Hyperballad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Hyperballad"
Single by Björk
from the album Post
Released February 12, 1996
Format CD, 12", cassette
Genre Electronic, ambient, acid house, dance-pop, classical music, folktronica
Length 5:21 (album version)
3:58 (radio edit)
Label One Little Indian
Writer(s) Björk
Producer(s) Björk
Nellee Hooper
Björk singles chronology

"It's Oh So Quiet"
(1995)		 "Hyperballad"
(1996)		 "Possibly Maybe"
(1996)

Music video
"Hyperballad" on YouTube
Post track listing

"Hyperballad" (also known as "Hyper-Ballad") is a song by Icelandic singer-songwriter Bjork, which was taken from her second studio album Post (1995). Like the rest of her songs, the song was written by Bjork while the song's production was co-produced by long-time collaborator Nellee Hooper. Like the rest of the album, recording sessions of the song was set in Compass Point Studios, The Bahamas to save tax money. Musically, the song is a electronic song that infused musical genres of classical music, IDM, electronica and ambient music. The song was based on a dream that Bjork experienced and the lyrical content talks about waking up early before her lover and throwing small objects off a cliff, watching them smash. She imagines her body in their place, which makes her feel better about returning to her safe home and the arms of her lover.

"Hyperballad" was heavily lauded from older and contemporary music critics, which many critics pointed out that "Hyperballad" was her best song in her career, praising her lyrical content and vocal performance, along with its experimentation within its production and composition. The song was moderately successful in the countries it charted in, where it peaked in Finland, Australia, United States and the United Kingdom. A music video was shot for the single, featuring a digitalized Bjork running through a field.

Brodsky Quartet contributed their talents to a remix of the song, which first appeared on Björk's Post album, and later on Telegram. The song is mistitled "Hyperballad (Brodski Quartet Version)" on all pressings of the limited 2-CD edition Australian of Post.[1] Björk performed "Hyperballad" at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York in 1997, and this live version was subsequently included on the second disc of the Tibetan Freedom Concert album released later that year.

Composition

Production and musical influence

"Hyperballad" was written by Bjork, like the rest of her previous songs. The song was also co-produced by Bjork and Nellee Hooper, who had contributed in other Bjork albums. Like the rest of the album, recording sessions of the song was set in Compass Point Studios, The Bahamas to save tax money. Musically, the song is an electronic song that utilizes musical composition of classical music, IDM, electronica and ambient music. Heather Phares from Allmusic compared the song to the work of Aphex Twin.[2] Lorraine Ali from Rolling Stone said "On "Modern Things" she sings, "I listen to the irritating noises of dinosaurs," and turns fantasy into morbid but honest wonderment for "Hyperballad." Here's what she sings over a sweeping, panoramic vista: "I imagine what my body would sound like slamming against the rocks, and when it lands, will my eyes be open or closed?"[3] A reviewer from Sputnikmusic said " The lines inspiration and importance are mysterious to everyone but Bjork herself. As “Hyper-Ballad” begins to draw to an end the rhythmic beat begins to pick up pace and gives hypnotic vibe, while at the same time features elements of dance music."[4]

While listing the song at number 69 on their 100 Best Songs of the 1990's, a reviewer from NME said "‘Hyperballad’ was an earnest attempt to try and make old love alive once more [...] She said it was about the art of “not forgetting about yourself” in a relationship and this was reflected in the music which altered from gentle folktronica to drum and bass-tinted acid house."[5]

Lyrical content

In the lyrics, Björk talks about waking up early before her lover and throwing small objects off a cliff, watching them smash. She imagines her body in their place, which makes her feel better about returning to her safe home and the arms of her lover. She said that "I feel that words can have a mysticism or a hidden meaning. On Hyperballad, the idea that I'm throwing car parts from a cliff is about getting out my frustrations."[6]

Björk explains: "I guess that song is about when you're in a relationship and it's going really well and you're really happy and maybe you have given up parts of yourself. To fall in love and be in a relationship for a long time is like giving a lot of parts of you away because the relationship becomes more important than you as individuals. It's a bit of a tricky balance. I think everyone in a relationship needs to know not to forget themselves..." (from an interview by David Hemingway)[7]

She also explained how the song relates to the hiding of an aggressive part of oneself from a lover.

