155.190.8.6 at 21:20, 3 January 2025

2025-01-03T21:20:14Z

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{{for|the Billy Talent song|Billy Talent II}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Where Is the Line
| cover =
| alt =
| type = promo
| artist = [[Björk]]
| album = [[Medúlla]]
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 4:41
| label = [[One Little Indian]]
| writer = Björk
| producer = {{flatlist|
* Björk
* [[Mark Bell (LFO)|Mark Bell]]
}}
}}

"'''Where Is the Line'''" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer [[Björk]] for her fifth studio album ''[[Medúlla]]''. It was written by the singer herself and co-produced with longtime collaborator [[Mark Bell (LFO)|Mark Bell]]. The track was originally intended to be released as the album's third commercial single, but its release was cancelled just before Björk released the ''[[Drawing Restraint 9]]'' soundtrack, in order to focus all promotional efforts on the film and soundtrack instead. Some promotional white labels vinyls were released around 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Björk – Where Is The Line|url=http://www.discogs.com/Bj%C3%B6rk-Where-Is-The-Line/release/728423|website=Discogs|access-date=31 January 2015}}</ref> A [[music video]] for the song was made by Icelandic artist [[Gabríela Friðriksdóttir]]. Upon the cancellation of the single, the video was used as part of a video installation project by Friðriksdóttir.

==Background and composition==
"Where Is the Line" features a contribution by beatboxer [[Rahzel]]. According to Björk, she [[e-mail]]ed "Where Is the Line" to British musician [[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]], who a year later replied with a little idea for it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bjork.com:80/qna/main.php?id=3068|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040820155244/http://www.bjork.com:80/qna/main.php?id=3068|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 August 2004|title=What roles did Mark Bell and Matmos play on the new album?|date=16 July 2004|access-date=5 September 2017|publisher=bjork.com}}</ref> She wanted to make an arrangement like the one for "Brennið þið Vitar", an Icelandic choir piece. After she did it, the song "started to scream for a vocal only version. We tried very hard very long and when finally Rahzel came and sang a beat that we had programmed, gave us some noises we edited into it, it finally fell into place in end of April I think it was and I was so happy when I heard the first playthrough of the only vocal version that I silently cried. It felt great, hard tough work but really really worth it".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bjork.com:80/qna/main.php?id=3074|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040820155622/http://www.bjork.com:80/qna/main.php?id=3074|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 August 2004|title=Has "Where is the line" experienced some sort of resurrection while making a studio version of it? ...|date=18 July 2004|access-date=5 September 2017|publisher=bjork.com}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'', Björk revealed that she kept hearing "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]" by [[Queen (band)|Queen]] in her head when I was editing "Where Is the Line" and "Vökuró", another track on ''Medúlla''. She also thought that "they have the same epic playfulness. I don't know if other people will detect the humour, but I think they're both really funny songs. There's something impressive and ridiculous about them".<ref>{{cite web|author=Sarah-Jane|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/interview-bjork-44474|title=Interview: Bjork|date=5 November 2004|access-date=5 September 2017|work=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]}}</ref> "Where Is the Line" is a dark song in which Björk attacks her younger brother for being greedy and unreliable.<ref>{{cite web|first=Scott|last=Lapatine|title=Björk: The Stereogum Interview|url=http://www.stereogum.com/8639/bjork_the_stereogum_interview/franchises/interview/|publisher=[[Stereogum]]|date=28 March 2008|access-date=10 April 2016}}</ref> In its lyrics, the singer displays some irritation: "I'm elastic for you, but enough is enough".<ref name="nyt">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/29/arts/music-bjork-grabs-the-world-by-the-throat.html|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|title=MUSIC; Bjork Grabs The World By the Throat|date=29 August 2004|access-date=5 September 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]'' website was positive towards "Where Is the Line", and said that "it was no coincidence" that one of "the most exciting tracks" on the album contained more percussion and instrumentation than the others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/bjork-makes-magic-medulla-wbna5878062|title = Björk makes magic with 'Medulla'}}</ref> Theon Weber from ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine said the song "assault[s] the listener with a hail of vocal gunfire".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2015/01/whats-bjork-best-album-spin-roundtable/|title = What's the Best Bjork Album? A SPIN Roundtable|date = 28 January 2015}}</ref>

Heather Phares of [[AllMusic]] commented that the track was one of Björk's "tough, no-nonsense songs", and "Rahzel's hard-hitting beats make it starker than anything on ''[[Homogenic]]''".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/med%C3%BAlla-mw0000712627|title=Medúlla – Björk|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=9 May 2016|last=Phares|first=Heather}}</ref>

