"Virus" is a song by Icelandic artist

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 voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

released as the third single from the album '' Biophilia''. Each song in the album features a theme related to nature. In "Virus", Björk explores "fatal relationships" such as the one between a

virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...

and a cell, as Björk explained in an interview: "It's a kind of a love story between a virus and a cell. And of course the virus loves the cell so much that it destroys it."

Background and composition

"Virus" features a gameleste (a hybrid between a

celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...

and a

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

that can be controlled by midi and that was also used in "

Crystalline A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...

", built exclusively for these songs) base that plays through the whole song. The gameleste represents the 'virus' that continues multiplying until it takes control at the end of the song. Also,

Manu Delago Manu Delago (born 31 July 1984) is an Austrian musician and composer. Biography Delago was born in Innsbruck, Tyrol (state), Tyrol, and took music lessons as a child in accordion and piano. As a teenager he mainly played drums for various rock ...

plays hang drum. Since Björk wanted the album to break the typical 4/4

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

, "Virus" has a time signature of 3/4, running at a tempo of 120 beats per minute. The lyrics to "Virus" talk about "dangerous relationships", symbiotic relationships in which one organism is parasite for the other and takes a benefit, even changing the other's behaviour. This fact is used as a metaphor between 'love' and 'parasiting'. Björk took inspitation from a

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

educative video about mind-controlling parasites and from

candidiasis Candidiasis is a fungal infection due to any species of the genus '' Candida'' (a yeast). When it affects the mouth, in some countries it is commonly called thrush. Signs and symptoms include white patches on the tongue or other areas of the ...

, illness that she suffered:

App

The "Virus" app is a video game where a virus attempts to infect healthy cells; the user can control the cells and flick nuclei into the healthy cells, or watch the infection occur in "Video" mode. The user can also try to stop the infection, but if the virus is defeated, the song stops playing. If the virus is prevented the song will stop playing. By tapping on the cells, the user can also make his or her own music.

Official versions

*Album version – 5:26 *Single version – 5:20 *

Hudson Mohawke Ross Matthew Birchard (born 11 February 1986), better known by the stage name Hudson Mohawke, is a Scottish producer, composer, and DJ from Glasgow. He is known for his work in 21st century hip-hop and electronic music. A founding member of th ...

Peaches and Guacamol Remix – 4:51 released on Part 3 of the Biophilia Remix Series *

Matthew Herbert Matthew Herbert (born in 1972), also known as Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, Wishmountain, and DJ Empty, is a British electronic musician. He often takes sounds from everyday items to produce electronic music. ...

's Fever Mix – 7:07 released on Part 6 of the Biophilia Remix Series *MIF live version – 5:47 (Biophilia: Manual Edition CD2)

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Virus (Bjork Song) 2011 singles 2011 songs Björk songs Songs with lyrics by Sjón Songs written by Björk Song recordings produced by Björk One Little Independent Records singles