| "Army of Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Björk | ||||
| from the album Post | ||||
| B-side | "Cover Me" "You've Been Flirting Again" "Sweet Intuition" |
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| Released | April 21, 1995 | |||
| Format | CD | |||
| Recorded | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Industrial rock, electronica | |||
| Length | 3:55 | |||
| Label | One Little Indian | |||
| Writer(s) | Björk, Graham Massey | |||
| Producer | Björk Nellee Hooper Graham Massey |
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| Björk singles chronology | ||||
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"Army of Me" is a song by Björk, released in 1995 as the first, and leading, single from her second solo album Post. The song also appeared, later in the same year on the soundtrack of Tank Girl as well as in the soundtrack of Sucker Punch in 2011. This song was also ranked #316 in Blender magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[1]
Björk released it again as part of a 2-CD charity benefit compilation entitled Army of Me: Remixes and Covers in late 2004.
Contents |
The song "Army of Me" was the first single of Björk's second album Post. Björk explained,
| “ | I felt that Debut had been such a polite, shy album - there was a side of me that was so shy and such a beginner. I was very flattered when everyone loved Debut but also a bit confused because it wasn't really me. Maybe "Army of Me" was an attempt to balance it out. | ” |
The song is dedicated to Björk's brother. It shows Björk daring him to move up and find a job to keep his life on, and also for him to not fall into bad things and learn to defend himself.
The song was subsequently used in the soundtrack of the 1995 film Tank Girl and later in the 2011 film Sucker Punch.
The music video for the song was directed by filmmaker Michel Gondry. It opens with Björk, clad in a black karate gi, driving a large vehicle. The vehicle begins to sputter and slow, prompting Björk to check the motor. The vehicle's engine assembly consists of a mouth in which and all of the teeth appear rotten, comically exaggerated by a shaggy-looking man engulfed in a stench-cloud crawling out of the mouth and offending passers-by.
Björk touches her cheek, appearing to have a toothache, and proceeds to a nearby dentist's office. She is examined by the dentist, a anthropomorphic gorilla, who discovers a diamond in her mouth. The dentist attempts to steal the diamond for himself, but Björk leaps onto his back and pummels him, and retrieving the diamond, escapes the office. She takes the diamond back to her vehicle, all the while it multiplies in size until she is barely able to carry it. Björk tosses the diamond into the vehicle's mouth, apparently correcting its earlier affliction.
She then drives to a museum and proceeds inside, carrying a satchel containing a bomb. Sneaking past the museum's guards, she places the bomb on one of the exhibits, a man lying on an altar in a deep sleep. She then bolts toward the museum's exit, concerning the guards and other patrons. She makes it out of the building just moments before the bomb explodes. After the explosion, she re-enters the building to find the man from the altar, who appears to have been wakened by the blast. Björk hugs him, crying teardrops of jewels, and the shot fades to black, showing a message "To Be Continued."
The video was often shown truncated on MTV, cut off before the bomb goes off. Björk and her label refused to use footage from the film Tank Girl (which features the track on its soundtrack) in the music video for "Army of Me".[2]
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For a complete list of official releases : Official Björk's Discography at 77island
Versions
Several other remixes (and covers) appear on Army of Me: Remixes and Covers. "Army of Me" released by other bands
References
External links |