Jón Þór Birgisson (Jónsi), Georg Hólm, and Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson formed the group in Reykjavík, Iceland in August 1994. They soon won a record deal with a local record label, Smekkleysa (Bad Taste). In 1997, they released Von (Hope) and in 1998, released a remix collection named Von brigði. The name is Icelandic wordplay: Vonbrigði means "disappointment," but Von brigði means "hope alteration." (In English, the album is sometimes known by the alternative name "Recycle Bin.")
International acclaim came with 1999's Ágætis Byrjun ("An alright start"), for which the band were joined by Kjartan Sveinsson. The album's reputation slowly spread by word of mouth over the next two years. Soon, many critics worldwide hailed it as one of the best albums of its time, and the band was playing with Radiohead and other big names. Drummer Ágúst left the band after the recording of Ágætis Byrjun and was replaced by Orri Páll Dýrason.
After the release of Ágætis Byrjun, the band became perhaps most well known for Birgisson's signature style of playing guitar with the bow from a cello, accentuated with reverb, creating a sweeping, fluid sound that is unique for an electric guitar.
In early 2001, Sigur Rós set out to record some songs in their newly-completed álafoss swimming pool studio with their friend Steindór Andersen who is a fisherman and chairman of the Icelandic poetry society, Iðunn. Steindór is a chanter/singer of the traditional Icelandic epic poetry form, called "rímur," for which the band named their next EP, Rímur. Only 1000 copies of the EP were printed and sold in the spring tour of 2001.
In 2002, their highly anticipated follow-up album ( ) was released. Upon release, all tracks on the album were untitled, though the band later published song names on their website. Famously, all of the lyrics on ( ) are sung in vonlenska ("Hopelandic"), nonsensical vocalizations that resemble the sound of the Icelandic language. It has also been said that the listener is supposed to interpret their own meanings of the lyrics, which can then be written in the blank pages in the album booklet.
In October of 2003, Sigur Rós joined Radiohead in composing music for Merce Cunningham's dance piece Split Sides; Sigur Rós’s three tracks were named "Ba Ba," "Ti Ki," and "Di Do" and released in March of 2004 on an EP titled Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do The three songs are separate tracks, but the band intended that all three be played at the same time to form one single song. The band's 1997 debut album Von also finally found a United States and United Kingdom release in October of 2004. Their latest full-length album, Takk... (Thanks...), was released on September 13, 2005, with a free legal download of their first single, "Glósóli," made available on August 15. For North American fans, "Sæglópur" was made available for download on August 16."Hoppípolla," the second official single from Takk..., was released on November 28 alongside a new studio remake of "Hafsól," a song which was previously released on the band's 1997 debut, Von.
Sæglópur EP was released on July 10 in most parts of the world and on August 8 in the United States. Its original release date was May 8, but because of the sudden demand of "Hoppípolla," especially in the UK due to its inclusion on BBC's "Planet Earth," it was pushed back from that date. Sigur Rós recorded three new songs for the EP: "Refur," "Ófriður," and "Kafari."
The Hvarf/Heim double album was released on November 5, 2007. Hvarf contains reworkings of songs dating back to the bands' first album, whereas Heim contains live acoustic versions of more well-known songs. The double album was an accompaniment to the film Heima. Heima is a documentary showing footage of the band's tour of Iceland, including live footage and interviews. The official web site is www.heimafilm.com.
Sigur Rós has sold over 2.5 million albums worldwide.
On June 23, 2008, they released Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust.
The single "Gobbledigook" was available for a free download on their website.
In January 2010, the band began a hiatus, and they are now working on new material. On August 11, 2011, the band's website showed a trailer for a project called Inni. A week later, the project was revealed to be a new live album and DVD, although the release date is currently unknown.
Sigur Rós'' sixth studio album, Valtari, was released on May 29, 2012 on Parlophone.
In January 2013, Kjartan Sveinsson left the band and was not replaced. Sigur Rós's first album following his departure was titled Kveikur and released in June 2013.