“ Basically, 'Hyper-ballad' is about having this kind of bag going on and three years have passed and you're not high anymore. You have to make an effort consciously and nature's not helping you anymore. So you wake up early in the morning and you sneak outside and you do something horrible and destructive, break whatever you can find, watch a horrible film, read a bit of William Burroughs, something really gross and come home and be like, 'Hi honey, how are you?'[8] ”

Critical reception

"Hyperballad" was heavily lauded from music critics. Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine was favorable, saying "Without missing a beat, Björk puts herself into the role of fragile suicidist on "Hyper-Ballad," as she throws tchotchkes over a cliff to approximate the nature of her own plunge. A phenomenal journey, the track begins with lightly shuffling drum n' bass before expanding into an immense house groove."[9] A reviewer from Sputnikmusic remarked that "“Hyper-ballad” also contains some of the most uniquely random lyrics that would later help Bjork reach ultimate fame [...]"[4] Mike Diver from BBC Music said "Hyper-Ballad – single four of six taken from this 11-tracker – is similarly striking, and remains among the very finest songs in Björk’s canon [...] perfectly is an indelibly excellent example of music meeting art. It’s a benchmark of successful audio-visual synergy."[10] Glenn Swan from Allmusic gave it a separate review, and awarded it 4 stars out of five, making it Bjork's highest-viewed single on the website.[11]

Drowned In Sound listed it at number 8 on their top ten Bjork singles.[12] Yahoo! Music listed the song at number 5 on their own top ten Bjork singles. They said "Desiring to see things smash as your throw them, but quietly and kindly sung is how the song kicks off. Utilizing a synth-tinged background and slow vocals, the song quickly intensifies in a electronic dance raving. How would it sound if you threw yourself off the same cliff? "I go through all this, before you wake up, so I can feel happier, to be safe." A smartly accelerated song to fall in the unique Bjork catalog."[13] XFM Radio listed it at number 686 on their The XFM Top 1,000 Songs Of All Time.[14]

"Hyperballad" was the song receiving most votes from Björk fans on the overall survey for her Greatest Hits album's song list. In September 2010 Pitchfork Media included the song at number 11 on their "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s".[15]

Music video

Björk as a two-dimensional character in the Hyperballad music video.

The video was directed by Michel Gondry. It features Björk as a computer game character who runs through an obscure, two-dimensional landscape of pylons before throwing herself off a cliff. This sequence, along with several others (including blinking lights and some of herself performing the song), are projected onto a three-dimensional shot of Björk lying amongst a mountainous landscape.

The video was filmed at Telecine Cell in London, using a motion control system. The entire video and all the effects were shot on a single 400 ft roll of film, by multiple exposure and frame-accurate backwinding of the film strip. The graphics were shot as a series of secondary exposures using a TV monitor, and the flashing lights were created with an LED strip board, also exposed on the same piece of film. There was no post-production or editing at all on this video, except the colour correction transfer to video. This was at the insistence, and under the technical direction, of Michel Gondry.

Björk sings live in the video. This new vocal take was later featured in the CD2 of the Hyperballad single, and in the 5.1 edition of Surrounded. Mike Diver from BBC Music gave it a positive review, saying "its accompanying video is a masterstroke of suggestive simplicity, evocative elegance; that it suits its skittering beats and contorting vocal [...]"[10]

Track listing

UK CD1
(192TP7CD; Released: 1996)

  1. "Hyperballad" (radio edit) – 4:00
  2. "Hyperballad" (Robin Hood Riding Through the Glen Mix) – 6:32
  3. "Hyperballad" (The Stomp Mix) – 5:09
  4. "Hyperballad" (The Hyperballad Fluke Mix) – 6:38
  5. "Hyperballad" (Subtle Abuse Mix) – 6:56
  6. "Hyperballad" (Tee's Freeze Mix) – 7:19

UK CD2
(192TP7CDL; Released: 1996)

  1. "Hyperballad" (video version) – 3:58
  2. "Isobel" (Carcass Remix) – 5:41
  3. "Cover Me" (Plaid Mix) – 5:24
  4. "Hyperballad" (Towa Tei Remix) – 8:12

