"Human Behaviour" is Iceland

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 singer 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...

's first solo single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

, taken from the album Debut. It contains a sample of "Go Down Dying" by Antonio Carlos Jobim

Antônio Carlos Jobim

Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...

. The lyrics reflect on human nature

Human nature

Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that humans tend to have naturally....

 and emotion

Emotion

Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...

 from a non-human animal's point of view

Animal cognition

Animal cognition is the title given to the study of the mental capacities of non-human animals. It has developed out of comparative psychology, but has also been strongly influenced by the approach of ethology, behavioral ecology, and evolutionary psychology...

. The song is the first part of a series of songs that follow the narrative of a feral

Feral

A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...

 woman named Isobel. Her story is continued in the songs "Isobel

Isobel

"Isobel" is a song by Icelandic singer Björk. It was released as the second single from her 1995 album Post. The lyrics describe a primitive girl who seems to be a personification of Mother Nature, and who tries to warn the technological world of its potential dangers. The music is underscored by...

," "Bachelorette

Bachelorette (song)

"Bachelorette" is a song by Björk, released as the second single from her 1997 album Homogenic.The song was originally written for a film by Bernardo Bertolucci, but the project was withdrawn...

," and "Alarm Call

Alarm Call

"Alarm Call" is a song by Björk released as the fourth single from her third studio album Homogenic, peaking at #33 in the UK.-Background:...

."

"Human Behaviour" was an underground smash, which peaked at number two on the dance charts and reached #36 in the UK Singles Chart.

About the song

explains Björk in an interview with David Hemingway.

Music video

The music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

, directed by Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry is an Academy Award winning filmmaker, whose works include being a commercial director, music video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. - Life and career :...

, is a loose take on the children's tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", with visuals inspired by Yuri Norstein's animated film Hedgehog in the Fog

Hedgehog in the Fog

Hedgehog in the Fog is a 1975 Soviet/Russian animated film directed by Yuriy Norshteyn, produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow. The Russian script was written by Sergei Grigoryevich Kozlov, who also published a book under the same name...

. Unlike in the story, however, 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...

 is hunted by a bear in a forest. She also flies to the moon

Moon

The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

 where she plants a Soviet flag. She ends up being eaten by the bear and trapped in its stomach. The video received six nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards of 1994

1994 MTV Video Music Awards

The 1994 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 8, 1994, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1993, to June 15, 1994. The show was hosted by Roseanne Barr at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and this would be the last time there was a female host for the VMAs until Chelsea...

 including Best Female Video

MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video

The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work...

, Best New Artist in a Video

MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist

The MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984...

, Breakthrough Video

MTV Video Music Award - Breakthrough Video

The MTV Video Music Award for Breakthrough Video was first awarded in 1988, replacing the award for Most Experimental Video. Along with Best Direction in a Video, this award was considered to be one of the most important professional categories at the VMAs, as every once in a while it was even...

, Best Special Effects

MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects

The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Special Effects in a Video....

, Best Art Direction

MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction

The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Art Direction in a Video. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are the biggest winners in this category with three wins in 1992, 2000, and 2006....

 and Best Direction

MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction

The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Direction in a Video. In 2007, the award was briefly renamed Best Director, but it returned to its original name for the 2008 awards....

 (for Gondry's work), winning none. Also this video was nominated for a Grammy Award

Grammy Awards of 1994

The 36th Grammy Awards were held in 1994. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Whitney Houston is the Big Winner winning 3 awards including Record of the Year and Album of the Year.-Award winners:*Record of the Year...

 for Best Music Video - Short Form

Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video

The Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos...

 losing to Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel

Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

's "Steam

Steam (Peter Gabriel song)

"Steam" is the second single from Peter Gabriel's 1992 album, Us. It reached #10 on the UK singles chart, #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart....

". The video has several elements that are present in Michel Gondry's first feature film Human Nature

Parody

The song was parodied on the PBS show Bill Nye the Science Guy

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Bill Nye the Science Guy is an educational television program that originally aired from September 10, 1993 to June 20, 1998, hosted by Bill Nye and produced by Buena Vista Television. The show aired on PBS Kids and was also syndicated to local stations, making it the second first-run television...

as "Cross Pollination," with lyrics concerning plants. Although the original vocal melody was not used, the music is unmistakably an attempt to spoof the backing of "Human Behaviour".

