"Unravel" is the third song on the album ''

Homogenic ''Homogenic'' is the third studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 22 September 1997 by One Little Indian Records. Produced by Björk, Mark Bell (British musician), Mark Bell, Guy Sigsworth, Howie B, and Markus Dra ...

'' by

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 ...

, which was released in 1997. The song features a prominent example of Björk's use of a half-singing, half-speaking technique which, according to folklorist Njáll Sigurðsson, is comparable to that of Old Icelandic choirmen.

Composition and themes

Structurally, the song is made up of a slowly sweeping melody, saxophones, a church organ, and distant-sounding electronic beats. Thematically, the song describes two faraway lovers. One of the lovers realizes that the love between the two of them is unraveling because of factors out of their control. The lover, Björk, seeks to reunite with her lover to rebuild the love lost.

Music video

Even though "Unravel" was not released as a single, a music video was made by Lynn Fox to promote Björk's Greatest Hits tour. The video won a silver prize at the 2004

D&AD Design and Art Direction (D&AD), formerly known as British Design and Art Direction, is a British educational organisation that was created in 1962 to promote excellence in design and advertising. Its main offices are in Spitalfields in London. ...

Awards, an event recognizing annual achievements in design and advertising. The video itself depicts Björk in a deep sea-like environment, wearing a billowing dress as a large and furry unidentified sea creature grows out of her back in a strings-like manner.

Other artists

In a 2006 interview with ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'', the

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

singer

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician who is the vocalist and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. ''Rolling Stone'' desc ...

said "Unravel" was his favourite song ever. Radiohead performed a cover of "Unravel" in a 2007 webcast. The Brazilian singer Alice Caymmi released a cover on her 2012 debut album. The Florida sludge metal group Ether Coven covered the song on their 2020 album ''Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering''. English songwriters Wayne Hussey and

Julianne Regan Julianne Regan (born 30 June 1962) is an English/Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. She achieved success in the late 1980s and early 1990s having formed the band All About Eve. Her major role in the band was as lead singer and songwriter ...

featured a cover of the song on their collaborative album ''Curios''.

References

Björk songs Songs written by Guy Sigsworth Songs written by Björk 1997 songs {{1990s-song-stub