In 2014, the band made a guest appearance in the HBO show 'Game of Thrones,' performing The Rains of Castamere in the 2nd episode of the 4th season.
Websites
Both websites include discography, band trivia, song lyrics, and news: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk and http://www.sigurros.com.
Sigur 4
Sigur Rós Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ég er sæljón og fæ nóg
Ég er sæljón
Ég er sæljón og fæ lók
Ég er sæljón
Ég er sæljón og fæ ljóð
Ég er sæljón
Ég er stór
Ég er sæljón og fæ lón
Ég er sæljón
Ég er sæljón og fæ ló
Ég er sylon
Ég er sylon
Ég er sylon
Ég er sylon nofylon
Ég sór
Ég sór
Ég sór
Ég sylo með
Ég svar
Ég sór
Ég sæljón nóg
Ég þó
Ég þó
Ég þó
Ég sæljón
Hugur lokast mér
Ég sór
Ég sæljón ó
Jú só
Ég sór
Jú ég lofa
Ég sold
The lyrics mentioned above are from the song "Sigur 4" by Sigur Rós, an Icelandic post-rock band. The song is a hypnotic and ethereal track composed mostly of layered guitars and falsetto vocals. The lyrics, however, are in a made-up language called "Hopelandic." The language appears on many of Sigur Rós's songs and does not have a particular meaning or translation, as it is completely made up by the vocalist Jón Þór Birgisson.
The song, "Sigur 4", is a rhythmic and haunting song that is known for its mesmerizing melody and captivating lyrics. The lyrics, even though they are not in a particular language, still manage to convey a sense of emotion and meaning. The repetition of the phrase "Ég er sæljón" throughout the song, which translates to "I am a happy seal," adds to the dreamlike quality of the track. The song's soothing melody and the dreamy feel of the lyrics create a sense of calmness and radiate positivity.
Line by Line Meaning
Ég er sæljón
I am a happy seal
Ég er sæljón og fæ nóg
I am a happy seal and get enough
Ég er sæljón og fæ lók
I am a happy seal and get hidden
Ég er sæljón og fæ ljóð
I am a happy seal and get poetry
Ég er sæljón og fæ lón
I am a happy seal and get shelters
Ég er sæljón og fæ ló
I am a happy seal and get calmness
Ég er sylon
I am a seal
Ég er sylon nofylon
I am a seal, nothing but a seal
Ég sór
I sing
Ég sylo með
I hum along
Ég svar
I answer
Ég sór
I sing
Ég sæljón nóg
I am a happy seal, enough
Ég þó
However, I
Ég sæljón
I am a happy seal
Hugur lokast mér
My mind closes
Ég sór
I sing
Ég sæljón ó
I am a happy seal, not enough
Jú só
Yes, only
Ég sór
I sing
Jú ég lofa
Yes, I promise
Ég sold
I am sold
Writer(s): Kjartan Sveinsson, Orri Pall Dyrason, Jon Thor Birgisson, Georg Holm Copyright: Universal Music Publishing Ltd.
Contributed by Kaelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jamesturner6476
In this song he is referring to Nordic Mythology about the "light traveler"
the lyrics are:
Essil on
Essil on erifet al
Essil on
Essil on eriftel al
Essil on
(I travelled through light)
(I travelled through light; I am not afraid)
(In this lake of souls)
(In this lake of souls, I lose all fear)
@dr.s.choudhury8089
"I will see you in another life when we are both cats!" ❤
@Solidsteakx
That line always cracks me up.
@FalastronaAgridoce
I always stay thinking: why cats? Because they have nine lives? 🤔 (I rewatched recently )
@Solidsteakx
@@FalastronaAgridoce naw bc Tom cruise
@blessedone_77
I am in. 💜😻
@psykoaddict
Omg I was exactly thinking about that movie to one of my favorite movies
@nukec
every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around
@karlgerhardt1655
+Amel Salibasic holy shit... is that the lyrics or your beautiful wisdom in the moment
@Sunnyflowah
+Karl Gerhardt watch the movie "vanilla sky" and you will understand everything
@Airakobra
That same epic moment brought me here