Joga

the "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?