Sometimes Björk has been her own worst enemy. Take for instance, when the Icelandic artist lost her cool in Bangkok, 1996, when television reporter, Julie Kaufman, approached Björk and her then 9-year-old son. She threw Kauffman to the floor believing her son’s privacy and safety was being jeopardised. Bjork later apologised and Kaufman (to her credit) declined to press charges of assault.
This unfortunate incident occurred during her Post-era period, arguably when Björk was at the height of her fame. For someone like Björk who guards her privacy and strongly dislikes the intrusive culture of celebrity, it couldn’t have come at a worst time. She was constantly harassed by paparazzi and reporters looking for a scoop. She was even a target for an obsessed stalker, who mailed her a letter bomb. When that failed he committed suicide in late 1996. She was deeply distressed by the whole affair, it’s no wonder her music shifted dramatically looking inwards in the late 1990s.
The first song that comes to mind which looked at the exhaustive burden of public expectation on Björk is arguably Hunter, taken from her 1997 album Homogenic. However not until she released her 2001 album Vespertine, do we get an album solely dedicated to love, domestic life and secrecy. While the main theme of the album is about Björk falling in love, it is intertwined with moments about foreboding and refuge. The most unsettling track on Björk’s Vespertine is An Echo, a Stain. It touches on issues around trauma, violence, fear and dread. It’s opposite is likely It’s Not Up To You, which is very much playful, poppy and lyrically about letting go and allowing love to envelop you.
Even tracks like the album opener Hidden Place feels both intimate and chaotic. While its melody and textured soundscape feels strangely hypnotic, lyrically it has often been described as Björk’s love letter to love. It captures the private, invisible bond two people build in a relationship. Björk once said, “Hidden Place is sort of about how two people can create a paradise just by uniting. You’ve got an emotional location that’s mutual. And it’s unbreakable. And obviously it’s make-believe. So, you could argue that it doesn’t exist because it’s invisible, but of course it does.”
From the outward chaos of the 1990s to the inward sanctuary of songs like Hidden Place, Björk proves to be a genius, especially when we talk about her intimate vocal restraint. It’s a far cry from the raw snarl of Army of Me or even the manic energy of Oh It’s So Quiet. It’s not to say Björk won’t utilise her signature growl ever again. She’ll still repurpose it from time to time.
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