Possibly Maybe
Encyclopedia
"Possibly Maybe" is a song by Björk
, released as the fifth single from her 1995 album Post. It is a song with deep electronic tones and soft beats that reflects on potential love.
There were three different single releases, this was the first Björk single to be released in three parts. Two of them are a rarities in the music world in that the A-side is not the first track. The first CD came with a slipcase that could also house the other two.
, who, curiously, also directed the video. Rumours have persisted that Björk recorded the song in the nude, although this has not been publicly commented on. Björk was sued by British electronic musician Scanner
for the uncleared sample of telephones ringing (from his album Mass Observation) at the start of the track. The situation caused her record label, One Little Indian, to contemplate the idea of destroying all current copies of Post in the shops, and of the remixing, remastering and reprinting of a new version of the album that included a version of "Possibly Maybe" which did not feature the sample.
colours). She is also shown in three other rooms: submerged in the bathtub of a bathroom; an Asian-themed room; and a room full of stereo equipment. These scenes are intercut with an angelic image of her dressed all in white, floating out of a blue sky with the sun behind her. The majority of objects appearing in the video were Björk's own. The music video was directed by Stéphane Sednaoui
; curiously, the song actually talks about him. Short interviews with both Stéphane and Björk discussing the video are included on the Stéphane Sednaoui Directors Label DVD. A short making-of
for the single's B-side, "Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu", was recorded as part of the corresponding album Chansons des mers froides
by Hector Zazou
.
/VHS
Live at Shepherds Bush Empire
, a fan-club only concert held at the end of the tour. To support the release of Post, the song was performed on the UK TV show Later... with Jools Holland on 17 June 1995 with legendary slide guitar
ist BJ Cole
. This performance was featured on Björk's 2003 DVD release Later
. Björk also performed the track on TFI Friday
on 1 November 1996 to promote the official single release. The track was also included on a 1996 ChildLine
charity album release, whose cover-art featured a parody of the Post cover. In support of this album, Björk performed the song on Top of the Pops
. Björk's then manager Netty Walker noted later that it "was the worst performance I've ever seen her do." A live performance recorded for US TV show Reverb
in 2001 included a performance of "Possibly Maybe". The track has been performed on Björk's subsequent tours in support of the Homogenic
(1997) and Vespertine
(2001) albums, the latter version of which appears on the 2002 DVD release Live at Royal Opera House
. The song has not been performed live since 2001.
, Mark Bell from LFO, Dallas Austin
, Trevor Morais (who was the drummer on the Post Tour) and Plaid
. The single was planned to coincide with Björk's tour dates in South America
and South Africa
in October 1996, although the South American concerts were cancelled only two shows in due to Björk suffering from laryngitis
. Two live tracks ("Possibly Maybe" and "Hyperballad") recorded at Wembley Arena
as part of a Top of the Pops
show are included on CD3.
UK CD1
(193TP7CD; Released: 1996)
UK CD2
(193TP7CDL; Released: 21 October 1996)
UK CD3
(193TP7CDT; Released: 1996)
UK CD promo
(193TP7CDR; Released: 28 October 1996)
UK 12" vinyl
(193TP12TD; Released: August, 1996; Limited Edition)
Side A
Side B
UK 12" Vinyl
(193TP12DM; Released: September, 1996)
Side A
Side B
UK 12" Vinyl
(193TP12MO; Released: 1997)
Side A
Side B
and Ed Droste
on music website Stereogum
's 2008 online tribute to Post.
's 'Insomniac Music Theater' late night music video block from the song's release until the program was cancelled in 2005 and renamed 'Nocturnal State'.
DJ Shadow
sampled this song for the track Mutual Slump from Endtroducing.....
album.
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|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
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Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, released as the fifth single from her 1995 album Post. It is a song with deep electronic tones and soft beats that reflects on potential love.
There were three different single releases, this was the first Björk single to be released in three parts. Two of them are a rarities in the music world in that the A-side is not the first track. The first CD came with a slipcase that could also house the other two.
Background
The song details different stages of a breakup. Björk says it was "the first unhappy song I wrote... I felt ashamed writing a song that was not giving hope". The melancholic piece was dedicated to her broken relationship with Stéphane SednaouiStéphane Sednaoui
Stéphane Sednaoui is a French-American photographer, director and producer whose work includes music videos, art projects, photographic essays, portrait photography, fashion photography and photojournalism....
, who, curiously, also directed the video. Rumours have persisted that Björk recorded the song in the nude, although this has not been publicly commented on. Björk was sued by British electronic musician Scanner
Robin Rimbaud
Robin Rimbaud is an electronic musician who works under the name Scanner due to his use of cell phone and police scanners in live performance...
for the uncleared sample of telephones ringing (from his album Mass Observation) at the start of the track. The situation caused her record label, One Little Indian, to contemplate the idea of destroying all current copies of Post in the shops, and of the remixing, remastering and reprinting of a new version of the album that included a version of "Possibly Maybe" which did not feature the sample.
