Where Is the Line

"Where Is the Line"
Song

"Where Is the Line" is a song by Björk from the album Medúlla. It was going to be the fourth and last single from the album, but instead a music video was made for artistic purposes instead of a commercial single release. There is another theory that a proper single release was planned, then dropped just before Björk released the Drawing Restraint 9 soundtrack, and her record company decided to end promotion for the Medúlla album and concentrate on the film soundtrack instead. The projected release date was August 2005.

The track is included on a compilation album released by Rough Trade, titled "The Record Shop - 30 Years Of Rough Trade Shops". The track was chosen by Richard Russell. A remix by Mike Patton (who contributed to the original album track) was made available for download on War Child Music in April 2005.

Structure

The song is made up of vocals, as with the majority of the Medúlla album on which it exists. It is quite a dark song in which Björk attacks a younger relative for being greedy and unreliable. She has also said that on this one the vocals of beatboxer Rahzel are edited all the way, because she felt that with Rahzel, she needed to try out both the extremes. The other extreme being "Who Is It" which features Rahzel doing a one-take beatbox, creating a less-brooding arrangement.

The greatest hits tour version of "Where is the Line" varies in regards to its string arrangements. Due to its release prior to Medúlla, Björk arranged the song using the prominent strings to create a more Middle-Eastern feel to the orchestration. On the Volta tour, however, the song is dominated by heavy electronic beats and a synthesized organ, creating a much more Western sound.

Remixes

• Fantômas Remix — 5:28
• Matmos Rubber Band Remix — 3:45
• Soft Pink Truth Glowstick Museum Mix — 3:42

Music video

The music video for "Where Is the Line" was directed by Icelandic artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir and shot in late 2004. Originally being one of three films from Gabriela's "Tetralogia", then edited to fit "Where Is The Line". It shows Björk wearing a dress made of sandbags and standing in a barn full of hay. She gives birth to a convulsing person (dancer Erna Ómarsdóttir) covered in white ooze that is presumably made to represent Vernix caseosa. After a series of explosions, a number of creatures made of hay emerge from the hay stacks. They surround her and cover her with their bodies on the ground until she is no longer visible.