"Where Is the Line" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer
Björk for her fifth studio album ''
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 ...
''. It was written by the singer herself and co-produced with longtime collaborator
Mark Bell. The track was originally intended to be released as the album's third commercial single, but its release was cancelled just before Björk released the ''
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 ...
'' soundtrack, in order to focus all promotional efforts on the film and soundtrack instead. Some promotional white labels vinyls were released around 2005. A
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for the song was made by Icelandic Artist
Gabríela Friðriksdóttir
Gabríela Friðriksdóttir (born 1971 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is an Icelandic visual artist, painter and sculptor.
In 2005, she represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale, and she is a previous winner of Iceland's Gudmunda Art Prize (2001). She ...
. Upon the cancellation of the single, the video was used as part of a video installation project by Friðriksdóttir.
Background and composition
"Where Is the Line" features a contribution by beatboxer
Rahzel
Rozell Manely Brown (born October 6, 1964) is an American beatboxer and rapper, formerly a member of the Roots.
Rahzel is known for an ability to sing or rap while simultaneously beatboxing, as evidenced in his performances of "Iron Man" and his ...
. According to Björk, she
e-mail
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic (digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
ed "Where Is the Line" to British musician
Mark Bell, who a year later replied with a little idea for it. She wanted to make an arrangement like the one for "Brennið þið Vitar", an Icelandic choir piece. After she did it, the song "started to scream for a vocal only version. We tried very hard very long and when finally Rahzel came and sang a beat that we had programmed, gave us some noises we edited into it, it finally fell into place in end of April I think it was and I was so happy when I heard the first playthrough of the only vocal version that I silently cried. It felt great, hard tough work but really really worth it". In an interview with ''
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'', Björk revealed that she kept hearing "
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, '' A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack o ...
" by
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
in her head when I was editing "Where Is the Line" and "Vökuró", another track on ''Medúlla''. She also thought that "they have the same epic playfulness. I don't know if other people will detect the humour, but I think they're both really funny songs. There's something impressive and ridiculous about them". "Where Is the Line" is a dark song in which Björk attacks her younger brother for being greedy and unreliable. In its lyrics, the singer displays some irritation: "I'm elastic for you, but enough is enough".
Critical reception
''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'' website was positive towards "Where Is the Line", and said that "it was no coincidence" that one of "the most exciting tracks" on the album contained more percussion and instrumentation than the others. Theon Weber from ''
Spin'' magazine said the song "assault
the listener with a hail of vocal gunfire".
Heather Phares of
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 databa ...
commented that the track was one of Björk's "tough, no-nonsense songs", and "Rahzel's hard-hitting beats make it starker than anything on ''
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 styli ...
''".
Music video
The
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for "Where Is the Line" was directed by Icelandic artist
Gabríela Friðriksdóttir
Gabríela Friðriksdóttir (born 1971 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is an Icelandic visual artist, painter and sculptor.
In 2005, she represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale, and she is a previous winner of Iceland's Gudmunda Art Prize (2001). She ...
and shot at a stable in Iceland, in November 2004. It was premiered during Friðriksdóttir's exposition at the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
in 2005. Originally being one of three films from the artist's ''Versations Tetralogia'', then edited to fit "Where Is The Line". It shows Björk wearing a dress made of sandbags and standing in a barn full of hay. She gives birth to a convulsing person (dancer Erna Ómarsdóttir) covered in a
white stickiness who, after a wild dance, withdraws back inside the host. After a series of explosions, a number of creatures made of hay emerge from the hay stacks. They surround her and cover her with their bodies on the ground until she is no longer visible. The video was included on the DVD ''
The Medúlla Videos
''The Medúlla Videos'' is a 2005 music video DVD by Björk. The DVD includes videos for songs from her sixth studio album, ''Medúlla''. A total of five music videos are included, two of which are for songs which were not released as singles, a ...
'', which included all music videos from ''Medúlla'', released in 2005.
Live performances
Björk premiered "Where Is the Line" on the
Greatest Hits Tour in 2003, along with other three tracks from ''Medúlla''. The song has also been performed on the
Volta Tour in 2007 and 2008. Additionally, "Where Is the Line" was performed along with musician
Mike Patton
Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techni ...
, best known as the lead singer of the
alternative metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
band
Faith No More, on the
Biophilia Tour
The Biophilia Tour was the seventh concert tour by Icelandic musician Björk. The tour was centered on her multimedia project and studio album '' Biophilia'' (2011). The tour premiered at the Manchester International Festival and visited Europe, A ...
on 28 May 2013, in San Francisco. The song was also added to the setlist of some shows of the
Vulnicura Tour
The Vulnicura Tour was the eighth concert tour by Icelandic musician Björk. The tour centered on her critically acclaimed 2015 album ''Vulnicura'' which chronicled the singer's breakup with American contemporary artist Matthew Barney.
The first ...
in 2015.
Cover and usage in media
The track was covered by
Michael Wollny and Heinz Sauer on their album ''Certain Beauty'', under the title "Where is the Line (With You)". The track was also included on a compilation album released by
Rough Trade, titled ''The Record Shop - 30 Years of Rough Trade Shops''. The track was chosen by Richard Russell. A remix by
Mike Patton
Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techni ...
, who contributed to the original song, was made available for download on War Child Music in April 2005.
Track listings
*;UK Promotional White label 12"
#Where Is the Line (
Matmos
Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore. M. C. (Martin) Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but they frequently include other artists on their records and in their per ...
Rubberband Remix)
#Where Is the Line (
The Soft Pink Truth
The Soft Pink Truth is an experimental house music side-project from Drew Daniel, one-half of experimental electronic music duo Matmos. Daniel started the project on a dare from Matthew Herbert that he could not produce a house record. ''Do You ...
Glow Stick Museum Mix)
*;UK Promotional White label 12"/Promo CDr
#
Who Is It (
Vitalic
Pascal Arbez-Nicolas (; born 18 May 1976), better known by his stage name Vitalic (), is a French electronic music producer.
History
His first singles were released in 1996 and 1997, but were confined to underground electronic music scene. ...
Mix)
#Where Is the Line (
Fantômas
Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914).
One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appear ...
Mix)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Where Is The Line
Björk songs
A cappella songs
Songs written by Björk
2004 songs
Song recordings produced by Björk