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'.
Lynn's Theme
Ólafur Arnalds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's only we've lost everything that we're free to do anything...
It's only we've lost everything that we're free to do anything...
It's only we've lost everything that we're free to do anything...
The repetition of the phrase "It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything" in Ólafur Arnalds's song Lynn's Theme reflects the idea of hitting rock bottom as a necessary step towards liberation. The lyrics suggest that true freedom can only be achieved by letting go of all material possessions and worldly attachments, which ultimately hold us back from living a fulfilling life. The repetition of the phrase could also signify a constant reminder to the listener to keep pressing on despite inevitable setbacks and losses.
Furthermore, the lyrics can be interpreted as a form of self-reflection, encouraging the listener to let go of their own personal baggage in order to find true inner peace and liberation. By acknowledging and embracing loss, one can gain the freedom to pursue their passions and inner desires without fear of failure or judgment.
Overall, "Lynn's Theme" offers a poignant reminder that true freedom comes not from acquiring more, but from letting go and learning to live with what one truly needs.
Line by Line Meaning
It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything...
We can only truly be free when we have nothing left to lose.
It's only we've lost everything that we're free to do anything...
When we have lost everything, we have nothing to hold us back from pursuing our dreams.
It's only we've lost everything that we're free to do anything...
Losing everything can be a blessing in disguise, as it can liberate us from our old limitations.
It's only we've lost everything that we're free to do anything...
The loss of material possessions can create new opportunities and possibilities for growth and change.
Writer(s): Olafur Arnalds
Contributed by Matthew O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SanteePrincess
This music let me find a part of me I didn't know about...
shadowman
I always listen this and always give me a really dark and deep story
Shareon Rivas
WOW just popped into my head very beautiful
LovelyBullet
Masterpiece
Yasin
Amazing 🖤
Saloomeh Kermani
I'm crying and remember a part of my soul that I forgot
Julia Silverstone
Crying is important for the soul ... This part of your soul, which you have almost forgotten, is important because "forgetting" is no solution. I only know this because I have already experienced a lot of bad, sad and very painful things in my life. This song also brings various painful memories from my childhood and the recent past to the surface of my life ... I also had to cry by the song and some almost forgotten memories. In addition, i recently lost my brother and since then my whole life has come out of joint. Everything, very simply everything has fallen together like a house of cards. I completely removed and isolated me from every person, every event and social life... The whole situation is very complicated. I got seriously ill, so sick that I am only a shadow of myself. But I am glad that I can cry again ... and it is good for my soul ... like a valve that drains the pressure. Because of the Iranian film "Beyond the Wall (2022)" I came to this song on YouTube.
I love almost everything that has to do with Iran. My very best friend is an Iranian, we known each other since the first school class, since 1984 and are still the very best friends, true deep friendship ... Over the years of my childhood, I spent so much time with and in their family that it became my family.... and you rarely find something like that ... His mother is my mother "Mamijan" and his uncle is my uncle "Amu". One of the greatest gifts of God I received. A German phrase says that God's apology for your own family, are "friends"! Although they are actually my family (all my biological family members apart from my biological mother have died – my father, my brother, etc.) I love almost everything about Iran, like the language, the essence of people, the unimaginably rich culture and history, landscape and art, the food, the women, etc., etc., etc. ... as well as the razor -sharp mind of Iranians ... incredible educated and awesome people! Except for politics and "in part" the very extreme religious views in the network with dogma/ laws/ prison ect .... It is my favorite country on earth! My best friend belongs to the Bahai religion :-), a very pleasant religious and unfortunately persecuted minority (equality of women, friendship of religions, etc.). After reading the Holy Scripture of this religion (in German), the Kitab al-Aqdas (Book of Light) by Bahāʾullāh, I found that this religious minority represents very interesting views ... Great people!
I would love to learn the language, this has been one of my dreams for a long time but I always had so much to do and now... now i'm so sick that I don't even make it through the day. Do not understand me wrong, I'm not stupid or uneducated ... I have a high-school degree, had studied "Educational Sciences" Diplom and worked all my life. I worked and taught at a technical academy until 2019. Then I switched to a federal treaty, to the "Federal Employment Agency – Bundesagentur für Arbeit" and have become a job agent. Well and through the illness I am now unemployed for the first time in my life ... since 3 months. Actually, i'm at the lowest point in my life so far, somehow I have almost no will to live anymore. The disease and last events of recent years have brought traumatic experiences from my childhood to the surface.
On your YouTube-channel I saw how hard you learn the German language, that´s remarkable. I wish I had the will and motivation to learn the Persian language, but at the moment I don't see any sense in anything. I don't know you at all and I also don't know if you read all of this here but it did well to write this from my soul ... I am convinced that "God" wanted me to write you all of this ... I don't have another explanation for this either :-) Excuse Saloomeh because of my bad English, I'm a little out of practice.
Best and Kind Regards
Sebastian
marry Dehghan
this music help me find my died mom🖤🕊her beautiful soul🍀✨
Antonella Ferrarini
Tristezza divina ❤️❤️❤️
Z Re
Wooow❤❤