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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
{{Infobox album
| Name = Medúlla
| name = Medúlla
| Type = studio
| type = studio
| Artist = [[Björk]]
| artist = [[Björk]]
| Cover = Medulla.jpg
| cover = Medulla.png
| Released = 30 August 2004
| alt =
| released = 30 August 2004
| Studio = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|Various}}|hlist=true|[[Greenhouse Studios]]|{{small|(Reykjavík, Iceland)}}|Ilha dos Sapos Studios|{{small|(Salvador, Brazil)}}|La Hoyita Studios|{{small|(Spain)}}|The Magic Shop; [[Looking Glass Studios]]|{{small|(New York City)}}|[[Olympic Studios]]|{{small|(London, England)}}|[[Real World Studios]]|{{small|(Wiltshire, England)}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050424025714/http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/|dead-url=yes|archive-date=24 April 2005|title=björk : albums : MEDÚLLA|date=24 April 2005|accessdate=23 June 2017}}</ref>
| recorded = 2001 – May 2004
}}
| studio = *[[Greenhouse Studios|Greenhouse]] ([[Reykjavík]], Iceland)
| Genre = {{flatlist|
*Ilha dos Sapos ([[Salvador, Brazil|Salvador]], Brazil)
* [[Vocal music|Vocal]]
*Lost Island ([[La Gomera]], Spain)
* [[a cappella]]<ref name="Pitchfork"/>
*[[Magic Shop (recording studio)|Magic Shop]] (New York City)
* [[Avant-garde music|avant-garde]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spin.com/2004/12/40-best-albums-2004/bjork-medulla-2/|title=Bjork, Medulla (Elektra)|date=17 November 2014|accessdate=20 September 2016|work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]}}</ref>
*[[Philip Glass#Looking Glass Studios|Looking Glass]] (New York City)
* [[Experimental music|experimental]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://musica.terra.com.br/interna/0,,OI382952-EI1267,00.html|title=Björk lança o seu trabalho mais experimental|language=pt-BR|date=13 September 2004|publisher=[[Terra (company)|Terra]]|accessdate=20 September 2016}}</ref>
*[[Olympic Studios|Olympic]] (London, England)
}}
*[[Real World Studios|Real World]] ([[Wiltshire]], England)<ref name="special">{{cite web|url=http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050424025714/http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 April 2005|title=björk : albums : Medúlla|date=24 April 2005|access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref>
| Length = 45:40
| Label = {{flatlist|
| genre =
* [[A cappella]]
* [[One Little Indian Records|One Little Indian]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indian.co.uk/shop/bjork/medulla-album.html|publisher=[[One Little Indian]]|accessdate=13 February 2016|title=Medulal - Bjork|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906145508/http://indian.co.uk/shop/bjork/medulla-album.html|archivedate=6 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* [[Avant-garde music|avant-garde]]
}}
* [[Experimental music|experimental]]
| Language = {{flatlist|
| length = 45:45
* [[English language|English]]
| language = {{flatlist|
* English
* [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]]
* [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]]
}}
}}
| Producer = {{flatlist|
| label =
*[[One Little Indian Records|One Little Indian]]
* [[Björk]]
*[[Elektra Records|Elektra]]
| producer =
* Björk
* [[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]]
* [[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]]
| prev_title = [[Vespertine Live]]
| prev_year = 2004
| next_title = [[Army of Me: Remixes and Covers]]
| next_year = 2005
| misc =
{{Singles
| name = Medúlla
| type = album
| single1 = [[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)]]
| single1date = 18 October 2004
| single2 = [[Triumph of a Heart]]
| single2date = 28 February 2005
}}
}}
| Last album = ''[[Vespertine Live]]'' <br /> (2004)
| This album = '''''Medúlla''''' <br> (2004)
| Next album = ''[[Army of Me: Remixes and Covers]]''<br> (2005)
| Misc = {{Singles <!-- Do not add Oceania and Where Is the Line. The first was a promotional single and the second was never released. -->
| Name = Medúlla
| Type = album
|single 1 = [[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]]
|single 1 date = 18 October 2004
|single 2 = [[Triumph of a Heart]]
|single 2 date = 28 February 2005
}}
}}
}}
'''''Medúlla''''' is the fifth solo album by [[Iceland]]ic musician [[Björk]],{{refn|group=nb|''Medúlla'' is officially considered to be the fifth solo album,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.indian.co.uk/ |work=One Little Indian |title=New Releases |accessdate=29 March 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040806045417/http://www.indian.co.uk/ |archivedate=6 August 2004 }}</ref> although technically it can be viewed as sixth if to count her 1977 juvenilia [[Björk (album)|work]], or seventh, counting in her 1990 jazz output ''[[Gling-Gló]]''.}} released on 30 August 2004 by [[One Little Indian]]. The title derives from the [[Latin language|Latin]] word for "marrow". The album is almost entirely [[a cappella]] and constructed with human vocals. ''Medúlla'' received two [[Grammy Award]] nominations and reached number one in several [[record chart]]s.


'''''Medúlla''''' is the fifth studio album by Icelandic recording artist [[Björk]].{{refn|group=nb|''Medúlla'' is officially considered to be the fifth solo album,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indian.co.uk/|title=New Releases|access-date=29 March 2016 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040806045417/http://www.indian.co.uk/|archive-date=6 August 2004|publisher=[[One Little Indian]]}}</ref> although, technically, it can be viewed as sixth if counting her [[Björk (album)|1977 juvenilia work]], or seventh, counting her 1990 jazz output ''[[Gling-Gló]]''.}} It was released on 30 August 2004 in the United Kingdom by [[One Little Indian Records]] and in the United States by [[Elektra Records|Elektra Entertainment]]. After the release of her [[electronic music|electronic]]-influenced previous album ''[[Vespertine]]'' (2001), Björk intended to make an album almost entirely [[A cappella|constructed with human vocals]], in contrast to the previous album's intense process of composition and multiple layers of instrumentation. The album's title derives from the [[Latin language|Latin]] word for "marrow".
==Artwork==
[[File:Björk Medúlla MoMA cropped.jpg|190px|thumb|left|A mannequin wearing the hair mask and the [[Alexander McQueen]]–designed bell dress from the "[[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]]" music video, at [[Björk (exhibition)|Björk's exhibition]] at [[MoMA]]]]
The album cover for ''Medúlla'' was photographed by [[Inez and Vinoodh]] in London, on 28 June 2004, and designed by [[M/M Paris]]. It features Björk wearing a mask made of hair, which was made specifically for the shoot, a black dress and a necklace that is made of black "bones" that says "Medúlla".<ref>http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/gallery/19530/0/m-m-paris-x-bjork</ref> The hair mask was created by Shoplifter, an Icelandic friend of Björk's. The artist stated that in 2004, she had a solo show at ATM Gallery, where she showed a wall mural made of brown braids. Björk appreciated it, and then invited her to work on creating a hair sculpture to support her idea for the ''Medúlla''{{'}}s character. She also explained that because the album was entirely recorded with voices, the singer did not want to wear clothes but more things that were made of something from the body.<ref name="hairmask"/> Shoplifter complemented by saying,
<blockquote>
"For the album we tossed ideas back and forth, I sent her endless references of extreme hairstyles from the past. Björk wanted it to have a darkness about it, like a warrior or a Valkyrie, like somebody fierce. It felt like a roar or a rumble coming from the gut, it was coming from a dark place. It was a very strong character that she developed around the music, and a human hair wig was basket-woven into a helmet that I would install and add it together with her hair".<ref name="hairmask">{{cite web|last=Rosenfeld|first=Austen|url=http://www.style.com/culture/art/2015/shoplifter-bjork-hair|title=Meet Shoplifter, Björk’s Icelandic Hair Sculptor|date=6 March 2015|work=[[Style (magazine)|Style]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307081149/http://www.style.com/culture/art/2015/shoplifter-bjork-hair|archivedate=7 March 2015}}</ref>
</blockquote>


''Medúlla'' received critical acclaim from music critics, with many calling it "unique", although others deemed it "confusing". The album was not as commercially successful as her previous albums, but did reach number one in France, Iceland and [[Wallonia]], whilst also peaking within the top ten in the United Kingdom. ''Medúlla'' is estimated to have sold more than a million copies worldwide, and received two nominations at the [[47th Grammy Awards]].
Photographer [[Inez van Lamsweerde]] said that they "were all inspired by women's handicrafts and this idea of being in your own cocoon in your home, with your family, and this reclusive character that hand-makes the whole world around her". The hairpiece was part of a 2015 [[MoMA]] retrospective on the singer, titled ''[[Björk (exhibition)|Björk]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gottschalk|first=Molly|url=https://www.artsy.net/article/editorial-as-bjork-opens-at-moma-behind-the|title=As Björk Opens at MoMA, Behind the Scenes of Her Most Iconic Images|date=2 March 2015|accessdate=24 September 2016|publisher=[[Artsy (website)|Artsy]]}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[Style (magazine)|Style]]'' magazine, Shoplifter said about her part at the exhibition, explaining it dedicated a room to each album of Björk's career, with the ''Medulla'' section having a mannequin in the likeness of Björk wearing the [[Alexander McQueen]]–designed bell dress she wore in the video for her song "[[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]]".<ref name="hairmask"/>

Two singles were released from ''Medúlla'': "[[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]]" and "[[Triumph of a Heart]]", with both charting inside the top 40 in the United Kingdom and the top 10 in Spain. Björk further promoted the album by performing the song "[[Oceania (song)|Oceania]]" at the [[2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony]], ''[[Friday Night with Jonathan Ross]]'' and other television and radio shows. Other than these few performances, no concerts or tours were arranged to promote ''Medúlla'', as Björk thought it would be too difficult to play the songs live. In 2015, the album was adapted into an opera at the [[Brussels]] [[opera house]] [[La Monnaie]] by [[Sjaron Minailo]] and Anat Spiegel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Medúlla |url=https://www.lamonnaie.be/en/static-pages/373-medulla |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613084633/https://www.lamonnaie.be/en/static-pages/373-medulla |archive-date=13 June 2018 |access-date=24 November 2018 |publisher=[[La Monnaie]]}}</ref>

==Background and production==
Björk began working on her fifth studio album in 2002, being known as ''The Lake Album'' at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/music/bjork-185-1373815/page/3985|title=New Bjork|date=11 March 2003|work=[[NME]]|access-date=13 August 2017}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[The New Yorker]]'', she explained that she wanted to get away from the world of instruments and electronics present on her previous album, ''[[Vespertine]]'' (2001), and remarked that the project was "very introverted" and avoided eye contact.<ref name="newyorker">{{cite magazine|last=Ross|first=Alex|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/08/23/bjorks-saga|title=Björk's saga|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|page=257|date=23 August 2004|volume=80|issue=20–28|issn=0028-792X}}</ref> When she was finishing ''Vespertine'', Björk knew she wanted to make a vocal album, and had known since her teenage years that one day she would. For her, the majority of the album is connected to the time when she was 17 to 18 years old, focusing on aspects of life, love, family, and friends. She commented that she was thinking about how she used to live her life, how carefree she was, and how others around her affected the way she thought, saying it is shown clearly at the core of ''Medúlla''.<ref name=blood/> Björk began working on the album while eight months pregnant by adding her own live drumming to the arrangements of previously recorded demos.<ref name="q"/> She then started muting the instruments, and liked the result of it.<ref name="bio">{{cite web|url=http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/medbio.htm|title=Björk : albums : Medúlla - Biography|access-date=21 January 2018|website=bjork.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041103064331/http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/medbio.htm|archive-date=3 November 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was inspired by paganism, and the idea of returning to a universe that is entirely human, without tools or religion or nationalities. "I wanted the record to be like muscle, blood, flesh. We could be in a cave somewhere and one person would start singing, and another person would sing a beat and then the next person sing a melody, and you could just kind of be really happy in your cave. It's quite rootsy", she added.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 July 2004 |title=Interview in W Magazine |url=http://www.bjork.com/grapewire/?id=472;year=2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040831084006/http://www.bjork.com/grapewire/?id=472;year=2004 |archive-date=31 August 2004 |access-date=20 January 2018 |website=bjork.com}}</ref>

