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88-573: Critics praised "Human Behaviour" and called it a highlight of Debut . The song was an underground smash that peaked at number two on the US dance charts and reached number 36 on the UK Singles Chart . Its music video was directed by Michel Gondry and is the first time he and Björk collaborated. The video, like the song, is a story about the relation between humans and animals from the animal's point of view. "After The Sugarcubes , I guess I had

176-782: A bulb , while a moth falls down on her plate. Scenes of the bear attacking and dragging the hunter are shown. As the video fades out, the singer continues singing in the stomach of the bear. The video was well received by music critics, who complimented its originality. Critics praised also the chemistry between Gondry and Björk: "The imagery of 'Human Behaviour' is a web of various physical, in-camera effects that Gondry uses throughout his film career. Models, composites, screen projections (all featured in image eight), and lighting (see image two) abound in Björk's emotional woodlands. Colors are deep and saturated. In addition to his unique perceptions of Björk's music, Gondry's art of storytelling are unique to

264-456: A four-on-the-floor style, characteristic of the music in Debut . It features a "bouncing riff" sampled from Antônio Carlos Jobim , with "its syncopated beat consigned to a venerable orchestral instrument, the timpani." The song was inspired by David Attenborough documentaries and by the relation between humans and animals. Björk explained to Rolling Stone , talking about the inspiration for

352-407: A "hazy musical backdrop of raindrop synths, padded drums and sweeping strings"; lyrically, it explores a "sensually intense need to nurture." "Violently Happy" is the most hardcore techno track on the album. In the song, over "brisk house beats" Björk sings in a stammering fashion, as she "struggles to express feelings of excitement so intense she seems on the brink of leaping out of her skin." As

440-492: A Boy", "Crying", and "Aeroplane" and sought damages of over £200,000. Hooper and Björk went to court with Fisher shortly after the release of Björk's album Post . Judge Robin Jacob found Fisher only seeking credit for one song instead of four and cleared Hooper and Björk of all charges stating that Fisher's charges rendered him "unreliable, diffuse, and vague". In 1993 Björk contacted French director Michel Gondry to create

528-654: A Gold record in Canada. On 31 August 2001, the RIAA certified that Debut had sold over one million units making it a Platinum record in the United States. As of January 2015, Debut had sold 930,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan . Worldwide sales of the album stand at 4.7 million copies. In 1994, Björk was sued by Simon Fisher, a musician she collaborated with in 1990. Fisher's claim stated that he had co-written "Human Behaviour", "Venus as

616-551: A Video , Breakthrough Video , Best Direction , Best Special Effects and Best Art Direction , winning none. The video was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form losing to Peter Gabriel 's " Steam ". In 2009, the video was nominated for another MTV Video Music Awards in the Best Video (That Should Have Won a Moonman) category, losing to " Sabotage ", by the Beastie Boys . Björk promoted

704-470: A big publication slamming an adventurous dance-pop album for "cheap electronic gimmickry," and Debut is a big part of that change." Björk's embrace of England's dance culture also extended to her looks, her style at the time considered representative of 1990s acid house fashion. Celebrating the album's twenty-year anniversary, Emily Mackay of NME wrote the album "put the lie to the post-grunge assumption that heartfelt, passionate solo artistry came in

792-547: A big voice." Mackay also noted that the album's legacy echoes through dance-pop artists like Lady Gaga and Robyn . In 2013, Michael Cragg of The Guardian wrote that "two decades after its release, the Icelandic artist's first album has never sounded more relevant." He argued that Debut "reconstructed pop music", also writing that "while pop in 2013 looks back to the early 90s for inspiration, Björk's ability on Debut to innovate by using disparate genres without losing

880-412: A bit of a rehearsal and it's really not that good. I can do much better." Later reception was also positive. In Spin magazine's alternative record guide, the album received a rating of nine out of ten stating that the choice of Nellee Hooper as producer was a "stroke of genius" and Björk's vocals were "awe-inspiring". Heather Phares of AllMusic gave the album a five-star rating, stating that Debut

