List Of Songs Recorded By Björk
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Icelandic singer and songwriter
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
has recorded more than two hundred songs for ten
studio albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
, two soundtrack albums, a
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
, six
remix albums A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 20 ...
and three collaboration albums. She is the sole writer and producer of most of the songs included in her albums. She also sometimes plays instruments during her recording sessions. Moreover, she has provided credited and uncredited contributions on songs recorded by other artists, including background vocals, songwriting, remixing and production. After enrolling at the Barnamúsíkskóli in
Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
, she started developing an interest in writing and performing. A live recording of her rendition of Tina Charles' 1976 song "
I Love to Love "I Love to Love" is a song recorded by German Eurodance group La Bouche, released in November 1995 as the fourth and last single of their debut album, '' Sweet Dreams'' (1995). The song achieved a minor success in comparison with " Be My Lover" ...
", sung when she was 10 years old, led to the signing of a record deal with Fálkinn. Her first eponymous solo release (1977), nowadays considered
juvenilia Juvenilia are literary, musical or artistic works produced by authors during their youth. Written juvenilia, if published at all, usually appears as a retrospective publication, some time after the author has become well known for later works. ...
, consisted of cover songs. Nonetheless, the album included her first composition, "Jóhannes Kjarval". Thereafter, Björk ventured into music bands experiences, singing as the lead voice of groups like
Tappi Tíkarrass Tappi Tíkarrass was an Icelandic punk band which added elements of funk, rock and jazz to their music, marking a difference from other traditional bands at that time. The band is also considered the first serious music project of now renowned sin ...
, Kukl,
the Elgar Sisters The Elgar Sisters was an Icelandic duo formed by singer Björk Guðmundsdóttir and composer Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson in 1984. The Elgar Sisters coexisted with Kukl, another group they were part of. The origin of the duo’s name dates back ...
and, most notably,
the Sugarcubes The Sugarcubes ( Icelandic: Sykurmolarnir) were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Bened ...
. While recording with the Sugarcubes, Björk appeared as a background vocalist for fellow artists like
Megas Magnús Þór Jónsson (born 7 April 1945), better known by the stage name Megas, is a vocalist, songwriter, and writer who is well known in his native Iceland. Interest in music Being an admirer of Elvis Presley, Megas welcomed the arrival of ...
,
Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet, who has been Current 93's only constant member. Background Tibet has been the only const ...
and Bless, and some of her original music was included in local music compilations. In 1990 she released ''
Gling-Gló ''Gling-Gló'' is the only studio album by Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar, consisting of Björk Guðmundsdóttir on vocals, Guðmundur Ingólfsson on piano, Guðmundur Steingrímsson on drums, and Þórður Högnason ...
'' alongside
Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar ( Eng.: Guðmundur Ingólfsson's Trio) was an Icelandic bebop group and a piano trio, long since disbanded, following the death of its leader, pianist Guðmundur Ingólfsson in 1991. The other two members of the trio ...
, a cover album of
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
standards. In 1993, after departing from The Sugarcubes, Björk released her first solo album, ''
Debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Debu ...
'', which propelled her to international stardom. The album was followed by a series of critically acclaimed recordings, including ''
Post Post or POST commonly refers to: *Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal service **Iraqi Post, Ira ...
'' (1995), ''
Homogenic ''Homogenic'' is the third studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 20 September 1997 by One Little Indian Records. Produced by Björk, Mark Bell, Guy Sigsworth, Howie B, and Markus Dravs, the album marked a stylist ...
'' (1997), ''
Vespertine ''Vespertine'' is the fourth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 27 August 2001 in the United Kingdom by One Little Independent Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. Production on the album ...
'' (2001), ''
Medúlla ''Medúlla'' is the fifth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 30 August 2004 in the United Kingdom by One Little Indian Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. After the release of her electro ...
'' (2004), '' Volta'' (2007), '' Biophilia'' (2011), ''
Vulnicura ''Vulnicura'' is the eighth studio album by Icelandic musician and singer Björk. It was produced by Björk, Arca and The Haxan Cloak, and released on 20 January 2015 by One Little Indian Records. Björk said the album expresses her feelings bef ...
'' (2015), and ''
Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
'' (2017). All of her albums were released under
One Little Independent Records One Little Independent Records (formerly One Little Indian Records) is an English independent record label. It was set up in 1985 by members of various anarcho-punk bands, and managed by former Flux of Pink Indians bassist Derek Birkett. In ...
. Björk has collaborated with a number of artists and songwriters throughout her career, including
Nellee Hooper Nellee Hooper (born Paul Andrew Hooper on 15 March 1963) is a British record producer, remixer and songwriter known for his work with many major recording artists beginning in the late 1980s. He also debuted as a motion picture music composer w ...
