Lionsong
| "Lionsong" | |
|---|---|
Promotional single by Björk | |
| from the album Vulnicura | |
| Released | 2015 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 6:08 |
One Little Indian | |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
"Lionsong" is the second song by Icelandic singer and musician
"Lionsong" was released as a
Background and composition
In late 2013, a 14-second video clip appeared on
"Lionsong" was written 5 months before Björk's breakup with American contemporary artist and filmmaker Matthew Barney, and the breakup fueled most of the material on Vulnicura. In "Lionsong", Björk describes being stuck in an uncertain place in their relationship. "Maybe he will come out of this loving me / maybe he won't," she sings, before coming to the conclusion, "Somehow I'm not too bothered / either way." She demands clarity while her partner seemingly wants things foggy and unresolved.
Björk recalled the genesis of the song to
The public first heard "Lionsong" when Vulnicura leaked in full on 18 January 2015.[4] The album was rush released on iTunes on 20 January,[5] and "Lionsong" has remained a favorite of fans and critics alike.
Remixes and alternate versions
While no singles were released to promote Vulnicura, Björk did release several companion projects to the original studio album, the first of which was the three-part Vulnicura Remix Series. "Lionsong" is the most oft remixed song from Vulnicura and a remix of it was released during every wave of the Vulnicura Remix Series.
The first is a karaoke-inspired remix by
The second remix, released as part of the second wave of the Vulnicura Remix series, was created by Björk herself featuring Graduale Nobili, the Icelandic choir that joined her on the Biophilia tour (2011–2013). Its beat samples an early track from UNTOLD called "Flexible". UNTOLD revealed that he learned the remix would be officially released after one of Björk's 2015 New York City Center shows in early 2015.[7]
The final remix for "Lionsong" is by Juliana Huxtable, an American DJ and poet. Huxtable described her emotional connection to "Lionsong" on Dazed in October 2015: "I really just fell for the album in general but "Lionsong" specifically went straight to this really guttural and spiritual place for me. I was dealing with a lot at the time – doing a lot of healing after a really difficult love and this song brought me through. I started playing it in my club sets and it works to take people to this really insane place. Even after I've mended, it's one of the most powerful songs I've heard in so long and when Björk asked if I'd like to do a remix I naturally freaked out. I tried to think through what elements would take the song to a 'catch the holy ghost' experience in the context of a body in motion - dancing or exorcising. I worked with my friend and frequent collaborator false witness in the studio to really perfect the vision I had for this track and I hope that it does it honor."[8]
All three remixes were released digitally and on limited edition translucent vinyl. Only 5,000 copies were made for the first 2 and only 1,000 copies made for the Juliana Huxtable Remix (and wave 3 in general).
Following the Vulnicura Remix Series, Björk released
The final commercially released version of "Lionsong" can be found on
Like "Stonemilker", "Lionsong" also received a radio edit for airplay. However, "Lionsong" received more airtime as it was the most commercially viable and popular track from Vulnicura. The "Lionsong" (Radio Edit) was made available for play on American radio stations on 9 December 2015 via One Little Indian Records.
Critical reception
"Lionsong" has proven itself one of Vulnicura's most popular songs and has been described as "majestic and sad" by Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic[9] and "tense" by The Telegraph.[10] Noisey called it, "One of the most unforgettable and foreboding tracks," on Vulnicura.
Music video
"Lionsong" was the first music video from Vulnicura to be shown publicly outside of the
The video was directed by Björk's frequent
Speaking to Artsy,[11] Inez described the creation of the video, which began as the photo shoot for the Vulnicura album cover: "Björk sent a beautiful video of a spider molting out of its own skin and becoming translucent, and then filling up with color again. For her, that was really the basis of the imagery around this album, this transformation and soft, waxy, yellow-pink coloring… She said she wanted to have a wound on her body, on her heart, in an abstract way. From there, we worked with our stylist Mel Ottenberg on the character, and that's when he found this black latex suit and the headpiece by a Japanese designer [Maiko Takeda], which she'd already worn once on stage…" during the summer of 2013 while touring Biophilia.
"Björk's character for "Lionsong" had to be smooth like a spider waiting in her web and seductive like a Balinese dancer cast in bronze," the duo told Noisey. "She is seen as if under a microscope, baring her heart while luring us inside the bloody galaxy of her own wound."[12]
It was during the album cover's photo shoot that Inez came up with the idea of shooting a music video for one of Vulnicura's songs, a similar practice that resulted in the "
Charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Iceland (RÚV)[13] | 21 |
References
- ^ "Björk – Lionsong (Radio Edit) | Daily Play MPE®". Daily.plaympe.com. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "apparently a new song of björk (2015)". YouTube. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ Fricke, David (18 February 2015). "Bjork on Feeling Like an Alien, Child Stardom in Iceland, 'Vulnicura'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ Vain, Madison (14 January 2015). "Bjork's 'Vulnicura' leaks two months early". EW.com. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Bjork rush releases digital version of new album 'Vulnicura'". Nme.com. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ Dazed (9 June 2015). "Björk's Vulnicura remixed – part 1 | Dazed". Dazed. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Björk's Vulnicura remixed – part 2 | Dazed". Dazeddigital.com. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Björk's Vulnicura remixed – part 3 | Dazed". Dazeddigital.com. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (22 January 2015). "Review: Björk's 'Vulnicura' Is the Definition of Devastating". The Atlantic. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ Brown, Helen. "Björk, Vulnicura, review: 'raw exhilaration'". Telegraph. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "As Björk Opens at MoMA, Behind the Scenes of Her Most Iconic Images". Artsy. 2 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "Björk Premieres the Video For "Lionsong" on Noisey | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Björk Chart History". RÚV. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2017.