968-738: A cacophonous mess". Dave Simpson from Melody Maker named it Single of the Week, writing, "This is wonderful, the sort of spooky and unique experience I thought pop had abandoned long ago. [...] Mostly, though, it's The Voice that gives "Human Behaviour" its near-intangible sparkle. I can't remember the last time I heard a voice so laden with intrigue (sexual tension, outrage, fear—they're all in there) or an avant-garde record that made such sense as pop." In their review of Debut , Music & Media commented, "This solo album succesfully [ sic ] marries eccentricity to accesibility [ sic ]. The musical -esque song "Like Someone In Love" and

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1056-522: A desire to work with a jazz producer. Paul Fox , who had worked with the Sugarcubes, introduced her to jazz harpist Corky Hale . Hale had planned to decline to work with Björk until her stepson, a Sugarcubes fan, insisted that she take the job. Björk recorded a handful of jazz standards with Hale in 1991, including " I Remember You " and an early version of " Like Someone in Love "; the latter song

1144-460: A devoted following over the years (most notably for bands such as Kino ). However, most underground music is readily accessible, despite most performances being located in unmarked, industrial venues. Debut (Bj%C3%B6rk album) Debut is the international debut studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk , released in July 1993 by One Little Indian and Elektra Entertainment . It

1232-624: A ferociously iconoclastic talent with a phalanx of cheap electronic gimmickry." Michele Romero of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a C, saying, "On a few songs, [Björk's] breathy mewl is a pleasant contrast to the mechanical drone of Sugarcube-like techno-tunes. But most of Debut sounds annoyingly like the monotonous plinking of a deranged music box. Wind it up if you like – eventually it will stop." Debut rated highly in British end of year polls. The NME ranked Debut at number one on their list of "Top 50 LPs of 1993". Melody Maker placed

1320-576: A friend's home in Manchester , where she also wrote songs included on later albums, including " Army of Me " and "The Modern Things". "I remember going to Manchester , and 808 State taking me around, and me just seeing things that I'd never seen – that I'd hoped existed. So I would be up until early morning... sometimes from just the enthusiasm for the music." — Björk recalling her fascination with dance music after going to England. While creating electronic tracks with Massey, Björk developed

1408-503: A gesture to inexpressible feelings, the song samples one syllable and "[turns] it into a stuttering vocal tic." The closing track "The Anchor Song" is the only one in the album solely produced by Björk. One of the three songs to appear on her first demo cassette of 1990, it features Oliver Lake playing the saxophone, in an arrangement that replicated the "ebb and tide of an ocean's peaking tops, an image reinforced by Björk's fiercely patriotic lyrics." The album's version of "The Anchor Song"

1496-492: A graceful flow." It is said that the album "[shook] the status quo " of the contemporary musical climate, in the sense that its eclectic experimental pop leanings distanced it from the music "primarily being made by men with guitars " that was popular at the time, such as grunge and the burgeoning Britpop . Michael Cragg of The Guardian described it as an "indefinable conflation of electronic pop , trip-hop , world music and otherworldly lyrics". AllMusic described

1584-421: A group that took from acid jazz, funk and hip hop and helped create trip-hop. The less dance-oriented electronic Debut tracks have a more trip-hop style sound and a "more delicate atmosphere". i-D noted that Debut —and Björk's subsequent album Post —integrate ambient techno and jungle , stating that they "couldn't have existed without Aphex Twin , Black Dog , A Guy Called Gerald , LFO and all

1672-536: A harpsichord solely. She also performed the song and was also interviewed on an October 1993 episode of the then-new talk show Late Night with Conan O’Brien . At the 1994 Roskilde Festival , Björk joined Underworld on stage to perform the Underworld remix of the song. Björk performed the song in all of her tour. During the Vespertine world tour , the song featured a more electronic arrangement accompanied by

1760-441: A melody but eventually settling for the search." Tom Graves from Rolling Stone wrote, "Only on the opening track, "Human Behavior", do we get a glimmer of what the fuss was all about." Siân Pattenden from Smash Hits gave it two out of five. "When we did our first video, for "Human Behaviour", I was thinking: "Great, we're going to Iceland and we're going to shoot a lot of great landscape." And she [Björk] said no - she had

1848-403: A mixture of liberation and fear. It had been obvious for a while in the band that I had different tastes than the rest. That's fair enough - there's no such thing as correct taste. I wrote the melody for "Human Behaviour" as a kid. A lot of the melodies on Debut I wrote as a teenager and put aside because I was in punk bands and they weren't punk. The lyric is almost like a child's point of view and

