Motorcrash

Album: Life's Too Good (1988)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • According to Björk, the song is about a little girl who is out biking and sees "a motor crash, and no police has arrived yet, and there is a car with parents in the front and children in the back and they're all wounded. And she wants to help them - so it's a really nice song."

    The girl in the song then sneaks the mother in the motorcrash into her house and nurses the woman's wounds there. When the mother is healed, she and the girl disguise themselves and take a taxi to the woman's home. When the woman's husband opens the door, she and the girl pull off their disguises.

    "But the husband gets very angry," Björk explained, "and says, 'Where have you been all this time?' And then the song is over."
  • Lyrics about motorcrashes (or as Americans call them, car accidents), are not typically paired with jaunty music as heard here, but The Sugarcubes were not a typical band. The subject matter turned off some major record labels, including Polydor, which pulled plans to sign Sugarcubes because of the perceived offensiveness of "Motorcrash." Björk explained that labels' reactions were absurd because the song wasn't about anything mildly offensive.
  • The Icelandic director Óskar Jónasson was behind the lens for the video, which starred the band members as the characters described in the song. Their keyboard player, Magga Örnólfsdóttir, is the girl on the bike.

Comments: 1

  • Milkyblurwa from Washington State"The subject matter turned off some major record labels, including Polydor, which pulled plans to sign Sugarcubes because of the perceived offensiveness of "Motorcrash."
    Incredible. Even for 1988, this was beyond absurd.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Album Cover Inspirations

Album Cover InspirationsSong Writing

Some album art was at least "inspired" by others. A look at some very similar covers.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Weezer

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Eric Burdon

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.