Triumph of a Heart

"Triumph of a Heart"
Single by Björk
from the album Medúlla
B-side	"Oceania" "Desired Constellation" "Vökuró" "Mouth's Cradle"
Released	28 February 2005
Format	CD DVD
Genre	Dance-pop avant-garde alternative hip hop beatboxing
Length	4:04
Label	One Little Indian
Writer(s)	Björk
Producer(s)	Björk
Björk singles chronology
"Who Is It" (2004) "Triumph of a Heart" (2005) "Earth Intruders" (2007)

"Triumph of a Heart" is the second single from Björk's album Medúlla. The hip hop-influenced song features beatboxer Rahzel from The Roots, Gregory Purnhagen, and Japanese beatboxer, Dokaka.

The single was released on 28 February 2005 in the UK, and peaked at number 31.

The song was first performed live on April 20, 2008 during the Volta Tour at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.

Chart performance

Being the most radio friendly track on the record, "Triumph of a Heart" was a moderately successful hit all over Europe. Reaching a high #6 peak in Spain, scoring yet another Top 40 entry in the UK and debuting inside most European Top 75 charts.

Music video

The video was directed by Spike Jonze, who also directed the videos for "It's Oh So Quiet" and "It's in Our Hands".

In the video, Björk tired of her husband, played by a housecat, storms out of the house for a night out on the town. She goes to a pub where she drinks and hangs out with some friends. Then, she goes to the restrooms and the song stops, and the locals (including Dokaka) start beatboxing and making noises. When Björk is back, she joins the crew for a special performance of the song recorded for the video with samples from the 'Audition mix' of the song.^[1] They go out of the pub and Björk runs through the town drunk, falling over at one point. Later, she wakes up on a road with scratches and bruises all over her body. She gets up and continues to sing the song, with hearts coming from her mouth. The cat-husband sees the hearts from his house and finds out Björk's location. He picks her up in his car and they go home. At home, the two share a kiss and dance as the song ends.

The making of the video is documented in a bonus feature that appears on The Medúlla Videos DVD. The feature focuses on the auditions for the bar patrons who had to be able to make the noises and sound effects required for the song.

An image of the cat in a suit reading a newspaper has become a popular internet meme, known as the 'I Should Buy A....' meme.^[2]

Track listings and formats

UK CD1

1. Triumph of a Heart (radio edit)
2. Desired Constellation (Ben Frost's School of Emotional Engineering Mix)

UK CD2

1. Triumph of a Heart (Audition Mix)
2. Vökuró (Gonzales Mix)
3. Mouth's Cradle (Recomposed by Ensemble)

UK DVD

1. Triumph of a Heart (Video)
2. Oceania (Piano Vocal)
3. Desired Constellation (Choir Mix)

EU EP CD

1. Triumph of a Heart (Audition Mix)
2. Vökuró (Gonzales Mix)
3. Mouth's Cradle (Recomposed by Ensemble)
4. Desired Constellation (Ben Frost's School of Emotional Engineering Mix)
5. Triumph of a Heart (Radio Edit)

Charts

Chart (2005)	Peak position
European Singles Chart	90
French Singles Chart	63
Spanish Singles Chart	6
UK Singles Chart	31
U.S. Billboard European Hot 100 Singles	70

References

1. Osborn, Brad (2013). "Hearing Heima: Ecological and Ecocritical Approaches to Meaning in Three Icelandic Music Videos". Analyzing the Music of Living Composers. Cambridge Scholars Press: 222–226.
2. Moss, Laura. "10 of the Web's most popular cat memes". Retrieved November 28, 2013.

External links

• Triumph of a Heart webpage
• List of releases of "Triumph of a Heart"