Bjork - Hyperballad (1996)

Recently I have been listening to Bjork's Hyperballad from her 1996 album Post. 

First, I guess I am ashamed to say that I was a poser. I loved the idea of Bjork, but when it came down to it, I never had listened to her with deep interest, besides the music video for Oh So Quiet. Deep down I always knew she was something special, because I always remember her and I often think, "I should listen to Bjork.", then by chance a song came up in my YouTube playlist of Crystal Castles, the song Hyperballad. 

Hyperballad is a song about a person going to the edge of a mountain and throwing off objects, then imagining throwing themselves off a cliff, wondering what the sound would make, and if their eyes would remain closed, or open?

As a person who thinks about jumping off the tops of buildings a lot, I find this song to be refreshing. Written back when I was a high schooler during the era of numerous rock stars killing themselves with suicide or overdose and others following their example, it makes sense she would write a song about suicide during that time. Now past the golden age of suicides, thankfully (still watch the 90's Japanese horror classic 自殺サークル translated as Suicide Circle), and now unfortunately in an era of mass shooting facing the second civil war, suicidal tendencies (another great band) are on the rise.

***I, in no one endorse or advocate for any individual or group to commit the act of suicide or overdose. If you feel like hurting yourself in any way, please contact friends, family or a professional health service provider for assistance. 

I would never end my life because I am too afraid of dying, but the feeling of depression that pushes me towards those thoughts is always with me. To have a song that encapsulates that feeling and makes me feel less alone helps me cope, and hope they help you too if you feel these same feelings. Plus, the thought of throwing things off the side of a cliff and watching them break is pretty cool also.

As for the song itself, the biggest controversy I have found after doing a search for the lyrics, each site writes out the chorus that she sings, "To be safe up here with you.", yet when I listen to the song I hear, "To be safe again with you." There is a definitive guttural 'g' sound, rather than a popping 'p' followed by a breathy 'h' sound, or even a high-pitched 'ere' for me to hear "up here".

In the refrain, I will admit I can hear, "Safe up here", but in the chorus I can only hear, "Safe again."

I don't know how this discrepancy came about, either from lyric sheets in the linear notes of the album, or by misinterpretation. Yet, by any means of the imagination, "up here", cannot be heard by me, and no one will be able to convince me otherwise, except Bjork herself.

Listen for yourself:




One of the best live versions:




And this is one of my favorite remixes:




One thing is clear, this song is amazing no matter which lyrics you hear, but if you hear "up here", instead of "again", or do hear "again", like I do, or don't care and just love this song and want to thank me for bringing it to your attention, reach out and let me know.