Retro Stefson is an Icelandic alternative/pop-band formed in 2006 in Reykja… Read Full Bio ↴Retro Stefson is an Icelandic alternative/pop-band formed in 2006 in Reykjavík. The band consists of Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson (lead vocals and guitar), Þórður Jörundsson (guitar), Logi Pedro Stefánsson (bass guitar), Jon Ingvi Seljeseth (keyboards), Þorbjörg Roach Gunnarsdóttir (synthesizer), Haraldur Ari Stefánsson (backing vocals and percussions) and Gylfi Sigurðsson (drums). The band is signed to Vertigo-Berlin/Universal.
Retro Stefson have been named one of the most prominent Icelandic bands to emerge in the 21st century. Retro Stefson released their debut album Montaña exclusively in Iceland in October 2008 and their sophomore album, Kimbabwe, in October 2010 on Kimi Records. The album also became their European debut in May 2011 on the German subsidiary of Vertigo Records.

Glow
Retro Stefson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Green collar crime
for my late night obsession
And if I jump off a violet time
i might land in depression

AmGreen, gold. Let it all glow
Let them Emall know red, gold ruins all let it all
AmGreen, gold. Let it all glow

Let them Emall know red, gold ruins all
let it all

EmGold, (gold) ethanol, (oh)
for my greed and liquor complexion (oh)
And when I've drank everything that I own (that I own)
You'll see this wine is my magnetic attraction

EmRed, (red) passionate (oh - oh)
for my "You could be the one" satisfaction
And if i die in the climax of choke (choke)
My witness god takes no action

Am They met in sun motion love
Em we meet in sun motion love
Am They met in sun motion love
Em we meet in sun motion love

Am Sister, I'm a Silverback.
If you are eager, could we
Em if you have had it should we
move on on and drink to many
AmSeparate late,
stay up in this jungle with me
Em And when the sun comes up
we let it all, let it all AmGlow...
Let it all EmGlow,
Let it all AmGlow Let it all EmGlow
Let it all AmGlow Let it all EmGlow
Let it all AmGlow Let it all EmGlow
Let it all AmGlow

AmGreen, gold. Let it all glow
Let them Emall know red, gold ruins all let it all
AmGreen, gold. Let it all glow
Let them Emall know red, gold ruins all let it all

AmGreen, gold. Let it all glow
Let them Emall know red, gold ruins all let it all

AmGreen, gold. Let it all glow
Let them Emall know red, gold ruins all let it all

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Glow" by Retro Stefson revolve around a series of contrasting emotions and themes. The song begins with the mention of "green collar crime," a reference to environmental offenses that often go unnoticed. The lyricist confesses to being obsessed with these issues, indicating a sense of guilt or preoccupation with the negative impact of their actions. The following line, "if I jump off a violet time, I might land in depression," further highlights the precarious state of mind of the singer. The use of color symbolism throughout the song is notable, with each color representing a different emotion or theme.

The chorus of the song is an exhortation to "let it all glow," regardless of the negative consequences. The repetition of the phrase "green, gold" and "red, gold" foregrounds the contradiction between the desire to do good and the pursuit of immediate pleasure. The lines "ethanol for my greed and liquor complexion" and "passionate for my 'you could be the one' satisfaction" further reflect the hedonistic tendencies of the singer.

The final verse of the song invokes a sense of camaraderie and shared experiences, with the lyricist calling on the listener to "stay up in this jungle with me" and "drink too many." The mention of a "Silverback" suggests a sense of strength and resilience, despite the challenges and contradictions presented in the rest of the song.

Overall, "Glow" by Retro Stefson is a complex and layered exploration of human desires and worries, with a strong focus on color symbolism and contrasting emotions.

Line by Line Meaning

Green collar crime for my late night obsession
I find myself indulging in shady activities at night out of a compulsion to satisfy my greed.

And if I jump off a violet time i might land in depression
I fear that if I take a wrong step in my pursuit of wealth, it may lead me to a state of despair.

Green, gold. Let it all glow Let them all know red, gold ruins all let it all
I want to flaunt my wealth and success, but also warn others that the pursuit of riches can be self-destructive.

Gold, ethanol, for my greed and liquor complexion And when I've drank everything that I own You'll see this wine is my magnetic attraction
I use alcohol as a means to fuel my addiction to wealth, and when I have nothing left, my attachment to alcohol only grows stronger.

Red, passionate for my "You could be the one" satisfaction And if i die in the climax of choke My witness god takes no action
I am driven by a desire to find love and fulfillment, but if I were to face death, I doubt if any divine intervention would take place.

