Jóhann released solo albums from 2002 onward. In 2016, he signed with Deutsche Grammophon, through which he released his last solo album, Orphée. Some of his works in film include the original scores for Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival, and James Marsh's The Theory of Everything. Jóhann was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for both The Theory of Everything and Sicario, and won a Golden Globe for Best Original Score for the former. He was a music and sound consultant on Mother!, directed by Darren Aronofsky in 2017. His scores for Mary Magdalene and Mandy were released posthumously; he passed away in Berlin, Germany in 2018.
Jóhann was born on 19 September 1969 in Reykjavík, Iceland to Jóhann Gunnarsson and Edda Thorkelsdóttir. He learned piano and trombone from age 11, but had given them up by the time he went on to study languages and literature at the University of Iceland. Jóhann started his musical career in the late 1980s in the proto-shoegaze influenced band Daisy Hill Puppy Farm who released a couple of EPs which were played by British DJ John Peel and received a fan letter from Steve Albini. He went on to work as a guitarist and producer playing in Icelandic indie rock bands, like Olympia, Unun and Ham. In 1999, Jóhann co-founded Kitchen Motors; a think tank, art organisation and music label that encouraged interdisciplinary collaborations between artists from punk, jazz, classical, metal and electronic music. His own sound arose out of these musical experimentations.
Odi et Amo
Jóhann Jóhannsson Lyrics
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Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
(I hate and I love. Perhaps you ask why I do this?
I do not know, but I feel it happen and I am torn apart.)
Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris?
Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
(I hate and I love. Perhaps you ask why I do this?
I do not know, but I feel it happen and I am torn apart.)
The lyrics of Jóhann Jóhannsson's song "Odi et Amo" express the confusion and intense emotions one experiences while being torn between love and hate. The repeated lines "Odi et amo" (I hate and I love) demonstrate the complexity of these opposing feelings, leaving the listener to wonder why such intense, conflicting emotions are present in the singer. The lyrics also present a rhetorical question: "Perhaps you ask why I do this?", highlighting the singer's own confusion as to why they are experiencing these emotions.
The second stanza echoes the first, emphasizing the strength of these feelings that are causing the singer to feel "excrucior" (torn apart). The use of Latin in the lyrics further adds to the intensity and introspection of the song, as it is a language often associated with academia and deep philosophical musings.
Overall, Jóhannsson's "Odi et Amo" powerfully captures the inner turmoil of being in a love-hate relationship and the struggle to make sense of such complex and contradictory emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris?
I both hate and love. Maybe you're wondering why I do this?
Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
I don't know, but I can feel it happening and it's agonizing.
Writer(s): Johann Johannsson
Contributed by Claire R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.