[[File:Björk - Hurricane Festival.jpg|240px|thumb|left|Björk performing in 2003, when she was writing ''Medúlla'']]
[[Tanya Tagaq]], an [[Inuit throat singing|Inuit throat singer]] who worked with Björk on her 2001 [[Vespertine world tour]], was also featured. Björk was so impressed with her voice's ability that she invited Tagaq to work with her on the album. She asked British singer [[Robert Wyatt]] to be a featured vocalist on the album, as she was looking for something more "passionate" and "human".<ref name=blood/> Additionally, the musician "wanted a bit of rock" on ''Medúlla'', so she invited singer [[Mike Patton]] of rock band [[Faith No More]].<ref name="dvd">{{cite AV media notes|title=[[The Inner or Deep Part of an Animal or Plant Structure]]|last=Björk|year=2004|type=DVD|publisher=One Little Indian Records|id=40247-2}}</ref> Björk also invited the London and Icelandic choirs, in order to have a classical feel on the album.<ref name=blood>{{cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/11327781|title=Bjork's Medulla: the 'blood and meat' of music?|pages=21–27|access-date=20 January 2018|website=[[Academia.edu]]|format=PDF |last1=Calver |first1=Steven }}</ref> However, the "musical fascist" in her decided using any MCs or vocal percussionists would be too "cheesy"; she later changed her mind when she saw [[beatboxer]] [[Rahzel]] from [[The Roots]] freestyle a whole [[Kraftwerk]] track without pausing for breath.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sarah-Jane|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/interview-bjork-44474|title=Interview: Bjork|date=5 November 2004|access-date=20 January 2018|work=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]}}</ref> Björk found his voice "above and beyond any cliché" and thought he was perfect for the album's beat-based songs. Another beatboxer, Dokaka, was invited after Björk got a link to his webpage and liked his covers so much that she decided to work with him; he appears on a few songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/coll_dokaka.html|title=Dokaka|access-date=20 January 2018|website=bjork.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041212090206/http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/coll_dokaka.html|archive-date=12 December 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref>

American singer [[Beyoncé]] was planned to be featured on the album as well, but she did not appear due to scheduling issues. When asked what she liked about Beyoncé, Björk stated that "[''Medúlla''] is an album about voices, and she's got the most amazing voice."<ref name="newyorker" />

==Artwork and title==
[[File:Björk Medúlla MoMA cropped.jpg|190px|thumb|right|A mannequin wearing the hair mask and the [[Alexander McQueen]]–designed bell dress from the "[[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]]" music video, at [[Björk (exhibition)|Björk's exhibition]] at [[MoMA]]]]
The album cover for ''Medúlla'' was photographed by duo [[Inez and Vinoodh|Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin]] in London, on 28 June 2004, and designed by [[M/M Paris]]. It features Björk wearing a mask made of hair, which was made specifically for the shoot, a black dress and a necklace that is made of black "bones" that says "Medúlla".<ref>{{cite web|last=Kane|first=Ashleigh|url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/gallery/19530/0/m-m-paris-x-bjork|title=M/M Paris x Björk|date=10 March 2015|access-date=20 January 2018|work=[[Dazed]]}}</ref> The hair mask was created by Icelandic artist [[Shoplifter (artist)|Shoplifter]]. The artist stated that in 2004, she had a show at ATM Gallery, where she displayed a wall mural made of brown braids. Björk appreciated it, and then invited her to work on creating a hair sculpture for the ''Medúlla''{{'}}s character. She also explained that the singer wanted it to have a darkness about it, and then she sent Björk several references of extreme hairstyles, and because the album was made with voices, Björk wanted something that was part of the human body.<ref name="hairmask">{{cite web|url=http://www.style.com/culture/art/2015/shoplifter-bjork-hair|title=Meet Shoplifter, Björk's Icelandic Hair Sculptor|last=Rosenfeld|first=Austen|date=6 March 2015|work=[[Style (magazine)|Style]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307081149/http://www.style.com/culture/art/2015/shoplifter-bjork-hair|archive-date=7 March 2015}}</ref>

Van Lamsweerde said that they "were all inspired by women's handicrafts and this idea of being in your own cocoon in your home, with your family, and this reclusive character that hand-makes the whole world around her". The hairpiece was part of [[Björk (exhibition)|her 2015 MoMA retrospective]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Gottschalk|first=Molly|url=https://www.artsy.net/article/editorial-as-bjork-opens-at-moma-behind-the|title=As Björk Opens at MoMA, Behind the Scenes of Her Most Iconic Images|date=2 March 2015|access-date=24 September 2016|website=[[Artsy (website)|Artsy]]}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[Style (magazine)|Style]]'' magazine, Shoplifter talked about her part at the exhibition, explaining that it dedicated a room to each album of Björk's career, with the ''Medúlla'' section having a mannequin wearing the hairmask and the dress designed by [[Alexander McQueen]] which she wore in the music video for "[[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]]".<ref name="hairmask"/>

The title was announced in June 2004 through Björk's official website.<ref>{{cite web |date=11 June 2004 |title=The Name is Medulla |url=http://www.bjork.com/grapewire/?id=470;year=2004#news |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123045347/http://www.bjork.com/grapewire/?id=470;year=2004#news |archive-date=23 November 2005 |access-date=20 January 2018 |website=bjork.com}}</ref> She had struggled to choose a suitable title while preparing the album. She said that something in her "wanted to leave out civilisation, to rewind to before it all happened and work out, 'Where is the human soul? What if we do without civilisation and religion and patriotism, without the stuff that has gone wrong?'" She provisionally called it ''Ink'', a title that suggested to her the idea of "that black, 5,000-year-old blood that's inside us all; an ancient spirit that's passionate and dark and survives."<ref name = "medulla site">{{cite news |last=McNair |first=James |date=12 August 2004 |title=Björk: Passions in a cold climate |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/bjoumlrk-passions-in-a-cold-climate-556397.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/bjoumlrk-passions-in-a-cold-climate-556397.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=registration |url-status=live |access-date=22 May 2022}} {{registration required}}</ref> Her friend Gabriela then suggested "[[wikt:medulla#Latin|medulla]]", a medical term for "marrow" in [[Latin language|Latin]].<ref name = "medulla site"/> She noted that the word refers not only to [[bone marrow]], but also to various other anatomical structures, including parts [[Renal medulla|of the kidney]] and [[Medulla (hair)|of hair]]; in this sense, she said the word represented "getting to the essence of something".<ref name = "medulla site"/> The accent on the letter "ú" was intended to make the word cuter with a pun on the Icelandic word "[[wikt:dúlla#Icelandic|dúlla]]": "We thought it was funny," she said, "then it became mysterious."<ref>{{cite web|first=Tímarit|last=Morgunblaðsins |url=https://www.mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/814625/|title=Dýpstu Bjarkar rætur |work=[[Morgunblaðið]]|date=22 August 2004|access-date=19 September 2019|language=is}}</ref>

==Composition==
===Style and influences===
{{Quote box
| quote = "Everybody was going, 'Oh she's making a vocal album, it'll be a horrible [[Yoko Ono]] experience'. But I wanted to show that a vocal album doesn't have to be for the chosen few. It was just about working with the instrument I know best, my voice".
| source = — Björk describing the sound of ''Medúlla''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sandall|first=Robert|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3622168/This-time-its-intuition-only-no-brain-please.html|title='This time it's intuition only – no brain, please'|date=14 August 2004|access-date=22 September 2019|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref>
| width = 25%
| align = left
}}


At the time of its construction, Björk considered ''Medúlla'' to be her most political album, saying that it countered outbreaks of [[racism]] and patriotism that followed the [[11 September attacks]].<ref name="guardian">{{cite news|last=Hoggard|first=Liz|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2005/mar/13/popandrock|title='Maybe I'll be a feminist in my old age'|date=13 March 2005|access-date=10 August 2017|work=[[The Observer]]}}</ref> "On 9/11, in the space of a half an hour, this became the most patriotic place on earth", she recalled. "I remember describing to my friends on my phone that [if] I turned 180 degrees anywhere I was in New York. I would count at least 37 American flags. So it was kind of scary for a foreigner to be here".<ref>{{cite web|last=Lawton|first=Jenny|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/157174-more-artists-respond-911/|title=Artists Respond to 9/11: Michael Stipe, Björk, Jodie Foster|date=8 September 2011|access-date=19 January 2018|publisher=[[WNYC]]}}</ref> Regarding the album's composition, Björk also mentioned that she tried to find the common soul in everything, outside nationality and religion, whilst elaborating that she felt that "in that sense, it's a greatest hits of human spiritualism [''laughs'']. I think it's the first time I have done an album while I am reading the news. These are crazy times. It just seems that patriotism is a bad idea. I don't know how directly the album reflects that, but it is sort of anti-patriotic. Anti-Iceland as much as anti-anything".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Meter|first=William Van|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BhhSYcXeTVoC&pg=PA32|title=Voices Carry|date=November 2004|access-date=19 January 2018|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|issn=0886-3032|page=32|volume=20|issue=11}}</ref>
==Title==
Björk struggled to find a title for the album. She said, "Something in me wanted to leave out civilisation, to rewind to before it all happened and work out, 'Where is the human soul? What if we do without civilisation and religion and patriotism, without the stuff that has gone wrong?'", originally calling it ''Ink'', as she wanted the title to represent the "5,000 year-old blood that's inside us all; an ancient spirit that's passionate and dark, a spirit that survives".<ref name = "medulla site">{{cite news|last=McNair|first=James|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/bjoumlrk-passions-in-a-cold-climate-556397.html|title=Passions in a cold climate|accessdate=23 December 2015|date=12 August 2004|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> A friend then suggested "Medúlla", a medical term for [[bone marrow]] in [[Latin language|Latin]].<ref name = "medulla site"/>


''Medúlla'' is almost entirely [[a cappella]],<ref name="Pitchfork"/> also demonstrating [[Avant-garde music|avant-garde]]<ref>{{cite news |date=17 November 2014 |title=Bjork, Medulla (Elektra) |url=http://www.spin.com/2004/12/40-best-albums-2004/bjork-medulla-2/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510134136/http://www.spin.com/2004/12/40-best-albums-2004/bjork-medulla-2/ |archive-date=10 May 2017 |access-date=20 September 2016 |work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]}}</ref> and [[experimental music]].<ref>{{cite web |date=13 September 2004 |title=Björk lança o seu trabalho mais experimental |url=http://musica.terra.com.br/interna/0,,OI382952-EI1267,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040916194224/http://musica.terra.com.br/interna/0,,OI382952-EI1267,00.html |archive-date=16 September 2004 |access-date=20 September 2016 |publisher=[[Terra (company)|Terra]] |language=pt-BR}}</ref> [[musicOMH]]'s review stated that, "Despite its voice-only premise, ''Medúlla'' shows off a mile-wide scope of influences", noting elements of folk and [[medieval music]],<ref name="medullaomh">{{cite web |url=http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/bjork-medulla|title=Björk – Medúlla|last1=McDonnell|first1=Sarah|date=30 August 2004|website=[[musicOMH]]|access-date= 17 April 2016}}</ref> despite Björk previously stating that ''Medúlla'' was "[[folk music]], but without any folk attached" to the album.<ref name="newyorker"/> She also considered the styles encompassing the album as "primitive and silly".<ref>{{cite web |date=18 July 2004 |title=Q&A |url=http://www.bjork.com/qna/main.php?id=3069 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040820155618/http://www.bjork.com/qna/main.php?id=3069 |archive-date=20 August 2004 |access-date=19 January 2018 |website=bjork.com}}</ref> ''[[eMusic|Wondering Sound]]'' wrote that despite "its comparative starkness, [''Medúlla'' is] every bit as sensual as [''Vespertine'']".<ref name="WonderingSound"/> The publication also added: "The electronic treatments range from industrial distortion to percussive [[glitch]]es and dreamy layering, rarely descending into novelty".<ref name="WonderingSound">{{cite web |url=http://www.wonderingsound.com/icon/bjork-2/ |title=Icon: Björk |website=[[Wondering Sound]] |date=9 September 2010 |access-date=22 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726193458/http://www.wonderingsound.com/icon/bjork-2/ |archive-date=26 July 2014 }}</ref> The album combines [[beatboxing]], classical choirs that suggest composers like [[Penderecki]] or [[Arvo Pärt]], and "mews, moans, counterpoint and guttural grunts" provided by herself and guests like [[Mike Patton]], [[Robert Wyatt]] and [[Tanya Tagaq]].<ref name="nyt"/> ''Medúlla'' includes "vocal fantasias" that lean toward [[chamber music]], alongside tracks that "are obviously but distantly connected to hip-hop."<ref name="nyt"/> Glimpses of Bulgarian women's choirs, the [[polyphony]] of central African [[Pygmy peoples|pygmies]], and the "primal vocalisms" of [[Meredith Monk]] were also noted.<ref name="nyt"/>
==Music structure and lyrics==
At the time of its construction, Björk considered ''Medúlla'' to be her most political album,<ref name = "guardian">{{cite web| url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/mar/13/popandrock| title = 'Maybe I'll be a feminist in my old age'| accessdate = 23 August 2008| author = Liz Hoggard| date = 13 March 2005| publisher = ''[[guardian.co.uk]]''}}</ref> saying that it countered outbreaks of [[racism]] and patriotism that followed the [[September 11 attacks|11 September 2001 attacks]].<ref name = "guardian"/> These messages are prominent throughout the album, especially on the song "Mouth's Cradle". Björk also stated that being pregnant with her daughter, Ísadóra, influenced the album, particularly the song "Submarine".<ref name = "guardian"/><ref name = "medulla site"/> Björk described "Submarine" as a song meant to call her attention to wake up and work, because she felt that maybe she got somewhat lazy after having her daughter.