Track listing

UK CD

(112 TP 7 CD; June, 1993)

1. "Human Behaviour" (Original) - 4:12
2. "Human Behaviour" ("Close To Human Mix") - 6:22
3. "Human Behaviour" (Underworld Mix) - 12:03
4. "Human Behaviour" (Don T. Mix) - 6:58
5. "Human Behaviour" (Bassheads Edit) - 6:33

UK CD

(SUNW010; Released: 2002)

1. "Human Behaviour" - 4:15
2. "Human Behaviour" (Underworld Mix) - 12:10
3. "Human Behaviour" (Video)
4. "Human Behaviour" (MTV Unplugged) (Video)
5. "Human Behaviour" (The Royal Opera House) (Video)

UK 12" Vinyl

(112TP 12; Released: 1993)

Side A

1. "Human Behaviour" (Underworld Mix) - 12:00

Side B

1. "Human Behaviour" ("Close To Human Mix") - 6:22
2. "Human Behaviour" (Dom T. Mix) - 6:58

UK 12" Vinyl Promo

(112TP 12DJ; Released: 1993)

Side A

1. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Remix) - 12:05

Side B

1. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Dub) - 10:42

UK 12" Vinyl Promo

(112TP 12P; Released: 1993)

Side A

1. "Human Behaviour" (Speedy J Close To Human Mix)

Side B

1. "Human Behaviour" (Dom. T Mix)
2. "Human Behaviour" (Bassheads Edit)

UK 10" Vinyl Promo

(BJ DJ 104; Released: 1993; Limited Edition)

Side A

1. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Dub 1) - 10:42

Side B

1. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Dub 2) - 7:34

EUR CD

(859575-2; Released: 1993)

1. "Human Behaviour" (Original) - 4:12
2. "Human Behaviour" ("Close To Human Mix") - 6:22
3. "Human Behaviour" (Dom T. Mix) - 6:58
4. "Human Behaviour" (Bassheads Edit) - 6:33

FRA CD Promo

(1901; Released: 1993)

1. "Human Behaviour" - 4:12
2. "Human Behaviour" (Le French Touch) - 7:49

FRA 12" Vinyl Promo

(2465; Released: 1994)

Side A

1. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Mix) - 12:31

Side B

1. "Human Behaviour" (Le French Touch) - 7:47

FRA 12" Vinyl Promo

(2348; Released: 1994)

Side A

1. "Human Behaviour" (Underground Behaviour) - 5:58
2. "Human Behaviour" (Le French Touch) - 5:47

Side B

1. "Human Behaviour" (Deep Behaviour) - 8:02
2. "Human Behaviour" (Underground Behaviour Dub) - 7:16

US CD Promo

(PRCD 8784-2; Released: 1993)

1. "Human Behaviour" (Original Version) - 4:14
2. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Remix) - 12:05

US 12" Vinyl

(0-66299; Released: 1993)

Side A

1. "Human Behaviour" (Original Version) - 4:14
2. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Remix) - 12:05

Side B

1. "Human Behaviour" (Speedy J Close To Human Mix) - 6:22
2. "Human Behaviour" (The Underwater Dub) - 10:42

US 12" Vinyl Promo

(ED 5652; Released: 1993)

Side A

1. "Human Behaviour" (Speedy J Close To Human Mix) - 6:22
2. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Mix) - 12:05

Side B

1. "Human Behaviour" (Dom T. Mix) - 6:58
2. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Dub) - 10:42

JPN CD

(POCP-1361; Released: 26 September 1993)

1. "Human Behaviour" (Original) - 4:14
2. "Human Behaviour" ("Close To Human Mix") - 6:24
3. "Human Behaviour" (Underworld Mix) - 12:06
4. "Human Behaviour" (Dom T. Mix) - 7:01
5. "Human Behaviour" (Bassheads Edit) - 6:38
6. "Human Behaviour" (The Underworld Dub) - 10:45

Versions

• Acoustic version
• Album version
• Bassheads edit (Desa Basshead & Nick Murphy)
• Close to Human mix (by Speedy J)
• Deep Behaviour (by Dimitri from Paris
  Dimitri from Paris
  Dimitri from Paris is a French music producer and DJ of Greek origins. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contemporary house music, as well as original soundtracks from 50s and 60s cult movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, La Dolce Vita and The Party,...
  
  )
• Dom T. mix
• Le French Touch (by Dimitri From Paris)
• Mark Bell Remix
• Underground Behaviour (by Dimitri From Paris)
• Underground Behaviour dub (by Dimitri from Paris)
• Underworld dub 1
• Underworld dub 2
• Underworld mix
• MTV Unplugged
  MTV Unplugged
  MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
  
   version

Charts

Chart	Peak position
Dutch Singles Chart	35
Swedish Singles Chart	29
UK Singles Chart	36
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	19
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...	9

External links

• "Human Behaviour" at Bjork.com
• List of releases of "Human Behaviour"