Born and raised in Reykjavík, Björk began her music career at the age of 11 and gained international recognition as the lead singer of the alternative rock band the Sugarcubes, by the age of 21. After the Sugarcubes disbanded in 1992, Björk began a solo career. She came to prominence with albums such as Debut (1993), Post (1995), and Homogenic (1997), collaborating with a range of artists and exploring a variety of multimedia projects. Her other albums include Vespertine (2001), Medúlla (2004), Volta (2007), Biophilia (2011), Vulnicura (2015), Utopia (2017) and Fossora (2022).
Several of Björk's albums have reached the top 20 on the US Billboard 200 chart. As of 2015, she had sold more than 20 million records worldwide. Thirty-one of her singles have reached the top 40 on pop charts around the world, with 22 top-40 hits in the UK, including the top-10 singles "It's Oh So Quiet", "Army of Me", and "Hyperballad" and the top-20 singles "Play Dead", "Big Time Sensuality", and "Violently Happy". Her accolades and awards include the Order of the Falcon, five BRIT Awards, and 16 Grammy nominations. In 2015, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Rolling Stone named her the 60th greatest singer and the 81st greatest songwriter.
Björk starred in the 2000 Lars von Trier film Dancer in the Dark, for which she won the Best Actress Award at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "I've Seen It All". Biophilia was marketed as an interactive app album with its own education program. Björk has also been an advocate for environmental causes in Iceland. A retrospective exhibition dedicated to Björk was held at the New York Museum of Modern Art in 2015.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Björk
Studio albums
Debut (1993)
Post (1995)
Homogenic (1997)
Vespertine (2001)
Medúlla (2004)
Volta (2007)
Biophilia (2011)
Vulnicura (2015)
Utopia (2017)
Fossora (2022)
Jólasveinar
Björk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
meá° gylltan staf á hendi
móá°ir á¾eirra sópar gólf
og flengir á¾á¡ meá° vendi
upp á¡ stól stendur mán kanna
náu nóttum fyrir jól
upp á¡ stól stendur mán kanna
náu nóttum fyrir jól
á¾á¡ kem ég til manna
In Björk's song Jólasveinar, which means "Christmas Lads" in English, the lyrics describe the arrival of these mythical figures at someone's home. The "Christmas Lads" are said to be mischievous Icelandic elves who visit children's homes each night during the 13 days leading up to Christmas, leaving a small gift or trinket for well-behaved children or a potato for misbehaving ones. In the first verse, the lads are walking around on the floor with a golden staff in hand, while their mother sweeps the floor and shakes out any dirt that they may have left behind.
In the second verse, the lads are standing on a chair, trying to get a glimpse of what is going on outside during the long, dark Icelandic winter nights. They are watching for signs of Christmas and eagerly anticipating the festivities that will soon arrive. The lyrics also suggest that the singer of the song is waiting for the Christmas Lads to visit her home, eagerly anticipating their arrival and the magical feeling they bring.
Overall, the song captures the whimsical and mysterious nature of the "Christmas Lads" in Icelandic folklore, and the longing and goodwill that this holiday season often brings.
Line by Line Meaning
Jólasveinar gang'um gólf
Let us walk on the floor Jonasveinar
meá° gylltan staf á hendi
with a shiny staff in our hand
móá°ir á¾eirra sópar gólf
Their mother sweeps the floor
og flengir á¾á¡ meá° vendi
and thrashes there with a stick
upp á¡ stól stendur mán kanna
On a chair stands a teapot
náu nóttum fyrir jól
There are only a few nights before Christmas
á¾á¡ kem ég til manna
I come there to people
upp á¡ stól stendur mán kanna
On a chair stands a teapot
náu nóttum fyrir jól
There are only a few nights before Christmas
á¾á¡ kem ég til manna
I come there to people
Contributed by Ava J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.