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1936-451: A modern style with keyboards and synthesizers . He produced the first ten tracks on the album, while Björk co-produced "Like Someone in Love" with Hooper and produced "The Anchor Song" alone. Björk and Hooper spent many sessions in the studio working on Debut until the album was finished in early 1993. Debut draws on an eclectic variety of sources. Treblezine described the album as "[melding] alternative dance and electronic with

2024-554: A more classical Orchestra . During the Volta tour , the song was performed only once and featured a brass arrangement. She performed a new flute arrangement of the song during the Utopia tour . Underground music Underground music is music with practices perceived as outside, or somehow opposed to, mainstream popular music culture. Underground styles lack the commercial success of popular music movements, and may involve

2112-585: A multitude of bands that kept heavy metal music alive and where it spread in the underground scene during the period of the mid 70's to the early 80's. Some underground styles eventually became mainstream, commercialized pop styles, such as the underground hip hop style of the early 1980s. In the 2000s, the increasing availability of the Internet and digital music technologies has made underground music easier to distribute using streaming audio and podcasts. Some experts in cultural studies now argue that "there

2200-528: A music video for "Human Behaviour" after seeing a video he made for his own band Oui Oui . "Human Behaviour" was the first single taken from Debut , and was issued a month before the album's release in June 1993. Three more singles were released from Debut in 1993. "Venus as a Boy" was the second single, released in August with a music video directed by Sophie Muller . "Play Dead" was released in August 1993 as

2288-489: A non-album single, that would be included on later releases of the album. "Play Dead" had an accompanying music video directed by Danny Cannon . The final single released in 1993 was "Big Time Sensuality" remixed by Fluke with a music video by Stéphane Sednaoui . A further single, "Violently Happy", was released in March 1994 with an accompanying video by Jean-Baptiste Mondino . All five singles from Debut charted within

2376-454: A predictable form." Being a fan of dance music since the early days of acid house, she used it as the framework for her songs. She told Rolling Stone that she "was more influenced by ambient music than what you'd call dance music, and by things that were happening way back in Chicago and Detroit that were sensual and daring and groundbreaking in their time [...] Ninety-five percent of

2464-408: A sense of her own identity should be the blueprint for any new artist with desires to break the mould." In the album's entry in their list of " The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time " —where the album was included at number 46—, NME claimed that " Debut achieved the remarkable feat of turning an idiosyncratic vocalist from a feted cult band into a significant global pop star, without losing one iota of

2552-494: A similar idea as my friend Etienne in Oui Oui, she wanted to use animals to reflect human nature. And it was great, because as soon as she started to throw some ideas, they started to bounce in my mind and imagination and I immediately came back with other ideas, and we did a video that was very collaborative. " —Michel Gondry talking about the inspiration for the music video. The accompanying music video for "Human Behaviour"

2640-496: A spontaneous fashion, the song's strings—and also those of "Come to Me"—were recorded by a film studio orchestra in India, thanks to Singh. The lyrics of the track are about the sensitivity of her then boyfriend Dominic Thrupp, with lyrics that have been described as "sweet and just the slightest bit naughty." In the dancefloor-oriented "There's More to Life Than This", Björk leaves romance behind, with "her mischievous side [coming] to

2728-544: A sudden shift of mood, featuring a "gently pulsing bass" that builds into an "itchily impassioned, housey pop euphoria." "Aeroplane" is one of Debut ' s most musically complicated pieces with off-kilter arrangement from Oliver Lake; its backdrop is inspired by exotica music. This song is also about Thrupp, written when he was living in the United Kingdom and Björk still lived in Iceland. "Come to Me" features

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2816-655: A video. I mean, that would be an extension of what I'm against. I told him [Gondry], 'I want a bear and textures like handmade wood and leaves and earth, and I want it to seem like animation.' Then I backed out." The video is a loose take on the children's tale " Goldilocks and the Three Bears ", with visuals inspired by Yuri Norstein 's animated film Hedgehog in the Fog . The video has several elements that are present in Gondry's first feature film Human Nature (2001). As

2904-410: Is "Possibly her prettiest work, Björk's horizons expanded on her other releases, but the album still sounds fresh, which is even more impressive considering electronic music's whiplash-speed innovations." "If the point of a debut album is to set out an artist's stall and to lay the foundations for what's to come then Debut does this better than any album in recent memory. It's an album whose influence

