| "Alarm Call" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK CD1 cover | ||||
| Single byBjörk | ||||
| from the albumHomogenic | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 30 November 1998 | |||
| Studio | El Cortijo (Marbella) | |||
| Genre | Dance-pop[1] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | One Little Indian | |||
| Songwriter | Björk | |||
| Producers |
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| Björk singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Alarm Call" onYouTube | ||||
"Alarm Call" is a song recorded by Icelandic singerBjörk for her third studio albumHomogenic (1997). It was released as the fourth single from the album, peaking at number 33 in the United Kingdom. The sped-up radio edit of the song was used in the 1999 filmThe Mod Squad.
The song, originally labelled "Jacko" on theHomogenic demo tape, speaks of reawakening through music.[2] Björk explained: "I think that music has the power to change the things, and that's what I wanted to show on Alarm Call". It is the only single fromHomogenic that was not included onGreatest Hits.
The first music video for "Alarm Call" was directed by Paul White from Me Company, the design firm that produced the artwork ofHomogenic,Debut andPost, and their respective singles, and it featured Björk in a similar dress to the one featured on theHomogenic album cover along with a dance scene in theLos Angeles subway system.[3]
However, Björk was not pleased with the result and a second video was directed by fashion designerAlexander McQueen and filmed in October 1998, over a two-day period in London.[4] She toldMTV News that she felt that the music video industry needed a "spank on the bum", and that McQueen was the man to do the video.
"I haven't seen many fashion shows in my life, but you go to his shows and you come out feeling like anything is possible"; she went on to describe McQueen as a "guy with a powerful and fluid mind who could direct films, build castles, and write music". He wrote up a nearly one-hundred-page treatment of his ideas for the video.[5]
It features Björk floating on a raft on a river in the jungle and her scenes are intercut with footage of snakes, crocodiles, and other animals, with Björk playing with them. The version of the song used in the video is the radio mix by Andy Bradfield andMark Bell.[6]
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| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[7] | 16 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[8] French mix | 10 |
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[9] | 47 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 33 |
| UK Indie (OCC)[11] | 3 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 23 November 1998 | Contemporary hit radio | One Little Indian | |
| 30 November 1998 |
| |||
| France | 4 January 1999 | Maxi CD | ||
| United Kingdom | 18 January 1999 | Box set | One Little Indian |
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