| Violently Happy | |
| Cover: | Björk - Violently Happy.png |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Björk |
| Album: | Debut |
| B-Side: |
|
| Released: | [1] |
| Genre: | |
| Length: |
|
| Label: | One Little Indian |
| Producer: | Nellee Hooper |
| Prev Title: | Big Time Sensuality |
| Prev Year: | 1993 |
| Next Title: | Army of Me |
| Next Year: | 1995 |
"Violently Happy" is a song by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk, released in March 1994 by One Little Indian as the fifth and final single from her debut album, Debut (1993). The song was written by Björk and Nellee Hooper, who helped her in writing and producing most of the album. The lyrics speak of Björk feeling a love so intense that it is actually dangerous, requesting that her lover return to "calm her down". Musically, it is an upbeat song. "Violently Happy" peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, number ten on the UK Dance Singles Chart and number four on the US Billboard dance charts.[3]
The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its musicality and its dance-pop appeal. The song received an accompanying music video which was shot by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, in which Björk and many guest appearances (including a then unknown Norman Reedus) dance frantically in a kind of asylum while they cut out their hair or parts of dolls. Björk performed the song live on TV a few times, including on Top of the Pops.
After leaving The Sugarcubes, Björk traveled to London where she began having contacts with electronic music, and that inspired her to change her musical style from the pop-rock sounds of the Sugarcubes to a more alternative and electronic style of music. "Violently Happy" was released as the last single from Debut and demonstrates this musical shift. Björk explained:
Björk further said that the song was inspired by her living in Reykjavík and being far away from her lover: "For me, it's quite a brave thing. It's like putting your diary out for everyone to read. Of course, I didn't put everything in, I very carefully edited it. I'm very good with scissors".[4] The lyrics are autobiographical as Björk stated: "It's just the same as if you go out with a mate and get drunk and get to the 'truth' stage and you wake up next day and think 'fuck, what did I say?'. Sometimes you feel fine, sometimes you feel embarrassed, sometimes you feel a friend has told you something they shouldn't have. I think our instincts know when you've given too much".[5]