,
Sjón 260px, Sjón at LiteratureXchange Festival ín Aarhus (Denmark 2019) Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (born 27 August 1962), known as Sjón ( ; ; meaning "sight" and being an abbreviation of his first name), is an Icelandic poet, novelist, lyricis ...
, Mark Bell, Anohni and Arca. Björk's recorded output also encompasses songs recorded for motion pictures. She has composed theme songs for ''
The Young Americans The Young Americans is a non-profit organization and performing group based in Southern California. First founded in 1962 by Milton C. Anderson, the group was credited with being the first show choir in America, mixing choreography with choral ...
'' (1993), ''Anton'' (1996), ''
Being John Malkovich ''Being John Malkovich'' is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, both making their feature film debut. The film stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, with John Malkovich as a ...
'' (1999), ''Með mann á bakinu'' (2004), ''Hot Chocolate'' (2005) and ''
Moomins and the Comet Chase ''Moomins and the Comet Chase'' is a 2010 3D stop motion animated fantasy adventure comedy family film compiled from the '' Comet in Moominland''-based episodes of the 1977–1982 ''The Moomins'' TV series animated at Se-ma-for in Poland, restor ...
'' (2010). Most notably, she created the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
for ''
Dancer in the Dark ''Dancer in the Dark'' is a 2000 musical drama film written and directed by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. It stars Icelandic musician Björk as a factory worker who suffers from a degenerative eye condition and is saving for an operation to p ...
'' (2000), directed by
Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (''né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes, in addition to nominat ...
, while also acting as the main protagonist in the film itself, a role which gained her the Best Actress Award at the 53rd
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, whereas her song "
I've Seen It All "I've Seen It All" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer Björk for the ''Dancer in the Dark'' soundtrack, ''Selmasongs'' (2000). It was written by the singer, along with Sjón and Lars von Trier, who also directed the film. It was released as ...
" received a nomination at the
73rd Academy Awards The 73rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best of 2000 in film and took place on March 25, 2001, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / ...
for
Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
. Björk reprised double duty as main actress and composer for
Matthew Barney Matthew Barney (born March 25, 1967) is an American contemporary artist and film director who works in the fields of sculpture, film, photography and drawing. His works explore connections among geography, biology, geology and mythology as well ...
's ''
Drawing Restraint 9 ''Drawing Restraint 9'' is a 2005 film project by visual artist Matthew Barney consisting of a feature-length film, large-scale sculptures, photographs, drawings, and books. The Drawing Restraint series consists of 19 numbered components and relat ...
'', for which she recorded an eponymous soundtrack (2005). Her latest contribution for a film is recording background vocals for ''
The Northman ''The Northman'' is a 2022 American Epic film, epic Historical fiction, historical action thriller film directed by Robert Eggers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sjón. Based on the legend of Amleth, the film stars Alexander Skarsgård (who ...
'' soundtrack, her fourth feature movie role. During the course of her career, Björk's songs and compositions were nominated for several music awards. She has received five
BRIT Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
, four
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
, one Academy Award nomination, and fifteen
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nominations. In 2010, the
Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music ( sv, Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. At the time of its foundation, only one of its co-founder was a professional musician, Ferdin ...
awarded her with the prestigious
Polar Music Prize The Polar Music Prize is a Swedish international award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, best known as the manager of the Swedish band ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The award is annually given to one contemporary ...
, considered the equivalent of the " Nobel Prize of Music" in Sweden, praising "her deeply personal music and lyrics, her precise arrangements and her unique voice". In 2017, Björk released her first
song book A song book is a book containing lyrics for songs. Song books may be simple composition books or spiral-bound notebooks. Music publishers also produced printed editions for group singing. Such volumes were used in the United States by piano manuf ...
, titled '' 34 Scores for Piano, Organ, Harpsichord and Celeste'', which features a selection of arrangements for songs belonging to her catalogue.


Songs


Other contributions


See also

*
Björk discography The discography of Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk consists of eleven studio albums, two soundtrack albums, one compilation album, six remix albums, seven live albums, four box sets, three collaboration albums, forty-five singles, ten pro ...
* Björk videography


Notes


References


External links


Björk's official website

Björk songs
at
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Björk songwriting details
at the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
(ASCAP) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bjork B-Sides
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...