Björk gives her conflicted opinion on Madonna and ‘Bedtime Story’
At the 1994 MTV Awards, Björk revealed that she had once written a song for Madonna, although the Icelandic pop icon had not actually been able to meet her. Detailing further, she said: “I co-wrote a song for her [for her new album]. Well, I like it. I’ve never met her. Basically, she asked my friend for a song, and my friend asked me to help him. I did it in a way as a favour to him, really. No offence to Madonna, but I did it as a present to my friend.”
So despite working on ‘Bedtime Story’ for Madonna, it appears that Björk is not such a big fan of the legendary singer. She later said: “There have been several occasions when it has been self-evident for us to meet, but my instinct always told me the situation would get bothersome and faked. I have tried to avoid her as much as I could.”
Madonna, on the other hand, has previously given praise to Björk for her innovation, stating: “Björk, I love her. I always look forward to her records. She’s very original, she’s a visionary, and I like people who are visionaries. She’s someone who doesn’t care what people think, and I like that.”
Of ‘Bedtime Story’, Madonna explained: “Nellie [Hooper] did her album, and one of the reasons that I was dying to work with Nellie Hooper was because Björk’s album was amazing.” ‘Bedtime Story’ is the third single from Madonna’s sixth studio album Bedtime Stories, released in 1994.
It marked the only time that Björk would write for Madonna, perhaps unsurprisingly so, given the above comments and the fact that the two singers seem to be at odds with one another. The track was typical of a Björk song, with a mid-tempo electronic basis combined with acid, techno and ambient features.
Madonna had been inspired by Björk’s debut album, Debut, in 1993. Of writing the track itself, Björk said in 2001: “I think at the time, [it] was what I wanted to hear from [her] mouth. But that’s like six years ago when everything about her seemed very controlled. I think she’s a very intuitive person, and definitely, her survival instinct is incredible. They’re, like, outrageous. At the time, the words I thought she’d say were, ‘I’m not using words anymore; let’s get unconscious, honey. Fuck logic. Just to be intuitive. Be more free. Go with the flow.'”
She would later say, “When I was offered to write a song for [Madonna], I couldn’t really picture me doing a song that would suit her. But on second thought, I decided to do this to write the things I have always wanted to hear her say that she’s never said.”