===Songs===
The album consists almost entirely of human vocals and [[a cappella]] arrangements; only a few musical instruments are featured: a bass [[synthesizer]] on "[[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]]", [[piano]] on "Ancestors" and a [[gong]] on "Pleasure Is All Mine". However, the vocals are sometimes processed or sampled: for example, the atmospheric haze that dominates "Desired Constellation" was created from a sample of Björk singing the phrase "I'm not sure what to do with it" from "[[Hidden Place]]" on her previous album, ''[[Vespertine]]''; another example are the cut-up vocals in "Mouth's Cradle"; and also, the beat noises on "Miðvikudags" are made out of Björk clicking her tongue. The album features [[beatboxing]], [[choral]] arrangements and [[Inuit throat singing|throat singing]], as well as guest appearances by such artists as [[Mike Patton]], [[Robert Wyatt]], [[Tanya Tagaq]], [[Rahzel]] (formerly of [[The Roots]]), [[Shlomo (human beatbox)|Shlomo]] and [[Dokaka]].
The album opens with "Pleasure Is All Mine", which begins with a vocal harmony layered on top of a woman's panting for a short while prior to when Björk starts singing her verses. The verses additionally have the background filled by a harmonic and cathedral-mimicking choir.<ref name="paste"/> Björk sings "When in doubt: give" repeatedly, yielding contrast to an "alarming" groove.<ref name="pop">{{cite web|last=Beaumont|first=Michael|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/bjork-medulla/|title=Björk - Medulla|date=11 October 2004|access-date=26 August 2017|website=[[PopMatters]]}}</ref> "Show Me Forgiveness", an a cappella "short confessional anthem" follows, having no other effect than a subtle echo exerted onto her voice.<ref>{{cite web |title=BJORK Medulla |url=http://www.themilkfactory.co.uk/reviews/bjork_medula.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001214836/http://www.themilkfactory.co.uk/reviews/bjork_medula.htm |archive-date=1 October 2009 |access-date=19 January 2018 |website=themilkfactory}}</ref> She sings: "Show me forgiveness / For having lost faith in myself / And let my own interior up / To inferior forces / The shame is endless".<ref name="paste"/> During the third song "[[Where Is the Line]]", she lyrically attacks a younger relative for being greedy and unreliable, displaying vexation: "I'm elastic for you, but enough is enough".<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Pareles |date=29 August 2004 |title=MUSIC; Bjork Grabs The World By the Throat |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/29/arts/music-bjork-grabs-the-world-by-the-throat.html?_r=0 |access-date=19 January 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Scott|last=Lapatine|title=Björk: The Stereogum Interview|url=http://www.stereogum.com/8639/bjork_the_stereogum_interview/enjoyed/|website=Stereogum|date=28 March 2008|access-date=10 April 2016}}</ref> "Demonic vocals" are delivered by singer Mike Patton, and "angelically dissonant swaths of lush singing" from the Icelandic Choir; as Rahzel [[beatboxing|beatboxes]], the choir emotes some "ahhhs". The song grows darker as it builds up as the male members of the choir deliver heavier sounds.<ref name="pop"/><ref name="ign">{{cite web |author=Spence D |date=1 September 2004 |title=Bjork - Medulla |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/01/bjork-medulla?page=1 |access-date=19 January 2018 |website=[[IGN]] |pages=1–2}}</ref> The "somber" song called "Vökuró", originally by [[Jórunn Viðar]], is the fourth track on ''Medúlla''.<ref name="nyt"/> The song is in [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]]; Björk rolls her tongue around certain words, accompanied by a choir.<ref name=ign/>
During the fifth track "Öll Birtan", Björk's voice is layered over several times, with a voice resembling a drone in the left channel, whilst "doot-doos" echo into the right side of the audio.<ref name=ign/> The following song and [[lead single]] "[[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]]" features collaborations by Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq and Rahzel.<ref name="billboard">{{cite magazine|last=Paoletta|first=Michael|url=http://www.billboard.com/bb/reviews/album_article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000624183|title=Björk - Medúlla|date=11 September 2004|access-date=1 October 2016|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050902193119/http://www.billboard.com/bb/reviews/album_article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000624183|archive-date=2 September 2005}}</ref> Some lyrics of the song—"Who is it that never lets you down?"—may be understood to reflect a "mother's unconditional love" in a dialogue between mother and child. The echo effects in "Who Is It" may additionally reflect the scattered sense of self the mother may experience as she carries the burden of constant care for her child.<ref>{{cite book|last=Malawey|first=Victoria|title=Temporal Process, Repetition, and Voice in Bjork's "Medúlla"|year=2007|publisher=Indiana University|page=48|isbn=978-0549466277}}</ref> "Submarine", the seventh track on the album, was influenced by Björk's pregnancy with her daughter Ísadóra and how she felt somewhat lazy during that time.<ref name = "medulla site"/><ref name="guardian"/> It has a "hint of political consciousness", and features the "reedy" voice of singer Robert Wyatt multiplied into a chorus to share lines like "Shake us out of the heavy deep sleep, do it now".<ref name="nyt"/> The next track "Desired Constellation" was created from a sample of Björk singing the phrase "I'm not sure what to do with it" from "[[Hidden Place]]" on her previous album, ''Vespertine''. She imagines herself "With a palm full of stars/ I throw them like dice on the table/ Until the desired constellation appears".<ref>{{cite web|last=Vineyard|first=Jennifer|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1490152/bjork-album-preview-beautiful-baffling-and-bothersome-medlla/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224141712/http://www.mtv.com/news/1490152/bjork-album-preview-beautiful-baffling-and-bothersome-medlla/|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 December 2015|title=Bjork Album Preview: Beautiful, Baffling and Bothersome Medúlla|date=12 August 2004|access-date=2 October 2016|publisher=[[MTV News]]}}</ref>


The ninth song, "[[Oceania (song)|Oceania]]", is about "Mother Oceania", from whom Björk believes all life materialised, whilst she sings: "You have done well for yourselves / Since you left my wet embrace / And crawled ashore".<ref name="paste">{{cite news |last=Killingsworth |first=Jason |date=1 October 2004 |title=Björk: Björk - Medúlla |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2004/10/bjork-medulla.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010205540/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2004/10/bjork-medulla.html |archive-date=10 October 2008 |access-date=26 December 2015 |work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]}}</ref> "Oceania" also features The London Choir.<ref name="avclub">{{cite news|last=Battaglia|first=Andy|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/bjork-emmedullaem-11288|title=Björk: Medulla|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=8 September 2004|access-date=24 December 2015}}</ref> Tenth song "Sonnets/Unrealities XI" was based on the poem "It May Not Always Be So; And I Say" by [[E. E. Cummings]], and features only Björk's singing, with small inflections from the Icelandic Choir<ref name="ign" /> while she bids farewell to a lover lyrically.<ref name="nyt"/> The following track "Ancestors" has no lyrics, featuring only Björk and Tagaq's voices.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/11327781|title=Bjork's Medulla: the 'blood and meat' of music?|page=24|access-date=20 January 2018|website=Academia.edu|format=PDF |last1=Calver |first1=Steven }}</ref> The twelfth song "Mouth's Cradle" is paced by a "glug, glug" sample of "what might as well be the emptying of a gallon bottle of water".<ref>{{cite web|last=Coyle|first=Jake|url=http://www.today.com/id/5878062/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/bjrk-makes-magic-medulla/#.U4rZ_yjJchA|title=Björk makes magic with 'Medulla'|date=31 August 2004|access-date=19 January 2018|work=[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]}}</ref> Lyrically, she concludes: "I need a shelter to build an altar away from [[Osama bin Laden|Osamas]] and [[George W. Bush|Bushes]]".<ref name="nyt"/><ref name=ign/> On the thirteenth track of the album, "Miðvikudags", Björk sings once again in gibberish, while some "doot-doos" can be heard in the background, reminiscent of "Öll Birtan". On the closing track and second single, "[[Triumph of a Heart]]", the singer lyrically "celebrates the workings of anatomy", whilst musically it is the album's closest thing to a dance track. The song also features orchestral [[Arrangement (music)|arrangements]] by the Icelandic and London Choirs,<ref name=slant>{{cite web|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/bjork-medulla|title=Björk - Medúlla|date=26 August 2004|access-date=21 January 2018|website=[[Slant Magazine]]}}</ref> as well as [[Hook (music)|hooks]] coming from a "human trombone", herself, Gregory Purnhagen, and Rahzel and Dokaka.<ref name="nyt"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Mylnar|first=Phillip|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2011/10/10/sounds-go-through-the-muscles-bjorks-top-ten-hip-hop-connections/|title=Sounds Go Through The Muscles: Bjork's Top Ten Hip-Hop Connections|date=10 October 2011|work=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=20 August 2017}}</ref>
All songs were written by Björk, except the lyrics for "Sonnets/Unrealities XI" which was based on the poem ''It May Not Always Be So; And I Say'' by [[E. E. Cummings]], and the song "Vökuró", originally by [[Jórunn Viðar]].


==Release and promotion==
The album was originally released on [[compact disc|CD]], [[Super Audio CD|SACD]] and on [[DVD-Audio]] and SACD in 5.1-channel advanced resolution. The album was re-released in 2006 as a [[DualDisc]] including a lower-quality [[Digital Theater System|DTS]] 96/24 version of the original advanced resolution 5.1 mix. The DualDisc also formed part of the ''[[Surrounded (Björk album)|( surrounded):]]'' box set.
On 3 August 2004, [[BBC Radio 1]]'s ''[[The Breezeblock]]'' show premiered the tracks "Pleasure Is All Mine" and "Mouth's Cradle",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/dance/breezeblock/tracklistings.shtml|title=The Breezeblock Tracklistings|date=3 August 2004|access-date=20 January 2018|publisher=[[BBC Radio 1]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040808033733/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/dance/breezeblock/tracklistings.shtml|archive-date=8 August 2004|url-status=live}}</ref> whilst ''[[The New York Times]]'' newspaper has posted on their website short clips for four tracks "Mouth's Cradle", "Oceania", "Where Is the Line" and "Who Is It".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/magazine/bjork-clips.html|title=Clips From 'Medulla'|access-date=17 January 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> ''Medúlla'' was first released on 30 August 2004 worldwide through [[Polydor Records]], whilst it was distributed in the United Kingdom by [[One Little Indian]]. In the United States, the album was released the day after, by [[Elektra Records]].<ref name="special"/> Lead single "[[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]]" reached the top five in Spain,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Bj%F6rk&titel=Who+Is+It+(Carry+My+Joy+on+the+Left+Carry+My+Pain+on+the+Right)&cat=s|title=Spanishcharts.com – Björk – Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left Carry My Pain on the Right)|publisher=[[Productores de Música de España]]|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref> also peaking within the top 30 in Italy and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Bj%F6rk&titel=Who+Is+It+(Carry+My+Joy+on+the+Left+Carry+My+Pain+on+the+Right)&cat=s|title=Italiancharts.com – Björk – Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left Carry My Pain on the Right)|publisher=[[Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana]]|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20041024/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|date=24 October 2004|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref> Second single "[[Triumph of a Heart]]" peaked at the top ten in Spain,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Bj%F6rk&titel=Triumph+of+a+Heart&cat=s|title=Spanishcharts.com – Björk – Triumph of a Heart|publisher=Productores de Música de España|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref> and reached the top 40 in Italy and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Bj%F6rk&titel=Triumph+of+a+Heart&cat=s|title=Italiancharts.com – Björk – Triumph of a Heart|publisher=Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20050306/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=6 March 2005|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref>