2992-414: Is an example of what was an important New York City underground music venue in the 1960s and 1970s. CBGB was another famous New York City underground music venue claiming to be "Home of Underground Rock since 1973". There are examples of underground music that are particularly difficult to encounter, such as the underground rock scenes in the pre- Mikhail Gorbachev Soviet Union , which have amassed

3080-539: Is free media", because by working "independently, you can say anything in your music" and be free of corporate censorship . The genre of post-punk is often considered a "catchall category for underground, indie , or lo-fi guitar rock" bands which "initially avoided major record labels in the pursuit of artistic freedom, and out of an 'us against them' stance towards the corporate rock world", spreading "west over college station airwaves, small clubs, fanzines , and independent record stores." Underground music of this type

3168-409: Is happening today." Her departure from the guitar-driven rock of her previous work stemmed from the feeling that it was outdated, arguing that "as soon as any form becomes traditional, like the guitar, bass and drums , then people start to behave traditionally," and that "it's really difficult to get a band to stay on the edge using typical bass, guitar and drums setup because it tends to lapse into

3256-597: Is no underground" because the Internet has made what was underground music accessible to everyone at the click of a mouse. A current example of an underground internet music genre is Vaporwave . One expert, Martin Raymond, of London-based company The Future Laboratory, commented in an article in The Independent , saying trends in music, art, and politics are: ... now transmitted laterally and collaboratively via

3344-517: Is often promoted through word-of-mouth or by community radio DJs. In the early underground scenes, such as the Grateful Dead jam band fan scenes or the 1970s punk scenes, crude home-made tapes were traded (in the case of Deadheads ) or sold from the stage or from the trunk of a car (in the punk scene). In the 2000s, underground music became easier to distribute, using streaming audio and podcasts . The NWOBHM movement emerged which created

3432-507: Is still felt any time electronic instrumentation is fused with folk or jazz, or whenever a new female singer is described as "kooky" or "refreshing"." — Michael Cragg, The Guardian , 2013. Debut is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of 1993 and the 1990s in general . In 2013, John Hamilton of Idolator called the album "highly influential", and wrote "in spite of its advancing age, Debut ' s futurism has aged exquisitely." The album has also been credited as one of

3520-521: Is that music like Kate Bush has really influenced me. Brian Eno . Acid . Electronic beats. Labels like Warp ." Björk had already written half the songs for Debut , but had nothing recorded. She had written many of them years before moving to London, including " Human Behaviour ", which she wrote as a teenager when she was in the Sugarcubes. She had put aside the songs as "I was in punk bands and [the songs] weren't punk". With no producer, she composed songs with 808 State member Graham Massey in

3608-584: The Billboard 200 . In the United Kingdom, Debut entered the charts on 17 July 1993, peaking at number three and spending 79 weeks on the chart. Overseas in Japan, Debut was released on 26 September 1993. Debut has been re-issued several times in different formats. In November 1993, the album was re-issued in the United Kingdom with the bonus track " Play Dead ", a song written for the film The Young Americans , shortly after Debut' s completion. The album

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3696-428: The extreme metal is considered underground music for its extreme nature. Gothic and industrial music are two other types of underground music originating in the late 1970s and mid-1990s with gothic rock centering around vampires , black magic and the occult and industrial music using primarily computer generated sounds and hard driving beats. In a CounterPunch article, Twiin argues that "Underground music

3784-626: The psychedelic music movement of the mid-1960s, but the term has in more recent decades come to be defined by any musicians who tend to avoid the trappings of the mainstream commercial music industry . Frank Zappa attempted to define "underground" by noting that the "mainstream comes to you, but you have to go to the underground." In the 1960s, the term "underground" was associated with hippie counterculture and psychedelic drugs , and applied to journalism and film as well as music, as they sought to communicate psychedelic experiences and free love ideals. The Fugs have been described as "arguably

3872-461: The US. While performing as the vocalist of Icelandic alternative rock group the Sugarcubes , Björk approached Ásmundur Jónsson of Bad Taste and producer Derek Birkett of One Little Indian Records with a demo cassette of her own songs. The demo included versions of songs that appeared on Debut , including "The Anchor Song" and "Aeroplane". After the Sugarcubes went on hiatus, Björk moved to London , England, where she and Birkett worked on

