"If I Had a Heart"
Single by Fever Ray
from the album Fever Ray
Released15 December 2008
Length3:50
LabelRabid
Songwriter(s)Fever Ray
Producer(s)
  • Fever Ray
  • Christoffer Berg
Fever Ray singles chronology
"If I Had a Heart"
(2008)		 "When I Grow Up"
(2009)
Music video
"If I Had a Heart" on YouTube

"If I Had a Heart" is a song performed, written, and produced by Swedish recording artist Fever Ray (Karin Dreijer). It was released as the lead single from their self-titled debut album, Fever Ray (2009), marking Ray's debut single as a solo artist, after their work with their previous band, The Knife. The track was first released digitally in Sweden and across Europe on 15 December 2008 by Rabid Records,[1] followed by a digital EP release on 26 January 2009.[2] It was later released on CD, 7", and 12" formats in early 2009.[3] The single's B-side premiered three days prior to the single release on Stereogum and is a remix of the track done by English experimental duo Fuck Buttons, the duo's maiden work as remixers.[4]

Background

The song takes on a generally unconventional, dark, and experimental style with its slow tempo, organ backing, repetitive synth beat, and distinct vocals. Dreijer teamed up with long-term production partner Christoffer Berg (well known for his work with The Knife) for the production of "If I Had a Heart". The single, like the rest of the tracks on Fever Ray, was written by Dreijer themself. The lyrics were inspired by observation of their young children — a motif evident in the lyrics "Dangling feet from window frame / Will they ever ever reach the floor / More give me more give me more".[5] Also featured on the single is a remix by Stockholm-based techno/electropop artist Familjen.[4] In a Q&A, Dreijer stated that they achieved the pulsating production in the song by sampling an acoustic guitar recording to make a loop.[6]

The official video, directed by Andreas Nilsson, was nominated for Best Indie/Alternative at the 2009 UK Music Video Awards.[7][8]

Critical reception

The single received universal acclaim from various music critics. Daily Music Guide likened the track to scenes from a film Jim Jarmusch would make, as well as to the Francis Ford Coppola film Apocalypse Now (1979). Their review went on to describe the song as "dark and hypnotic", and "[taking] an echo of a Native American cry, but still [...] maintaining the song's dark undertone."[9] Mark Pytlik of Pitchfork Media reviewed it as "a shivering, timely meditation on greed, immorality, and lust for power that dovetails nicely with AIG and Madoff."[10] Anthony Balderrama from Consequence of Sound positively opined that "the most notable quality of 'If I Had a Heart' is its similarity to some of the quieter tracks on Silent Shout, particularly 'From Off to On'", whilst describing it as "a four-minute dirge that bemoans inadequacy as much as it professes love."[11] PopMatters's Ian Mathers ranked "If I Had a Heart" among Ray's best work, boasting it as "[marrying her] more introspective side with something like the withdrawn inverse of Silent Shout's low, twinkling throb."[12] Graeme Thomson of The Observer labelled the track as an "ancient shamanic chant piped through an iPhone."[13]

In October 2011, NME placed it at number 145 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[14]

Track listings

iTunes EP
  1. "If I Had a Heart" – 3:48
  2. "If I Had a Heart" (Familjen Remix) – 3:54
  3. "If I Had a Heart" (Fuck Buttons Remix) – 8:26
  • Swedish promo CD single
  1. "If I Had a Heart" – 3:50
  • Swedish 12" single
A. "If I Had a Heart" (Fuck Buttons Remix) – 8:26
B. "If I Had a Heart" (Familjen Remix) – 3:54
  • UK 7" single
A. "If I Had a Heart" (Original Version) – 3:50
B. "If I Had a Heart" (Fuck Buttons Remix) – 8:26

Nominations

Year Category Genre Recording Result
UK Music Video Awards
2009 Best Indie/Alternative Music Video If I Had a Heart Nominated

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Belgium Back Catalogue Singles (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] 41

References

  1. ↑ "If I Had A Heart – Single by Fever Ray". UK iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  2. ↑ "If I Had a Heart – EP by Fever Ray". UK iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  3. ↑ "Fever Ray – If I Had A Heart at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  4. 1 2 "If I Had a Heart Remix News". feverray.com. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  5. ↑ "Fever Ray Biography". feverray.com. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  6. ↑ @feverray (17 January 2018). "it's an acoustic guitar i recorded, sampled and made a loop from" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ "If I Had a Heart" on YouTube
  8. ↑ "UK Music Video Awards 2009 - here are the nominations!". .promonews.tv. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  9. ↑ "Fever Ray – If I Had A Heart (Rabid Records)". Daily Music Guide. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  10. ↑ Pytlik, Mark (20 March 2009). "Fever Ray: Fever Ray". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  11. ↑ Balderrama, Anthony (20 January 2009). "Album Review: Fever Ray – Fever Ray". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  12. ↑ Mathers, Ian (26 March 2009). "Fever Ray: Fever Ray". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  13. ↑ Thomson, Graeme (15 March 2009). "Electronic review: Fever Ray, Fever Ray". The Observer. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  14. ↑ "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". NME.COM.
  15. ↑ "Fever Ray – If I Had a Heart". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
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