"Venus as a Boy" is a song by 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...

, released as the second single from her 1993 album Debut.

Background

Björk explained in an interview with David Hemingway:
The B-side

A-side and B-side

A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

s were "Stígðu Mig" {"Step Me"}, a song originally recorded by The Elgar Sisters

The Elgar Sisters

The Elgar Sisters was an Icelandic duo formed by singer Björk Guðmundsdóttir and guitarist Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson in 1984. The Elgar Sisters coexisted with KUKL, another group they were part of....

; a group formed in the early eighties by guitarist Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson

Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson

Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson , guitar player and engineer. He is a mathematician, an inventor, a practising polytechnic engineer, lecturer and the author of several scientific papers....

 and Björk, and "I Remember You

I Remember You (1941 song)

"I Remember You" is a popular song. The music was written by Victor Schertzinger, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was published in 1941.The song was one of several introduced in the movie The Fleet's In...

", a cover of the classic love song. "Venus as a Boy" reached #29 in the UK.

Music video

In the song's 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 Sophie Muller

Sophie Muller

Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...

, Björk is fondling and cooking eggs in a kitchen. Later, she picks up a pet lizard, and also becomes surrounded by sparkles.

The story of the egg comes as Björk explains on her website: She gave Sophie Muller, the video director, a copy of Story of the Eye a couple of days before they filmed but didn't insist that she read it. Muller didn't have the time. After recording the video and then reading the book, Muller admitted to Björk that "Fried was the wrong egg!"

The "egg portion" of the video was parodied by comedic duo French and Saunders

French and Saunders

French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act....

 in a collaborative effort, featuring a spoof of the "It's Oh So Quiet

It's Oh So Quiet

"It's Oh, So Quiet" is a song by American singer Betty Hutton, released in 1951 as the B-side to the single "Murder, He Says". It is a cover of the German song "Und Jetzt ist es Still", performed by Horst Winter in 1948, written by Austrian composer Hans Lang and Erich Meder...

" and "Big Time Sensuality

Big Time Sensuality

"Big Time Sensuality" is a song by Björk, released as the fourth single from her 1993 album Debut. The song helped boost Björk's popularity worldwide, particularly the U.S., where she charted for the first time.-Background:...

" videos as well.

In the media

The movie Léon

Léon (film)

Léon is a 1994 French thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson...

features the song in a wordless series of scenes between the two main characters.

Track listing

UK CD1
(122TP7CD; Released: 1993)

1. "Venus as a Boy" (edit) – 4:05
2. "Venus as a Boy" (Mykaell Riley Mix) – 4:51
3. "There's More to Life Than This" (Non-Toilet) – 3:47
4. "Violently Happy
   Violently Happy
   "Violently Happy" is a song by Björk, released as the fifth and final single from her album Debut in 1993. The song peaked at #13 in the UK and reached #3 on the US dance charts.-Background:...
   
   " (Domestic Mix) – 5:17

UK CD2
(122TP7CDL; Released: 1993)

1. "Venus as a Boy" (7" Dream Mix) – 4:02
2. "Stígðu Mig" – 1:53
3. "Anchor Song" (Black Dog Mix) – 4:48
4. "I Remember You" – 4:13

UK 7" vinyl
(122TP7; Released: 1993)

Side A

1. "Venus as a Boy" (edit)

Side B

1. "Venus as a Boy" (7" Dream Mix)

DEU CD
(859 651-2; Released: August, 1993)

1. "Venus as a Boy" (edit) – 4:07
2. "Venus as a Boy" (Mykaell Riley Mix) – 4:50
3. "There's More to Life Than This" (Non-Toilet) – 3:47
4. "Violently Happy" (Domestic Mix) – 5:16

US CD
(66273-2; Released: 5 October 1993)

1. "Venus as a Boy" (edited LP version) – 4:04
2. "Stígðu Mig" – 1:50
3. "Human Behaviour
   Human Behaviour
   "Human Behaviour" is Icelandic singer Björk's first solo single, taken from the album Debut. It contains a sample of "Go Down Dying" by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The lyrics reflect on human nature and emotion from a non-human animal's point of view. The song is the first part of a series of songs that...
   
   " (The Underworld Mix) – 12:03
4. "There's More to Life Than This" (Non-Toilet Mix) – 3:44
5. "Venus as a Boy" (Anglo-American Extension) – 5:05
6. "I Remember You" – 4:12

US CD promo
(PRCD 8835-2; Released: 1993)

1. "Venus as a Boy" (7" American Dream Mix) – 3:59
2. "Venus as a Boy" (edited LP version) – 4:02

JPN CD
(POCP-1382; Released: 1993)

1. "Venus as a Boy" (edit) – 4:06
2. "Venus as a Boy" (Mykaell Riley Mix) – 4:50
3. "There's More to Life Than This" (Non-Toilet) – 3:47
4. "Violently Happy" (Domestic Mix) – 5:16

Versions

• 7" Dream Mix (by Mick Hucknall)
• Album version
• Anglo American Extension (by Mick Hucknall)
• Edit
• Harpsichord version
• Mykaell Riley Mix

Covers

The song was covered by Sneaker Pimps

Sneaker Pimps

Sneaker Pimps were a British trip-hop band formed in Hartlepool, England in 1994. They are best known for their first album Becoming X and particularly the singles "6 Underground", "Spin Spin Sugar", and "Tesko Suicide" from the same album...

 (2004), Corinne Bailey Rae

Corinne Bailey Rae

Corinne Bailey Rae is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leeds, who released her debut album Corinne Bailey Rae in February 2006....

 (2006) and as an instrumental by Australian jazz pianist Barney McAll

Barney McAll

Barney McAll is a jazz pianist and composer.Barney McAll completed a Bachelor of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, studying with pianists Paul Grabowsky, Tony Gould and Mike Nock and with guitarist Doug Devries.He moved to New York City from Australia in 1997 to join...

, on his album Mother of Dreams and Secrets (2005), as well as American jazz pianist Geoff Keezer

Geoff Keezer

Geoffrey Keezer, born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA on November 20, 1970, is a jazz pianist. Born into a musical family, with both parents teaching music, he began studying piano at the age of three. In 1989, at the age of 18, after completing his first year at the Berklee College of Music,...

 on his Wildcrafted: Live at the Dakota album (2005). A version in Japanese was recorded by Zoey (2003). It was also covered by The Mike Flowers Pops

The Mike Flowers Pops

The Mike Flowers Pops was a British easy listening band fronted by Mike Flowers and supported by the "Sounds Superb Singers" and "Super Stereo Brass". There were either thirteen or fourteen of them on stage at any time...

 (1996). On Andy McKee

Andy McKee

Andy McKee is an American fingerstyle guitarist, currently signed to the American record label .His style of playing and his compositions have earned him a considerable international fanbase...

's album Gates of Gnomeria

Gates of Gnomeria

Gates of Gnomeria, released September 10, 2007, is Andy McKee's fourth studio album. This album features six new tracks, two of which are covers...

(2007), there is an instrumental version of the song, titled "Venus as a Girl".

Charts

{| width="0%"
|- valign="top"
| width="25%" |
{|class="wikitable"
!align="left"|Chart
!align="center"|Peak
position
|-
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
|align="center"|29
|-
|align="left"|Swedish Singles Chart
|align="center"|39
|-
|}

External links

• "Venus as a Boy" at Björk.com