3960-479: The United Kingdom, and 61 in the US. It was certified gold in Canada and platinum in the US, where it remains Björk's best-selling album. Five singles were released from Debut : " Human Behaviour ", " Venus as a Boy ", " Play Dead ", " Big Time Sensuality " and " Violently Happy ". All charted in the UK, with only "Human Behaviour", "Violently Happy" and "Big Time Sensuality" charting on dance and modern rock charts in

4048-465: The United States. One Little Indian estimated that Debut would sell a total of 40,000 copies worldwide based on a guess of the Sugarcubes fan base at the time. However, within three months of Debut's release, over 600,000 copies had been sold worldwide. On the album's initial release, it charted in the United States, peaking at number one on the Top Heatseekers chart and at number 61 on

4136-449: The album as "creative, tantalizing electronic pop." The New York Times wrote that " Debut often recalls the early '70s jazz-fusion of bands like Weather Report . But where these fusionists combined jazz harmony with funk and acid rock , Björk marries her scat-vocalese and off-kilter melodies with the futuristic textures and programmed percussion of today's techno and acid house. The Face ' s Mandi James felt Debut

4224-601: The album at number six on their list of "Albums of the Year for 1993" calling it "a fantastic debut". In 1994, Q included the album on their list for top fifty albums of 1993. In 2000 it was voted number 77 in Colin Larkin 's All Time Top 1000 Albums . Björk reacted to the positive reviews hesitantly, stating that if she'd "delivered exactly the same album and I came from Nottingham , I'd have got completely different reviews, normal down-to-earth ones" and that Debut "was

4312-630: The album. She planned to have the album produced with Fox until she was introduced to producer Nellee Hooper by her boyfriend Dominic Thrupp. Hooper had produced albums by Soul II Soul and Sinéad O'Connor which made Björk skeptical about working with him, stating: "I thought Nellee was too 'good taste' for my liking. But then I met him, got to know him, [and] got to hear about his fabulous ideas." Björk and Hooper's recording ideas were similar, which led to her decision to end production with Massey and Fox. Hooper introduced Björk to studio technology and studio programmer Marius de Vries , who gave Debut

4400-481: The bear, and rests in his stomach. The hunter also meets his demise. The video is a classic; a vivid story rendered in Gondry and Björk's surreal playground." In 1993, Rolling Stone included the music video in their "The Top 100 Music Video of all Time" list, at number 96. The video received six nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards of 1994 including Best Female Video , Best New Artist in

4488-612: The current single "Human Behaviour" with those thundering timpani are prime examples of this." Martin Aston from Music Week rated it four out of five, calling it a "sensual, subtle dance track that bodes well for the future." Simon Reynolds from the New York Times described the lyrics as a "parallel between the beastliness of humanity and the bestiality of nature. Johnny Dee from NME noted that "a swampy kettle drum jazz vibe circles around Bjork's rasping larynx, trying to find

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4576-486: The dance music you hear today is crap. It's only that experimental five percent that I'm into—the records that get played in clubs after 7 o'clock in the morning, when the DJs are playing stuff for themselves, rather than trying to please people." Björk's embrace of England's dance culture also extended to her image, considered representative of 1990s acid house fashion. Hooper had been a member of Bristol 's " Wild Bunch ",

4664-467: The details of what would become Debut . The Sugarcubes' music did not fit Björk's taste, and her contact with London's underground club culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s helped her find her own musical identity. She said: "As a music nerd, I just had to follow my heart, and my heart was those beats that were happening in England. And maybe what I'm understanding more and more as I get older,

4752-419: The experimental mindset and creative cool that made her so special." In 2005, Björk stated that she thought the album was not as strong as her later works: "It's hard to judge yourself but I don't think [ Debut and Post are] my best. Debut was the album that went the highest up there in terms of what is 'Bjork music'. But I think that the persona I created, which was entirely accidental, is better captured on

4840-430: The first underground rock group of all time". The Velvet Underground and Mothers of Invention later followed suit and are also regarded as the earliest underground rock groups. In modern popular music, the term "underground" refers to performers or bands ranging from artists that do DIY guerrilla concerts and self-recorded shows to those that are signed to small independent labels . In some musical styles,