They met in sun motion love we meet in sun motion love
While others may find love in the light of the sun, we find ourselves drawn to each other in the darkness.

Sister, I'm a Silverback. If you are eager, could we if you have had it should we move on on and drink to many Separate late, stay up in this jungle with me And when the sun comes up we let it all, let it all glow...
I am the alpha of the group, and I invite you to indulge in reckless behavior with me. Let's stay up late and enjoy the night as if we were in a jungle, and let our passion and desires shine in the light of day.

Green, gold. Let it all glow Let them all know red, gold ruins all let it all
Once again, I emphasize that while wealth might seem desirable, it can also ruin lives and lead to destruction.

Contributed by Alaina K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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Comments from YouTube:

@kenziebailey9142

7y↑16

This record is fantastic and helps enforce the fact that the Icelandic music scene is one of the best in the world right now.

@ah59396

10y↑2

These guys just KILLED IT at Airwaves...

@bisti1979

12y↑1

WSPANIAŁE. TYMBARK FTW !!!!

@PatrikPakard

4y↑7

Those artists deserve much more success and views. Far away better than so many things. Anyway, Iceland is a place where you can find crazy number of talented musicians. Only 364 300 people live there.

@makasa34

11y↑4

Absolutely love this song! I listen to it when ever I need some energy or to get back in a good mood :)

@Thekimmienums

11y↑3

I've been waiting to buy this album since the song came out. FINALLY IT IS TIME

@TheodorMarTV

12y↑2

SNILLD! Frábærlega gert myndband og ekki síður lagið, cinematography-ið flott, gæðin og allt :D dreymi um að fá að leikstýra svona music video einhverntímann :)

@guttyxx

11y↑2

It can be hard finding good music. In Iceland there are so many bands that are unsigned that it is actually amazing how manu musicians still keep going despite how hard it is. If you are into rock, punk and metal I suggest you check out Brain Police, HAM (Musculus is a great song to start your HAM listening), Skálmöld (A viking metal band), Egó, Utangarðsmenn, Innvortis, Morðingjarnir, S.H. Draumur and Sólstafir. You should also check out the Trúbrot, Valdimar, Agent Fresco, Vicky and more...

@icassis2011

11y↑2

A wonderful videoclip ... reminding me to the exciting concert in Reykjavík last year ! Thanks to Stígur Stefánsson for informing me :-)

@guttyxx

11y↑1

Þá hefurðu mjög áhugaverðan dansfíling. Latin takturinn í þessu lagi gerir mig alveg brjálaðan.

@mateivalex

11y↑1

you should see them in a concert, they are great :)

@thomaschartaud7852

11y↑1

From Spain : Very good job! Originally song, moder. A good band! And don't change the drummer! ;-)

@rifka72

12y↑1

Sjúklega flott lag, manni langar bara út á gólf að dilla sér um leið og maður heyrir það :)

@helenajesstarzak1408

9y↑18

This song is so catchy!!!

@adhiantos

11y↑4

My wish is to walk along the streets of Reykjavik with my headphones on listening to this song! Will definitely make it a reality :)

@SigrunGudjonsdottir

11y↑1

Æðislegt lag! Vona það verði heimsfrægt :-)

@TinyLittleSilver

11y↑1

Love! Was one of my favourite songs while in Iceland a couple months ago visiting my friend! Got so excited recognising heaps of places in your video. :D

@Ingi57

11y↑2

Why the hell isn't this song on top of the charts EVERYWHERE?

@agatheblues14

11y↑2

hi ! my coworker loves your song, now i do, then my husband does, now his friends as well...... keep doing what you do : your energy is contagious !!!!!! xoxo :) (PS : from Paris)

@ThePrettylove99

12y↑1

Ahh vá geet ekki hætt að hlusta á þetta lag! :)

@St1s

12y↑1

Laaaaaaaaaang besta lag sem hefur komið frá Retro, Big like

@KarenRei

11y↑8

Haha, you have no clue how many awesome bands there are here (BTW, Iceland's population right now is almost exactly 320k, not 340k like the parent said). I have music from ~150 awesome Icelandic bands, have heard probably nearly as many more, and at the rate I keep finding new ones, there must be that many more yet again. It makes absolutely no sense how there could be so much musical talent here, but I love it - tons of concerts! Agent Fresco and Nóra concert at Faktorý on Saturday, woo!

@flokikristjansson5479

11y↑1

Geðveigt dramatískt móment þegar hann misti ísinn! xD samt elska ég retro stefson :D

@ZakWebster

11y↑1

Can't wait for their new album to come out in the states.

