After leaving the Sugarcubes, Björk traveled to London where she began exploring electronic music, which inspired her to change her musical style from the pop-rock sounds of the Sugarcubes to a more alternative and electronic style. "Big Time Sensuality" was one of the last songs to be written for Debut, and was originally planned to be the first single from the album, but it was delayed by the release of "Human Behaviour". It was then intended to be the third single, but was delayed again by the success of "Play Dead", and was finally released as the fourth single on 22 November 1993.
The song was co-written by Björk and Nellee Hooper and produced by Hooper, who assisted her with writing and producing her first two albums. Björk's meeting with Hooper inspired her to write the song: "I think it's quite rare, when you're obsessed with your job, as I am, when you met someone who's your other part jobwise and enables you to do what you completely want". Björk belts out the first lines accompanied by a base of percussion, while the chorus features stronger electronic beats. After the first two verses, some of Björk's vocalizations resemble moans or shouts. Ben Thompson described this sequence as "sinuous pop-funk squawk". After the interlude "I don't know my future after this weekend/And I don't want to!" funk-like sounds lead the song to its end.
The "Fluke Minimix" is composed on a series of synthesizers and by slower vocals. The remix features electronic bass and makes extensive use of reverb. The track ends with the lines "It takes courage to enjoy it/The hardcore/And the gentle/Of Big Time Sensuality" whispered by Björk.
Critical reception
The song was deemed a highlight of Debut and was praised by critics. Reviewing the album, Heather Phares of AllMusic, noted that "Björk's playful energy ignites the dance-pop-like 'Big Time Sensuality' and turns the genre on its head with 'There's More to Life Than This'." Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "Wiggly bass and heavy beat come to the fore here, unfortunately competing with Björk's voice for lead billing, when her vocal really should be allowed to steal the show." Sean McCarthy of the Daily Vault defined the track as "insanely addictive". John Hamilton from Idolator felt that "this dancefloor monster resembles the soulful American house sounds of Crystal Waters and Ultra Nate in its original album mix, but for the single, it was revamped into a storming trance jam by remix duo Fluke."
Martin Aston from Music Week gave it a score of four out of five, stating that it "sees the ubiquitous star this time going for the big dancefloor smash", adding that "she can do no wrong right now." Simon Reynolds of The New York Times stated that "the sultry 'Big Time Sensuality' has her vaulting from chesty growls to hyperventilating harmonies so piercing she sounds as if she's inhaled helium". Johnny Dee from NME commented, "More fun, madness and surprise follows", noting "the pulsating grind" of the song. Tim Jeffery from the Record Mirror Dance Update noted, "That soaring voice starts the track over swirling synths before a deep and rumbling bassline powers in and the rest is history repeated as Bjork heads for another smash." German band Culture Beat reviewed it for Smash Hits, giving it four out of five. Tania Evans said, "She really knows how to express herself as an artist and I like the irregularity of her phrasing and the way she uses her voice. She is unique." Jay Supreme added, "I love her, her voice is real good. This song comes from a different angle but you can tell that it's definitely her." Charles Aaron from Spin wrote, "As for the numerous Björk remixes, say yes to the totally over-hauled techno wig-outs, and no to the tasteful house rearrangements. Mainly because Nellee "Soul II Soul" Hopper's originals are so deftly evocative, and Björk's too-intimate-for-words voice—crooning, scatting, bellowing—needs no backseat driving. She won't take you to another world, just make this one seem way more limitless." Vox journalist Lucy O'Brien called it "saucy".
"Big Time Sensuality" was nominated in the Best Song category at the 1994 MTV Europe Music Awards, losing to "7 Seconds" by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry. In 1995, the song was awarded one of ASCAP's Rhythm & Soul Awards.
Music video
Background and synopsis
To shoot the music video for "Big Time Sensuality", Björk called upon French director Stéphane Sednaoui, who had previously directed videos for Madonna, U2, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Sednaoui heard about Björk when he went to Los Angeles for the first time and was fascinated by her music. Björk personally wanted the director after seeing some photos of Kurt Cobain shot by him that Björk recalled as being the only photos in which she saw Cobain "laughing out loud and dancing". and features Björk dancing on the back of a moving truck slowly driving through New York City in the middle of the day. Björk wears a white sweater and a long white skirt, with her hair in topknots. The video uses film effects such as slow motion and fast motion. Three versions of the video were released using different versions of the song. The first video version uses the album/single version of the song. The second version uses a remix by Fluke, an edit of the "Fluke Moulimix". The third version, shot in the evening, uses the full "Fluke Moulimix".