4928-506: The first albums to introduce electronic music into mainstream pop. Stereogum 's Tom Breihan wrote: "House music didn't quite have critical respect before Björk came along, and plenty of American writers didn't know what to make of the sound of Debut when it came out. [...] Debut didn't just establish Björk; it helped make sounds like that cool to a segment of the music-dork universe that might've remained deaf to its charms otherwise. At this point, it's virtually impossible to imagine

5016-401: The flight she clings to a tree. The tree collapses, she falls down near the hunter still lying supine on the ground, and she appears on the ground having the same dimensions as the hedgehog. Then, the situation of the opening frames is repeated, as Björk tries to cross the road and manages not to get hit by the car, driven by the bear. In the following scenes, she sings in a river in the middle of

5104-652: The fore". Its lyrics were inspired by a party she attended and promptly left. "Like Someone in Love" is one of the several jazz standards she recorded with Corky Hale, with her voice "cradled in harp and swoony strings." "Like Someone in Love" is followed by the techno-tinged "Big Time Sensuality" in an "intentionally startling" leap. An "anthem to emotional bravery," it contains lyrics described as "simple but passionate", concerning Björk's relationship with her co-producer Nellee Hooper. The songs "The Anchor Song", "One Day", and "Aeroplane" draw on what Björk refers to as her more "academic, clever side". "One Day" also presents

5192-415: The forest, the hedgehog manages not to get hit by the car and approaches the hunter, who is now lying on the ground. As Björk continues to sing, she appears walking in the forest, seemingly followed by the bear. A frame shows a nest full of Björk-like humans trapped in a pupa . When the bear and the singer meet, the animal makes the motion of roaring at her. She starts to fly through the forest, and during

5280-550: The forest. While she contemplates the sky, the Moon appears to emanate pulsations, and the perspective shifts to what appears to be a moth. Now on the Moon, the singer is shown dressed as an astronaut and plants a Soviet flag . Björk appears to fall down from the Moon, and seemingly falls down in the bear's throat, however she keeps singing even in the animal's stomach. During the breakdown , she dances in her hut tapping and looking at

5368-425: The form of acoustic guitar and heartbreak, creating a new breed of singer-songwriter." Dubbing it an "influential masterpiece", she found influences of the album in the work of musicians such as M.I.A. , Grimes , These New Puritans and Tune-Yards , writing: "It's in fascinatingly individual artists like those that you'll find [Björk's] influence – not, as many would have you believe, in every pretty-faced girl with

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5456-403: The internet. You once had a series of gatekeepers in the adoption of a trend: the innovator, the early adopter, the late adopter, the early mainstream, the late mainstream, and finally the conservative. But now it goes straight from the innovator to the mainstream. A music underground can also refer to the culture of underground music in a city and its accompanying performance venues. The Kitchen

5544-402: The love and the complications of that". The song was well received by music critics. In a retrospective review, Terry Nelson from Albumism said it is "brilliant", noting it as "a smart and quirky observation of us very strange humans as seen through the eyes of an animal." For AllMusic 's Heather Pares, the song's "dramatic percussion provides a perfect showcase for her wide-ranging voice". Upon

5632-454: The love of life itself. According to i-D , with a couple of exceptions, the songs of Debut fell into two types: "those where Björk addressed the listener as someone in pain and told them fireworks would light their nights and all would be well;" and "songs where she sang about her own pain." The Face stated that the album's lyrics "[consolidated] her love affair with language," while The Sunday Times felt that Björk "rigorously [avoided]

5720-401: The lyrical power and originality of this fresh entry." Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian said, "Its combination of smoky, jazz-club vibe and a sound that's often more a laryngeal reflex than a voice is addictively strange. In a year of female experimentalism, Bjork is out there on her own, and sounds just fine." In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton felt it's "unfortunately

5808-417: The middle of the day in a city, as opposed to the night life of the clubs." The four on the floor style, typical of house music, is evident in songs such as "Human Behaviour", "Crying", " Big Time Sensuality ", "There's More to Life Than This" and " Violently Happy ". Björk felt house music was "the only pop music that [was] truly modern," stating in 1993 that it was "the only music where anything creative

5896-410: The music video world. 'Human Behaviour' is a story of predator and prey. In search of food, a bear clomps through a forest in the evening. A rugged hunter stalks the woods in pursuit of his game. Björk, as narrator and character(s) of her own story, flees from the bear. Numerous times the bear almost succeeds: in one attempt he drives a car, and almost hits Björk. In the end, Björk flies down the throat of

