Who Is It
Björk
“Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)” is a song and single from Björk's 2004 album Medúlla. Written and produced by Björk (with earlier input from electronic producer Bogdan Raczynski), the track was originally conceived during the Vespertine sessions under the working title “Embrace Fortress,” but was held back because its exuberant, extroverted character didn’t fit that album’s hushed, domestic sound. The final Medúlla version is built almost entirely from voices, featuring contributions from Inuit throat-singer Tanya Tagaq and beatboxer Rahzel, and it was released as a lead single in autumn 2004 in several configurations, including CD, DVD, and alternate “bell choir mix” versions.
Musically and thematically, “Who Is It” is one of Medúlla’s most accessible tracks: an a cappella-based, rhythmically buoyant piece with a strong melodic hook that critics describe as exuberant, euphoric, and surprisingly pop-friendly given the album’s experimental premise. Its lyrics are often read as a dialogue between mother and child, with lines like “Who is it that never lets you down?” interpreted as expressing a mother’s unconditional love and the complex, sometimes fragmented sense of self that comes with constant caregiving. The Dawn Shadforth-directed video, which shows Björk on an Icelandic beach in a bell-covered Alexander McQueen dress, reinforces the song’s playful, ritualistic energy and has become one of her most iconic visual statements of the Medúlla era.
“Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)” is a song and single from Björk's 2004 album Medúlla. Written and produced by Björk (with earlier input from electronic producer Bogdan Raczynski), the track was originally conceived during the Vespertine sessions under the working title “Embrace Fortress,” but was held back because its exuberant, extroverted character didn’t fit that album’s hushed, domestic sound. The final Medúlla version is built almost entirely from voices, featuring contributions from Inuit throat-singer Tanya Tagaq and beatboxer Rahzel, and it was released as a lead single in autumn 2004 in several configurations, including CD, DVD, and alternate “bell choir mix” versions.
Musically and thematically, “Who Is It” is one of Medúlla’s most accessible tracks: an a cappella-based, rhythmically buoyant piece with a strong melodic hook that critics describe as exuberant, euphoric, and surprisingly pop-friendly given the album’s experimental premise. Its lyrics are often read as a dialogue between mother and child, with lines like “Who is it that never lets you down?” interpreted as expressing a mother’s unconditional love and the complex, sometimes fragmented sense of self that comes with constant caregiving. The Dawn Shadforth-directed video, which shows Björk on an Icelandic beach in a bell-covered Alexander McQueen dress, reinforces the song’s playful, ritualistic energy and has become one of her most iconic visual statements of the Medúlla era.
Who Is It
Björk
“Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)” is a song and single from Björk's 2004 album Medúlla. Written and produced by Björk (with earlier input from electronic producer Bogdan Raczynski), the track was originally conceived during the Vespertine sessions under the working title “Embrace Fortress,” but was held back because its exuberant, extroverted character didn’t fit that album’s hushed, domestic sound. The final Medúlla version is built almost entirely from voices, featuring contributions from Inuit throat-singer Tanya Tagaq and beatboxer Rahzel, and it was released as a lead single in autumn 2004 in several configurations, including CD, DVD, and alternate “bell choir mix” versions.
Musically and thematically, “Who Is It” is one of Medúlla’s most accessible tracks: an a cappella-based, rhythmically buoyant piece with a strong melodic hook that critics describe as exuberant, euphoric, and surprisingly pop-friendly given the album’s experimental premise. Its lyrics are often read as a dialogue between mother and child, with lines like “Who is it that never lets you down?” interpreted as expressing a mother’s unconditional love and the complex, sometimes fragmented sense of self that comes with constant caregiving. The Dawn Shadforth-directed video, which shows Björk on an Icelandic beach in a bell-covered Alexander McQueen dress, reinforces the song’s playful, ritualistic energy and has become one of her most iconic visual statements of the Medúlla era.
“Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)” is a song and single from Björk's 2004 album Medúlla. Written and produced by Björk (with earlier input from electronic producer Bogdan Raczynski), the track was originally conceived during the Vespertine sessions under the working title “Embrace Fortress,” but was held back because its exuberant, extroverted character didn’t fit that album’s hushed, domestic sound. The final Medúlla version is built almost entirely from voices, featuring contributions from Inuit throat-singer Tanya Tagaq and beatboxer Rahzel, and it was released as a lead single in autumn 2004 in several configurations, including CD, DVD, and alternate “bell choir mix” versions.
Musically and thematically, “Who Is It” is one of Medúlla’s most accessible tracks: an a cappella-based, rhythmically buoyant piece with a strong melodic hook that critics describe as exuberant, euphoric, and surprisingly pop-friendly given the album’s experimental premise. Its lyrics are often read as a dialogue between mother and child, with lines like “Who is it that never lets you down?” interpreted as expressing a mother’s unconditional love and the complex, sometimes fragmented sense of self that comes with constant caregiving. The Dawn Shadforth-directed video, which shows Björk on an Icelandic beach in a bell-covered Alexander McQueen dress, reinforces the song’s playful, ritualistic energy and has become one of her most iconic visual statements of the Medúlla era.