Performance piece: Bjork's Bachelorette

Bjork: Bachelorette

I'm a fountain of blood
In the shape of a girl
You're the bird on the brim
Hypnotised by the Whirl

Drink me, make me feel real
Wet your beak in the stream
Game we're playing is life
Love is a two way dream

Leave me now, return tonight
Tide will show you the way
If you forget my name
You will go astray
Like a killer whale
Trapped in a bay

I'm a path of cinders
Burning under your feet
You're the one who walks me
I'm your one way street

I'm a whisper in water
Secret for you to hear
You are the one who grows distant
When I beckon you near

Leave me now, return tonight
The tide will show you the way
If you forget my name
You will go astray
Like a killer whale
Trapped in a bay

I'm a tree that grows hearts
One for each that you take
You're the intruders hand
I'm the branch that you break
Hum-yeah!
** Icelandic part **


I chose this particular song because I believe Bjork is exploring the dual nature of woman, playing with traditional and non-traditional ideas. In the opening lines, she describes herself as a "fountain of blood", and her male counterpart as a bird hypnotized by her. She is obviously not the passive victim of male desire - the violent imagery she uses to describe herself contrasts with the timid imagery she uses to describe her lover, thus subverting the notion that women are always the passive receptors of male affection, and men are the aggressors.

In the second stanza, she implores her lover to drink her, in order for her to feel real. This passage directly contrasts the previous stanza, in that she now desires to be validated by her lover. Further, she states that love is a two-way dream, admitting she is not entirely in control over her feelings when it comes to lust and love, as the previous stanza would have the listener believe. This passage isn't necessarily exploiting her weaknesses - rather, it is an acknowledgement of them and the dual nature of woman. Cultural narratives often dictate that woman has to either be passive and weak, or strong and unfeeling. This song outright rejects that one-dimensional view of women.

In the fourth stanza she returns to characterizing herself as a violent, destructive force, as a path of cinders burning under her lover's feet. Yet in the very next lines, she emphasizes her passivity - her lover walks her like she is a one-way street. This is another, more extreme example of how Bjork is contemplating woman as a complex, multi-faceted being, rather than a character drawn strictly in black and white.

Contrasting imagery continues throughout the remainder of the song, further emphasizing that women are perhaps more complex than men, at least as far as love/lust are concerned. This song celebrates all the complexities of women, rather than painting them in an entirely negative or entirely positive light.