Declare Independence
"Declare Independence" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic singer Björk. The track was released as the third single from her sixth full-length studio album, Volta. The single was released on 1 January 2008. Björk's dedication of the song to various independence causes at live performances of the song in Shanghai and Tokyo have caused controversy. Background "Declare Independence" was originally an instrumental track by British musician and frequent musical collaborator Mark Bell, performed at his live shows as early as November 2006. Björk later added her vocals and brass arrangement on top. The lyrics are dedicated to the Faroe Islands and Greenland, islands which currently are constituent nations within the Kingdom of Denmark, as Björk's home country of Iceland had been. "Declare Independence" was originally meant to be released as the second single from Volta in August 2007, but the previously-planned video shoot for "Declare Independence" with Michel Gondry in London was postponed due to Björk's busier than expected promotional schedule. The deadline for the music video contest for "Innocence", then slated as the third single, was then brought forward a month to 10 June 2007 so as to provide a finished video able to coincide with a