UK CD
(576 1552; Released: February, 1996)

  1. "Hyperballad" (radio edit) – 4:00
  2. "Hyperballad" (Robin Hood Riding Through the Glen Mix) – 6:31
  3. "Hyperballad" (Disco Sync Mix) – 4:23
  4. "Hyperballad" (Subtle Abuse Mix) – 6:53

UK CD promo
(192TP7CDP; Released: 12 February 1996)

  1. "Hyperballad" (video version) – 3:58

UK 12" vinyl
(193TP12GH; Released: 1997)

Side A

  1. "Isobel's Lonely Heart" (Goldie Remix)

Side B

  1. "Hyperballad" (Robin Hood Riding Through the Glen Mix)

UK 12" vinyl
(193TP12TT; Released: 1997)

Side A

  1. "Hyperballad" (Towa Tei Remix) – 8:12

Side B

  1. "Enjoy" (The Beats Mix) – 7:01

UK 12" vinyl promo
(192TP12DT; Released: 1996)

Side A

  1. "Hyperballad" (David Morales Classic Mix) – 9:10

Side B

  1. "Hyperballad" (Tee's Freeze Mix) – 7:18

EUR CD
(576 1542; Released: February, 1996)

  1. "Hyperballad" (video version) – 3:58
  2. "Cover Me" (Plaid Mix) – 5:24

AUS CD
(576 1552; Released: 1996)

  1. "Hyperballad" (radio edit) – 4:01
  2. "Hyperballad" (Robin Hood Riding Through the Glen Mix) – 6:31
  3. "Hyperballad" (Disco Sync Mix) – 4:24
  4. "Hyperballad" (Subtle Abuse Mix) – 6:54

US CD
(66043-2; Released: 5 March 1996)

  1. "Hyper-Ballad" (video version) – 3:58
  2. "Hyper-Ballad" (Robin Hood Riding Through the Glen Mix) – 6:29
  3. "Hyper-Ballad" (Subtle Abuse Mix) – 6:53
  4. "Hyper-Ballad" (Tee's Freeze Mix) – 7:19
  5. "Hyper-Ballad" (David Morales Classic Mix) – 9:10
  6. "Hyper-Ballad" (Towa Tei's Choice Mix) – 8:13

US CD promo
(PRCD 9475-2; Released: 1996)

  1. "Hyper-Ballad" (video version) – 3:58
  2. "Hyper-Ballad" (David Morales Radio Edit) – 3:55
  3. "Hyper-Ballad" (Tee's Radio Mix) – 3:57
  4. "Hyper-Ballad" (David Morales Classic Mix) – 9:09
  5. "Hyper-Ballad" (Disco Synch Mix) – 4:20

US 12" vinyl
(0-66043; Released: 1996)

Side A

  1. "Hyper-Ballad" (David Morales Classic Mix) – 9:09
  2. "Hyper-Ballad" (Tee's Freeze Mix) – 7:18

Side B

  1. "Hyper-Ballad" (Disco Synch Mix) – 4:20
  2. "Hyper-Ballad" (Subtle Abuse Mix) – 6:53

US 12" vinyl promo
(ED 5831; Released: May, 1996)

Side A

  1. "Hyper-Ballad" (David Morales Classic Mix) – 9:09
  2. "Hyper-Ballad" (Robin Hood Riding Through the Glen Mix) – 6:29

Side B

  1. "Hyper-Ballad" (Tee's Freeze Mix) – 7:18
  2. "Hyper-Ballad" (Towa Tei Mix) – 8:12

Side C

  1. "Hyper-Ballad" (David Morales Boss Dub Mix) – 7:53
  2. "Hyper-Ballad" (Subtle Abuse Mix) – 6:53

Side D

  1. "Hyper-Ballad" (Disco Synch Mix) – 4:20
  2. "Hyper-Ballad" (The Stomp Mix) – 5:08
  3. "Hyper-Ballad" (Tom Apella Mix) – 6:57

US 10" vinyl promo
(192TP12HT; Released: 1995)

