Birthday (The Sugarcubes song)
Encyclopedia
"Birthday" is a song written and recorded by Iceland
ic band The Sugarcubes
for their 1988
debut album Life's Too Good
. It was their first international single and the first single released from the album. The Icelandic-language version "Ammæli" was released on the Iceland-only single Einn Mol Á Mann (One Cube Per Head) the previous year and was included as the B-side on the international single.
After "Birthday" became the single of the week in Melody Maker magazine and NME in August 1987, and was selected as number one in John Peel
's Festive Fifty
list, the band attained worldwide recognition and success.
According to Björk
, "Birthday" is a "tasteless pop song" about a five-year-old girl who has a love affair with the man next door, who is celebrating his fiftieth birthday. The chorus features Björk singing a wordless melody. This song was covered by The Mars Volta
in 2008.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic band The Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes were an Icelandic alternative rock band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. They received critical and popular acclaim internationally.-History:...
for their 1988
1988 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
debut album Life's Too Good
Life's Too Good
Life's Too Good, released in April 1988, was the first album by the Icelandic alternative rock-pop band The Sugarcubes, which brought fame to lead vocalist Björk...
. It was their first international single and the first single released from the album. The Icelandic-language version "Ammæli" was released on the Iceland-only single Einn Mol Á Mann (One Cube Per Head) the previous year and was included as the B-side on the international single.
After "Birthday" became the single of the week in Melody Maker magazine and NME in August 1987, and was selected as number one in John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's Festive Fifty
Festive Fifty
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show...
list, the band attained worldwide recognition and success.
According to Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, "Birthday" is a "tasteless pop song" about a five-year-old girl who has a love affair with the man next door, who is celebrating his fiftieth birthday. The chorus features Björk singing a wordless melody. This song was covered by The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
in 2008.
External links
- About & About at Bjork.com has quotes from interviews about the song.