, I guess?

    June 2011

  • nadryv

    backing vocals freak me out..

    June 2011

  • KiingNothing

    "you show me incontinence" [5] lol

    June 2011

  • tiki22

    tres fabulose

    May 2011

  • pootytang

    I cannot believe I am listening to a Björk song and hearing Robert Wyatt. Wonders never cease!

    April 2011
See all 146 shouts

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