Side A

  1. "Hyperballad" (Towa Tei Mix) – 8:13

Side B

  1. "Hyberballad" (Robin Hood Riding Through the Glen Mix) – 6:29

US 10" vinyl promo
(192TP10LFO; Released: 1995)

Side A

  1. "Hyperballad" (Disco Sync Mix) – 4:20

Side B

  1. "Hyperballad" (The Stomp Mix) – 5:10

US 10" vinyl promo
(192TP10OP; Released: 1995)

Side A

  1. "Hyperballad" (Subtle Abuse Mix) – 6:53

Side B

  1. "Hyperballad" (Over the Edge Mix)

JPN CD
(POCP-7127; Released: 1996)

  1. "Hyperballad" (radio edit) – 4:01
  2. "Hyperballad" (Robin Hood Riding Through the Glen Mix) – 6:31
  3. "Hyperballad" (Disco Sync Mix) – 4:24
  4. "Hyperballad" (Subtle Abuse Mix) – 6:54

Official versions

  • Brodsky Quartet version
  • David Morales Boss Dub mix
  • David Morales Classic mix
  • David Morales radio edit
  • Disco Sync mix
  • Fluke mix
  • Girls Blouse mix
  • LFO 3.A.M mix
  • Over the Edge mix
  • Radio edit
  • Radio mix
  • Robin Hood Riding Through the Glen mix
  • Subtle Abuse mix
  • Tee's Freeze mix
  • The Stomp mix
  • Tom Apella remix
  • Towa Tei remix/Towa Tei Choice mix
  • Whitley cover for compilation album No Man's Woman

Covers

The song has been covered by many artists. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Ladybird Sideshow, and Glen Phillips covered it during their live shows. Peruvian band Ni Voz Ni Voto covered it for their Unplugged Album Acustico 2002, Greg Dulli and his band The Twilight Singers covered it in their 2004 album, She Loves You. John Nolan covered this song at Kevin Devine's Record Release Party in 2005. Big Heavy Stuff covers this song on Like a Version, a compilation album by the Australian radio station Triple J. Tori Amos covered parts of this song as an intro or bridge to Butterfly. She also covered a full version on her "Summer of Sin" tour.

Indonesian band Mocca covered this song on their 2007 album Colours. The same year also saw an Australian collaboration album named No Man's Woman, featured male vocalists covering some of the most famous songs performed by women. Folk singer Whitley delivered an arrangement of Hyperballad for this project. In 2008, the Spanish group Celtas Cortos made a cover of it in their album 40 de abril, under the title of "Abismo" (meaning "Cliff"). Dirty Projectors also covered the song on Enjoyed: A Tribute to Björk's Post.

In 2010 Robyn performed a cover of the song at the Polar Music Prize ceremony, when Björk and Ennio Morricone were awarded the prize.[16]

In jazz, the song has been covered by Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and Michal Miskiewicz on their 2004 album Trio, and by the Verneri Pohjola Quartet on the 2012 album Ancient History.

Charts

Chart Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 11
UK Singles Chart 8
Finnish Singles Chart 18
Australian Singles Chart 31
Swedish Singles Chart 34

References

  1. ↑ "Björk - Post (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  2. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/post-mw0000644035
  3. ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/post-19980202
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/34528/Bjork-Post/
  5. ↑ http://www.nme.com/list/100-best-songs-of-the-1990s/267775/article/268170
  6. ↑ Q Magazine October 2007
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "Er is iets misgegaan.". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  9. ↑ http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/bjork-post
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3pm5
  11. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/hyperballad-enjoy-mixes-mw0000183325
  12. ↑ http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/3168773-bj%C3%B6rks-back-catalogue-top-ten--editors-choices
  13. ↑ http://voices.yahoo.com/bjorks-10-best-songs-409688.html
  14. ↑ http://www.xfm.co.uk/x-lists/xfm-top-1000-songs/700-to-601/bjork-hyperballad/
  15. ↑ Pitchfork Top 200 Tracks of the 90s
  16. ↑ Robyn Covers Björk's "Hyperballad"

External links

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Preceded by
"Tres Deseos" by Gloria Estefan		 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
April 13, 1996 		Succeeded by
"The Sound" by X-Press 2
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