Rós Glósóli recruits children

Sigur Rós, Icelandic music group, put their 2005 song, ‘Glósóli’ into music video form with the help of fellow Icelanders Stefán Arni & Siggi Kinski. When I first heard the title, Glósóli, I immediately thought of the word, “glossolalia”, a word meaning ‘speaking in tongues’. But this is Icelandic, pronounced “glow-soul-ih”, meaning Glowing Sun. The video begins with a drummer boy sitting by the water considering his next course of action, his heavy shoes tapping to the subtle beat. He walks up through the Icelandic hills, gathering followers in ones and twos. First is a young woman wearing a bear mask with her friend or sister. Next a solitary boy sitting by hot springs, a young blonde girl, a boy and a girl who kiss in the grass, a child skipping under the watchful eye of another. Two boys, about to torch an abandoned car, pick up the call to follow.

Sigur Ros Glosoli Drummer Boy

The pilgrim band crosses a road, attracting two people making a cairn. They come across a sleeping child and lie down next to him in the rocks for the night. As the day breaks the band of children walk again, coming to within sight of a huge natural ramp. They wait as the drummer beats his drum. At last they charge up the hill. It becomes evident that the hill leads to a cliff overlooking the ocean. The children tumble into the air, flying in ‘Peter Pan’ style over the rocks below. However one boy, the youngest and last to join the group, has lagged behind. He hesitates at the edge of the cliff before jumping over the edge. What’s not clear at the end is whether or not the boy recovers his flight and joins his comrades. We see his face close up and he is certainly thrilled by his experience. We’re left up in the air as the camera swings to the horizon ahead.

Click on the image below to play the Glósóli music video.

Credits

Arni & Kinski originally worked with the Reykjavik creative collective GusGus. They directed Glosoli through HSI film production company Exposure Films, with producer Nicola Doring, director of photography Chris Soos, and TrueNorth (local service) producer Rafnar Hermansson.

The spot was edited by Gareth McEwan at The Whitehouse Post. Telecine was done by Jasper Taylor at Condor Post.

Post production was done at Absolute Post, London, by VFX producer Lisa Vaughan, VFX supervisor / lead Flame artist Ben Robards, and combustion team Nathan Kane and Mark Epstein.
Glósóli is from Takk, the fourth album released by Sigur Rós with EMI Records on September 12 2005 and featured on its own micro site. The album was written, performed and produced by the band, along with co-producer Ken Thomas, at their studio in álafoss, Iceland. Sigur Rós were formed by Jónsi, Georg and the former drummer Agúst in 1994. They were later joined by Kjartan and when Agúst left the band after the recording of Agætis Byrjun in order to pursue a career in graphic design, he was replaced by Orri. The band consists of Jón Þór (Jónsi) Birgisson (vocals, guitars), Kjartan (Kjarri) Sveinsson (keyboards), Orri Páll Dýrason (drums) and Georg (Goggi) Holm (bass).

Lyrics for Glósóli

Nú vaknar þú
allt virðist vera breytt
ég gægist út
en er svo ekki neitt

úr-skóna finn svo
á náttfötum hún
í draumi fann svo
ég hékk á koðnun?

með sólinni er hún O
og er hún, inni hér

en hvar ert þú….

legg upp í göngu
og tölti götuna
sé ekk(ert) út
og nota stjörnurnar
sit(ur) endalaust hún
og klifrar svo út.

glósóli-leg hún
komdu út

mig vaknar draum-haf
mitt hjartað, slá
úfið hár.

Sturlun við fjar-óð
sem skyldu-skrá.
og hér ert þú…
fannst mér…..
og hér ert þú
Glósóli…
og hér ert þú

English Translation for Glósóli

Glowing Sun (Bright Sun)
Now that you’re awake
Everything seems different
I look around
But there’s nothing at all

Put on my shoes,
I then find that
She is still in her pyjamas
Then found in a dream
I’m hung by (an) anticlimax

She is with the sun
And it’s out here

But where are you…
Go on a journey
And roam the streets
Can’t see the way out
And so use the stars
She sits for eternity
And then climbs out
She’s the glowing sun
So come out I awake from a nightmare
My heart is beating
Out of control…

I’ve become so used to this craziness
That it’s now compulsory
And here you are…
I’m feeling…
And here you are, Glowing sun…
And here you are, Glowing sun…
And here you are, Glowing sun…
And here you are…

4 Replies to “Rós Glósóli recruits children”

  1. I’ve been looking for this translation for months!
    If you have translated other songs please post them.
    Thank you!

  2. Just thnxs for the Lyrics, for the translation and for the info on the video.

    Brilliant lyrics, great song, awesome video.

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