"Oceania" was commissioned by the [[International Olympic Committee]] and performed at the [[2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony]]. She wore a very large dress which unfolded during her performance to eventually occupy the entire stadium and showed a map of the world in sign of union.<ref>{{cite magazine|last= Larson|first=Jeremy D.|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/07/30/11-olympic-theme-songs-dissected/slide/bjork-oceania-athens-2004/|title=11 Olympic Theme Songs, Dissected|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=26 July 2012|access-date=24 September 2016}}</ref> On 8 October 2004, Björk performed at the [[BBC]] Studios for the show ''[[Friday Night with Jonathan Ross]]''. She performed a bell choir mix of "Who Is It" with Rahzel and an English bell choir.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/10_october/08/ross_norton.shtml|title=Graham Norton trips the light fantastic|date=8 October 2004|access-date=24 September 2016|publisher=[[BBC Online]]}}</ref> On 10 October 2004, Björk performed a set of five songs live in studio for [[Gilles Peterson]]'s [[BBC Radio 1]] program.<ref>{{Cite web|title = BBC - Radio 1 - Gilles Peterson - Tracklisting|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/gillespeterson/tracklistingarchivenocomments.shtml?20041010|access-date=24 September 2016|publisher=BBC Radio 1}}</ref> On 25 October 2004, Björk performed a set of six songs for the French television show ''Album de la Semaine'' at [[Canal+ (French TV channel)|Canal+]] studios in [[Paris, France]].<ref>{{cite episode|series=L'Album de la semaine|title=L'Album de la semaine |network=[[Canal+ (French TV channel)|Canal+]] |airdate=25 October 2004|season=1 |minutes=19}}</ref>
==Promotion==
"Oceania" was commissioned by the [[International Olympic Committee]] and performed at the opening ceremony of the [[2004 Olympic Games]]. She wore a very large dress which unfolded during her performance to eventually occupy the entire stadium and showed a map of the world in sign of union.<ref>{{cite news|last= Larson|first=Jeremy D.|url=http://entertainment.time.com/2012/07/30/11-olympic-theme-songs-dissected/slide/bjork-oceania-athens-2004/|title=11 Olympic Theme Songs, Dissected|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=26 July 2012|accessdate=24 September 2016}}</ref> Additionally, Björk wore "bluish-purple glittery eye shadow across her lids. Her dark hair dangled in tiny twists that framed her pixieish, freckled face".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/66903/bjork-tiesto-help-ring-in-olympics|title=Bjork, Tiesto Help Ring in Olympics|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=14 August 2004|accessdate=24 September 2016}}</ref> On 8 October 2004, Björk performed at the [[BBC]] Studios for the show ''[[Friday Night with Jonathan Ross]]''. She performed a bell choir mix of "Who Is It" with Rahzel and an English bell choir.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/10_october/08/ross_norton.shtml|title=Graham Norton trips the light fantastic|date=8 October 2004|accessdate=24 September 2016|publisher=[[BBC Online]]}}</ref> On 10 October 2004, Björk performed a set of five songs live in studio for [[Gilles Peterson]]'s [[BBC Radio 1]] program.<ref>{{Cite web|title = BBC - Radio 1 - Gilles Peterson - Tracklisting|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/gillespeterson/tracklistingarchivenocomments.shtml?20041010|accessdate=24 September 2016|publisher=[[BBC Radio 1]]}}</ref> On 15 October 2004, Björk performed a set of six songs for the French television show ''Album de la Semaine'' at [[Canal+]] studios in [[Paris, France]].<ref>{{cite episode|series=L'Album de la semaine|title=L'Album de la semaine |serieslink=|credits= |network=[[Canal+]] |station= |airdate=25 October 2004|season=1 |number= |minutes=19}}</ref> On 2 July 2005, Björk performed in [[Tokyo, Japan]], at the [[Makuhari Messe]] for [[Live 8]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/live8-begins-in-japan/2005/07/02/1119724844393.html|title=Live8 begins in Japan|date=2 July 2005|accessdate=24 September 2016|work=[[The Age]]}}</ref>


Other than these few performances, no concerts or tours were arranged to promote ''Medúlla''. Björk said in numerous interviews that this was because she wished to immediately continue writing and recording yet another new album. She spoke to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' in June 2004: "Every album I've done, the minute that it's done, I feel really lubricated and, like, 'Wow, now I can write an album in five minutes'... And I just want to find out if that's just a fantasy or if it's true." Also, Björk thought it would be too difficult to play the songs live.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gitlin|first=Lauren|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bjork-voices-medulla-20040615|title=Bjork Voices "Medulla"|date=15 June 2004|accessdate=24 September 2016|work=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref>
Other than these few performances, no concerts or tours were arranged to promote ''Medúlla''. Björk said in an interview that "everybody involved seems to be up for it, so maybe they'll all come on the road. What I'd like to do is make another album like this and then tour for two of them at once".<ref>{{cite web|last=Whiteley|first=Mark|url=http://www.slapmagazine.com/new_site/issues/10_04/bjork/|title=Bjork|work=Slap|date=October 2004|access-date=20 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040924011829/http://www.slapmagazine.com/new_site/issues/10_04/bjork/|archive-date=24 September 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> She also spoke to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' in June 2004 and told that she wished to immediately continue writing and recording yet another new album: "Every album I've done, the minute that it's done, I feel really lubricated and, like, 'Wow, now I can write an album in five minutes'... And I just want to find out if that's just a fantasy or if it's true."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gitlin |first=Lauren |date=15 June 2004 |title=Bjork Voices "Medulla" |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bjork-voices-medulla-20040615 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510112841/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bjork-voices-medulla-20040615 |archive-date=10 May 2017 |access-date=24 September 2016 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref>


==Critical reception==
==Critical reception==
{{Album ratings
{{Album ratings
| MC = 84/100<ref name="meta">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/medulla/bjork|title=Reviews for Medulla by Björk|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=28 April 2012}}</ref>
| MC = 84/100<ref name="meta">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/medulla/bjork|title=Reviews for Medulla by Björk|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/med%C3%BAlla-mw0000712627|title=Medúlla – Björk|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=9 May 2016|last=Phares|first=Heather}}</ref>
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/med%C3%BAlla-mw0000712627|title=Medúlla – Björk|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=9 May 2016|last=Phares|first=Heather}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev2 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev2Score = A<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2004/09/10/medulla|title=Medulla|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=10 September 2004|accessdate=24 December 2015|last=Willman|first=Chris}}</ref>
| rev2score = A<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2004/09/10/medulla|title=Medulla|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=10 September 2004|access-date=24 December 2015|last=Willman|first=Chris|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628045830/http://ew.com/article/2004/09/10/medulla/|archive-date=28 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev3 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/aug/27/popandrock.shopping5|title=Björk, Medulla|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=27 August 2004|accessdate=24 December 2015|last=Peschek|first=David}}</ref>
| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/aug/27/popandrock.shopping5|title=Björk, Medulla|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=27 August 2004|access-date=24 December 2015|last=Peschek|first=David}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev4 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2004/sep/05/entertainment/ca-rack5|title=Ambitious music, even by Bjork's standards|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=5 September 2004|accessdate=9 May 2016|last=Cromelin|first=Richard}}</ref>
| rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-sep-05-ca-rack5-story.html|title=Ambitious music, even by Bjork's standards|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=5 September 2004|access-date=9 May 2016|last=Cromelin|first=Richard}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev5 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|title=Björk: Medulla|work=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|issue=130|date=September 2004|page=93}}</ref>
| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Björk: Medulla|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|issue=130|date=September 2004|page=93|issn=1351-0193}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev6 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev6Score = 8/10<ref>{{cite journal|title=Björk: Medulla|work=[[NME]]|date=4 September 2004|page=73}}</ref>
| rev6score = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Björk: Medulla|magazine=[[NME]]|date=4 September 2004|page=73|issn=0028-6362}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev7 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev7Score = 8.4/10<ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/737-medulla/|title=Björk: Medulla|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=30 August 2004|accessdate=7 July 2011|last=Leone|first=Dominique|authorlink=Dominique Leone}}</ref>
| rev7score = 8.4/10<ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/737-medulla/|title=Björk: Medulla|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=30 August 2004|access-date=7 July 2011|last=Leone|first=Dominique|author-link=Dominique Leone}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev8 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev8Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mulholland|first=Garry|title=Björk: Medulla|work=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|issue=219|date=October 2004|page=120|issn=0955-4955}}</ref>
| rev8score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="q">{{cite magazine|last=Mulholland|first=Garry|title=Björk: Medulla|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|issue=219|date=October 2004|page=120|issn=0955-4955}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev9 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev9Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="RS">{{cite journal|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/medulla-20040916|title=Medulla|work=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=16 September 2004|accessdate=28 April 2012|last=Walters|first=Barry}}</ref>
| rev9score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/medulla-20040916|title=Medulla|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=16 September 2004|access-date=28 April 2012|last=Walters|first=Barry}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev10 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev10Score = B+<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=neDQuF47lxQC&pg=PA111&lpg=PA111|title=Björk: Medulla|work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|volume=20|issue=10|date=16 September 2004|accessdate=9 May 2016|last=Harris|first=Keith|pages=111–12}}</ref>
| rev10score = B+<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=neDQuF47lxQC&pg=PA111|title=Björk: Medulla|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|volume=20|issue=10|date=16 September 2004|access-date=9 May 2016|last=Harris|first=Keith|pages=111–12}}</ref>
}}
}}
''Medúlla'' received critical acclaim from [[Music journalism|music critics]]. The album holds a rating of 84 out of 100 at [[Metacritic]].<ref name="meta"/> ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper's David Peschek gave it five stars out of five and heralded it as "brave and unique".<ref name="Guardian"/> [[Dominique Leone]] from ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' commented that ''Medulla'' was "an interesting record", while saying Björk had "found a way to bathe her immediately distinctive melodies and vocal nuances in solutions that cause me to reevaluate her voice and her craft".<ref name="Pitchfork"/> Barry Walters of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' stated that "''Medulla'' is both the most extreme record Bjork has ever released and the most immediately accessible."<ref name="RS"/> ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''{{'}}s Ann Powers was also positive, calling it "another playful step" in Björk's "unstoppable, wandering quest".<ref>{{cite news|last=Powers|first=Ann|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2740|title=Björk - Medúlla|accessdate=20 September 2016|work=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041019050128/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2740|archivedate=19 October 2004}}</ref> Matthew Gasteier from ''Prefix'' magazine called ''Medúlla'' her most joyful album since ''Post'' and also her strangest at the time.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gasteiser|first=Matthew|url=http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/bjork/medulla/13829/|title=Bjork - Medulla|date=31 August 2004|accessdate=20 September 2016|work=Prefix}}</ref> Mark Daniell from Canadian website [[Jam!]] also gave it a positive review, saying "pairing gooey purrs with grooves provided by a human trombone might not seem like a good idea, but when Björk is the one making the arrangements the effect is spine tingling".<ref>{{cite web|last=Daniell|first=Mark|url=http://jam.canoe.com/Music/Artists/B/Bjork/AlbumReviews/2004/09/01/pf-770396.html|title=Medulla|date=1 September 2004|accessdate=20 August 2017|publisher=[[Jam!]]}}</ref>
''Medúlla'' received acclaim from [[Music journalism|music critics]]. The album holds a rating of 84 out of 100 at [[Metacritic]].<ref name="meta"/> ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper's David Peschek gave it five stars out of five and heralded it as "brave and unique".<ref name="Guardian"/> [[Dominique Leone]] from ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' commented that ''Medúlla'' was "an interesting record", while saying Björk had "found a way to bathe her immediately distinctive melodies and vocal nuances in solutions that cause me to reevaluate her voice and her craft".<ref name="Pitchfork"/> Barry Walters of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' stated that ''Medúlla'' was simultaneously Björk's "most extreme" record and "the most immediately accessible".<ref name="RS"/> ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''{{'}}s Ann Powers was also positive, calling it "another playful step" in Björk's "unstoppable, wandering quest".<ref>{{cite news|last=Powers|first=Ann|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2740|title=Björk - Medúlla|access-date=20 September 2016|work=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041019050128/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2740|archive-date=19 October 2004}}</ref> Matthew Gasteier from ''Prefix'' magazine called ''Medúlla'' her most exuberant album since ''Post'', as well as her oddest at the time.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gasteiser |first=Matthew |date=31 August 2004 |title=Bjork - Medulla |url=http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/bjork/medulla/13829/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510191555/http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/bjork/medulla/13829/ |archive-date=10 May 2008 |access-date=20 September 2016 |work=Prefix}}</ref> Mark Daniell from Canadian website [[Jam!]] also gave it a positive review, saying "pairing gooey purrs with grooves provided by a human trombone might not seem like a good idea, but when Björk is the one making the arrangements the effect is spine tingling".<ref>{{cite web|last=Daniell|first=Mark|url=http://jam.canoe.com/Music/Artists/B/Bjork/AlbumReviews/2004/09/01/pf-770396.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820161948/http://jam.canoe.com/Music/Artists/B/Bjork/AlbumReviews/2004/09/01/pf-770396.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 August 2017|title=Medulla|date=1 September 2004|access-date=20 August 2017|website=[[Jam!]]}}</ref> Andy Battaglia of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' said that "once perceptions and expectations settle out... the album proves arrestingly in thrall to its own twisted tongue".<ref name="avclub"/>


