Oceania

Bjork's sixth studio album, Medulla, features the song Oceania. Bjork wrote and produced it, with Sjón contributing extra material and Mark Bell producing. The artist wrote the song specifically for the Olympics Summer Games Opening Ceremony in 2004, in response to an IOC request.

On 13 August 2004, One Little Indian Records released Oceania as a promotional single. The song, which is backed by a choir, was written from the ocean's perspective - from where the singer thinks all life originated. To Bjork, the ocean propels humankind development. Oceania' garnered generally positive reviews from music fans, who deemed it to be Medlla's finest single. However others argued that this was not the ideal option for a commercial release.

Most music experts also praised Oceania. MTV News' Jennifer Vineyard described the song as "one of those mesmerizing tunes, with its Ethel Merman-styled synced vocal sweeps that definitely evoke the aquatic vibe, in a 1950s style." Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly described the song as "strikingly lovely."

Artist: Bjork

Album: Medulla

Release year: 2004