Starting out as drummer for several hardcore/metal bands, Ólafur was asked to write instrumental intros and outros for the album "Antigone" of German metal band Heaven Shall Burn. This led to more work in the field of neo-classical strings and piano based music, and ultimately to the release of Eulogy for Evolution and the beginning of Ólafur's partnership with Berlin based label Erased Tapes. In 2008 he embarked on a tour with fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós.
In 2009 he started a week-long project of composing one track by day, making it immediately available online to his fans. The collection was later officially released under the title Found Songs. He repeated the same experiment in 2011 under the title Living Room Songs. Also in 2009 the ballet Dyad 1909 premiered with a score composed by Ólafur. Choreographed by Wayne McGregor and performed by Wayne McGregor Random Dance, the ballet was inspired by Ernest Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole in 1909. That year he also started Kiasmos, together with Janus Rasmussen. Kiasmos is a minimal techno based project. Their self titled debut album was released in 2014, preceded by the Thrown EP.
In April 2010 Ólafur released his second full-length album entitled ...And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness, which was backed up with an extensive tour, including his first trip to China.
His third album, and the first to be released under his new partnership with Universal Music's Mercury Classics imprint, is titled For Now I Am Winter and planned for international release in February 2013. Expanding on his previous work the new album features a full orchestra and – for the first time – introduces vocals to his soundworld. Icelandic singer Arnór Dan is to be heard on four tracks of the album.
More recently Ólafur has been venturing into the world of films, writing his first Hollywood film score to Another Happy Day. He also had music in the hit film The Hunger Games and has been featured several times on popular American television show So You Think You Can Dance. For 2013 his scores include the music to the ITV thriller series Broadchurch, starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman, as well as to the film Gimme Shelter, directed by Ron Krauss and starring Vanessa Hudgens and Brendan Fraser.
In 2014 Arnalds won the prestigious BAFTA Television Craft Award for his score to the BBC's hit detective series 'Broadchurch'.
For Now I Am Winter
Ólafur Arnalds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lungs debut...
The lyrics of "For Now I Am Winter" by Ólafur Arnalds describe the feeling of isolation and loneliness that comes with the metaphorical winter season. The opening line, "For now I am winter," suggests that the singer is embodying this season, which is often associated with death and darkness. The line "Lungs debut" can be interpreted in a couple of ways. It could be a description of the first breaths of winter air, or a reference to the beginning of the singer's life as a metaphorical embodiment of winter.
The following lyrics explore the singer's feelings of numbness and detachment from the world around them. The lines "I'm cold to the touch / But strangely warm" suggest a paradoxical sense of being simultaneously isolated and surrounded by warmth, perhaps through memories or fantasies. The lines "A child of the frost / But my heart is fire" further emphasize the dichotomy between cold and warmth, youth and age.
Overall, "For Now I Am Winter" is a poignant exploration of the emotions that come with the winter season. Through poetic language and beautiful melodies, Ólafur Arnalds captures the bittersweet beauty of a time of year that can be both beautiful and difficult.
Line by Line Meaning
For now I am winter
At this moment, I embody the characteristics of the cold, dark winter season which symbolizes a time of hibernation, reflection, and regeneration.
Lungs debut freezing
My breath is visible in the frigid air as I inhale and exhale, and the sensation of the biting cold causes my lungs to feel constricted and numb.
Contributed by Camilla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Linnie0424
we played this song at my grandfathers funeral. Such a moving and amazingly beautiful song. it really touches my heart everytime I listen to it.
@lysdexicadyslexica7270
Armor Dan is also such pure genius, what a vocalist. There’s just something about Icelandic music I cannot explain, except to say I can’t get enough.
@xKamiiii
Ikr!?!?
@alexandrapirvu7945
This is beautifully sad, and tragically hopeful. It reminds me that, in the pit of each despair, there's still a bit of hope for better days. Just as plants survive under winter's harshness, only to emerge stronger in the spring.
@ShinGodzillaJAY
Terror in Resonance has lead me down this path... This oh-so-lonely, soulful path along which I lay my trail of tears.
@LucyLawlessRawks
A song so simple, yet so complex. I never get tired of hearing this song. It's so peaceful and soothing.
@lodella8290
Commenting to remind you of a song you love 💙
@not.enoughto.go.around6176
A song can make us sad, energetic, nostalgic. Feelings are a driving force of life. When we feel we know we are alive.
@gracie99999
I thought my uncle said idk
@lilliel1744
I m doing a contemporary/ballet dance to this song and it is the best song anyone could hope to dance to! 😊