Pagan Poetry
Encyclopedia
"Pagan Poetry" was the second single from singer Björk
's album Vespertine
. The single peaked at number 38 in the UK and number 12 in Canada. It was written and produced by Björk with additional production by Marius De Vries
and mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent
. The music box adaptation, featured in the song, was done by Jack Perron and the full version was later featured as a b-side song on the "Cocoon" single.
, which as stated on its making of page "is about a woman preparing herself for marriage and for her lover". It was also one of Björk's most controversial because of the highly blurry images of explicit sex it contains, including fellatio
and ejaculation
, and also images of big needles sewing pearls to the skin. It features Björk in a dress designed by Alexander McQueen
, covering only the lower portion of her body. The upper portion of the dress seems to be pearls pierced to her skin. The video was banned by MTV
in the United States, but was eventually shown in unedited form on MTV2
in a presentation of the "20 Most Controversial Music Videos".
About the video, Nick Knight explained "I wanted to strip her down. She's actually quite raw, womanly and sexy. There's a different side to her that doesn't come across normally in her videos. That's what I asked her to do and that's what she did." When asked if Björk was the one who plays the sexual acts as well, he explained "I gave her [Björk] a Sony Mini DV camera and asked her to shoot her own private scenes [...] She asked me to make a film about her love life, so I merely gave it back to her and said ‘Film your love life'”.
said: "In 'Pagan Poetry', she deploys the implied heaven of Zeena Parkins harp and a flotilla of music boxes with an Asian-teahouse touch.". Blender
said "'Pagan Poetry'” sounds like the prelude to a particularly exotic sexual interlude". In March 2006, in the number 77 of the Spanish edition of Rolling Stone
, "Pagan Poetry" was ranked number 38 by Spanish music professionals and experts on a list of the best songs of the 21st century. Slant Magazine
said of the album: "Vespertine delicately traces the cycle of said relationship" and called the song "loss of personal identity and full possessive entrapment".
Pitchfork Media
placed the song at number 227 on its list of "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s".
, and the b-sides "Batabid" and "Domestica". In the beginning Domestika was the working title for Vespertine, and the song was included as Lost Keys, but this was later changed.
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!align="center"|Peak
position
|-
|align="left"|Hot Canadian Digital Singles
|align="center"|12
|-
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
|align="center"|38
|-
|align="left"|French Singles Chart
|align="center"|49
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|align="left"|Spanish Singles Chart
|align="center"|6
|}
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 album Vespertine
Vespertine
Vespertine, is the fifth studio album by the Icelandic recording artist Björk, released on 27 August 2001. On this album, Björk creates a quiet, introverted world of microbeats and personal lyrics...
. The single peaked at number 38 in the UK and number 12 in Canada. It was written and produced by Björk with additional production by Marius De Vries
Marius de Vries
Marius Van Wyk de Vries is an English music producer and composer. He has been behind some of the key albums and soundtracks of recent times, gathering five Grammy nominations, two BAFTAs, and an Ivor Novello award along the way.-Music Producer:...
and mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent
Mark Stent
Mark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
. The music box adaptation, featured in the song, was done by Jack Perron and the full version was later featured as a b-side song on the "Cocoon" single.
Music video
The music video for "Pagan Poetry", directed by Nick KnightNick Knight (photographer)
Nick Knight OBE is a British fashion photographer, documentary photographer, and web publisher—as director of SHOWstudio.com.-Life and career:Knight studied at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design....
, which as stated on its making of page "is about a woman preparing herself for marriage and for her lover". It was also one of Björk's most controversial because of the highly blurry images of explicit sex it contains, including fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
and ejaculation
Ejaculation
Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the male reproductory tract, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. In rare cases ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease...
, and also images of big needles sewing pearls to the skin. It features Björk in a dress designed by Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
, covering only the lower portion of her body. The upper portion of the dress seems to be pearls pierced to her skin. The video was banned by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in the United States, but was eventually shown in unedited form on MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
in a presentation of the "20 Most Controversial Music Videos".
About the video, Nick Knight explained "I wanted to strip her down. She's actually quite raw, womanly and sexy. There's a different side to her that doesn't come across normally in her videos. That's what I asked her to do and that's what she did." When asked if Björk was the one who plays the sexual acts as well, he explained "I gave her [Björk] a Sony Mini DV camera and asked her to shoot her own private scenes [...] She asked me to make a film about her love life, so I merely gave it back to her and said ‘Film your love life'”.
Reception
"Pagan Poetry" has been highly praised by critics, with many citing it as a highlight of the album. Allmusic said of "Pagan Poetry" that it "shares a spacious serenity with the album's quietest moments" and included this song as a track pick. Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said: "In 'Pagan Poetry', she deploys the implied heaven of Zeena Parkins harp and a flotilla of music boxes with an Asian-teahouse touch.". Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
said "'Pagan Poetry'” sounds like the prelude to a particularly exotic sexual interlude". In March 2006, in the number 77 of the Spanish edition of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, "Pagan Poetry" was ranked number 38 by Spanish music professionals and experts on a list of the best songs of the 21st century. Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
said of the album: "Vespertine delicately traces the cycle of said relationship" and called the song "loss of personal identity and full possessive entrapment".
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
placed the song at number 227 on its list of "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s".
Tracklist
The single release is formed by 2 CDs and a DVD. The CDs include a remix by Mathew Herbert, a new version of the track "Aurora" found in the album VespertineVespertine
Vespertine, is the fifth studio album by the Icelandic recording artist Björk, released on 27 August 2001. On this album, Björk creates a quiet, introverted world of microbeats and personal lyrics...
, and the b-sides "Batabid" and "Domestica". In the beginning Domestika was the working title for Vespertine, and the song was included as Lost Keys, but this was later changed.
CD1
- Pagan Poetry (Video Edit) - 4:01
- Pagan Poetry (Matthew HerbertMatthew HerbertMatthew Herbert , also known as Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, and Wishmountain, is a British electronic musician...
Handshake Mix) - 6:16 - Aurora (OpiateThomas KnakThomas Knak is a Danish electronic musician, producer, film composer and DJ. He lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jack of all trades, he makes music for commercial , for various radio and TV programmes, for theatre plays, for choreography and films.He started in 1999 under the name Opiate...
Version) - 4:06
DVD
- Pagan Poetry (Video)
- Pagan Poetry (Matthew HerbertMatthew HerbertMatthew Herbert , also known as Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, and Wishmountain, is a British electronic musician...
Handshake Mix) - Aurora (OpiateThomas KnakThomas Knak is a Danish electronic musician, producer, film composer and DJ. He lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jack of all trades, he makes music for commercial , for various radio and TV programmes, for theatre plays, for choreography and films.He started in 1999 under the name Opiate...
Version)
Charts
{| width="0%"|- valign="top"
| width="25%" |
{|class="wikitable"
!align="left"|Chart
!align="center"|Peak
position
|-
|align="left"|Hot Canadian Digital Singles
|align="center"|12
|-
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
|align="center"|38
|-
|align="left"|French Singles Chart
|align="center"|49
|-
|align="left"|Spanish Singles Chart
|align="center"|6
|}
External links
- Pagan Poetry, official mini-site for the song.
- Pagan Poetry, uncensored video from Björk's official QuickTimeQuickTimeQuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
gallery. - The Light of Love, the making of the Pagan Poetry video.
- SHOWstudio - Pagan Poetry, mini-site by the video creators.
- The Piercing Sound of Björk: Nudity and piercing shows her as "raw, womanly and sexy"..., NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
article on the video.