Andy Battaglia of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' said that "Once perceptions and expectations settle out... the album proves arrestingly in thrall to its own twisted tongue",<ref>{{cite news|last=Battaglia|first=Andy|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/bjork-emmedullaem-11288|title=Björk: Medulla|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=8 September 2004|accessdate=24 December 2015}}</ref> whilst [[AllMusic]] thought that ''Medúlla'' is "not an immediate album, but it is a fascinating one, especially for anyone interested in the world's oldest instrument being used in unexpected ways".<ref name="allmusic"/> Jennifer Vineyard from [[MTV News]] called the album "an ambitious project — and not just because it's almost entirely a cappella. The songs are pretty unusual, as well. Some could be medieval hymns; others could be modern pop songs; others are almost indescribable. But throughout, Medúlla is a strange journey that can leave you feeling elated or unsettled, without quite understanding why".<ref>{{cite web|last=Vineyard|first=Jennifer|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1490152/bjork-album-preview-beautiful-baffling-and-bothersome-medlla/|title=Bjork Album Preview: Beautiful, Baffling and Bothersome Medúlla|date=12 August 2004|accessdate=20 September 2016|publisher=[[MTV News]]}}</ref> David Hooper from [[BBC Music]] gave ''Medúlla'' a mixed review, stating that it has some high points and it never gets boring, but the album left him "feeling rather confused", because "the end product feels disjointed and at times claustrophobic. Whereas previous albums like ''Vespertine'' were real growers, some people may lose patience with this one. The unquenchable desire to try out new ideas, which makes Björk such an exciting artist, may prove to be her downfall on ''Medúlla'', as too much of the experimentation doesn't quite hit the mark".<ref>{{cite web|last=Hooper|first=David|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mh63|title=Bjork Medúlla Review|publisher=[[BBC Music]]|date=|accessdate=26 December 2015}}</ref> Björk received two [[Grammy Award]] nominations for ''Medúlla'', including [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]] for "Oceania", and [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4262875.stm|title=Grammy Awards 2005: Key winners|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=14 February 2005|accessdate=20 September 2016}}</ref> This album was also featured in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Robert Dimery|author2=Michael Lydon|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition|accessdate= |date=23 March 2010|publisher=Universe|isbn=978-0-7893-2074-2}}</ref>
Heather Phares of [[AllMusic]] thought that ''Medúlla'' was "not an immediate album, but it is a fascinating one, especially for anyone interested in the world's oldest instrument being used in unexpected ways".<ref name="allmusic"/> Jennifer Vineyard from [[MTV News]] called the album "an ambitious project", but not because it was almost entirely a cappella. She said that some songs are "pretty unusual", as some could be medieval hymns, and others could be modern pop songs.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vineyard|first=Jennifer|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1490152/bjork-album-preview-beautiful-baffling-and-bothersome-medlla/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224141712/http://www.mtv.com/news/1490152/bjork-album-preview-beautiful-baffling-and-bothersome-medlla/|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 December 2015|title=Bjork Album Preview: Beautiful, Baffling and Bothersome Medúlla|date=12 August 2004|access-date=20 September 2016|publisher=[[MTV News]]}}</ref> [[E! Online]] commented that "fans of the Icelandic wonder's more orchestral tunes might think there's something missing here. Well, unless they're too busy being totally blown away".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/Reviews/Facts/Music/RevID/0,1107,3289,00.html|title=Bjork - Medulla|date=31 August 2004|access-date=22 January 2018|website=[[E! Online]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040831161914/http://www.eonline.com/Reviews/Facts/Music/RevID/0,1107,3289,00.html|archive-date=31 August 2004}}</ref> David Hooper from [[BBC Music]] gave ''Medúlla'' a mixed review, praising its high points and lack of dullness, but feeling that the album left him "rather confused" due to what he found to be excessive experimentation, thus remarking that the album was "disjointed" and "claustrophobic".<ref>{{cite web|last=Hooper|first=David|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mh63|title=Bjork Medúlla Review|publisher=[[BBC Music]]|access-date=26 December 2015}}</ref> Björk received two [[Grammy Award]] nominations for ''Medúlla'', including [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]] for "Oceania", and [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4262875.stm|title=Grammy Awards 2005: Key winners|work=[[BBC News]]|date=14 February 2005|access-date=20 September 2016}}</ref> The album was also featured in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Robert Dimery|author2=Michael Lydon|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition|date=23 March 2010|publisher=Universe|isbn=978-0-7893-2074-2}}</ref>


==Commercial performance==
==Commercial performance==
In the United Kingdom, ''Medúlla'' debuted at its peak of number nine on the [[UK Albums Chart]], for the issue dated 11 September 2004, and remained for three weeks on the chart.<ref name=ukcharts/> The album was certified Silver on 10 December 2004, by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] (BPI), for shipments of at least 60,000 copies in the region.<ref name="bpicert"/> In Austria, ''Medúlla'' debuted and peaked at number six, remaining on the albums chart for seven weeks.<ref name=aut/> In France, it peaked at number one on the albums chart, during the week dated 29 August 2004, remaining on the top for another week.<ref name=fra/> After spending 24 weeks on the chart, ''Medúlla'' was certified Gold by the [[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]] (SNEP).<ref name=certfra>{{cite web|url=http://www.snepmusique.com/les-disques-dor/?awards_cat=65&awards_artist=Bj%C3%B6rk&awards_title=Med%C3%BAlla|title=French album certifications – Björk – Medúlla|language=fr|publisher=[[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]]|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009080701/http://www.snepmusique.com/les-disques-dor/?awards_cat=65&awards_artist=Bj%C3%B6rk&awards_title=Med%C3%BAlla|archive-date=9 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Björk's native Iceland, the album debuted at the top of the chart, staying there for three weeks.<ref name="icelandic"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=258410&pageId=3610156&lang=is&q=MED%DALLA%20vikuna%20%ED%20r%F6%F0|title=Tón Listinn 38. Vika 2004|work=[[Morgunblaðið]]|date=24 September 2004|access-date=19 September 2019|language=is}}</ref> It peaked at number two in Italy, spending nine weeks on the chart.<ref name=ita/>
The album reached a position of number nine on the [[UK Albums Chart]] and number 14 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], her highest position at the time. It also reached number one in [[Estonia]], France, [[Iceland]] and Belgium (Wallonia).


In the United States, ''Medúlla'' debuted at number 14 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] albums chart on the issue dated 18 September 2004,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bjork/chart-history/tlp/|title=Medulla - Bjork|access-date=6 February 2018|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> selling 65,000 copies in its first week<ref> {{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2004-09-08 |title=McGraw Lives Large At No. 1 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mcgraw-lives-large-at-no-1-66584/ |access-date=23 October 2023 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> and remaining for seven weeks inside the chart.<ref name=bb200/> Additionally, ''Medúlla'' also topped the [[Dance/Electronic Albums]] chart.<ref name="bbdance"/> As of May 2007 it has sold 235,000 copies in the region, according to [[Nielsen SoundScan]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Bliss|first=Karen|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1052193/bjorks-new-blend|title=Bjork's New Blend|date=10 May 2007|access-date=24 September 2016|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> In Australia, ''Medúlla'' debuted at number 17 on the [[ARIA Charts]], on the issue dated 12 September 2004. It spent three weeks on the chart, falling off at number 40.<ref name=aus/> In New Zealand, the album peaked at number 35 and spent two weeks inside the [[Official New Zealand Music Chart|New Zealand Albums Chart]].<ref name=nz/> As of May 2014, ''Medúlla'' has sold more than a million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |date=23 May 2014 |title=Björk's Medúlla to be turned into an Opera in Belgium |url=http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/bjorks-medulla-be-turned-opera-belgium |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023195528/http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/bjorks-medulla-be-turned-opera-belgium |archive-date=23 October 2017 |access-date=6 February 2018 |work=Iceland Magazine}}</ref>
''Medúlla'' has sold 235,000 copies in the US,<ref>{{cite news|last=Bliss|first=Karen|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1052193/bjorks-new-blend|title=Bjork's New Blend|date=10 May 2007|accessdate=24 September 2016|work=Billboard}}</ref> and more than 1 million worldwide.{{Citation needed|date=December 2008}}


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
All tracks produced by [[Björk]], except "[[Where Is the Line]]", "Submarine" and "[[Oceania (song)|Oceania]]", produced with [[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]].
{{tracklist

| all_writing = [[Björk]] except where noted; all tracks produced by Björk, except where noted
{{Track listing
| writing_credits = no
|headline = ''Medúlla''
| title1 = Pleasure Is All Mine
| title1 = Pleasure Is All Mine
| writer1 = [[Björk]]
| length1 = 3:26
| length1 = 3:26
| title2 = Show Me Forgiveness
| title2 = Show Me Forgiveness
| writer2 = Björk
| length2 = 1:23
| length2 = 1:23
| title3 = [[Where Is the Line]]
| title3 = [[Where Is the Line]]
| writer3 = Björk
| note3 = producers: Björk, [[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]]
| length3 = 4:41
| length3 = 4:41
| title4 = Vökuró
| title4 = Vökuró
| writer4 = {{hlist|[[Jórunn Viðar]]|[[Jakobína Sigurðardóttir]]}}
| note4 = "Vigil";<ref name="old.bjork.com">{{cite web|url=http://old.bjork.com/facts/lyrics/album.php?album=Med%C3%BAlla&era=Bj%C3%B6rk#Vökuró |title=LYRICS • bjork.com |publisher=Old.bjork.com |date= |accessdate=1 March 2012}}</ref> writers: [[Jórunn Viðar]], [[Jakobína Sigurðardóttir]]
| length4 = 3:14
| length4 = 3:14
| title5 = Öll Birtan
| title5 = Öll Birtan
| writer5 = Björk
| note5 = "All the Brightness"<ref name="old.bjork.com"/>
| length5 = 1:52
| length5 = 1:52
| title6 = [[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)]]
| title6 = [[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)]]
| writer6 = Björk
| length6 = 3:57
| length6 = 3:57
| title7 = Submarine
| title7 = Submarine
| note7 = producers: Björk, Bell
| writer7 = Björk
| length7 = 3:13
| length7 = 3:13
| title8 = Desired Constellation
| title8 = Desired Constellation
| note8 = writers: Björk, [[Olivier Alary]]
| writer8 = {{hlist|Björk|[[Olivier Alary]]}}
| length8 = 4:55
| length8 = 4:55
| title9 = [[Oceania (song)|Oceania]]
| title9 = [[Oceania (song)|Oceania]]
| note9 = writers: Björk, [[Sjón]]; producers: Björk, Bell
| writer9 = {{hlist|Björk|[[Sjón]]}}
| length9 = 3:24
| length9 = 3:24
| title10 = Sonnets/Unrealities XI
| title10 = Sonnets / Unrealities XI
| note10 = writers: Björk, [[E. E. Cummings]]
| writer10 = {{hlist|Björk|[[E. E. Cummings]]}}
| length10 = 1:59
| length10 = 1:59
| extra10 =
| title11 = Ancestors
| title11 = Ancestors
| note11 = writers: Björk, [[Tagaq]]
| writer11 = {{hlist|Björk|[[Tagaq]]}}
| length11 = 4:08
| length11 = 4:08
| extra11 =
| title12 = Mouth's Cradle
| title12 = Mouth's Cradle
| length12 = 4:00
| writer12 = Björk
| length12 = 3:59
| title13 = Miðvikudags
| title13 = Miðvikudags
| note13 = "Wednesday"
| writer13 = Björk
| length13 = 1:24
| length13 = 1:24
| title14 = [[Triumph of a Heart]]
| title14 = [[Triumph of a Heart]]
| writer14 = Björk
| length14 = 4:04
| length14 = 4:04
| total_length = 45:45
| 45:40(total)
}}
}}
{{Track listing
{{tracklist
| headline = Japanese/iTunes bonus track<ref name="linernotes">{{cite AV media notes|title=Medúlla|others=Björk|year=2004|type=Japanese version liner lotes|publisher=Polydor Records|id=UICP-1056}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/medulla/21393649|title=Medulla by Björk on Apple Music|website=[[iTunes Store]]|date=25 August 2004 |access-date=6 February 2018}}</ref>
| collapsed = yes
| writing_credits = no
| headline = Japanese/iTunes bonus track
| title15 = Komið
| title15 = Komið
| note15 = "Come"
| writer15 = Björk
| length15 = 2:02
| length15 = 2:02
| total_length = 47:41
}}
}}

'''Notes'''