Music video
The video shows Björk in a variety of different rooms in an apartment. She is primarily shown in a large, stylish bedroom with modern décor. These scenes are intercut with shots in ultra-violet lighting (which subsequently causes everything to appear in day-gloBlacklight paint
Blacklight ink or blacklight-reactive Ink is ink that glows under a black light, a source of light whose wavelengths are primarily in the ultraviolet. The paint may or may not be colorful under ordinary light...
colours). She is also shown in three other rooms: submerged in the bathtub of a bathroom; an Asian-themed room; and a room full of stereo equipment. These scenes are intercut with an angelic image of her dressed all in white, floating out of a blue sky with the sun behind her. The majority of objects appearing in the video were Björk's own. The music video was directed by Stéphane Sednaoui
Stéphane Sednaoui
Stéphane Sednaoui is a French-American photographer, director and producer whose work includes music videos, art projects, photographic essays, portrait photography, fashion photography and photojournalism....
; curiously, the song actually talks about him. Short interviews with both Stéphane and Björk discussing the video are included on the Stéphane Sednaoui Directors Label DVD. A short making-of
Making-of
In cinema, a making-of, also known as behind-the-scenes, is a documentary film that features the production of a film or television program...
for the single's B-side, "Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu", was recorded as part of the corresponding album Chansons des mers froides
Chansons des mers froides
Chansons des mers froides is a 1994 album by French musician Hector Zazou.Zazou approached Sony Records with merely the title and the concept of songs from the Arctic. He was accompanied by cameraman Philippe Roméo as he recorded traditional folk songs in and from Alaska, Canada , Greenland,...
by Hector Zazou
Hector Zazou
Hector Zazou was a prolific French composer and record producer who worked with, produced, and collaborated with an international array of recording artists...
.
Live performances
The track was performed during the 1995-96 Post Tour, a performance of which can be found on the 1998 live DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
/VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
Live at Shepherds Bush Empire
Live at Shepherds Bush Empire
Live at Shepherds Bush Empire is an official DVD/home-video released by Björk on November 19, 2001. The live show was recorded at the end of the Post tour on February 27, 1997, at a special fan-club only free concert at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London, England. The majority of the songs are...
, a fan-club only concert held at the end of the tour. To support the release of Post, the song was performed on the UK TV show Later... with Jools Holland on 17 June 1995 with legendary slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
ist BJ Cole
B. J. Cole
Brian John Cole is an English pedal steel guitarist. Coming to prominence in the early 1970s with the band Cochise, Cole has played in many styles of music, ranging from mainstream pop and rock, to jazz and eclectic experimental music.He played and is heavily featured with Deke Leonard's Help...
. This performance was featured on Björk's 2003 DVD release Later
Later with Jools Holland (Björk DVD)
Later with Jools Holland is an official DVD released by Björk on August 23, 2003. The DVD contains seven rare performances of Björk from 1995 to 1997 that have all been recorded on the Later with Jools Holland program...
. Björk also performed the track on TFI Friday
TFI Friday
TFI Friday is an entertainment show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000. The show produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first 5 series. The final series was hosted by a number of Guest Presenters. It was broadcast on...
on 1 November 1996 to promote the official single release. The track was also included on a 1996 ChildLine
ChildLine
ChildLine is a free 24 hour counselling service for children and young people up to 18 in the UK provided by the NSPCC. ChildLine deals with any issue which causes distress or concern, common issues dealt with include child abuse, bullying, parental separation or divorce, pregnancy and substance...
charity album release, whose cover-art featured a parody of the Post cover. In support of this album, Björk performed the song on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Björk's then manager Netty Walker noted later that it "was the worst performance I've ever seen her do." A live performance recorded for US TV show Reverb
Reverb (TV series)
Reverb, the critically acclaimed weekly HBO music television series spotlighting emerging talent, ran for four seasons . Reverb captured the energy and spontaneity of live music by taking viewers on stage, backstage, and into the audience at some of the premier venues in the United States...
in 2001 included a performance of "Possibly Maybe". The track has been performed on Björk's subsequent tours in support of the Homogenic
Homogenic
Homogenic is the fourth studio album by Icelandic musician Björk, released in September 1997. Produced by Björk, Mark Bell, Guy Sigsworth, Howie B and Markus Dravs, it was released on One Little Indian Records...
(1997) and Vespertine
Vespertine
Vespertine, is the fifth studio album by the Icelandic recording artist Björk, released on 27 August 2001. On this album, Björk creates a quiet, introverted world of microbeats and personal lyrics...
(2001) albums, the latter version of which appears on the 2002 DVD release Live at Royal Opera House
Live at Royal Opera House
Live at Royal Opera House is an official DVD released by Björk on November 18, 2002. It contains a live performance by Björk on the Vespertine tour, recorded live at the Royal Opera House in London, England on December 7, 2001. It was amongst one of the last of the concerts performed on that tour...
. The song has not been performed live since 2001.
Single track listing
The release features remixes by Talvin SinghTalvin Singh
Talvin Singh Matharoo , is a producer and composer and tabla player, known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass...
