The Meaning of ‘Oral,’ the Collaboration Between Rosalía & Björk
Yes, it's related to what you are thinking about
As Björk and Rosalía have announced on social media, we’re finally able to hear – after several delays – their highly anticipated collaboration «Oral» from this November 21. As the Icelandic producer announced, it is a song aimed at raising funds for the fight against overfishing in Iceland. In fact, we’ve already heard both artists chanting «Is the right thing to do» in the new music video.
But no, it has nothing to do with fish or any marine creatures. Here, we’ll tell you the true meaning of this song with an intriguing title, that has to do precisely with what you’re probably thinking about.
How the Collaboration with Rosalía Came About
«I’m offering a song of Rosalía and me singing together, and the proceeds will go toward supporting the fight against fish farms in Iceland. This will be released in October,» the Icelandic artist introduced the new song through her social media. «The people of Seyðisfjörður have risen up and protested against starting a fish farm here. We want to donate the sales of the song and help with legal fines. Hopefully, this can be an example for others.»
But how did both stars end up collaborating and why specifically on this song? In fact, the Icelandic singer wrote it over 20 years ago, between two of her iconic albums, Homogenic (1997) and Vespertine (2001). However, it seemed so «pop» to her that it didn’t fit into either.
Although she never released it, she couldn’t forget about it and recently recalled it when the idea of re-recording it came to mind. «I thought, ‘Wow! The beat was very primitive, but I guess I was slightly inspired by Jamaican dancehall,'» she revealed to The Guardian.
In this way, Björk thought she could use it in her climate activism, and knowing that she and Rosalía admired each other, she proposed a more contemporary collaboration with the Catalan singer, with the help of the Irish-Scottish producer Sega Bodega. In fact, Björk emphasizes that she chose Rosalía because the song is closely related to reggaeton, a style very present in Motomami (2022). Additionally, what made this union even more meaningful is that the Icelandic artist sang this song in her 30s, a life stage that the interpreter of «Saoko» is currently going through.
«When I heard it [the song], I thought: Rosalía had a lot of reggaeton on her album. I know she really cares and wants to act. I think she was excited about it because she wants to do something for the environment,» the artist declared. Moreover, the result couldn’t be more satisfying for the Icelandic producer, even though it made us wait to see it. «One of the grunts that sounds like me is actually Rosalía. I think it was a beautiful audio reference for my voice. I feel very honored. She worked hard to sing this. I like the sound of our voices together,» admits Björk in Rolling Stone.
What «Oral» Means
It all started when, after almost 20 years, Björk was trying to find the mysterious song again, which she couldn’t get out of her head, but she couldn’t remember its name either. «I’ve worked with the same person and record company since I was a child, and they always keep original copies of all the songs that are written. I asked them to try to find the song,» revealed Björk to the Icelandic outlet Visir.
For almost two decades, she couldn’t recall the name, but it finally came to her in a very unexpected way.
«It was disgustingly funny. I was in Australia last March and turned on CNN, something I normally never do. At that time, there was a scandal in the United States, an aristocrat had met a prostitute or something like that, and the headline that appeared was something like: ‘Was it just oral or was it total?’ I was like, ‘Wow, that’s the name of the song: ‘Oral.’ And I texted my manager and said, ‘Could you search the analog multitracks and find the song called ‘Oral’? (…) The strange thing is that the song was exactly as I remembered it. I liked it, but it was like something unique that didn’t fit into any album or anything like that. And then this whole open-sea fish farming thing came up, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll give it to activism,'» the artist revealed in media such as Visir and NME.
And the truth is that this makes sense regarding the real meaning of «Oral,» as it is about desiring someone and wanting to go beyond. «I think it’s great that Rosalía is singing and commenting on what I sing; that’s how an entry into the present is created. Also, the beauty is that we’re almost the same age when we first sang the song. Both of us are talking about ‘oral,’ wanting to kiss someone, and it’s a bit like a time machine. I was in my thirties when I made it, and she is now too. From a musical point of view, it makes a lot of sense,» the artist adds to the mentioned Icelandic outlet.
And you, have you already listened to «Oral» from Björk and Rosalía?