The Dull Flame of Desire
Encyclopedia
"The Dull Flame of Desire" is a song recorded by Iceland
ic singer Björk
featuring Antony Hegarty
from the band Antony and the Johnsons
. The track was released as the fifth and final single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta
, on 29 September 2008. Björk has performed the song 12 times on her global Volta tour, often with Antony Hegarty onstage. The lyrics to the song are an English translation of a Russian poem by Fyodor Tyutchev
, as it appears in the Andrei Tarkovsky
film, Stalker
.
of "The Dull Flame of Desire" and a new remix of Björk's previous single "Innocence
" by Sinden. The Mark Stent
mixes refer to the album version and its instrumental.
that Antony Hegarty and Björk had shot a video for "Dull Flame of Desire". The news was subsequently removed from the site. A few months later Björk revealed in an interview that she and Antony had recorded themselves singing the song against a green screen
in New York, and that she had sent the raw footage to three directors who had taken part in the video contest for her previous single "Innocence
".
It was later announced that Christoph Jantos (Berlin
), Masahiro Mogari (Tokyo
), and Marçal Cuberta Juncà (Girona
) were the chosen directors. Each director was given their own section of the film to develop how they wished - on completion the three films were edited together in London to make the final music video.
The video has three segments. In the first part (directed by Masahiro Mogari), a lot of little white dots are moving until they form Björk and Antony's faces. The second part (directed by Marçal Cuberta) features the footage of Björk and Antony with a threshold
effect. In the third part (directed by Christoph Jantos), their faces are seen moving until both faces morph into one.
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...
featuring Antony Hegarty
Antony Hegarty
Antony Hegarty is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons.-Early life:...
from the band Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons is a music group presenting the work of Antony Hegarty and his collaborators.-Career:British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Antony's music through his Durtro label. The debut album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released...
. The track was released as the fifth and final single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta
Volta (album)
Volta is the seventh studio album by Icelandic musician Björk, released in May 2007. It was produced by Björk, Mark Bell, Timbaland and Danja. The music of Volta was a new style for Björk, focusing on similar sounding music combining African beats and other instruments with songs in tribute to Africa...
, on 29 September 2008. Björk has performed the song 12 times on her global Volta tour, often with Antony Hegarty onstage. The lyrics to the song are an English translation of a Russian poem by Fyodor Tyutchev
Fyodor Tyutchev
Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev is generally considered the last of three great Romantic poets of Russia, following Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov.- Life :...
, as it appears in the Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist, theatre and opera director, widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers of the 20th century....
film, Stalker
Stalker (film)
Stalker is a 1979 science fiction film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, with a screenplay written by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, loosely based on their novel Roadside Picnic...
.
Track listing
The limited edition "multiformat" box set consists of a sticker-sealed fold out box with five colored nesting boxes containing two 12" vinyl singles, a CD and a DVD in colored paper sleeves. The release includes two new remixes by ModeselektorModeselektor
Modeselektor is an electronic music band formed in Berlin, featuring Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary. The group draws heavily from IDM, glitch, Electro house and hip hop. In an interview the group said regarding their sound: "Happy metal, hard rap, country-ambient, Russian crunk. We don’t like...
of "The Dull Flame of Desire" and a new remix of Björk's previous single "Innocence
Innocence (Björk song)
"Innocence" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic singer Björk. The song was released as the second single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta. It is co-produced by Hip-Hop/R&B record producer Timbaland and his protégé Danja. The song was premiered on Björk's MySpace profile on...
" by Sinden. The Mark 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,...
mixes refer to the album version and its instrumental.
12" Double Heavy Weight Vinyl
- "Dull Flame of Desire" (ModeselektorModeselektorModeselektor is an electronic music band formed in Berlin, featuring Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary. The group draws heavily from IDM, glitch, Electro house and hip hop. In an interview the group said regarding their sound: "Happy metal, hard rap, country-ambient, Russian crunk. We don’t like...
’s Rmx for Girls) - "Dull Flame of Desire" (Modeselektor’s Rmx for Boys)
- "Innocence" (Sinden Remix)
- "Dull Flame of Desire" (Mark StentMark StentMark '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,...
Album Mix)
CD
- "Dull Flame of Desire" (Modeselektor’s Rmx For Girls)
- "Dull Flame of Desire" (Modeselektor’s Rmx For Boys)
- "Dull Flame of Desire" (Mark Stent Album Mix)
- "Dull Flame of Desire" (Video / Radio Edit)
- "Dull Flame of Desire" (Mark Stent Instrumental)
- "Innocence" (Sinden Remix)
Music video
It was first reported on the official site of Antony and the JohnsonsAntony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons is a music group presenting the work of Antony Hegarty and his collaborators.-Career:British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Antony's music through his Durtro label. The debut album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released...
that Antony Hegarty and Björk had shot a video for "Dull Flame of Desire". The news was subsequently removed from the site. A few months later Björk revealed in an interview that she and Antony had recorded themselves singing the song against a green screen
Green Screen
The Green Screen international wildlife film festival is held annually in Eckernförde, Germany. The festival shows full-length and short nature documentaries about animals in their natural habitat. It is the only festival of its kind in Germany...
in New York, and that she had sent the raw footage to three directors who had taken part in the video contest for her previous single "Innocence
Innocence (Björk song)
"Innocence" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic singer Björk. The song was released as the second single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta. It is co-produced by Hip-Hop/R&B record producer Timbaland and his protégé Danja. The song was premiered on Björk's MySpace profile on...
".
It was later announced that Christoph Jantos (Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
), Masahiro Mogari (Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
), and Marçal Cuberta Juncà (Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
) were the chosen directors. Each director was given their own section of the film to develop how they wished - on completion the three films were edited together in London to make the final music video.
The video has three segments. In the first part (directed by Masahiro Mogari), a lot of little white dots are moving until they form Björk and Antony's faces. The second part (directed by Marçal Cuberta) features the footage of Björk and Antony with a threshold
Thresholding (image processing)
Thresholding is the simplest method of image segmentation. From a grayscale image, thresholding can be used to create binary images Thresholding is the simplest method of image segmentation. From a grayscale image, thresholding can be used to create binary images Thresholding is the simplest method...
effect. In the third part (directed by Christoph Jantos), their faces are seen moving until both faces morph into one.
Charts
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Singles Sales | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes... |
1 |
| France Singles Top 100 | 72 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 29 |