, Mark Bell from LFO, Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
, Trevor Morais (who was the drummer on the Post Tour) and Plaid
Plaid (band)
Plaid is a London-based British electronic music duo comprising Andy Turner and Ed Handley. They are former members of The Black Dog and used many other names, such as Atypic and Balil , before settling on Plaid...
. The single was planned to coincide with Björk's tour dates in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in October 1996, although the South American concerts were cancelled only two shows in due to Björk suffering from laryngitis
Laryngitis
Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. It causes hoarse voice or the complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal folds . Dysphonia is the medical term for a vocal disorder, of which laryngitis is one cause....
. Two live tracks ("Possibly Maybe" and "Hyperballad") recorded at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
as part of a Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
show are included on CD3.
UK CD1
(193TP7CD; Released: 1996)
- "Possibly Maybe" – 5:04
- "Possibly Maybe" (Lucy Mix, also featured on TelegramTelegram (album)Telegram is the first full-length remix album by Icelandic singer-songwriter/musician Björk. The album is a collection of remixes of several tracks from her album Post, which had all previously appeared as B-sides of the UK versions of the singles off Post, including the non-album track, "My...
) – 3:03 - "Possibly Maybe" (Calcutta Cyber Cafe Mix) – 5:33
- "Possibly Maybe" (Dallas Austin Mix) – 4:50
UK CD2
(193TP7CDL; Released: 21 October 1996)
- "Cover Me" (Dillinja Mix) – 6:22
- "One Day" (Trevor Morais Mix) – 7:01
- "Possibly Maybe" (Calcutta Cyber Cafe Dub Mix) – 4:56
- "I Miss YouI Miss You (Björk song)"I Miss You" is a song by Björk, the sixth and final single release from her 1995 album Post. It is amongst her least-well performing singles in the UK, but it hit #1 on the U.S...
" (Photek Mix) – 5:53
UK CD3
(193TP7CDT; Released: 1996)
- "Big Time SensualityBig Time Sensuality"Big Time Sensuality" is a song by Björk, released as the fourth single from her 1993 album Debut. The song helped boost Björk's popularity worldwide, particularly the U.S., where she charted for the first time.-Background:...
" (Plaid Mix) – 5:21 - "Vísur Vatnsenda-RósuVísur Vatnsenda-RósuVísur Vatnsenda-Rósu is a traditional Icelandic song. The lyrics are a poem written by Rósa Guðmundsdóttir ; the melody is a traditional lullaby, arranged by Jón Ásgeirsson....
" (Traditional folk song. Produced by Hector Zazou) – 4:20 - "Possibly Maybe" (Live at Wembley Arena) – 4:53
- "Hyperballad" (Over the Edge Mix) (Live at Wembley Arena) – 4:56
UK CD promo
(193TP7CDR; Released: 28 October 1996)
- "Possibly Maybe" (radio edit) – 3:28
UK 12" vinyl
(193TP12TD; Released: August, 1996; Limited Edition)
Side A
- "Possibly Maybe" (Calcutta Cyber Cafe Mix)
Side B
- "I Miss You" (Dobie Rub Part One – Sunshine Mix)
UK 12" Vinyl
(193TP12DM; Released: September, 1996)
Side A
- "Enjoy" (The Beats Mix) – 6:57
Side B
- "Possibly Maybe" (Lucy Remix) – 3:03
UK 12" Vinyl
(193TP12MO; Released: 1997)
Side A
- "Possibly Maybe" (Lucy Remix) – 3:03
Side B
- "Enjoy" (Further Over the Edge Mix) – 4:19
Remixes
- Calcutta Cyber Cafe mix
- Calcutta Cyber Cafe dub mix/Talvin SinghTalvin SinghTalvin Singh Matharoo , is a producer and composer and tabla player, known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass...
dub/acid mix - Dallas AustinDallas AustinDallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
mix - Lucy mix
- Radio edit
- Telegram Mix
Covers
The track was covered by Final FantasyOwen Pallett
Michael James Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist from Toronto, Ontario. He won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds....
and Ed Droste
Ed Droste
Edward "Ed" Droste is an original member of the Brooklyn-based indie-rock group, Grizzly Bear. The group began as the solo effort of Droste with the release of 2004's Horn of Plenty, originally released on Kanine Records. All songs were written and performed by Droste...
on music website Stereogum
Stereogum
Stereogum was one of the first MP3 blogs. It was created by Scott Lapatine in January 2002 with a focus on independent and alternative music news, downloads, videos, and gossip. Stereogum has received several awards and citations, including the 2008 Plug Award for best music blog, Blender's...
's 2008 online tribute to Post.
Sampled
A sample of this song was used in the bumpers for VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 'Insomniac Music Theater' late night music video block from the song's release until the program was cancelled in 2005 and renamed 'Nocturnal State'.
DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
sampled this song for the track Mutual Slump from Endtroducing.....
Endtroducing.....
Endtroducing..... is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist DJ Shadow. It was released on November 19, 1996 by Mo' Wax Records. The album was conceived as an effort by Shadow to make an album completely based around sampling...
album.
Charts
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| width="25%" |
{|class="wikitable"
!align="left"|Chart
!align="center"|Peak
position
|-
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
|align="center"|13
|-
|}