The following track titles are roughly translated from Icelandic to English:

*“Vökuró” = wakefulness
*“Öll Birtan” = all the light
*“Miðvikudags” = Wednesday
*“Komið” = come


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
Credits adapted from ''Medúlla'' liner notes.<ref name="linernotes"/>
{{Div col}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Björk]] – lead vocals, arrangement, programming {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11–14)}}, choir arrangement, bass line {{small|(track 1)}}, bass synth {{small|(track 6)}}, piano {{small|(track 11)}}
* [[Björk]] – lead vocals, arrangement, programming {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11–14)}}, choir arrangement, bass line {{small|(track 1)}}, bass synth {{small|(track 6)}}, piano {{small|(track 11)}}
Line 161: Line 202:
* [[Rahzel]] – [[beatboxing]] {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 6, 12, 14)}}
* [[Rahzel]] – [[beatboxing]] {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 6, 12, 14)}}
* [[Shlomo (beatboxing artist)|Shlomo]] – beatboxing {{small|(track 9)}}
* [[Shlomo (beatboxing artist)|Shlomo]] – beatboxing {{small|(track 9)}}
* [[Dokaka]] – beatboxing {{small|(track 14)}}
* Dokaka – beatboxing {{small|(track 14)}}
* Gregory Purnhagen – [[Mouth trumpet|human trombone]] {{small|(tracks 3, 14)}}
* Gregory Purnhagen – [[Mouth trumpet|human trombone]] {{small|(tracks 3, 14)}}
* The Icelandic Choir – choral vocals {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11)}}
* The Icelandic Choir – choral vocals {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11)}}
Line 168: Line 209:
* [[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]] – bass synthesizer {{small|(track 12)}}, programming {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 14)}}
* [[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]] – bass synthesizer {{small|(track 12)}}, programming {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 14)}}
* [[Peter Van Hooke]] – [[gong]] {{small|(track 1)}}
* [[Peter Van Hooke]] – [[gong]] {{small|(track 1)}}
* [[Leila Arab|Little Miss Specta]] – programming {{small|(track 3)}}
* [[Leila Arab|Little Miss Spectra]] – programming {{small|(track 3)}}
* [[Matmos]] – programming {{small|(track 6)}}
* [[Matmos]] – programming {{small|(track 6)}}
* [[Olivier Alary]] – programming {{small|(track 8)}}
* [[Olivier Alary]] – programming {{small|(track 8)}}
Line 175: Line 216:
* Nick Ingham – conductor (Olympic Studios choir session)
* Nick Ingham – conductor (Olympic Studios choir session)
* Karl Olgeirsson – copyist (Iceland sessions)
* Karl Olgeirsson – copyist (Iceland sessions)
* Nick Mera - copyist (London session)
* Nick Mera copyist (London session)
* Sturla Thorisson - engineer (assistant, Greenhouse Studios)
* Sturla Thorisson engineer (assistant, Greenhouse Studios)
* Christian Rutledge - engineer (assistant, Looking Glass)
* Christian Rutledge engineer (assistant, Looking Glass)
* Rob Haggett - engineer (assistant, Olympic Studios)
* Rob Haggett engineer (assistant, Olympic Studios)
* David Treahearn - engineer (assistant, Olympic Studios)
* David Treahearn engineer (assistant, Olympic Studios)
* Juan Garcia - engineer (assistant, The Magic Shop)
* Juan Garcia engineer (assistant, The Magic Shop)
* Flavio de Souza - engineer (Ilha Dos Sapos Studios)
* Flavio de Souza engineer (Ilha Dos Sapos Studios)
* Ichiho Nishiki - engineer (Looking Glass)
* Ichiho Nishiki engineer (Looking Glass)
* Neil Dorfsman - additional recording
* Neil Dorfsman additional recording
* Jake Davies - additional recording
* Jake Davies additional recording
* [[M/M Paris]] – art direction, design
* [[M/M Paris]] – art direction, design
* Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir AKA Shoplifter – artwork (hair sculpture)
* [[Shoplifter (artist)|Shoplifter]] / Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir – artwork (hair sculpture)
* Andrea Helgadóttir - artwork (skin colours)
* Andrea Helgadóttir artwork (skin colours)
* [[Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin]] – photography
* [[Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin]] – photography
{{Div col end}}
{{Div col end}}
Line 195: Line 236:
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}
''The Icelandic Choir''
''The Icelandic Choir''
* Anna Hinriksdóttir - alto vocals
* Anna Hinriksdóttir alto vocals
* Arngerður María Árnadóttir - alto vocals
* Arngerður María Árnadóttir alto vocals
* Aðalheiður Þorsteinsdóttir - alto vocals
* Aðalheiður Þorsteinsdóttir alto vocals
* Guðrún Edda Gunnarsdóttir - alto vocals
* Guðrún Edda Gunnarsdóttir alto vocals
* Guðrún Finnbjarnardóttir - alto vocals
* Guðrún Finnbjarnardóttir alto vocals
* Jónína Guðrún Kristinsdóttir - alto vocals
* Jónína Guðrún Kristinsdóttir alto vocals
* Benedikt Ingólfsson - bass vocals
* Benedikt Ingólfsson bass vocals
* Hafsteinn Þórólfsson - bass vocals
* Hafsteinn Þórólfsson bass vocals
* Hjálmar Pétursson - bass vocals
* Hjálmar Pétursson bass vocals
* Örn Arnarson - bass vocals
* Örn Arnarson bass vocals
* Þorvaldur Þorvaldsson - bass vocals
* Þorvaldur Þorvaldsson bass vocals
* Elfa Ingvadóttir - soprano vocals
* Elfa Ingvadóttir soprano vocals
* Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir - soprano vocals
* [[Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir]] soprano vocals
* Hugrún Hólmgeirsdóttir - soprano vocals
* Hugrún Hólmgeirsdóttir soprano vocals
* Kirstín Erna Blöndal - soprano vocals
* Kristín Erna Blöndal soprano vocals
* Björn Thorarensen - tenor vocals
* Björn Thorarensen tenor vocals
* Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson - tenor vocals
* Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson tenor vocals
* Gísli Magna - tenor vocals
* Gísli Magna tenor vocals
* Þorbjörn Sigurðsson - tenor vocals
* Þorbjörn Sigurðsson tenor vocals
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}
''The London Choir''
''The London Choir''
Line 237: Line 278:
{{col-end}}
{{col-end}}


==Charts and certifications==
==Charts==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}


===Weekly charts===
===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for ''Medúlla''
|-
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (2004)
! scope="col"| Chart (2004)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-<!-- Please use manual references as accented letters do not work with album chart templates. -->
! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref name="Hung Medien">{{cite web|url=http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Bj%F6rk&titel=Med%FAlla&cat=a|title=Björk – Medúlla|work=''australian-charts.com''|publisher=Hung Medien|accessdate=20 May 2016}}</ref>
| 17
|-
|-
{{album chart|Australia|17|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015|refname=aus}}
! scope="row"| Austrian Albums ([[Ö3 Austria Top 40|Ö3 Austria]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 6
|-
|-
{{album chart|Austria|6|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015|refname=aut}}
! scope="row"| Belgian Albums ([[Ultratop]] Flanders)<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 4
|-
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|4|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
! scope="row"| Belgian Albums ([[Ultratop]] Wallonia)<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 1
|-
{{albumchart|Canada|6|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|accessdate=23 December 2015}}
|-
|-
{{albumchart|Czech|13|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|accessdate=23 December 2015}}
{{album chart|Wallonia|1|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
|-
|-
{{album chart|BillboardCanada|6|artist=Bjork|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
! scope="row"| Danish Albums ([[Tracklisten|Hitlisten]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 2
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Czech Albums ([[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry|ČNS IFPI]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mam.cz/zpravy/2004-09/oficialni-ceska-hitparada-ifpi-cr-38-tyden-2004/ |title=Oficiální česká hitparáda IFPI ČR – 38. týden 2004 |website=Marketing & Media |language=cs |date=17 September 2004 |access-date=11 July 2021}}</ref>
! scope="row"| Dutch Albums ([[MegaCharts]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 20
| 13
|-
|-
{{album chart|Denmark|2|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
!scope="row"|European Albums (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MhMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA67|title=Billboard|website=com.|accessdate=23 June 2017}}</ref>
|1
|-
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|20|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
! scope="row"| Finnish Albums ([[The Official Finnish Charts|Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 4
|-
|-
! scope="row"| [[European Top 100 Albums|European Albums]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IhMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA55|title=Hits of the World – Eurocharts|magazine=Billboard|volume=116|issue=38|date=18 September 2004|page=55|issn=0006-2510|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
! scope="row"| French Albums ([[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|SNEP]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 1
| 1
|-
|-
{{album chart|Finland|4|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
! scope="row"| German Albums ([[GfK Entertainment Charts|Offizielle Top 100]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 5
|-
|-
{{album chart|France|1|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015|refname=fra}}
!scope="row"|Greek Albums ([[IFPI Greece|IFPI]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.gr/chart01.htm |title=Top 50 Ξένων Άλμπουμ |date= |accessdate=20 September 2016 |language=Greek |publisher=[[IFPI Greece]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041010015828/http://www.ifpi.gr/chart01.htm |archivedate=10 October 2004 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref>
|3
|-
|-
{{albumchart|Ireland|22|year=2004|week=36|rowheader=true|accessdate=23 December 2015}}
{{album chart|Germany4|5|id=5096|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=11 July 2021}}
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Greek Albums ([[IFPI Greece|IFPI]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ifpi.gr/chart04.htm |script-title=el:Top 50 Ελληνικών και Ξένων Άλμπουμ |trans-title=Top 50 Greek and Foreign Albums |language=el |publisher=[[IFPI Greece]] |access-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041029035036/http://www.ifpi.gr/chart04.htm |archive-date=29 October 2004}}</ref>
! scope="row"| Italian Albums ([[Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana|FIMI]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 2
| 9
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Japan Albums ([[Oricon]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FRMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44|title=Billboard|first=Nielsen Business Media|last=Inc|date=11 September 2004|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|accessdate=23 June 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref>
! scope="row"| Icelandic Albums ([[Tónlist]])<ref name=icelandic>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/3609172|title=Tón Listinn – 36. Vika 2004|newspaper=[[Morgunblaðið]]|language=is|date=10 September 2004|page=46|issn=1021-7266|via=[[Timarit.is]]}}</ref>
|9
| 1
|-
|-
{{album chart|Ireland|22|year=2004|week=36|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
! scope="row"| New Zealand Albums ([[Recorded Music NZ|RMNZ]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 35
|-
|-
{{album chart|Italy|2|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015|refname=ita}}
! scope="row"| Norwegian Albums ([[VG-lista]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 3
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Japanese Albums ([[Oricon Albums Chart|Oricon]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/133963/ranking/cd_album/ |script-title=ja:ビョークのアルバム売り上げランキング |trans-title=Björk's album sales ranking |language=ja |publisher=[[Oricon]] |access-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514082818/http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/133963/ranking/cd_album/ |archive-date=14 May 2013}}</ref>
! scope="row"| Portuguese Albums ([[Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa|AFP]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 5
| 10
|-
|-
{{albumchart|Scotland|16|date=11 September 2004|artist=Björk|rowheader=true|accessdate=23 December 2015}}
{{album chart|New Zealand|35|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015|refname=nz}}
|-
|-
{{album chart|Norway|3|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
! scope="row"| Spanish Albums ([[Productores de Música de España|PROMUSICAE]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 6
|-
|-
{{album chart|Poland|2|id=221|rowheader=true|access-date=11 July 2021}}
! scope="row"| Swedish Albums ([[Sverigetopplistan]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 7
|-
|-
{{album chart|Portugal|5|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
! scope="row"| Swiss Albums ([[Swiss Hitparade|Schweizer Hitparade]])<ref name="Hung Medien"/>
| 3
|-
|-
{{albumchart|UK|9|artist=Björk|rowheader=true|accessdate=23 December 2015}}
{{album chart|Scotland|16|date=20040905|rowheader=true|access-date=11 July 2021}}
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Spanish Albums ([[Productores de Música de España|PROMUSICAE]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.promusicae.es/descarga-semanal/albumes_36_27-agosto-2004-a-02-septiembre-2004-n34/|title=Top 100 Albumes – Semana 36: del 27.08.2004 al 2.09.2004|publisher=[[Productores de Música de España]]|language=es|access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref>
{{albumchart|Billboard200|14|artist=Björk|rowheader=true|accessdate=23 December 2015}}
|align="center"|6
|}

