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'.
So Close feat. Arnor Dan
Ólafur Arnalds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So close
Shadows and lies mask you from me
So close
Bathe my skin, the darkness within
So close
The war of our lives no one can win
So close
Please clear the anguish from my mind
So close
But when truth of you comes clear
So close
I wish my life had never come here
So close
Through dark and light I fight to be
So close
Shadows and lies mask you from me
The lyrics to Ólafur Arnalds's song So Close feat. Arnor Dan paint a vivid picture of the internal struggle of being near to someone while feeling distant and disconnected from them. The song highlights an intense yearning to remove the barriers that prevent connection, even as the possibility of pain looms.
The first verse, "Through dark and light I fight to be, so close / Shadows and lies mask you from me, so close," refers to the struggle to break through the barriers that keep the singer and their loved one separated. It's a fight to remove the facades and illusions that prevent a true connection. The second verse, "The missing piece I yearn to find, so close / Please clear the anguish from my mind, so close," represents the search for something that is missing yet close at hand - the missing piece that would bring completion and clarity to the singer's mind. The third verse, "But when truth of you comes clear, so close / I wish my life had never come here, so close," reveals the fear that sometimes lies beneath the yearning for connection - the fear that the truth might be difficult to bear and lead to regret.
Overall, the song is an exploration of the emotional terrain of being so close, yet so far away. It is a powerful expression of the human desire for intimacy, even in the face of potential pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Through dark and light I fight to be
Despite the hardships, I will persevere to reach my goal of being close to you.
So close
The proximity to you is the ultimate goal.
Shadows and lies mask you from me
Distractions such as deceit and obscurity prevent me from reaching you.
So close
The feeling of nearing success.
Bathe my skin, the darkness within
I immerse myself in my own struggles and turmoil.
So close
The victory is near.
The war of our lives no one can win
No one can truly win in the battle of life.
The missing piece I yearn to find
You are the missing piece of my life that I deeply desire.
So close
I am almost there.
Please clear the anguish from my mind
I ask you to help me find peace amidst my struggles.
So close
The finish line is within reach.
But when truth of you comes clear
Once I discover the truth about you.
So close
I am so close to understanding everything.
I wish my life had never come here
I regret that my path has led me to where I am currently.
So close
I am devastated by how near I was to achieving my goal but failed.
Contributed by Evan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@luciesikorova4829
Through dark and light I fight to be
So close
Shadows and lies mask you from me
So close
Bath my skin, the darkness within
So close
The war of our lives no one can win
The missing piece I yearn to find
So close
Please clear the anguish from my mind
So close
But when truth of you comes clear
So close
I wish my life had never come here
So close
Through dark and light I fight to be
So close
Shadows and lies mask you from me
@charleserz4049
"So Close" Lyrics, ÓLafur Arnalds.
Through dark and light I fight to be
So close
Shadows and lies mask you from me
So close
Bathe my skin, the darkness within
So close
The war of our lives no one can win.
The missing piece I yearn to find
So close
Please clear the anguish from my mind
So close
But when the truth of you comes clear
So close
I wish my life I'd never come near here
So close
Through dark and light I fight to be
So close
Shadows and lies mask you from me.
@sophiefilo16
This is one of those songs you never forget. Even if years pass and you don't remember a single lyric, you can still have it stuck in your head and be able to recognize it instantly...
@Unknownuser88888
True!🖤
@emilyg8409
100000%
@AmourEtLumiere
Fell madly in love with this song from the first episode of Broadchurch. Gives me amazing chills. <3
@nicolamaddox4676
same :)
@ashsukumar7132
same here :-)
@AmourEtLumiere
Damn almost 100 likes and almost don't remember commenting this! This song helped me through a lot of depression❤
@elisabetemariadasilva798
Me too :) and still love it !!!
@VivaEgypt2030
🌹❤🥰
@AyazKhan-ue5gu
Every time I listen to this I get some flash back in my past , getting emotional,feeling alone and