Bjork: There's More to Life Than This (Stories Behind Every Song) [Paperback]

Ian Gittins (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stories Behind Every Song | Publication Date: December 11, 2002

Bjork is the most successful radical rock experimentalist of her generation. Contrary, inimitable, and gloriously her own, she has awed her famously dedicated fans for more than a decade with a swooping, querulous voice that has been likened to a glass not quite breaking. Bursting onto the Icelandic musical scene with a precocious album at the age of 11 and a series of releases in the 1980s that notably include her work with the Sugar Cubes, Bjork soon found herself gaining international renown as she released the jazzy Gling-Glo and her breakout solo album Debut. Since then the superstar wordsmith has continued to produce idiosyncratic, well-received works. In 1995 Bjork combined hit-making tunes with her maverick sounds to produce Post, and then after working with an army of collaborators, Telegram. Two years later, Homogenic took listeners on a compelling journey through the outer reaches of electronica. Again abruptly switching directions, Bjork starred as a blind mother in the critically acclaimed Dancer in the Dark, producing the renowned Selmasongs soundtrack. Returning to explorations of herself the next year, she produced Vespertine, an intimate and sensual fan favorite that continues to sell well. Drawing on years of experience covering Bjork and her industry, music journalist Ian Gittins explores and celebrates the creative processes and motivations behind her amazing career and musical history. With 70 color and black-and-white photographs, Bjork is a must-have for her legions of devoted fans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560254165
• ISBN-13: 978-1560254164
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #721,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a fine start for a curious wannabe bjork fan, February 8, 2003

By 

Alicia Stauffer (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bjork: There's More to Life Than This (Stories Behind Every Song) (Paperback)

I guess since I've been a Bjork fan for a while now, I was hoping to find some new insight into her songs through this book. If you want to learn the intentions and meanings behind Bjork songs, you're better off going to her website or searching online for interpretations or interviews. This book, while providing some solid background information about Bjork, does not provide too much information about the songs themselves. It seems that the author took random quotes and tried to apply them to the songs as he saw fit. The timeline is useful, and pictures are gorgeous. The descriptions for each song are not more than a couple of paragraphs each, far too short to even get an introduction for a Bjork song. It is a good collector's item--that's why I bought it. But if you're looking for some answers, like, what do those bjorkish words mean?, look somewhere else...like the 4um

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars there's more to life than this, August 20, 2003

By 

Jocelyn Stewart (eureka, california United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bjork: There's More to Life Than This (Stories Behind Every Song) (Paperback)

my mom brought this book back for me from london, because at that time (last november) it was next to impossible to find in the states. the book looks nice on the outside. nice oversized book, with thick glossy paper. and the idea of the book is nice, the story beihnd every song + info on the cubes/gling-glo and early stuff.

however, the book does fall a little short, content wise. the information gathered is mostly pretty well known (keep in mind i am a total björk dörk :p ) but the pictures in the book totally make up for the (lack of) content! there were so many pics i have never seen before, and huge, oversized glossy pictures! i was in heaven :)

i was really hoping for more information about the sugarcubes, which is why this book didn't get a 5 star rating! they only talked about the 'cubes, and didn't get in to the meaning behind the songs.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bjork Fans Need This, January 30, 2003

By 

Steven Moore (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bjork: There's More to Life Than This (Stories Behind Every Song) (Paperback)

A fine overview of Bjork's career, with lots of good photos, and a track-by-track discussion of each album, beginning with her pre-teen "Bjork" effort and concluding with "Vespertine." (There's also a discussion of all B-sides and collaborations.) Mr. Gittins is apparently not a musician--he can't tell a recorder from a flute and describes a sitar as "Indian strings"--but he's otherwise well-informed and appreciative of Bjork's genius without going overboard. Highly recommended to Bjork fans.