==Music video==
The [[music video]] for "Where Is the Line" was directed by Icelandic artist [[Gabríela Friðriksdóttir]] and shot at a stable in Iceland, in November 2004.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Gabriela: Her dark materials|date=March 2005|journal=[[i-D]]|issn=0894-5373|issue=252}}</ref> It was premiered during Friðriksdóttir's exposition at the [[Venice Biennale]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 2005 |title=Gabríela Friðriksdóttir - Versations Tetralogia at Venice Biennial 2005 |url=http://cia.icelandicartcenter.is/news/mai05/gabriela.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404150842/http://cia.icelandicartcenter.is/news/mai05/gabriela.html |archive-date=4 April 2015 |access-date=20 August 2017 |website=[[Icelandic Art Center]] |publisher=Icelandic Art News}}</ref> Originally being one of three films from the artist's ''Versations 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 a white stickiness<ref group="nb">The substance resembles [[vernix caseosa]].</ref> who, after a wild dance, withdraws back inside the host. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bjork.com/news/?id=526;year=2005#news|title=More on new video from Gabríela|date=14 April 2005|access-date=20 August 2017|publisher=bjork.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101023545/http://bjork.com/news/?id=526;year=2005#news|archive-date=1 January 2010}}</ref> The video was included on the DVD ''[[The Medúlla Videos]]'', which included all music videos from ''Medúlla'', released in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bjork.com/news/?id=528;year=2005#news|title=Directors Label continues|date=24 May 2005|access-date=20 August 2017|publisher=bjork.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101024136/http://bjork.com/news/?id=528;year=2005#news|archive-date=1 January 2010}}</ref>

==Live performances==
Björk premiered "Where Is the Line" on the [[Greatest Hits tour (Björk)|Greatest Hits tour]] in 2003, along with other three tracks from ''Medúlla''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bjork.com:80/qna/main.php?id=58 |title=Archived copy |website=www.bjork.com:80 |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040820155457/http://www.bjork.com:80/qna/main.php?id=58 |archive-date=20 August 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The song has also been performed on the [[Volta tour]] in 2007 and 2008.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328064127/http://bjork.com/facts/gigography/volta-summary.htm|url=http://bjork.com/facts/gigography/volta-summary.htm|archive-date=28 March 2010|title=gigOgraphy: Volta Tour summary|access-date=27 December 2015|publisher=bjork.com}}</ref> Additionally, "Where Is the Line" was performed along with musician [[Mike Patton]], best known as the lead singer of the [[alternative metal]] band [[Faith No More]], on the [[Biophilia tour]] on 28 May 2013, in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bjork.com/#/past/gigography/2013/388|title=gigography|publisher=bjork.com|access-date=18 August 2017}}</ref> The song was also added to the setlist of some shows of the [[Vulnicura tour]] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bjork/2015/castlefield-arena-manchester-england-5bf69f14.html|title = Björk Setlist at Manchester International Festival 2015|website = setlist.fm}}</ref>

==Cover and usage in media==
The track was covered by [[Michael Wollny]] and Heinz Sauer on their album ''Certain Beauty'', under the title "Where is the Line (With You)". The track was also included on a compilation album released by [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]], titled ''The Record Shop - 30 Years of Rough Trade Shops''. The track was chosen by Richard Russell.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.roughtrade.com/site/content.lasso?page=roughtrade30thpage_1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070208224033/http://www.roughtrade.com/site/content.lasso?page=roughtrade30thpage_1.html|archive-date = 2007-02-08|title = Independent purveyors of great music, since 1976}}</ref> A remix by [[Mike Patton]], who contributed to the original song, was made available for download on War Child Music in April 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Two Tracks to download at WarChildMusic |url=http://www.bjork.com/ |publisher=bjork.com |date=7 April 2005 |access-date=10 April 2016 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050409021921/http://www.bjork.com/ |archive-date=April 9, 2005 }}</ref>

==Track listings==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*;UK Promotional White label 12"
#Where Is the Line ([[Matmos]] Rubberband Remix)
#Where Is the Line ([[The Soft Pink Truth]] Glow Stick Museum Mix)
{{col-2}}
*;UK Promotional White label 12"/Promo CDr
#[[Who Is It (Björk song)|Who Is It]] ([[Vitalic]] Mix)
#Where Is the Line ([[Fantômas (band)|Fantômas]] Mix)
{{col-end}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="nb"}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Björk songs}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Where Is The Line}}
[[Category:Björk songs]]
[[Category:A cappella songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Björk]]
[[Category:2004 songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Björk]]

Where Is the Line - Revision history

155.190.8.6 at 21:20, 3 January 2025