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|7|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
!scope="col"|Chart (2016)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
|-
{{album chart|Switzerland|3|artist=Björk|album=Medúlla|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015}}
! scope="row"| Mexican Albums ([[AMPROFON]])<ref name="Mexican Albums">[https://web.archive.org/web/20160910211818/http://www.amprofon.com.mx/top-album.php "Top 20 - Semanal"]. Retrieved 10 September 2016.</ref>
| 20
|-
|-
{{album chart|UK2|9|date=20040905|rowheader=true|access-date=11 July 2021|refname=ukcharts}}
|}
|-
{{album chart|UKIndependent|3|date=20040905|rowheader=true|access-date=11 July 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|14|artist=Bjork|rowheader=true|access-date=23 December 2015|refname=bb200}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardDanceElectronic|1|artist=Bjork|rowheader=true|access-date=16 January 2018|refname="bbdance"}}
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}


===Certifications===
===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
{{Certification Table Top}}
|+ Year-end chart performance for ''Medúlla''
{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|title=Medúlla|artist=Björk|type=album|award=Gold|salesamount=108,900<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.infodisc.fr/CDCertif_O.php?debut=200 | title=InfoDisc : Historique des Succes Musicaux en France depuis 1900 | work=InfoDisc | date=10 May 2010 | accessdate=12 December 2016 | deadurl=yes | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119063042/http://infodisc.fr/CDCertif_O.php?debut=200 | archivedate=19 January 2016 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> | accessdate=12 December 2016|relyear=2004|certyear=2004|autocat=yes}}
|-
{{Certification Table Entry |region=Japan (Oricon Charts) |nocert=yes |salesamount=71,239 |salesref=<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. |url= |location=[[Roppongi|Roppongi, Tokyo]] |publisher=[[Oricon Charts]] |page= |date=2006 |isbn=4-87131-077-9}}</ref>}}
! scope="col"| Chart (2004)
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Russia|title=Medúlla|artist=Björk|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=2004|autocat=yes}}
! scope="col"| Position
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Medúlla|artist=Björk|type=album|award=Silver|relyear=2004|autocat=yes}}
|-
{{Certification Table Entry | region=United States | award={{n/a}} | salesamount=235,000 | salesref=<ref name="ussales">{{cite web | url= http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1052193/bjorks-new-blend | title=Bjork's New Blend | work=Billboard | date=10 May 2007 | accessdate=12 December 2016}}</ref> | accessdate=12 December 2016}}
! scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2004&cat=a |title=Rapports annuels 2004 – Albums |language=fr |publisher=[[Ultratop]] |access-date=11 July 2021}}</ref>
{{Certification Table Bottom|nounspecified=true}}
| 98
|-
! scope="row"| French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-lannee/top-albums-annee/?annee=2004 |title=Tops de l'Année {{!}} Top Albums 2004 |language=fr |publisher=[[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]] |access-date=11 July 2021}}</ref>
| 105
|}
{{Col-end}}
{{Col-end}}

==Certifications and sales==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for ''Medúlla''}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|artist=Björk|title=Medúlla|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=2004|certyear=2004|date=16 November 2004|access-date=12 December 2016}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|nocert=yes|salesamount=71,239|salesref=<ref>{{cite book |title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 |location=Roppongi, Tokyo |publisher=[[Oricon Charts]] |date=2006 |isbn=4-87131-077-9}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Russia|artist=Björk|title=Medúlla|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=2004|certyear=2004}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Björk|title=Medúlla|type=album|award=Silver|relyear=2004|certyear=2004|id=4213-1526-2|date=10 December 2004|access-date=11 July 2021|refname="bpicert"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|nocert=yes|salesamount=235,000|salesref=<ref name="ussales">{{cite magazine | url= http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1052193/bjorks-new-blend | title=Bjork's New Blend | magazine=Billboard | date=10 May 2007 | access-date=12 December 2016}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Bottom}}


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}
{{Reflist|group=nb}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070305223747/http://bjork.com/#/past/discography/medulla/#/past/discography/medulla/ Medúlla at bjork.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040815044250/http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/ ''Medúlla'' at bjork.com]
* [http://77island.bjork.info/medulla.htm Medúlla at 77island discography]


{{Bjork}}
{{Bjork}}
{{Tanya Tagaq}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:2004 albums]]
[[Category:2004 albums]]
[[Category:Björk albums]]
[[Category:Björk albums]]
[[Category:One Little Indian Records albums]]
[[Category:A cappella albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Björk]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Björk]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Mark Bell (British musician)]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Mark Bell (British musician)]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios]]
[[Category:One Little Independent Records albums]]

Latest revision as of 11:56, 6 December 2024

Medúlla
Studio album by
Released30 August 2004
Recorded2001 – May 2004
Studio
Genre
Length45:45
Language
Label
Producer
Björk chronology
Vespertine Live
(2004)
Medúlla
(2004)
Army of Me: Remixes and Covers
(2005)
Singles from Medúlla
  1. "Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)"
    Released: 18 October 2004
  2. "Triumph of a Heart"
    Released: 28 February 2005

Medúlla is the fifth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk.[nb 1] It was released on 30 August 2004 in the United Kingdom by One Little Indian Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. After the release of her electronic-influenced previous album Vespertine (2001), Björk intended to make an album almost entirely constructed with human vocals, in contrast to the previous album's intense process of composition and multiple layers of instrumentation. The album's title derives from the Latin word for "marrow".

Medúlla received critical acclaim from music critics, with many calling it "unique", although others deemed it "confusing". The album was not as commercially successful as her previous albums, but did reach number one in France, Iceland and Wallonia, whilst also peaking within the top ten in the United Kingdom. Medúlla is estimated to have sold more than a million copies worldwide, and received two nominations at the 47th Grammy Awards.

Two singles were released from Medúlla: "Who Is It" and "Triumph of a Heart", with both charting inside the top 40 in the United Kingdom and the top 10 in Spain. Björk further promoted the album by performing the song "Oceania" at the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and other television and radio shows. Other than these few performances, no concerts or tours were arranged to promote Medúlla, as Björk thought it would be too difficult to play the songs live. In 2015, the album was adapted into an opera at the Brussels opera house La Monnaie by Sjaron Minailo and Anat Spiegel.[3]

Background and production

[edit]

Björk began working on her fifth studio album in 2002, being known as The Lake Album at the time.[4] In an interview with The New Yorker, she explained that she wanted to get away from the world of instruments and electronics present on her previous album, Vespertine (2001), and remarked that the project was "very introverted" and avoided eye contact.[5] When she was finishing Vespertine, Björk knew she wanted to make a vocal album, and had known since her teenage years that one day she would. For her, the majority of the album is connected to the time when she was 17 to 18 years old, focusing on aspects of life, love, family, and friends. She commented that she was thinking about how she used to live her life, how carefree she was, and how others around her affected the way she thought, saying it is shown clearly at the core of Medúlla.[6] Björk began working on the album while eight months pregnant by adding her own live drumming to the arrangements of previously recorded demos.[7] She then started muting the instruments, and liked the result of it.[8] She was inspired by paganism, and the idea of returning to a universe that is entirely human, without tools or religion or nationalities. "I wanted the record to be like muscle, blood, flesh. We could be in a cave somewhere and one person would start singing, and another person would sing a beat and then the next person sing a melody, and you could just kind of be really happy in your cave. It's quite rootsy", she added.[9]

Björk performing in 2003, when she was writing Medúlla

Tanya Tagaq, an Inuit throat singer who worked with Björk on her 2001 Vespertine world tour, was also featured. Björk was so impressed with her voice's ability that she invited Tagaq to work with her on the album. She asked British singer Robert Wyatt to be a featured vocalist on the album, as she was looking for something more "passionate" and "human".[6] Additionally, the musician "wanted a bit of rock" on Medúlla, so she invited singer Mike Patton of rock band Faith No More.[10] Björk also invited the London and Icelandic choirs, in order to have a classical feel on the album.[6] However, the "musical fascist" in her decided using any MCs or vocal percussionists would be too "cheesy"; she later changed her mind when she saw beatboxer Rahzel from The Roots freestyle a whole Kraftwerk track without pausing for breath.[11] Björk found his voice "above and beyond any cliché" and thought he was perfect for the album's beat-based songs. Another beatboxer, Dokaka, was invited after Björk got a link to his webpage and liked his covers so much that she decided to work with him; he appears on a few songs.[12]

American singer Beyoncé was planned to be featured on the album as well, but she did not appear due to scheduling issues. When asked what she liked about Beyoncé, Björk stated that "[Medúlla] is an album about voices, and she's got the most amazing voice."[5]

Artwork and title

[edit]
A mannequin wearing the hair mask and the Alexander McQueen–designed bell dress from the "Who Is It" music video, at Björk's exhibition at MoMA

The album cover for Medúlla was photographed by duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in London, on 28 June 2004, and designed by M/M Paris. It features Björk wearing a mask made of hair, which was made specifically for the shoot, a black dress and a necklace that is made of black "bones" that says "Medúlla".[13] The hair mask was created by Icelandic artist Shoplifter. The artist stated that in 2004, she had a show at ATM Gallery, where she displayed a wall mural made of brown braids. Björk appreciated it, and then invited her to work on creating a hair sculpture for the Medúlla's character. She also explained that the singer wanted it to have a darkness about it, and then she sent Björk several references of extreme hairstyles, and because the album was made with voices, Björk wanted something that was part of the human body.[14]

Van Lamsweerde said that they "were all inspired by women's handicrafts and this idea of being in your own cocoon in your home, with your family, and this reclusive character that hand-makes the whole world around her". The hairpiece was part of her 2015 MoMA retrospective.[15] In an interview with Style magazine, Shoplifter talked about her part at the exhibition, explaining that it dedicated a room to each album of Björk's career, with the Medúlla section having a mannequin wearing the hairmask and the dress designed by Alexander McQueen which she wore in the music video for "Who Is It".[14]

The title was announced in June 2004 through Björk's official website.[16] She had struggled to choose a suitable title while preparing the album. She said that something in her "wanted to leave out civilisation, to rewind to before it all happened and work out, 'Where is the human soul? What if we do without civilisation and religion and patriotism, without the stuff that has gone wrong?'" She provisionally called it Ink, a title that suggested to her the idea of "that black, 5,000-year-old blood that's inside us all; an ancient spirit that's passionate and dark and survives."[17] Her friend Gabriela then suggested "medulla", a medical term for "marrow" in Latin.[17] She noted that the word refers not only to bone marrow, but also to various other anatomical structures, including parts of the kidney and of hair; in this sense, she said the word represented "getting to the essence of something".[17] The accent on the letter "ú" was intended to make the word cuter with a pun on the Icelandic word "dúlla": "We thought it was funny," she said, "then it became mysterious."[18]

Composition

[edit]

Style and influences

[edit]

"Everybody was going, 'Oh she's making a vocal album, it'll be a horrible Yoko Ono experience'. But I wanted to show that a vocal album doesn't have to be for the chosen few. It was just about working with the instrument I know best, my voice".