5984-490: The obvious" by using lyrics that do not rhyme . The first track "Human Behaviour" features a "bouncing riff " sampled from Antônio Carlos Jobim , with "its syncopated beat consigned to a venerable orchestral instrument , the timpani ." Its lyrics refer to Björk's experience as a child, finding the behaviour of adults "rather chaotic and nonsensical," instead finding harmony with other children, nature and animals. Inspired by naturalist David Attenborough , she sings from

6072-624: The other producers who reshaped the language of music since 1988." Also present are elements of jazz, with WUOG stating that "while many see Debut as Björk's clubbiest album, it may also be her jazziest." Brad Shoup of Stereogum wrote that "though her electronic bent gets the most attention, it's her interest in jazz that courses through the set." Tim Perlich of Now felt Debut "bridges jazz and pop", and Simon Reynolds characterized it as "jazzy love songs tinged with an oceanic feeling." The lyrics of Debut contain themes of love. They range from "flesh-and-blood passion" for another person to

6160-717: The point of view of an animal, with its opening line being "If you ever get close to a human/And human behaviour/Be ready, be ready to get confused". Following track "Crying" shows a contradiction between its "bubbly, shiny-surfaced acid disco-pop " sound and lyrics that describe the turmoil of feeling alienated in a big city. "Venus as a Boy"—considered an ambient track by Rolling Stone —reflected Björk's newly found interest in Bollywood , having befriended people of Indian origin in London , most notably tabla player Talvin Singh . In

6248-403: The primal thump of four-on-the-floor house music ." Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote that "even as dance music took on all these new sounds, that basic pulse was still the most important thing about it, and that pulse reverberates all through Debut ." Björk said: "A lot of the songs on my record have dance beats, but I think they're beats that are more reflective of daily life—like life in

6336-556: The single release, Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that it "has her ripping that harsh and distinctive voice over a stark, militaristic dance beat. Alternative programmers surely will be captivated by the mystical combo of what eventually become mantra-like vocals and an insinuating bassline." Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report stated that here, Björk "gets off to an awesome start", adding that "it's time to introduce her to Top 40 audiences, who can't help but be blown away by

6424-399: The song by a series of TV appearances. She performed the song and " Big Time Sensuality " on MTV's Most Wanted while dressed in a pink skirt and yellow tee, accompanied by a Hammond Organ and Tablas . On 13 October 1993 she performed a set of three songs, including "Come to Me" and "The Anchor Song" on Planeta Rock . The song was part of her MTV Unplugged setlist, and was performed with

6512-455: The song: "'Human Behaviour' is an animal's point of view on humans. And the animals are definitely supposed to win in the end." On a recent question and answer session with fans on The Guardian website, Björk revealed more information about the writing of the song: "I wrote it I was referring to my childhood and probably talking about how I felt more comfortable on my own walking outside singing and stuff than hanging out with humans..." The song

6600-423: The term "underground" is used to assert that the content of the music is illegal or controversial, as in the case of early 1990s death metal bands in the US such as Cannibal Corpse for their gory cover art and lyrical themes. Black metal is also an underground form of music and its Norwegian scene is notorious for its association with church burnings , the occult , murders and Anti-Christian views . All of

6688-617: The top 40 of the UK Singles Chart while only "Human Behaviour", "Violently Happy" and "Big Time Sensuality" charted on the US Billboard charts . At the 1994 Grammy Awards , Michel Gondry 's music video for " Human Behaviour " was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video , but lost to Stephen Johnson 's video for the Peter Gabriel song " Steam ". At the 1994 Brit Awards , Björk won awards for "Best Newcomer" and "Best International Female". Critical reaction to Debut

6776-536: The use of avant-garde or abrasive approaches. Underground music may be perceived as expressing sincerity and creative freedom in opposition to those practices deemed formulaic or market-driven. Notions of individuality and non-conformity are also commonly deployed. The term has been applied to artists in styles such as psychedelia , punk , alternative rock , electronica , industrial music , and wider strains of experimental music . The term "underground music" has been applied to various artistic movements, for instance