The video helped Björk become known in North America where it received heavy rotation on MTV channels, with many noting that the video was better known in the country than the song: "Few people know how the melody for "Big Time Sensuality" starts, but anyone who watched MTV in the early '90s could cheerfully belt out the single measure when she sings the words "Big Time Sensuality". The video was nominated for Best New Artist Clip of the Year in the Dance category at the 1994 Billboard Music Video Awards.
Usage in media
The video was later spoofed by British comedians French & Saunders, in a low-budget fashion (i.e., on a greenscreen), and also plays on the name of Iceland, Björk's home country, with the store of the same name. A brief scene from the video appears in the film Vanilla Sky (2001) in a vision sequence Tom Cruise has.
Live performances
The song received a heavy promotion, and as such, Björk did numerous TV appearances. On 8 August 1993, she appeared on the UK show The Beat, performing the song along with "Venus as a Boy" and "Come to Me". Björk performed the song live on other British shows like Dance Energy, Top of the Pops and Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. She then performed the song live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, in one of her first appearance on the American broadcast. She performed the track on MTV's Most Wanted, where she performed also "Human Behaviour", and on The Grind. On a rare lip-synch performance, she sang the song on the Italian show Festivalbar. She also performed the song live, dressed in a big, red gown at the 1994 MTV Europe Music Awards, where she received two nominations. The song was part of her MTV Unplugged set list, where it received a different arrangement, accompanied by Indian instruments and a harpsichord. Its performance was released on Debut Live, which was included in Live Box.
"Big Time Sensuality" was a staple performance at her Debut tour and Post tour. Notably, its performance during the Post tour at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London was released on her VHS and DVD release Live at Shepherds Bush Empire, with the same performance released on Post Live, where it was given a "much more minimal treatment" accompanied by Leila Arab "gently hyperkinetic jungle beats".
|2006
| style="text-align:center;"|*
|-
|Panorama
|Norway
|The 30 Best Singles of the Year 1970–98
|1999
| style="text-align:center;"|23
|-
|rowspan=2|NME
|rowspan=5|United Kingdom
|NME Rock Years, Single of the Year 1963–99
|2000
| style="text-align:center;"|*
|-
|The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
|2014
| style="text-align:center;"|322
|-
|Q
|The Ultimate Music Collection
|2005
| style="text-align:center;"|*
|-
|The Guardian
|1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear
|2009
| style="text-align:center;"|*
|-
|Radio X
|The Top 1000 Songs of All Time
|2010
| style="text-align:center;"|*
|-
|Robert Dimery
|rowspan=7|United States
|1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download
|2010
| style="text-align:center;"|1002
|-
|Bruce Pollock
|The Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs of the Rock and Roll Era: 1944-2000
|2005
| style="text-align:center;"|*
|-
|Spin
|The 100 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1994
|2014
| style="text-align:center;"|69
|-
|WOXY.com
|Modern Rock 500 Songs of All Time
|1989–2009
| style="text-align:center;"|510
|-
|Slant Magazine
|The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time
|2020
| style="text-align:center;"|82
|-
|Rolling Stone
|200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time
|2022
| style="text-align:center;"|29
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:8pt;"| (*) designates lists that are unordered.
|}
Track listings
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1993–1994)
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
| 38
|-
!scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)
| 1
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|UK Airplay (Music Week)
| 35
|-
!scope="row"|UK Club Chart (Music Week)
| 17
|-
!scope="row"|UK Dance (Music Week)
| 3
|-
!scope="row"|UK Indie (Music Week)
| 1
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"| US Cash Box Top 100
| 78
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1994)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
!scope="row"| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)
| 9
|-
!scope="row"|US Dance Club Play (Billboard)
| 28
|}
Release history
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
!scope="col"|Region
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format(s)
!scope="col"|Label(s)
!scope="col"|
|-
!scope="row"|United Kingdom
|22 November 1993
|
|One Little Indian
|
|-
!scope="row"|Japan
|25 June 1994
|CD
|Mother
|
|}
See also
- List of number-one dance singles of 1994 (U.S.)