— Björk describing the sound of Medúlla.[19]

At the time of its construction, Björk considered Medúlla to be her most political album, saying that it countered outbreaks of racism and patriotism that followed the 11 September attacks.[20] "On 9/11, in the space of a half an hour, this became the most patriotic place on earth", she recalled. "I remember describing to my friends on my phone that [if] I turned 180 degrees anywhere I was in New York. I would count at least 37 American flags. So it was kind of scary for a foreigner to be here".[21] Regarding the album's composition, Björk also mentioned that she tried to find the common soul in everything, outside nationality and religion, whilst elaborating that she felt that "in that sense, it's a greatest hits of human spiritualism [laughs]. I think it's the first time I have done an album while I am reading the news. These are crazy times. It just seems that patriotism is a bad idea. I don't know how directly the album reflects that, but it is sort of anti-patriotic. Anti-Iceland as much as anti-anything".[22]

Medúlla is almost entirely a cappella,[23] also demonstrating avant-garde[24] and experimental music.[25] musicOMH's review stated that, "Despite its voice-only premise, Medúlla shows off a mile-wide scope of influences", noting elements of folk and medieval music,[26] despite Björk previously stating that Medúlla was "folk music, but without any folk attached" to the album.[5] She also considered the styles encompassing the album as "primitive and silly".[27] Wondering Sound wrote that despite "its comparative starkness, [Medúlla is] every bit as sensual as [Vespertine]".[28] The publication also added: "The electronic treatments range from industrial distortion to percussive glitches and dreamy layering, rarely descending into novelty".[28] The album combines beatboxing, classical choirs that suggest composers like Penderecki or Arvo Pärt, and "mews, moans, counterpoint and guttural grunts" provided by herself and guests like Mike Patton, Robert Wyatt and Tanya Tagaq.[29] Medúlla includes "vocal fantasias" that lean toward chamber music, alongside tracks that "are obviously but distantly connected to hip-hop."[29] Glimpses of Bulgarian women's choirs, the polyphony of central African pygmies, and the "primal vocalisms" of Meredith Monk were also noted.[29]

Songs

[edit]

The album opens with "Pleasure Is All Mine", which begins with a vocal harmony layered on top of a woman's panting for a short while prior to when Björk starts singing her verses. The verses additionally have the background filled by a harmonic and cathedral-mimicking choir.[30] Björk sings "When in doubt: give" repeatedly, yielding contrast to an "alarming" groove.[31] "Show Me Forgiveness", an a cappella "short confessional anthem" follows, having no other effect than a subtle echo exerted onto her voice.[32] She sings: "Show me forgiveness / For having lost faith in myself / And let my own interior up / To inferior forces / The shame is endless".[30] During the third song "Where Is the Line", she lyrically attacks a younger relative for being greedy and unreliable, displaying vexation: "I'm elastic for you, but enough is enough".[29][33] "Demonic vocals" are delivered by singer Mike Patton, and "angelically dissonant swaths of lush singing" from the Icelandic Choir; as Rahzel beatboxes, the choir emotes some "ahhhs". The song grows darker as it builds up as the male members of the choir deliver heavier sounds.[31][34] The "somber" song called "Vökuró", originally by Jórunn Viðar, is the fourth track on Medúlla.[29] The song is in Icelandic; Björk rolls her tongue around certain words, accompanied by a choir.[34]

During the fifth track "Öll Birtan", Björk's voice is layered over several times, with a voice resembling a drone in the left channel, whilst "doot-doos" echo into the right side of the audio.[34] The following song and lead single "Who Is It" features collaborations by Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq and Rahzel.[35] Some lyrics of the song—"Who is it that never lets you down?"—may be understood to reflect a "mother's unconditional love" in a dialogue between mother and child. The echo effects in "Who Is It" may additionally reflect the scattered sense of self the mother may experience as she carries the burden of constant care for her child.[36] "Submarine", the seventh track on the album, was influenced by Björk's pregnancy with her daughter Ísadóra and how she felt somewhat lazy during that time.[17][20] It has a "hint of political consciousness", and features the "reedy" voice of singer Robert Wyatt multiplied into a chorus to share lines like "Shake us out of the heavy deep sleep, do it now".[29] The next track "Desired Constellation" was created from a sample of Björk singing the phrase "I'm not sure what to do with it" from "Hidden Place" on her previous album, Vespertine. She imagines herself "With a palm full of stars/ I throw them like dice on the table/ Until the desired constellation appears".[37]

The ninth song, "Oceania", is about "Mother Oceania", from whom Björk believes all life materialised, whilst she sings: "You have done well for yourselves / Since you left my wet embrace / And crawled ashore".[30] "Oceania" also features The London Choir.[38] Tenth song "Sonnets/Unrealities XI" was based on the poem "It May Not Always Be So; And I Say" by E. E. Cummings, and features only Björk's singing, with small inflections from the Icelandic Choir[34] while she bids farewell to a lover lyrically.[29] The following track "Ancestors" has no lyrics, featuring only Björk and Tagaq's voices.[39] The twelfth song "Mouth's Cradle" is paced by a "glug, glug" sample of "what might as well be the emptying of a gallon bottle of water".[40] Lyrically, she concludes: "I need a shelter to build an altar away from Osamas and Bushes".[29][34] On the thirteenth track of the album, "Miðvikudags", Björk sings once again in gibberish, while some "doot-doos" can be heard in the background, reminiscent of "Öll Birtan". On the closing track and second single, "Triumph of a Heart", the singer lyrically "celebrates the workings of anatomy", whilst musically it is the album's closest thing to a dance track. The song also features orchestral arrangements by the Icelandic and London Choirs,[41] as well as hooks coming from a "human trombone", herself, Gregory Purnhagen, and Rahzel and Dokaka.[29][42]

Release and promotion

[edit]

On 3 August 2004, BBC Radio 1's The Breezeblock show premiered the tracks "Pleasure Is All Mine" and "Mouth's Cradle",[43] whilst The New York Times newspaper has posted on their website short clips for four tracks "Mouth's Cradle", "Oceania", "Where Is the Line" and "Who Is It".[44] Medúlla was first released on 30 August 2004 worldwide through Polydor Records, whilst it was distributed in the United Kingdom by One Little Indian. In the United States, the album was released the day after, by Elektra Records.[1] Lead single "Who Is It" reached the top five in Spain,[45] also peaking within the top 30 in Italy and the United Kingdom.[46][47] Second single "Triumph of a Heart" peaked at the top ten in Spain,[48] and reached the top 40 in Italy and the United Kingdom.[49][50]

"Oceania" was commissioned by the International Olympic Committee and performed at the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. She wore a very large dress which unfolded during her performance to eventually occupy the entire stadium and showed a map of the world in sign of union.[51] On 8 October 2004, Björk performed at the BBC Studios for the show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. She performed a bell choir mix of "Who Is It" with Rahzel and an English bell choir.[52] On 10 October 2004, Björk performed a set of five songs live in studio for Gilles Peterson's BBC Radio 1 program.[53] On 25 October 2004, Björk performed a set of six songs for the French television show Album de la Semaine at Canal+ studios in Paris, France.[54]

Other than these few performances, no concerts or tours were arranged to promote Medúlla. Björk said in an interview that "everybody involved seems to be up for it, so maybe they'll all come on the road. What I'd like to do is make another album like this and then tour for two of them at once".[55] She also spoke to Rolling Stone in June 2004 and told that she wished to immediately continue writing and recording yet another new album: "Every album I've done, the minute that it's done, I feel really lubricated and, like, 'Wow, now I can write an album in five minutes'... And I just want to find out if that's just a fantasy or if it's true."[56]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[57]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[58]
Entertainment WeeklyA[59]
The Guardian[60]
Los Angeles Times[61]
Mojo[62]
NME8/10[63]
Pitchfork8.4/10[23]
Q[7]
Rolling Stone[64]
SpinB+[65]

Medúlla received acclaim from music critics. The album holds a rating of 84 out of 100 at Metacritic.[57] The Guardian newspaper's David Peschek gave it five stars out of five and heralded it as "brave and unique".[60] Dominique Leone from Pitchfork commented that Medúlla was "an interesting record", while saying Björk had "found a way to bathe her immediately distinctive melodies and vocal nuances in solutions that cause me to reevaluate her voice and her craft".[23] Barry Walters of Rolling Stone stated that Medúlla was simultaneously Björk's "most extreme" record and "the most immediately accessible".[64] Blender's Ann Powers was also positive, calling it "another playful step" in Björk's "unstoppable, wandering quest".[66] Matthew Gasteier from Prefix magazine called Medúlla her most exuberant album since Post, as well as her oddest at the time.[67] Mark Daniell from Canadian website Jam! also gave it a positive review, saying "pairing gooey purrs with grooves provided by a human trombone might not seem like a good idea, but when Björk is the one making the arrangements the effect is spine tingling".[68] Andy Battaglia of The A.V. Club said that "once perceptions and expectations settle out... the album proves arrestingly in thrall to its own twisted tongue".[38]

Heather Phares of AllMusic thought that Medúlla was "not an immediate album, but it is a fascinating one, especially for anyone interested in the world's oldest instrument being used in unexpected ways".[58] Jennifer Vineyard from MTV News called the album "an ambitious project", but not because it was almost entirely a cappella. She said that some songs are "pretty unusual", as some could be medieval hymns, and others could be modern pop songs.[69] E! Online commented that "fans of the Icelandic wonder's more orchestral tunes might think there's something missing here. Well, unless they're too busy being totally blown away".[70] David Hooper from BBC Music gave Medúlla a mixed review, praising its high points and lack of dullness, but feeling that the album left him "rather confused" due to what he found to be excessive experimentation, thus remarking that the album was "disjointed" and "claustrophobic".[71] Björk received two Grammy Award nominations for Medúlla, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Oceania", and Best Alternative Music Album.[72] The album was also featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[73]

Commercial performance

[edit]

In the United Kingdom, Medúlla debuted at its peak of number nine on the UK Albums Chart, for the issue dated 11 September 2004, and remained for three weeks on the chart.[74] The album was certified Silver on 10 December 2004, by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for shipments of at least 60,000 copies in the region.[75] In Austria, Medúlla debuted and peaked at number six, remaining on the albums chart for seven weeks.[76] In France, it peaked at number one on the albums chart, during the week dated 29 August 2004, remaining on the top for another week.[77] After spending 24 weeks on the chart, Medúlla was certified Gold by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP).[78] In Björk's native Iceland, the album debuted at the top of the chart, staying there for three weeks.[79][80] It peaked at number two in Italy, spending nine weeks on the chart.[81]

In the United States, Medúlla debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the issue dated 18 September 2004,[82] selling 65,000 copies in its first week[83] and remaining for seven weeks inside the chart.[84] Additionally, Medúlla also topped the Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[85] As of May 2007 it has sold 235,000 copies in the region, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[86] In Australia, Medúlla debuted at number 17 on the ARIA Charts, on the issue dated 12 September 2004. It spent three weeks on the chart, falling off at number 40.[87] In New Zealand, the album peaked at number 35 and spent two weeks inside the New Zealand Albums Chart.[88] As of May 2014, Medúlla has sold more than a million copies worldwide.[89]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks produced by Björk, except "Where Is the Line", "Submarine" and "Oceania", produced with Mark Bell.

Medúlla
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Pleasure Is All Mine"Björk3:26
2."Show Me Forgiveness"Björk1:23
3."Where Is the Line"Björk4:41
4."Vökuró"3:14
5."Öll Birtan"Björk1:52
6."Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)"Björk3:57
7."Submarine"Björk3:13
8."Desired Constellation"4:55
9."Oceania"
3:24
10."Sonnets / Unrealities XI"1:59
11."Ancestors"
4:08
12."Mouth's Cradle"Björk3:59
13."Miðvikudags"Björk1:24
14."Triumph of a Heart"Björk4:04
Total length:45:45
Japanese/iTunes bonus track[90][91]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Komið"Björk2:02
Total length:47:41

Notes

The following track titles are roughly translated from Icelandic to English:

  • “Vökuró” = wakefulness
  • “Öll Birtan” = all the light
  • “Miðvikudags” = Wednesday
  • “Komið” = come

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Medúlla liner notes.[90]

  • Björk – lead vocals, arrangement, programming (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11–14), choir arrangement, bass line (track 1), bass synth (track 6), piano (track 11)
  • TagaqInuit throat singing (tracks 1, 6, 11, 12)
  • Mike Patton – vocals (tracks 1, 3)
  • Robert Wyatt – vocals (tracks 7, 9)
  • Rahzelbeatboxing (tracks 1, 3, 6, 12, 14)
  • Shlomo – beatboxing (track 9)
  • Dokaka – beatboxing (track 14)
  • Gregory Purnhagen – human trombone (tracks 3, 14)
  • The Icelandic Choir – choral vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11)
  • The London Choir – choral vocals (track 9)
  • Nico Muhly – piano (track 9)
  • Mark Bell – bass synthesizer (track 12), programming (tracks 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 14)
  • Peter Van Hookegong (track 1)
  • Little Miss Spectra – programming (track 3)
  • Matmos – programming (track 6)
  • Olivier Alary – programming (track 8)
  • Valgeir Sigurdsson – programming (tracks 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14)
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
  • Nick Ingham – conductor (Olympic Studios choir session)
  • Karl Olgeirsson – copyist (Iceland sessions)
  • Nick Mera – copyist (London session)
  • Sturla Thorisson – engineer (assistant, Greenhouse Studios)
  • Christian Rutledge – engineer (assistant, Looking Glass)
  • Rob Haggett – engineer (assistant, Olympic Studios)
  • David Treahearn – engineer (assistant, Olympic Studios)
  • Juan Garcia – engineer (assistant, The Magic Shop)
  • Flavio de Souza – engineer (Ilha Dos Sapos Studios)
  • Ichiho Nishiki – engineer (Looking Glass)
  • Neil Dorfsman – additional recording
  • Jake Davies – additional recording
  • M/M Paris – art direction, design
  • Shoplifter / Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir – artwork (hair sculpture)
  • Andrea Helgadóttir – artwork (skin colours)
  • Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin – photography

Choir

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Certifications and sales for Medúlla
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[114] Gold 100,000*
Japan 71,239[115]
Russia (NFPF)[116] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[75] Silver 60,000^
United States 235,000[117]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Medúlla is officially considered to be the fifth solo album,[2] although, technically, it can be viewed as sixth if counting her 1977 juvenilia work, or seventh, counting her 1990 jazz output Gling-Gló.

References

[edit]
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