@jenniferbrogan123

11y↑1

WHAT A TRACK! Need to listen to it at least once a day since I returned from Iceland: thanks Saeunn & Steini for the enlightenment! ;-DDD

@L33sLif3

3y↑1

This song was my childhood❤️😭🤚

@jarrbass2

11y↑1

great music... great video! love from Brazil. <3

@dakkarino

12y↑1

Hitti þá á hjólinu! SWAG

@NoePierre

12y↑1

Looks like you had fun doing it! And thanks because I had fun watching it! Retro Stefson ! Keep on rolling!!

@hirdomful

11y↑1

i want 2 say guys nice job love your song keep it coming :) good luck :P

@guttyxx

11y

And I'd like to take the time to point out my group of friends is almost entirely made up of musicians. We make up the bands StaleGrenade, Skerðing and Fjarstýrð Fluga. We are very little known, but we have a lot of music on the internet. You should look these bands up on facebook if you like them. We also have our music on other outlets than youtube. Furthermore, if you like these bands and even if you don't, please do forward them to people you know that might like them. Thank you :D

@georgmorgs7308

5y↑17

still BUMPING 2019

@katabatic222

11y

Good song and an unashamedly camp video... For a small country with a total population size equivalent to Wakefield (in England), Iceland is a hot spring of highly regarded artists (like Ólafur Arnalds, The Sugarcubes/Björk and these guys). And there are roughly 60 other past or present artists/bands listed in Wikipedia. I need to start going through the list....

@johann4429

11y

þetta er einn af bestu logum sem ég hef heirt. This is my one of my best song ever;D

@albertosshi

12y↑1

Brutal!!!!!!!!!! Me encanta <3

@romanomartincic7860

9y↑21

Holy shit these drums are amazing!!!!

@doddsalfa

12y

Ég var að vonast eftir einhverri snilld,frá þessu bandi

@brynjafinsen

11y

Frábært lag !!!!

@charlottewood1339

I visited Iceland and one of the locals recomended this song to me, I love Iceland and I love the music and I love the people.

@lijevasisa

I listened to your other songs and didnt quite get the vibe from them that i got from this masterpiece

@kristinarna3641

11y

Elska þetta lag!

@viii771

11y

respect to you!! you done a nice song get loved in it!

@Evabjorg99

11y

Geðveikt lag!! :)

@megashit97

11y

Elska þetta lag!!

@Bazuuka92

11y

This is so cooooool. Big love from Mexico!

@JohnnyBabas

11y

Ertu að tala um myndina af stelpunni? Ég vissi ekki einu sinni hver þetta væri. Greinilegt að Retro Stefson aðdáendur þekkja hana

@anothersickfrog

11y

Epic track.

@hirdomful

11y

my father let me hear your newest song from your album oasis and its a master briliant

@Mildewed

11y

Frábært lag og myndband

@TommiFA

11y

Geðveikt lag hjá ykkur keep going :)

@maami2941

4y↑1

Ciągle tu wracam.

@barrymore87

12y

this song is ace, cant get the new album in england though!! best bit is at 1.25 the lad on the back of the bike. "that i own"

@ThelmainTokyo

12y

Það er ekki hægt að vera þreyttur á þessu lagi.

@yasminewilson2762

11y

This is my favorite song !!

@totallydrab

9y↑5

this song is so fun! love these kids tbh

@Spraying_Mantis

Still bumping 2020!

@patrizioerre93

12y

One more reason to love Iceland <3

@rabbabari13

12y

Hvert eru þeir að hjóla? Þetta er mjög óskilvirk leið!

@monikamrkic9035

10y

so catchy <3 hope you come again in croatia:))

@Shorty3240

11y

Great Performance yesterday at the Beserlpark Festival in Austria!

@kristinbjornsdottir8536

11y

Glow like a boss!!

@ScandinavianToday

10y↑4

Very nice. I enjoyed meeting Retro Stefson in Boston!

@Bboystance187

11y

how the fuck does this video not have much views song is amazing

@farahmutiarakhairapoernama3979

8y↑6

Wow I miss this song so much. <3

@LordSpifi

10y↑30

Probably the best Icelandic band yet.

@jaylukesha8962

10y↑5

Of Monsters And Men ? You Don't Know About Em ?

@LordSpifi

10y↑25

I do, been to their concert in Iceland... I still stand by what I said.

@illasaurugur1

10y↑3

OMAM is overrated.

Given they have 3-4 good songs but that's it.

@officialpmp

10y↑2

Diego A. Arias Ofmetnasta band á landinu, Most overtated Icelandic band ever. There are tons of other bands that are way more original and talented

@LordSpifi

I disagree. I'm not saying it's not the most original. But it is quite different than your Icelandic standard band. Ofc, that's just my opinion and that's fine.

