Q: In ‘Human Behaviour’, you sang “There’s definitely, definitely, definitely no logic to human behaviour”. For some years I’ve quoted this in a lecture on the evolution of human behaviour that I give to 3rd year Anthropology undergraduates. Did you mean that - unlike all other animals - human behaviour does not follow any evolutionary logic at all? That we have somehow transcended our genes and are no longer subject to the forces of natural selection? Or just that it is harder for us to discern the “logic” in the complex patterns of human existence
Bjork replies: Good question … which is also something people say when they don’t know exactly how to answer it … at the time I wrote it I was referring to my childhood and probably talking about how I felt more comfortable on my own walking outside singing and stuff than hanging out with humans … I experienced harmony with kids, the mountains and the ocean surrounding Reykjavik and animals I guess but found grown ups rather chaotic and nonsensical. When I went into sixth form school I choose science, math and physics and thought psychology, anthropology, sociology and history and such was for sissies. A huge majority of Icelanders do the same thing. They call subjects in school about people “kjaftafog” which means nattersubjects. As I got older and became a grown up myself I have learned to appreciate nattersubjects and recently read many books for the first time about psychology and I guess my last album volta had a anthropology angle on it … so I have learned a little about humans. Now I can keep up a conversation (still rubbish at small talk though) and through my experience probably understand them a little better.
(via johnsinger)