6864-418: The video starts, a car approaches a hedgehog while the animal tries to cross a country road. The video's style is a surreal, almost Papier-mâché style with a combination of practical effects and forced perspective shifts. Images of a toy bear approaching a human hunter in a threatening way are shown. As Björk starts to sing, she appears in a small cabin while sitting at a table, seemingly eating. Meanwhile, in

6952-405: The video that I did with Michel Gondry was based on childhood memories." —Björk talking to David Hemingway about the song. "Human Behaviour" was written by Nellee Hooper and Björk, and was produced by Hooper. The song was first written in 1988 when Björk was still the leading singer of the Sugarcubes , but she decided not to release it with the band. "Human Behaviour" is a house song with

7040-488: Was produced by Björk and Nellee Hooper . It was Björk's first recording following the dissolution of her previous band, the Sugarcubes . The album departed from the rock style of her previous work and drew from an eclectic variety of styles, including electronic pop , house music , jazz and trip hop . Debut received critical acclaim from British music critics, though American reviews were mixed. It exceeded sales expectations, charting at number two in Iceland, three in

7128-564: Was "a delightful fusion of thrash metal , jazz, funk and opera , with the odd dash of exotica thrown in for good measure." Billboard described the album as "an art pop masterpiece". Björk also took influence from the music of Bollywood and "the buzz of London nightlife." Debut incorporates dance music , reflecting the contemporary styles of London's club culture, with which Björk had established close ties. While elements of subgenres such as Euro-house , acid jazz , worldbeat and IDM are present, "they hadn't yet broken free from

7216-485: Was also inspired by the riff from Ray Brown Orchestra's "Go Down Dying". This is the first song on the " Isobel song cycle", a transcendental cycle in Björk's discography which goes from "Human Behaviour" to " Wanderlust " (2007). The B-side contained in the cassette edition of the single is the reggae -influenced "Atlantic", which was produced and written by Björk. Its lyrics talks about Björk's family: "My son has eight grandmothers and eight grandfathers and it's about

7304-456: Was directed by French director Michel Gondry , and this was the first time he and Björk collaborated. Björk talked about the video in an interview with Rolling Stone : "'Human Behaviour' is an animal's point of view on humans. And the animals are definitely supposed to win in the end. So why, one might ask, is the conquering bear presented as a man-made toy? I don't know. I guess I just didn't think it would be fair to force an animal to act in

7392-543: Was generally positive. The British music press spoke positively about the album, with Q giving it four out of five stars calling it "a surprising, playful collection" while the NME wrote that Debut was "an album that believes music can be magical and special." The Independent gave Debut a favorable review noting that Björk had "fashioned an amazing array of contrasting arrangements, whose musical diversity never interferes with their clarity of vision." American reception

7480-630: Was included in Debut ' s track listing. Fox also introduced Björk to Oliver Lake , with whom Björk recorded another jazz standard, " Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries ", with Lake's jazz group for the John Hughes film Curly Sue . Hughes turned down the recording, but it led to Debut being produced by Fox and arranged by Oliver Lake. Björk contracted Lake to work with session saxophonists in London for Debut; Lake's contributions are heard on tracks including "Aeroplane" and "The Anchor Song". Björk intended to have several producers work on

7568-523: Was later issued on vinyl and DualDisc formats. The Japanese version of Debut included two bonus tracks: "Play Dead" and "Atlantic". The DualDisc release featured the full album on the CD side while the DVD side included the album with superior sound quality and the music videos for the singles. On 5 May 1994, The Canadian Recording Industry Association certified that Debut had sold over 50,000 units making it

7656-490: Was more mixed. Musician magazine praised the vocals of the album, stating "what makes [Björk's] singing memorable isn't the odd assortment of growls, moans and chirps she relies upon, but the emotions those sounds convey." The New York Times described Debut as "an enchanting album". A negative review came from Rolling Stone , who gave the album two stars out of five, labelling the album "utterly disappointing" and blaming producer Nellee Hooper , suggesting he "sabotaged

7744-442: Was recorded with session saxophonist Gary Barnacle . When Björk announced the release of her international debut in 1992, she called it with the title Björk's Affairs . However, it was later changed to Debut since it marked Björk's first album of self-composed material. Debut was released on 5 July 1993 on compact disc and cassette on One Little Indian Records in the United Kingdom and 13 July 1993 on Elektra Records in

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