3 More Replies...

@katabatic222

11y

@guttyxx - Wow!! Thanks. That should keep me quiet for a while! Though my personal collection spans 80 years of many genre's in modern music from all over the planet, I truthfully can't say what I like until after I hear it! That said the Icelandic music scene is opening up a lot of new doors for me and I'm really enjoying the journey. So thanks again for taking so much trouble. I appreciate it very much. I'll certainly be visiting your band sites too (and of course I'll go from there).

@hestalensa8733

11y

Tekið á Íslandi! :D this is in Iceland! :D elska þetta lag :)

@dotcoma77

12y

Hvað varð um gítarrokkið? Allt of mikið popp. Vantar meiri salvatore fíling í þetta.

@Jimheibe

11y↑2

Thanks for incredible music! Where did u get that fab sweatshirt with the smiley from? <3

@catwoman4795

11y

Þetta er besta lag í heimi

@JohnnyBabas

11y

Mér finnst þetta allt í lagi bara svona í tölvunni heima en ég skil ekki hvernig hægt er að dansa við þetta

@obscurecamera24

8y↑6

When I get to Iceland Im buying this CD :)

@Barbariza

8y↑1

you should see the gig

@arnaror6582

11y

You can see four seasons in iceland in one day!!!!!

@123321gauri

11y

fáránlega flott video hjá ykkur !!

@frappedelimon4351

5y↑1

I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS SONG SINCE 2012 OMG

@klotzzz21

11y

Awesome!!

@katabatic222

11y

@KarenRei Some really helpful tips.Thank you very much! I live a little bit to the south east of your capital (about 1100 miles), but the band scene in Reykjavik, Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður etc must be amazing. Enjoy your music...

@CapticalZero

11y

bara misjafnt eftir fólki og tónlsitarsmekk meina það er fullt af lögum sem eg get ekki dansað við en fullt af folki getur það ég gæti hinsvegar dansað við þetta haha :D

@MartinAston00

33w

Really miss this crew…

@dani_umpi

49w

discazo!

@AngryYoudoodlerNo69

11y

Það þekkja allir þetta krípi.

@davideferrari9015

11y

very very good ....any gig planned in Milan?

@vikarmar

11y

Einn þessi sem datt allt hitt var gervi ís stóð í Fréttablaðinu.

@ebv87

12y

Heilalím og snilldar myndband :)

@vampirepops

11y

summer tune...

@okkcomputer

12y

excelent. cheers from argentina.

@takk78

10y↑5

for my "ucouldbetheone" satisfaction!! Great one

@TheStoribjorn

12y

(10 hour) gerð af viðlaginu

@katabatic222

11y

@ MrHloli -Thanks for pointing that out. My mistake. I used Wakefield Council's census data released on 16 July 2012. I just checked and discovered it is actually a census of the government district, a bigger area than just the city. That said, the district's resident population on census day was 325,800 people. My point (which I think is still valid) is that per capita, there are (or have been) a lot more bands in Iceland than I personally expected....

@gudrunbirtagunnarsd

11y

Gus Gus! You must try them, awesome band and their music is so hypnotic haha :)

@MasterMarketing1000

9y↑3

Im hooked on Glow ,-)

@guttyxx

11y

Sálin hans Jóns míns, Quarashi, Pollapönk (Punk songs made for children, this is gold), Of Monsters and Men, Nýdönsk, Momentum (black metal, if you're into that, just add iceland to your search. same goes for vicky), Mammút, Maus, Ampop, Ljótu Hálfvitarnir (A kind of skit band but good music), Lay Low, Land og Synir, Á Móti Sól, Kiriyama Family, Jón Jónsson, Jónas Sigurðsson, Jagúar (A funk band, so great), Hjaltalín, Hjálmar, Ferlegheit, Endless Dark, Dikta, Cosmic Call, 1860 and Búdrýgindi.

@williamong60

12y

S I N G A P O R E

@streetsurf194

12y

Hihih, oh you Icelandics :3 I love this stuff. Regards from Norway!

@katabatic222

11y

@KarenRei I just checked my "playlist" for Icelandic bands. So far I have "favourited" Ólafur Arnalds, Seabear, Sigur Rós, The Sugarcubes, Björk and Retro Stefson. I know! It's a poor effort... The other Icelandic artists I have heard of are the 60 or so listed by Wikipedia. I was about to start going through them, but If there are 90 more plus 150 not yet on your radar (gulp!), then I'm going to be busy! My first stop will be your channel. I really do know nothing....