Joga

General CommentI believe this song has to do with the exhilirating insights that you can reach when you discuss life with intimate friends. These incidents that happen seem unrelated, but when you relate them to a close friend, he can see that all these "accidents" are actually tied together by you, perhaps a pattern of behavior you unconsciously carry out because of an unrecognized characteristic or childhood event. When your friend speaks this golden nugget of truth, instantly all the pieces begin to fall together; everything begins to make sense. It's one of those unforgettable moments in life that brings a physical and emotional high, a beautiful "state of emergency". In using the word "emergency", she may have not been referring to its denotation. I feel she may have been referring to its root word, "emerge", or to rise up, to appear, basically, to move vertically. Interpreted this way, she may be saying that this interaction with her intimate causes her to "emerge" from her current state, now having a much better angle to look at her current situation. From higher ground, one can more easily make out exactly where someone is; when you're smack dab in the middle of it, you don't have a clue.

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General CommentA "thank you for being who you are"-song to a soulmate.

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My Interpretationthe "state of emergency" is, i think, a sort of mania, but the good kind of mania. meaning, in said state, she is free of the stress and anxiety exerted in her emotional conflict. we all know the feeling of relief, and i think that she is saying that she is relieved, but to such an extent that she reaches a place where she is overloaded with creativity, with the need to do things, or to think, or to make music. it might even take her to a level of heightened spirituality, or human understanding, or just like, figuring out the meaning of life. or something.

one dictionary defines a state of emergency as "a condition of urgent need for action." the common connotation of this definition is negative, as though it is a bad thing to urgently need to take action. but Bjork seems to have come up with her own interpretation of this and sees that need for action to be a good thing. that need motivates her to do the things i mentioned above, whether it be to create things, or maybe to take action in her life - to pull herself together, make a necessary change, whatever. or, you know, again... discover the meaning of life.

as for the "emotional landscapes" verse, it is clear that she is pushed to this state because her friend helped her clear up her confusion over an "emotional landscape." if one is interpreting this as a song for a lover, that "landscape" could be something along the lines of "are we in love?" or "how do i feel about you?" or whatever you want it to be. but as a song for a friend, i think it means that her "emotional landscapes" are really just about anything concerning emotion, but not about an emotional conflict/landscape with the friend. so, she goes to the friend to talk out the situation, and since really only your best friend knows you well enough to solve the riddle, she gets that solution.

alternatively, maybe Bjork meant to use a different word than emergency, and it was lost in translation from icelandic?

the last 25 minutes i've spent interpreting this have strangely had a huge impact on my way of thinking. not only does Bjork make the usually negative "emergency" into a positive ideal (thanks for the optimism, girl), but the "state of emergency" that i have interpreted seems like such an incredible place to be. for example, after my two tests today and a third one on friday that have been paired with quite a lot of stress and anxiety, i may jut reach that state of emergency. i may draw, or write music, or volunteer at a homeless shelter, or, if i'm lucky, figure out the meaning of life! discovering Bjork's ideal of emergency will, i think, change my routine of sleeping-for-5-days-after-final-exams to that state of relief, of appreciation, and inspire me to do the things i love - like create.

thoughts?

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General CommentId never heard about the best friend thing. I thought it was a celebration of Iceland's geographical/emotional landscape (one in the same to her I think), like the beauty in its force; delicacy and destruction. Its the typical Bjork thing of embracing contradiction as beauty. I think these comments are more relevant to the video than the song now I think about it, but sound and visuals bleed into one with Bjork, so its all good.

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General CommentI can't fucking believe I had never heard this song before. I feel so ashamed, since I call myself a music lover.
Anyway, just by the verse "coincidence makes sense only with you, you don't have to speak, I feel" I can tell that it's about a friend. I mean, that's what I think.
When I was 4, I moved to a new apartment and I met my best friend, who lived in the same building. We were the same age and we used to play together all day long. We went to the same school, sat side by side in class, walked home together everyday. When we were about 12, my mother and his mother were talking and we found out we went to the same daycare (or whatever you call a school for babies) when we were one year old. We both had freckels and blondish hair, and the same laugh (because we were together all the time, the sound of our laughs became alike). We used to make these beads bracelets, and the lady from the store where we used to buy the beads thought we were twins. He taught me how to swim and I taught him maths. I also punched him in the nose once, and it bled. Later that day we were best friends again.
I'm sorry for this little story. I'm just so shocked with myself for never hearing this song before, and at the same time I'm happy for listening to it now. I'm in a state of emergency, I'm gonna listen to it all night long.
Oh, and the video is incredible, too. Björk is fantastic, what a talent.

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General CommentI just generally think this song is about true love, and being completely smitten with someone. It's a gorgeous song <3

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Song MeaningI personally think that "State of emergency" stands for that feeling of feeling awake or aware to all of these little coincidences in life or maybe in a relationship.

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General CommentI think this song is about emotional landscapes, that puzzle her.

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General Commentmy favourite song of all time.i have no other favourites.
i love the violin/strings in this song.state of emergency how beautiful to be.bjork said this song was about her best friend joga.but im sure it has a universal meaning.

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General Commentthis song is actually about bjork's best friend who also happens to be a massuse and just also happens to be named joga. i like to think about my best friend when ever i hear this song because we are just that close.

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