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.
Vid Spilum Endalaust
Sigur Rós Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Í gegnum sól og malarryk
Við sáum öll svo margt
Já, heimsins ból og svart malbik
Við spiluðum
(hopelandic)
Við spiluðum
Við spiluðum
Dagur síungur líður
Já, endalausir og birtan
Reykur í augum svíður
Já, rifjast upp og núna man
Við spiluðum
(hopelandic)
Við spiluðum
(hopelandic)
Við spilum út um allt
Við sáum öll svo margt
Mátum allt allt upp á nýtt
Dagur síungur líður
Já, rifjast upp og núna man
Við spiluðum
(hopelandic)
Við spiluðum
(hopelandic)
Við spilum út um allt
(hopelandic)
Við spilum endalaust
Við spilum endalaust saman
Við spilum út um allt saman
Við syngjum öll saman
(hopelandic)
The lyrics of Sigur Rós's song Vid Spilum Endalaust speaks about a journey through life, where the singer is exploring the world and everything within it. The first stanza describes the beauty of the world, driving through the sun and the smoke, admiring the vastness of the universe while acknowledging both the light and the dark of it. The second stanza talks about the passing of time and the memories that come along with it. One day it's here, the next day it's gone, leaving nothing but the smoke in our eyes, but what remains is the remembrance of the experiences that shaped us. The song is all about exploring the world, living life, and never-ending musical sessions - a kind of endless utopia where everyone sings and plays forever.
Overall, the song delivers a universal message that encourages people to explore, live, and create. The lyrics do not follow any particular structure, but the repetition of the phrase "Við spiluðum" (which means "We played" in Icelandic) serves as a musical anchor for the piece. The middle section, in the Hopelandic language, further builds on a theme of endless musical expression, encouraging people to join in the endless jam.
Line by Line Meaning
Við keyrðum út um allt
We drove out everywhere
Í gegnum sól og malarryk
Through sun and dust
Við sáum öll svo margt
We saw so much
Já, heimsins ból og svart malbik
Yes, the world's pain and black paint
Við spiluðum
We played
(hopelandic)
No meaning, just vocalizations
Dagur síungur líður
The slow day passes
Já, endalausir og birtan
Yes, endless and bright
Reykur í augum svíður
Smoke stings the eyes
Já, rifjast upp og núna man
Yes, memories come rushing back now
Við spilum út um allt
We play out everything
Við sáum öll svo margt
We saw so much
Mátum allt allt upp á nýtt
Measured everything again
Við spilum endalaust
We play endlessly
Við spilum endalaust saman
We play endlessly together
Við spilum út um allt saman
We play everything together
Við syngjum öll saman
We all sing together
(hopelandic)
No meaning, just vocalizations
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORG HOLM, JON THOR BIRGISSON, KJARTAN SVEINSSON, ORRI PALL DYRASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bartekszablak2116
[Icelandic:]
Við keyrðum út um allt
Í gegnum sól og malarryk
Við sáum öll svo margt
Já, heimsins ból og svart malbik
Við spiluðum
[hopelandic]
Við spiluðum
[hopelandic]
Við spiluðum
Dagur síungur líður
Já, endalausir og birtan
Reykur í augum svíður
Já, rifjast upp og núna man
Við spiluðum
[hopelandic]
Við spiluðum
[hopelandic]
Við spilum út um allt
Við sáum öll svo margt
Mátum allt allt upp á nýtt
Dagur síungur líður
Já, rifjast upp og núna man
Við spiluðum
[hopelandic]
Við spiluðum
[hopelandic]
Við spilum út um allt
[hopelandic]
Við spilum endalaust
Við spilum endalaust saman
Við spilum út um allt saman
Við syngjum öll saman
[hopelandic]
[English Translation:]
We drove all around
Through sun and pebbly dust
We all saw so much
Even the cradle and asphalt of the world
We played
[hopelandic]
We played
[hopelandic]
We played
The long day flows
Yes, endless is the over-brightness
Smoke stings the eyes
Yes, it pops up in my head and now I remember it
We played
[hopelandic]
We played
[hopelandic]
We played everywhere
We all saw so much
Yes, saw all and everything in a new light
The long day flows
Yes, it pops up in my head and now I remember it
We played
[hopelandic]
We played
[hopelandic]
We played everywhere
[hopelandic]
We play endlessly
We play endlessly together
We play everywhere together
We sing all together
@lucasbarros8888
It's so sad and happy at the same time ... it's perfect!
@marcosjosedasilva2833
marcos josé da silva - curto sigur rós a pouco tempo ( 1 ano), porém, é maravilhoso descobrir, sentir e ouvir melodias que tocam profundamente, como popplagio , svefn-g-englar, olsen olsen e tantas outras. Precisamos que venham ao Brasil urgentemente!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@MrDudoma
I've finally find this song...
@koencools1270
Top 10, best songs ever!
@lillystrauss1215
what are the others in your top ten? (curious) :)
@sarahbegin1363
Like a lot of their music, I just want to spin with my arms out and head back in an empty field. Is this crazy of me... 😊
@nckllvr896
Maybe
@fiona3151
Same
@kriss3492
same feeling over here 🙂
@TheATdesign
I've discovered them only some month ago and I immediately fall in love with them. Unfortunately the concert in Italy is sold out and I got no ticket in time :(