| "Violently Happy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Björk | ||||
| from the album Debut | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 7 March 1994[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | One Little Indian | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Nellee Hooper | |||
| Björk singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Violently Happy" on YouTube | ||||
"Violently Happy" is a song by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk, released in March 1994 by One Little Indian as the fifth and final single from her debut album, Debut (1993). The song was written by Björk and Nellee Hooper, who helped her in writing and producing most of the album. The lyrics speak of Björk feeling a love so intense that it is actually dangerous, requesting that her lover return to "calm her down". Musically, it is an upbeat song. "Violently Happy" peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart,[4] number ten on the UK Dance Singles Chart and number four on the US Billboard dance charts.[5]
The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its musicality and its dance-pop appeal. The song received an accompanying music video which was shot by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, in which Björk and many guest appearances (including a then unknown Norman Reedus) dance frantically in a kind of asylum while they cut out their hair or parts of dolls. Björk performed the song live on TV a few times, including on Top of the Pops.
- ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. 5 March 1994. p. 21.
- ^ "Debut: The making, breaking and legacy of Björk's masterpiece". NME. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
The most hardcore techno track on the album, this is a boogle-eyed, clenched-teeth embodiment of the rush out-of-control infatuation.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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ukwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Billboard > Artists / Björk > Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 8 March 2016.