5. Bjork – ‘Joga’ (1997)

“You don’t have to speak
I feel
Emotional landscapes”

Written by Bjork/Sjon

Produced by Bjork/Mark Bell

Taken from the album Homogenic

Also released on Greatest Hits, Family Tree and Homogenic Live

AUS #70, UK #109

Remember how stunning the strings from ‘Confide In Me’ were? Double that effectiveness, triple that intensity, and you have Bjork’s ‘Joga’. I think it’s safe to tell you that I haven’t hidden ‘Nattura’ or anything like that elsewhere in the top five, so this is her finest moment. With lyrics by Sjon, who also wrote ‘Isobel’, ‘Bachelorette’ and ‘Oceania’, ‘Joga’ is named after Bjork’s best friend and dedicated to Iceland, and although the lyrics are by another artist, it was a close collaboration and the song is still one of the most personal in Bjork’s discography.

The repetition in the chorus – “state of emergency, is where I want to be” – is a strange line, but taken with the verses, which seem to describe a sort of supernatural connection between two lovers or friends, it makes sense. Pain and anger may be hard but at least they’re emotions, right? And even if you’re feeling bad, at least you’re feeling something. It’s better to be in a state of emergency than a state of nothingness. Furthermore, if you ever are in a state of nothingness, ‘Joga’ is so full of life and love that it is sure to bring you back from the brink. This song is the opposite of Regina George from Mean Girls: it’s a life-saver. It saves lives.

Of course, that is my own interpretation of the song – the actual meaning, and the meaning you take from it, is likely to be quite different. When an artist is so guarded and difficult with their lyrics, yet so intimate at the same time, it is easy to apply your own stories and allow the original purpose to fade away. But those rolling drums, those uplifting strings, Bjork’s most passionate vocal performance – those cannot be misunderstood. ‘Joga’ is a triumph in every way, a masterwork by one of pop music’s true originals.

Music video:

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